There was a letter to the editor in thsi issue... thought I would post it
for those who haven't seen it...
The Ins and Outs of Air Scoops By Frank Oddo
Q: Several of us Dakota owners are debating the question of air scoops.
Which provides the greatest horsepower increase, the cowl or the ram air
hood? Most of my freinds opt out of the ram air hood because the styling of
the cowl is too "GMish" for their tastes. Personally, I just want the
greatest horsepower increase. Thank you for any information you can
provide.
Robert Trottman (Via E-Mail)
A: I would just be guessing if I had to wing and answer, Robert. Only the
factory would have the factual information on the specifics. You might try
writing to Dodge's technical assistance department. I can, however, tell
you what many racers use as a guidline for efficient air scoop design, and
that is that the air scoop shuld be removed from the turbulence created by
the configuration of the hood, cowl and windshield. A poorly designed air
scoop can actually create a self-defeating vacuum. The rule of thumb is a
minimum of two inches between the mouth of the scoop and the surrounding
flat surfaces. The exception to the rule, and the most efficient design of
the air intake to the induction system proper, is what is called the NACA
duct. This is what I incorporated into my racecar. It is a triangulr duct
below the body surface, pointy end first. When you are looking for
performance rather than cosmetics, however, the design of the scoop is only
half the story. Once forced air is funneled into the engine hold, it still
has to be efficiently captured by the induction system. Racers build
airboxes over the carb or injector to accomplish this.
Hopefully this long post is of sufficient interest to warrant the carpal
tunnel syndrom it caused..LOL
Preacher
99 5.2L CC 4x4 SLT+
http://fly.to/bastaards
ICQ #35528458
My website is NOT under construction..... it's Evolving....
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