I have been messing with air filter designs from the first day I owned
this R/T (4/98) and I have a conclusion or 2 to offer.
1: The type of "pipe" you use, insulated or not, doesn't matter as much
as how smooth the "route" the air has to travel. I recently replaced the
stock flex hose from the box to the hat with 4" flex metal duct.
What about the heat you say?
Well, I felt the metal tubing from the box to the hat and it was indeed
hot.
I then felt the air hat, it was as hot or hotter. Then the air box, it
too was hot. Last, I felt the ram air tube to the grille, you guessed
it, hot.
I conclude that, no matter the material used to cobble together a ram
air setup, it should at least be smooth on the inside and be the proper
diameter. It will still get, hot at some point in the system. From the
looks of things, that point will be the air hat/TB.
2: Cone style air filters grafted to the air hat don't work or flow as
well as a stock setup that has been "maximized" and "ram aired" IMHO.
3: The T/B is, as you know, mounted to the intake manifold, which is
scorching hot (try and take one off bare handed after the engine is hot)
and no doubt, heats any air pasing thru it. Not to mention the manifold
itself along with the injectors.
What am I trying to say here?
Heat is a factor that can't be overcome by insulating tubes and such, so
just make sure they're smooth and flow well.
Last: I don't claim to be an authority on this subject, just a layman
who has done some experimenting. I welcome any counter-debate.
Alan S.
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