Damn it is hot in Houston!. I have an Air Force One FIPK. When the temp is <90, and the engine compartment has not reached high temp levels from sitting, the truck screams. Big diff in performance once that compartment gets hot...

So, here are some thoughts:

Engines need cold air. Under hood air is not cold, especially in Houston. Big drawback for the Air Force 1.

Second, some FIPKs have a metal tube. Last time I checked, metal was a good conductor of heat. That AF1 metal tube under the hood gets way too hot to touch... Surely that heats the air even more as it enters the engine. Plastic on the other hand, is a decent insulator...

Third, a cooling system to bring the metal tube temp down to where it was COLD would be interesting. Thermoelectric devices might be able to create a closed system for cooling such a tube, but would probably get way too expensive.

From what I surmise about Houston weather, the stock airbox with a K&N is probably best. Maybe a Volant unit as it has an airbox designed for higher flow but still pulls air from outside.

Any ideas on how to cool that metal tube down using a closed system (efficiency) for a relatively cheap price? Imagine if you designed a metal "tube" which was in fact square outside with a tubular shape inside. Imagine further that the inside of the tubing was finned, kind of like a heatsink to increase surface area. The metal would need to be copper or some other sort of fast conductor. Jacketing the tubing with antifreeze or some other type of coolant that is circulated to a thermoelectric cooler could easily bring the temp of the tubing down. Would the intake air be cooled significantly? Would deep fins with a slight circular pattern block the flow too much?

I am willing to help pay for such an experiment, but don't have the machinery...

Ken

 

Your kidding right?...I mean, cooling the intake charge. you can't make it cooler than the outside air unless you used a refer system, or ice. Refer would use more power than you would make, and buying ice, added weight, not cost effective.
every 10 degrees is 1% horsepower loss, 130 degree under hood temp, would cause a 13% loss in power.
I am no fan of exposed filters underhood, I went with a JL ram air kit, and modified it for my truck, it keeps the filter supplied with plenty of "cool" air. While it my not give a "ram"or "forcefeeding" effect(I don't know if it really does,or doesn't) any air suppiled by the kit beats sucking it from the fender, or from under the hood.

 

Kidding? No. Efficient fluid cooling products are made using thermoelectric peltier devices. Some are very efficient...

http://www.tetech.com/assys/water.html
this is just an example. there are many mfrs of similar devices... this one is rated at 1.6L/minute of flow.

Have you ever seen the head or exhaust on a jetski? Jacketed. Water is pumped through them to keep things cool...

The question is not whether or not it is possible. Instead, it is a question of cost and performance.

 

Good point Ken, I often wondered if some type of intercooler system was feasible to use with normally aspirated engines. Altough they're mostly used with turbos and superchargers I'm sure people in hotter climates like yourself could also benefit from a similar setup.