helped with the install late last night, and we are enjoying it. enjoy the pics. The pictures were a thought we had while we were re-installing the bumper. And that rock chip on the bumper pisses me off.

Sweet - can't wait for mine :)

I'm so glad I ordered mine!

I had no idea, that the RB ram air duct was so big! :eek:

Thanks for the pics. I didn't realize that it took up the entire nose opening. I know there's still air coming in for the ac and radiator from underneath, I hope it's enough. I believe RE Amemiya has a very similar ram/cold air design as well, although its made of carbon fiber.

btw the first pic was during the install. The ram air pic does not have two brackets on it which I attached after the pic. The brackets are a little and are at the very end of the intake

geez i also didnt know it was that big........

Yeah, thats at least 3 times the size I was expecting.

I like it . poor mans forced induction...

Cool. That will suck in some serious air. That is huge !

sweet

so how was it? any power gain? at what range?

WOW! cant wait :D picking mine up tomm!

Seems like they didn't consider the amount of people that use front license plates. Half of this opening is already covered by the plate. This will definately cut down on it's effectiveness.

Seems like they didn't consider the amount of people that use front license plates. Half of this opening is already covered by the plate. This will definately cut down on it's effectiveness.


Correct and on RHD models the section that is cut out would have to be different .
I can get one made from Aluminium for about the same dollars once i include exchange rates and shipping and customs :eek:

B...free
michael

Seems like they didn't consider the amount of people that use front license plates. Half of this opening is already covered by the plate. This will definately cut down on it's effectiveness.
Stop using it...... its only a 49dollar ticket and you'll probably hardly even get stopped for it....

never thought it was so huge :rolleyes: i don't think the license plates will block the air ;)

how about people with a different front like the Mazdaspeed?? And I was right from the other thread that it does block some air from getting to the rad. Besides that, I think is the best designed intake system I've ever seen for any car... It's gonna be in my list for my future rx-8

w0w... I had no idea it was that HUGE :eek:

It's HUGE, it's fancy looking!... But does it really DO anything? RB doesn't say anything about performance I could find on their web site, and I'd always heard the 8 couldn't take advantage of RAM AIR as it was meant to suck air, rather than having air pushed into the intake.

Where's the performance and the proof? Is there a minimum speed for any RAM effect to happen? Inquisitive minds want to buy one, IF there is some benefit :confused: Anyone?

I'd also be curious to find out, if you can use this RAM air with a turbo, if you place the filter at the other end. Do you have any engine bay pics?

I think it would be useless with a front plate.

it's easy to test if it works: drill tap and install a 1/8 " fitting at the end of the ram air right before it enters the box, connect a boost/vaccum gauge and do a few runs at different speeds. I may venture to say you'll only get a pressure reading at high speeds/low throttle

that'll test just the ram duct. if you want to test the whole revi+ram duct intake install the fitting and boost gauge between the maf and the throttle body.

anybody adventurous enough to do this?

Ram air does not give a car too much so don't expect alot from it. If anything, the air might be cooler and there might be a little bit more of it...that's all.

I just love how RB makes stuff...it looks like Mazda made it. The more I see their stuff the more I like them.

If you're really serious, I'd send RB an email or call them. It seems like they are very open about any gains you would get by installing their products. Just educate yourself before you call.
BTW, I've had my plate off for about 2 months now, and haven't been warned or even recieved a glare from any cops. They generally have better things to do. If I ever get pulled over, I'll just say I had the plate off to wax and I lost the screw, and it's metric, and brass, and I have to get an oem screw from the dealer because I'm nitpicky, and it had to be ordered from Japan, etc......

And ditto on the quality of their products.

And it's metric rofl, I like your rambling explanation of why the plates aren't on your car, wonder if it'd fly?

Well theres no way they can dyno it...... they like me don't give much merrit to Gtech runs for this kinda mod, all they can say is something like "the car feels as if it has better responce" any number would pretty much be a shot in the dark.... Which is something RB won't do.

Stop using it...... its only a 49dollar ticket and you'll probably hardly even get stopped for it....


Sure $49 for the plate along with extra $ for the illegal tint. I don't need to give them other reasons to pull me over in a bright red sports car when I'm going 10 miles over the speed limit. Thanks for the input, I've thought about it, but not worth the risk.

intsalled it last night... the front license plate doesnt seem to get in the way.
it was a bitch to install since i didnt have the instructions, or well i did but they were a faxed copy and were really difficult to read.
How come your air duct doesnt have those two metal hinges that i had?

he said that it was in the middle of install and they were added later.

nice to hear some else thought the install was a bitch and a half. Got a couple a nice cuts on my hands from doing the install.

So how does it feel.. What are your initial impressions?

This goes to anyone that has it installed... Also, if you do respond, please let us know if you have the ram air with or without the RB intake unit...

I do have the intake.

overall all gears are very responsive, espically around 4750, it really pulls. But 1st gear and 2nd really seem to move more.

And oddly enough my gas mileage looks like it is going up. I will have to wait until my next full tank to make sure of this. But my driving habits have not changed since the install, and it looks like i could get an additional .5 to 1 mpg. and this number is on top of the 1.75 mpg i have recognized with the intake. But who knows, i could have changed my driving habits and not realized it.

And finally the sound is different but i can not explain how, it is different not bad or good just differnt.

^hmm.....i might have to pick this up..woudl go nice with my revi and rev8..btu i htink i'll hang out on the fence a lill while longer :D

I honestly noticed a greater performance increase with the duct than when I installed the REVi. And my mpg is up also on the last half tank. Somewhere amongst the lastest flash, the REVi and the CAI i've gone from 17 average to just over 20. No bs

What kind of impact is rain going to have on using the ram air duct?

^good question. i think it would have to be a lot of water to get around those bend and be sucked in..i would bable about engines and vacum..etc etc. but i'm tired. lol

but teh short answer is it shoudl be okay..the opening is well protected (for the filter)..and the water woudl have to be a significant amount to get in there in any large quantity...least as far as i can tell

I honestly noticed a greater performance increase with the duct than when I installed the REVi. And my mpg is up also on the last half tank. Somewhere amongst the lastest flash, the REVi and the CAI i've gone from 17 average to just over 20. No bs


cool congrats...but i think i'd need a lill more info and research than 1/2 a tank to believe this...on tank of gas i got 23.5 mpg...the nect one i got 15.9 lol....go figure.

oh i blame my righ tfoot for the bad gas milage :o

Did the install late last night, and i am enjoying it. enjoy the pics. The pictures were a thought i had while i was re-installing the bumper. And that rock chip on my bumper pisses me off.


The pic at RB did not do the unit justice. Your pics are very appreciated. ;) I am ordering mine tomorrow. :D

Directing air flow into the intake in a more or less sealed fashion, the increase of CFM at full throttle should help push cool air into the intakes. This is a great mod. Again thanks for the pics. :)

For those of you that haven't bought one yet.

You should hear the suction noise at idle. you have to stand in front of the car to hear it, but it sounds bad ass.

Has anyone else noticed the extra heat generated. That report sounded a bit disturbing as our car is prone to failure with extra heat.

skc

wait wait... so everyone has those metal clips? i just left mine off... cuz i got so frustrated with this stupid install. if ne1 wants to help me one weekend :D haha but yah wateva

i did however notice increase of mpg and a lil bit more power.

keep up updated, that isn't a good thing.....

since nobody listened to my heat issue it was 73degrees this morning - a reasonable non-problematic temperature and my car went from dead cold to halfway on the gauge in under 3 minutes flat, with just normal driving, Ah, that seems normal to me, all my cars get to normal temp in under 5 minutes this time of year, I would be concerned if they didn't.

using the same timing the stock only got that hott after an hour + of high revving 7k-9k driving If your car is taking an hour + of high reving to get to normal operating temperatures something is wrong with it.

Mine gets up to normal temp within 5 minutes too, and that's just normal easy driving to go from my house to the freeway. Temp needle goes to just under halfway and stays there... I don't know what temperature that is exactly but it's always done that and I've had it 2 years now.

Mine gets up to normal temp within 5 minutes too, and that's just normal easy driving to go from my house to the freeway. Temp needle goes to just under halfway and stays there... I don't know what temperature that is exactly but it's always done that and I've had it 2 years now.

Me too.
Do you have the engine cover on? I read in a thread the other day (no clue which one) that it helps direct air over the engine.

Sure $49 for the plate along with extra $ for the illegal tint. I don't need to give them other reasons to pull me over in a bright red sports car when I'm going 10 miles over the speed limit. Thanks for the input, I've thought about it, but not worth the risk.

I second that, the only time I would be ok with not having the front plate is if you display you car at a car show.
If you want your car to be "Cool" just get some aero parts.

since nobody listened to my heat issue it was 73degrees this morning - a reasonable non-problematic temperature and my car went from dead cold to halfway on the gauge in under 3 minutes flat, with just normal driving, i didnt even push it that much and by time i got home the car was at least a few hundred degrees ill put a thermometer on it next time but something is messed up that in a 25-30 minute drive the car can get that much heat, with the stock intake it never was this bad, using the same timing the stock only got that hott after an hour + of high revving 7k-9k driving this is doing the same in normal(5K) driving in 3-10mins! somtehing is messed up here im hoping when i get my car flashed it will help or something ill try resetting the ECU - AGAIN tonight but something is wrong here, you guys arent feeling the same thing?If you're worried, perhaps you should give RB a call.

I thought its fairly basic that the car would run hotter with the ram air duct.

Why did I say so.

Well the radiator/enginebay use to have 2 openings to get air from. The lower air dam area, and the lower part of the front grille, which of course taken up by the air duct now. Isn't that clear enough for the car to be running hotter than usual?

doesn't sound worth it to me....IMO

I thought its fairly basic that the car would run hotter with the ram air duct.

Why did I say so.

Well the radiator/enginebay use to have 2 openings to get air from. The lower air dam area, and the lower part of the front grille, which of course taken up by the air duct now. Isn't that clear enough for the car to be running hotter than usual?
:confused: Hmmmm, good point

It looks like it tucks in neatly behind the bottom third of the front grill which provides air flow to the ram air duct. The lower area is huge.....after the ram air duct is installed the lower area is still wide open to cool the rad, at least from what I see in the pix. However, where "somewhat" cool air would normally come up and enter the stock intake hole, it's now blocked. So, therefore, the question is, how much additonal cool air is provided by the ram air duct to the intake vs. the stock hole. From what is posted here, appears not as much, yet that must be directly proportional to how fast your going. In conclusion, low speed driving will lead to less air more heat which is why the temp gauge jumps faster than normal, but once the car is up to speed, the design of the ram air duct "should" provide more cool intake air and therefore lead to increased performance with tons of air still reaching and cooling the rad. Bottom line? Great mod for racing or very fast drives, not so good for everyday around the town usage.

Nice and clear Genesis, I tought about buying it but now with this issue with the heat and the heat problem of the car I'm not that sure anymore. I live in Miami and here is hot enough so I better don't play with the heat or ever mod the air intake system, I might get a problem and I don't want Mazda to void the warranty because of the mods.

...the question is, how much additonal cool air is provided by the ram air duct to the intake vs. the stock hole. From what is posted here, appears not as much, yet that must be directly proportional to how fast your going.... Bottom line? Great mod for racing or very fast drives, not so good for everyday around the town usage.You do realize that the duct provides a larger surface than the opening of the intake box, right? At least that's what it looks like from the pictures. So that should mean at least as much air as stock, and eventually better performance due to the cooler, more direct air entering the intake.
Also, the area that is "blocked" by the duct is really minuscule compared to the lower air dam opening where the majority of the air enters to hit the radiator.
Until I see a lot of people reporting increased heat after installing the duct, I'll think heat has nothing to do with the duct itself. Just doesn't sound reasonable...

I have one stupid question about getting cold air in the intake. (im not a mechanical engineer).

Would it be a good idea to direct air coming from A/C to the intake... When it's HOT most of us use the A/C, so why not use it too for the intake..
My 2 cents..

Waiting for expert to answer.

Also, the area that is "blocked" by the duct is really minuscule compared to the lower air dam opening where the majority of the air enters to hit the radiator. Until I see a lot of people reporting increased heat after installing the duct, I'll think heat has nothing to do with the duct itself. Just doesn't sound reasonable...As long as the car is moving, it's probably not an issue. But if one is stuck in traffic on a scorching hot summer day, the lost airflow to the radiator and engine compartment might be something to worry about. Perhaps those who get this mod should also look to a nose grill that's fully open instead of the stock one. But I'm not sure how much an open grill would help, as there's that bumper beam that runs along the top of where the ram duck is.

I have one stupid question about getting cold air in the intake. (im not a mechanical engineer).

Would it be a good idea to direct air coming from A/C to the intake... When it's HOT most of us use the A/C, so why not use it too for the intake..
My 2 cents..

Waiting for expert to answer.
I am not an expert by any means. I can be completely wrong, but my opinion is this: The amount of horsepower the A/C consumes to operate is more than what you will gain if you directed the cool air flow into the intake. You simply can't get more power than what you need to consume in the first place. It's technically impossible. However, if you are not interested in looking for increase in power, but simply to cool the temperature of the intake air, then I still don't understand of any benefits. The A/C in our cars aren't that great to start with, as many of us are complaining. Redirecting just a fraction of it to the intake isn't something most of us are willing to consider.

Yeah and have fun redirecting throught the firewall....

I think the ram air would work great for people with like the MS kit as far as the air flow goes..I agree with hachi ^^^

I love the ac comment

As long as the car is moving, it's probably not an issue. But if one is stuck in traffic on a scorching hot summer day, the lost airflow to the radiator and engine compartment might be something to worry about.Come on... just how much more airflow do you expect in a car that's stuck in the traffic and has no duct installed vs. one that does? :rolleyes:
If the car is stationary, the small area blocked by the duct will make even less of a difference than with a moving car, seeing that there is no air movement.

^ If you don't blow wind towards the candle, does the flame swing? Exactly! If the blocked area really does deter cooling, it would only be when there's wind blowing (ie. car is moving)

Don't forget the electric fan(s) that blow air across the radiator when the car is stationary. I still would like to here what Racing Beat has to say about this but I'm going to put mine on and I'm in Texas and it is mucho caliente down here!

^right, and those fans do need to draw the air in from somewhere. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade here, I may one day get this setup myself. But we all know the rotary runs super hot. With the heating recall issue still not fully understood yet, I'm not crazy about the idea of blocking any of the car's vents, who knows what the long term effect might be. If the car didn't need that vent, Mazda could have saved a little by just making the entire nose grill a solid piece of plastic.

The only reason I can see for not blocking the upper opening with the ram intake is that when the car is stationary there might be a natural convection path for air comming in the bottom and going OUT the top.

I have one stupid question about getting cold air in the intake. (im not a mechanical engineer).

Would it be a good idea to direct air coming from A/C to the intake... When it's HOT most of us use the A/C, so why not use it too for the intake..
My 2 cents..

Waiting for expert to answer.

Not really that dumb of a question. On the last Ford Lightening truck they had an extra freon resevoir that at a flick of a switch could be fed through coils in the intercooler. I believe they were claiming ~40hp gain and it could last for almost a minute before the AC compressor would need to kick in and refill the resevoir.

Do you guys really think that RB never thought of this issue when designing this duct? The reason why the front grille is mostly blocked off by Mazda themselves is because this car has 'ground breather' cooling which means it draws it's air from underneath the front. I suspect the opening in the front grille is more to relieve pressure than provide cooling. Without it the front grille is just a nice obstacle to forward movement as the air has nowhere to go while the car is moving except build up pressure. With it there's an escape for that built-up air pressure, which also makes perfect sense for RB to take advantage of that for engine air; brilliant if you ask me.

Mazda provides electric fans that kick on if there isn't enough airflow through the radiator and they can kick on at any time so being "stuck in traffic" doesn't mean your car is going to overheat automatically because there's no airflow...the fans kick in if necessary.

How many times in just about any newish car have you turned the car off but yet stil hear a fan running? The only issue would be is if the fan cannot keep up with the extra heat generated (if it does generate extra heat). Better chance of battery drain probably from the fan running instead of overheating.

Do you guys really think that RB never thought of this issue when designing this duct? The reason why the front grille is mostly blocked off by Mazda themselves is because this car has 'ground breather' cooling which means it draws it's air from underneath the front. I suspect the opening in the front grille is more to relieve pressure than provide cooling. Without it the front grille is just a nice obstacle to forward movement as the air has nowhere to go while the car is moving except build up pressure. With it there's an escape for that built-up air pressure, which also makes perfect sense for RB to take advantage of that for engine air; brilliant if you ask me.

Mazda provides electric fans that kick on if there isn't enough airflow through the radiator and they can kick on at any time so being "stuck in traffic" doesn't mean your car is going to overheat automatically because there's no airflow...the fans kick in if necessary.


I see it the exact same way. :D Thanks for some common sence.

I'm not buying it. It's a total waste imo. The revi/duct and the rev8. I am one to argue that mazda did an excellent job extracting the most power from this engine, without sacrificing reliability. I'll probably get a k&n drop in filter and a resonated midpipe. If you want a more agressive sound than an intake/exhaust set-up is for you but as far as performance/price goes, it is just not worth it.

Just got back from Texas Heat wave. My gas mileage for three fill ups was 21.5, 18.5, and 20. I have never came close to this. The revi pushed me to 17 and the ram air took me the rest of the way. For these two mods to make the car more enjoyable and better gas mileage it is way worth it.

the last 3 weeks of 90+ degree heat pushed my milage up from 20.5 mpg to 22 mpg and i haven't changed a single thing... just to keep things in perspective

It has been 90 since may down in texas. so i do not think it is temp.

I'm not buying it. It's a total waste imo. The revi/duct and the rev8. I am one to argue that mazda did an excellent job extracting the most power from this engine, without sacrificing reliability. I'll probably get a k&n drop in filter and a resonated midpipe. If you want a more agressive sound than an intake/exhaust set-up is for you but as far as performance/price goes, it is just not worth it.
I would tend to agree with you, but after gaining 10hp at 6750 with the RB intake I'm one to argue that mazda could have gotten more power from having an intake that sucks more air. REVI smooths out duct openings and leans out the mixture. I don't have the duct yet but since its letting more air get to the MAF sensor, the ECU is probably compenstating by adding less fuel, which could be why some are reporting increases, but then again I wouldn't hold my breath on MPG, but fact remains REVI gave me 10hp at 6750rpm on a dyno run that can't be disputed.

hey would anyone happen to have vid of the ram air ? thanks.

vid of what?

yeah, nothing moves and you already saw the pics....

maybe he wants a vid/sound clip ?

so he wants to hear it and needs a sound clip....