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.

 

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.

 

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 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

 

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?
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.

 

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.

 

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 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....