So I've searched, but can't find any real gouge on whether it's worth it or not to put an AEM cold air intake in my 8 once I get the supercharger installed. We all know rotaries generate a *****-ton of heat under the hood and it seems like sucking that heat directly into a hot-air intake (meaning a cone filter right there in the engine bay - as the Pettit SC kit comes stock) isn't a great thing, especially on a supercharged rotary.


However, I've also heard that sucking air through even more twisty curves in the intake piping, even if it's cooler air from outside the engine bay, will just heat it up even more and negate the cooling effect. I've also heard it's pointless to try and cool the air unless you can run it through an intercooler, and even then only if you can get the intercooler between the compressor and the engine since the compressor is what heats the air the most (which is impossible since the Pettit SC sits bolted directly on top of our engines).


I have, however, seen a few RX8's around the internet and on YouTube with the AEM or similar cold air intake installed, leading me to believe it may do something?


So aside from just looking good, would it actually help at all? Or should I just get a cone filter and stick it on the end of the stock Pettit SC intake pipe right in front of the MAF like it would normally be? FYI my SC currently doesn't even have a cone filter at all (I bought it used and had it repaired by Kenne Bell), which is why I'm thinking of just going for the AEM CAI from the get-go.


Any advice and/or experience on this?

 

pm keck03, i dont remember if he extended it out of his engine bay but we have talked about it

 

How may psi are you running? All stage 2 and stage 3 kits come with an air to water aftercooler. I have had a temp gauge in the coolant line for it and the temps are lowish. I read through the bulk of the 300 page thread and over the years people have had so many different opinions on them. It depends on your tuning solution and AFM solution.

 

Will do!



I'll only be running 8psi for awhile. Not sure if it's a Stage II kit or not? Almost certainly not a Stage III. I do also have an 11psi pulley coming, but with my engine sitting right at 60,000 miles and not being sure how well the original owner took care of it for the first 34,000 miles before I bought the car (I do plan to get it compression-tested at the local dealership before installing the SC kit), I don't know if I want to push it any harder than 8psi for now. My tuning solution is, for starters, the MazdaManiac supercharger base tune, and then refining it from there using his remote tuning service. With evolving tuning parameters, perhaps we could get it to take better advantage of the AEM intake/BHR catless midpipe combo? Or not..?


Also is the air-to-water aftercooler the thing inside the Pettit intake box that sort of looks like a tiny little radiator?

 

Pretty sure they can do it for you, link is just as an example

https://www.rx8performance.com/produ...d-air-intake-1

 

FYI I have in fact decided to do some kind of CAI on my SC setup, preferably the AEM if I can figure out how to make it fit right, based on research and these words from 9krpmrx8's Boost Build Thread:


I'll figure it out, and post pictures when I do!
_
_

 

It's really easy. Just make sure the MAF housing is right or it will/may affect your tune. I did mine in one piece so I could remove it without pulling the bumper.

 

your best bet is to buy an AEM and modify it just like this, except I'd get rid of the AEM screens and get the honeycomb air straighters from treadstone performance instead

 

Honeycomb air straighteners from Treadstone Performance... Looking it up right now.


Also, I've been meaning to ask someone who's done this: The way you moved your CF Mazdaspeed strut tower brace (I have the same one) forward a few inches to accommodate the Pettit unit - is that a specific kit, or did you just fabricate it yourself with some properly-sized bolts and little pieces of cut pipe to act as spacers between the bar's original mounting brackets?

 

You should be able to buy pre-drilled aluminum spacers from McMaster-Carr mcmaster.com

 

.


https://www.mcmaster.com/#unthreaded-spacers/=18llw9m


You'll also need longer bolts obviously



.

 

You'll want the 3.5" size and at least one before the MAF sensor

HoneyComb MAF Mass Air Meter Airflow Straightener- TREADSTONE PERFORMANCE


.

 

Wow thanks for the info, I would never have found that as it's not really RX8-related (search-wise I mean)! Do you remember what width/length you ordered them at? And did you just use normal bolts from your local hardware store?

 

I don't have Pettit SC setup. If you have an MS strut bar you'd need to measure it yourself. You may need to have the spacers machined to fit the specific width needed if it's an odd size comoared to what length you can buy. Then you need to figure out what size/thead bolts you have, measure to determine the new length needed, and order them as well.

If you do need help though let me know and I'll try my best to assist you.



.

 

Absolutely right Team! I believe we have one left from the last build run in stock currently as well. It utilizes the honeycomb air straightener and filter from our turbo kit and the filter is tucked behind the bumper up and away from sand and water.

It will drop the intake temps to just a few degrees above ambient air temps.

 

Put a small intrcooler in that thing and be good. Then you might think of it. CAI doesnt do much over the stock..

 

Thanks for enlightening us with your expert opinion ....

 

I've not heard of a supercharger using a full-on turbo-style intercooler... Or at least not in an RX8. I think I remember reading a thread about it somewhere on here saying it wasn't a particularly great idea for some reason. In any case I know a CAI wouldn't be a lot better than the stock RX8 air intake, but both of those options would be a lot better/cooler than the Pettit supercharger kit's off-the-shelf configuration of having the cone filer in the super-hot engine bay practically right in front of the engine block.




This is for a GReddy turbo setup though..? Given the different shape of the turbo/supercharger setups, could this CAI be configured for a Pettit SC setup? Or would it fit as-is (or with minor modifications)? And (aside from modifications for fitment) does it come with everything I would need to install it?

 

We actually make one designed for the Pettit supercharger kit, it would be a direct bolt-on!

 

Looks like my intake problem has just been solved. Does the Pettit SC model also have the honeycomb air-straightening filter in it? Also, I can't find it on your site, how do I buy it?

 

There you go ....

and the OE intake box doesn't fit with the Pettit SC kit. Pettit replaces it with an exposed cone filter sucking super hot engine bay air. So a CAI is the right thing to do.

 

Yes it does utilize the same honeycomb as in our turbo kit and it includes the silicone couplers, stainless clamps etc. Send me an email to Sales@RX8Performance.com and we will get you squared away!

Thanks, Scott

 

Thanks for the help figuring this out Team, and Tuner I just sent an email to your Sales Department... You should really post this product on your web site! Almost every Pettit Supercharged RX8 I've seen on the forums and on YouTube (barring a select few like RX8inSTL who made/modified their own CAI) have the stupid stock hot-air-intake and don't know where to get your CAI from. Your CAI setup - aside from building your own from scrap parts (which most people don't really know how to do) - is the only pre-built bolt-on CAI solution for the Pettit SC kit that I've ever heard of. If I hadn't made this thread I probably would never have found out about it!


But anyhow, thanks, my setup nears completion! Can't wait to get back to the States and start getting it installed!


_

 

I received your email and sent one back to you Othersyde! We likely will put it on the website, after I posted in the Pettit thread awhile back we received a few emails/calls so we ran a short run of them for those who inquired. If anyone else is interested in one let me know!

Email is Sales@RX8Performance.com

 

You do have the air to water intercooler that comes with the stage 2 kit right? It will work much better than a simple A2A kit in dealing with heatsoak.