I was wondering what the pros and cons of ram air compared to cowl induction are. i have a 600 carb on a 350 if that makes any difference.
ram air vs. cowl
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I don't think you would see any difference in performance. But one con I can think of with the cowl (and I could be wrong on this) is that there could be a possibility of water getting into the carb.
i'm going to assumed stock to mildly modified. neither style will make a huge difference but...
a ram air won't do anything at low speeds (it can even restrict air at low speeds) and the more turns-the less ram. also ram air will heat the incoming charge some. but at higher speeds it can push more air into the engine than the carb could normally pull in.
cowl induction also won't do much at low speeds, but there are no restrictions and available air volume is always increased. but the carb won't pull "extra" air. the air charge is usually cooler.
a ram air won't do anything at low speeds (it can even restrict air at low speeds) and the more turns-the less ram. also ram air will heat the incoming charge some. but at higher speeds it can push more air into the engine than the carb could normally pull in.
cowl induction also won't do much at low speeds, but there are no restrictions and available air volume is always increased. but the carb won't pull "extra" air. the air charge is usually cooler.
I once heard you have to be going VERY VERY fast for ram air to even work properly, such as faster then any car could possibly go. do think thats true?
ram air is proven to work to some degree at normal speeds. but it does depend on the cars aerodynamics. most cars build up a wall of air at the nose that causes the air flow to go well over the hood. (this is a wild *ss guess but--the monte SS may not have as much of a problem with this. i'm basing this on that fact that the design was used in nascar and observations of other car aerodynamics.) the faster you go, the closer to the hood the airstream gets. IIRC, at about 75mph it usually becomes pretty flat. (assuming a relatively aerodynamic car, most g-bodys don't fit that with the flat square nose.)
this is why air scoops are usually a couple of inches over the hood line.
but the same laws apply to cowl induction. the more airflow over the cowl and windshield the better as it creates a high pressure zone. the difference is that the airstream always hits the windshield and deflects, creating the HP zone.
granted, a ram air intake with openings at the grill (or in-place of a headlight) will have a much better effect, but the necessity of a small opening and especially the twists/turns to route it to the carb will kill the volume and the velocity.
like i said, on a regular car they won't make much of a difference.
many cars have cowl induction in order to make room for a taller intake. (like i plan on doing)
this is why air scoops are usually a couple of inches over the hood line.
but the same laws apply to cowl induction. the more airflow over the cowl and windshield the better as it creates a high pressure zone. the difference is that the airstream always hits the windshield and deflects, creating the HP zone.
granted, a ram air intake with openings at the grill (or in-place of a headlight) will have a much better effect, but the necessity of a small opening and especially the twists/turns to route it to the carb will kill the volume and the velocity.
like i said, on a regular car they won't make much of a difference.
many cars have cowl induction in order to make room for a taller intake. (like i plan on doing)
I had a 4" cowl hood on my '87 Olds years ago and did a few tests with it. Found that around 25mph is when it really started pulling the air into the engine.
However, keep in mind that you'd want some sort of screen to keep debris out of/off of the engine. I can't tell you how many times I had to clean leaves, etc off my engine that the hood sucked in.
However, keep in mind that you'd want some sort of screen to keep debris out of/off of the engine. I can't tell you how many times I had to clean leaves, etc off my engine that the hood sucked in.
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