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Adding a Cold Air Intake to my spark..


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So. I was reading a bit and I seen some people added a cold air intake to their spark...

My question is does this actually increase HP or do we lose?

any Dyno specs?

I need to give this little guy more spark ;)

81HP isn't enough for me hahah

Thanks guys!!!

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  • 1 month later...
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I had originally done the intake mod shown elsewhere on this site & added a K&N air filter. It was a pretty good addition/mod but wasn't satisfied...

Ended up adding the DC Sports cold-air intake kit & have been VERY happy overall!!! Sounds WAY better & does have a better throttle response than before as well! Easy to install other than air filter going through fender well opening & tire...

Especially nice as the tubing is the same color as my little Spark!!!

post-963-0-29661600-1439172516_thumb.jpg

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I had originally done the intake mod shown elsewhere on this site & added a K&N air filter. It was a pretty good addition/mod but wasn't satisfied...

Ended up adding the DC Sports cold-air intake kit & have been VERY happy overall!!! Sounds WAY better & does have a better throttle response than before as well! Easy to install other than air filter going through fender well opening & tire...

Especially nice as the tubing is the same color as my little Spark!!!

hows the mileage after the add on?

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I had originally done the intake mod shown elsewhere on this site & added a K&N air filter. It was a pretty good addition/mod but wasn't satisfied...

Ended up adding the DC Sports cold-air intake kit & have been VERY happy overall!!! Sounds WAY better & does have a better throttle response than before as well! Easy to install other than air filter going through fender well opening & tire...

Especially nice as the tubing is the same color as my little Spark!!!

Can you post a link where you got that please?

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not worth the cost. replace the stock filter with a k&n and take off the resonator tube, call it a day. want to test what a CAI would be like just take of the air filter box and drive around the block a bit. a months+ car payment for no significant gains not worth it in my book

I agree with Skids, I think the little 1.2 engine is pretty well squeezed to balance power, fuel economy and reliability, with all the sensors and electronics controlling just about all engine functions the air intake swap to a more direct system will make the engine sound better, but I doubt it makes any significant changes to performance other than a slight increase in acceleration response time. Still it is refreshing to see people take an interest in their vehicles, spending time on research and doing the work on their own, and from what I see, doing a darn good job with it as well. By taking an interest in your significant investment and some well researched mods and other DIY work you will not only enjoy your purchase more, but down the road when something goes wrong with your current car or one years' from now...you will have a better understanding of what & how to resolve it. Although current car engines are full of sensors and electronics, the basic functions and principles of the internal cumbustion remain unchaged and still apply. What you learn about how the Spark's engine works will most certainly apply to almost all current and future internal combustion engines.

......Nuff said...{]:-[||)

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took off the snorkel to see if the extra air would help do anything etc. did sound smoother compared to just he resonator tube off, but acceleration decreased noticeably, and my MPG average dropped by 0.6 points by the time I got home. I did notice on the freeway however doing 70 that my instant MPG stayed at 40 compared to the 30 it usually stays at going the same speed. I would think a cold air intake would have this same affect. too much air = too much fuel = tiny engine cant burn it fast enough so it runs slower. yes the engine sounded better louder but not worth the mileage and performance. drove to work with snorkel and resonator tube in and mpg back up to 0.3 (i reset at every fill up at less than a quarter tank now so not instant changes like when you first reset, so says how much gas the extra air was guzzling) engine is much quieter and acceleration is back up there.

Weird about the fwy mileage though. would be cool to have the intake change at freeways speeds to get that better mileage, however it did kill the acceleration when going fast to faster.

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took off the snorkel to see if the extra air would help do anything etc. did sound smoother compared to just he resonator tube off, but acceleration decreased noticeably, and my MPG average dropped by 0.6 points by the time I got home. I did notice on the freeway however doing 70 that my instant MPG stayed at 40 compared to the 30 it usually stays at going the same speed. I would think a cold air intake would have this same affect. too much air = too much fuel = tiny engine cant burn it fast enough so it runs slower. yes the engine sounded better louder but not worth the mileage and performance. drove to work with snorkel and resonator tube in and mpg back up to 0.3 (i reset at every fill up at less than a quarter tank now so not instant changes like when you first reset, so says how much gas the extra air was guzzling) engine is much quieter and acceleration is back up there.

Weird about the fwy mileage though. would be cool to have the intake change at freeways speeds to get that better mileage, however it did kill the acceleration when going fast to faster.

I think the 'real time' field test Skids did was the correct way to find out the effects of different intake options as well as the effect of more airflow to the engine. He is correct when he says "too much air = too much fuel = tiny engine cant burn it fast enough so it runs slower". When an engine airflow sensor senses more air, it compensates with more fuel...on a bigger engine this would probably work out fine, boosting power by being able to burn the mixture completely but with the higer RPM in the small combustion chamber on the Spark there is not enough TDC time to burn it all at once and the VVT may interpret the mixture as too rich and compensate by adjusting the spark and or valve timing. In the older engines without VVT and no variable ignition timing this would not be an issue. But because the Spark engine has sensors designed to work with factory specified air and gas mixtures deliverd by the factory set up, any change to specs will be compensated for by adding fuel, retarding or advancing the spark and changing the valve timing. Gone are the days when you could simply add a bigger carb and get more power. I remember having a '69 Road Runner with a 383cu V8 and just swapping out the stock 400cfm carb with a 4bbl 1,000cfm carb and getting a huge power boost.

It's very hard to get more power from a modern small, sensor controlled engine since any changes you make may just be negated by the sensors compensating for the changes to the factory programmed specs and settings....Sorry to ramble on in this post, but us old guys are not good at explaing stuff in a summary style...{]:-(\)

Edited by Retired old Gearhead
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Been driving with my DC Sports CAI intake kit on for more than a month now & the car feels better in every RPM range. Like I said, I tried the intake mod like a lot of other people - even with the K&N filter. It made it sound a "little better" & improved response a tad, but it was very noticeable with the DC kit on!!! This little car is NEVER gonna be a powerhouse unless you slapped on a turbo or something, but mine feels a whole lot better & sounds GREAT now!!!

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...... but mine feels a whole lot better & sounds GREAT now!!!

The important thing is that you are pleased with the work you did. I do agree that a mod such as yours will improve the responsive time when you push the gas peddle. That and the overall sound of a more powerful engine will give you a more sporty driving experience. I always have a lot of respect for people who work on their own cars and take some pride in ownership. Many people take their expensive car for granted and don't look after it considering it is probably the second biggest investment next to their house. (In my case second only to my wife's Visa bills.)

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  • 2 years later...

I just bought a spark with the cold air intake already installed, was not told. I was curious to see how much the stock part would be to put it back the way it was. I do not care for the added noise and increased acceleration, I am actually a new driver and trying to learn on it and its difficult, as would any car. But the pedals are very sensitive, the wheel is very sensitive, so adding that in makes it crazy for me. Also, the filter was coming loose and if I had not taken it in to see what was up, it would have fallen off under my car, maybe even caused a wreck.

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