I read that the honda fit recalibrates after two drive cycles so how does having one even benefit since the car compensates for the increase in air?

 

CAI and ram air doesn't " increase air"
The CAI lowers the air temp, creating denser A/F ratio for better combustion.
The Ram Air forces more air into the cylinder due to pressure which changes as the speed increases.

So many variations come into play ( same as running fuel lines through a dry ice packed box ) denser fuel/compressed or cooler air = higher combustion ratios...

 

yea ok....still didnt answer my question as to whether running this on an ecu that corrects this is even worth it..minus the sound change

 

Even if the ecu changes every minute, the CIA and Ram Air will do the same thing. Its an individuals preference...eg: Looks, ego....

 

More air (especially colder/denser) + more fuel = more HP

Many of the CAI appear to suck air from the engine compartment? This will normally be hotter. For sake of discussion it increases air flow, but is warmer than what the stock air box is sucking then maybe it still might produce more HP? I'd see if the manufacturer had any dyno graphs to show a HP gain? Keep in mind if they do have graphs they usually don't put HP numbers on and change the scaling to make the gain look bigger. Now if you had a turbo car and were sucking more air regardless of the temp it would probably make more HP do the the turbo, intercooler and other factors. Basically it's not as critical where the air comes from on a turbo car.

So as a simplified answer to your question. If the CAI is providing more air/cooler air to the engine and you go WOT (wide open throttle) the ECU should compensate and provide more fuel, change timing and have the engine make more power? What I don't know is what parameters Honda's ECU monitors? If you look at something like a scan gauge that plugs into the OBD2 port different manufactures don't all measure the same things. Obviously there's a minimum they all have to do, but some are more extensive

Not available for Honda, but you'll get the idea


Aeroforce Technology Inc | Products - Interceptor

 

That is true for those buying out of the box stores like autozone. BUT if purchased from, lets say AirRaid or K&N, and you get the proper kit which comes with an air box/shield, that separates it from the engine compartment and draws air from the fender well or air dam, you get cooler outside air. Ive had them on my trucks both ways and really didn't notice much of a difference except in the hot summer months. Most of the hubbub is looks and tones... Ohhh Shiny !!!

 

i can say from experience materials and the type of intake due make a difference not only in HP but also response, my intake set up even though a short ram that i created is more responsive than a cold air and my intake temps are down by using materials that dont conduct a lot of heat. I know this because my scanner that i have shows live data so when im making pulls i can actually view and save the data.

 

I imagine a hot air ram taking air from the engine compartment will use less gas and produce less hp and better gas mileage than a CAI.

 

There was a documentary on the CAI and their materials ( aluminum, pcv..ect... ) and there was no differences in the air temp going through it where people debated the materials conduct or insulate from heat transfer or not... The outcome was, so much air moves through it that there is no time for heat to transfer to such a large amount of air, so this was proven scientific and dyno testing.

 

Air has been drawn from the engine bays since before any of us were born.