Hey all I am plannin on building my own FWI during my Thanksgiving break. My question is what is the purpose of relocating the AIT sensor closer to the air filter? I understand it will see the lowest temperatures at this point, but I dont see how that would be benificial since the air will warm up some before it enters the intake manifold. Wouldnt it make more sence to keep the AIT sensor as close to the manifold as possible so the PCM will adjust for the best air fuel mixture? Otherwise you are just tricking the PCM and the air fuel mixture would not be optimum. Maybe I am missing something here but it just doenst seem like relocating the sensor is benificial.

 

thats pretty much are you are doing is tricking the systen to think the air i colder thn it is

 

yes and no.

the closer to the engine you move the sensor the more heat soak the sensor itself will get. the air moves very fast thru the intake piping and although it will pick up some heat soak, it wont be as hot at the tube itself... and the sensor will pick up a lot of heat from the piping. if you put the sensor in a shielded spot close to the filter it will read pretty much the air temp coming in. if you had a tuner, you could see the factory tables in the computer that adjust fuel and timing based on intake temp.

the car has the ability to recalibrate its fueling needs so dont worry about runing rich or lean because of moving the sensor, but the benifit is that the sensor readings will be very consistent and accurate.

 

Phoenix you bring up a valid point that I totally forgot about, I have been researching different materials to use for the tube to try and find one that does not absorb as much heat. I am contimplating between PVC, ABS, and Polycarbonate (plexi glass) tubing. I am a mechanical engineer so I have taken a few courses in heat transfer, and if i plan on insulating the intake tube it would make even more sence to relocate the sensor. But the clear Polycarbonate tube would look pretty sweet under the hood.

One question I have is, is it necessary to buy the sensor relocation harness or will I be alright with cuting and splicing in a length of wires as long as I make good connections and insulate them? My opinion is that he harness is kinda a rip, intended for people that have close to zero mechanical know how, so why not pump them for a few extra dollars.

Thanks for the help