I have cut the bottom of my air box out for more airflow, but only to the leading edge of the A/C condenser so not to suck in hot air in the summer. I want to install the SSRA but am worried it will collect too much water in the rain being that I drive my SS daily. It does have the functional hood which probably doesnt do too much because it really is'nt sealed that well and the opening under the box is about 1/2 an inch. Does anyone have an opinion on this or actually drive in the rain with the SSRA. Is it worth doing anything or should I just leave it the way it is? (which is not in my nature)!!!!

 

It won't suck in water, there should be baffles set up inside of it to keep water from getting in. My Firehawk had the baffles on the hood itself.

 

just think loggically... can your car actually create enough suction to take water up like 2 feet of plastic piping threw your filter,maf, bellow, tb, and intro your your motor.... i think not... it will be fine with the ssra... i just instlaled mine and it is simply amazing... i love al austin and you should buy one!!!

it is way worth doing... pressurized air at 75+ mph... get air flow into you lid... it is amazing

 

not to mention there is some space around the hood latch support that is actually open, which prevents the SSRA scoop from being completely sealed. therefore water could not be "sucked" up into it...there is enough places for outside air to escape in to the scoop to prevent a full suction.

i've driven my car in blinding hurricane rain (south florida...hurricane central) and have stopped under a bridge. i found not even the slightest droplet of water in the intake tract.

shy of driving full speed through 8" deep puddles...you'll be fine.

 

Even doing this there's a chance that you'd get your air filter wet and that would bog your motor down preventing further engine damage.

I wouldn't worry about water getting in. When I get my FTRA, I'm not going to worry about it one bit.

Ben T.

 

is fast toys ram air, ssra, and austin ram air the same thing?

 

Actually between this board, LS1tech and LS1 you see it happening about once a year or so ... and it's not the driving through the rain that is the issue.

It's idling in standing water as shallow as 3 inches ... one guy managed to hydrolock his engine with just the FRA.

You better worry ... because FTRA does. That's why they give you a block off plate.

 

"When I get my FTRA, I'm not going to worry about it one bit."

that's cause the FTRA is useless compared to the SSRA design. it isn't even a scoop. i don't even see how it's possible to get a significant amount of water into a FTRA.

"It's idling in standing water as shallow as 3 inches ... one guy managed to hydrolock his engine with just the FRA."

yeah i'm gonna call a serious on that one.

the lowest of the scoops...the SSRA...sits more than 3" off the ground. and there is no way that sitting in a puddle....even if you submerged the entire lower scoop opening...that your engine could create enough suction at idle to pull water into the engine.

some quick math.

if you assume the volume of the SSRA scoop is constant from top to bottom it would look like this:
2" deep, 15" long and 18" top to bottom (rough estimate), which calculates out to about 540 cubic inches. one gallon of water, measures aprox 231 ci, weighing in at 8.33 lbs.

there fore the amount of water that can be held in the scoop of the SSRA would weigh aproximately 20lbs.

considering there are several reasonably sized holes in the scoop (aforementioned break around the hood latch support), as well as where the lower scoop connects to the upper, AND any leaking around the actual lid opening....there is no way an engine could produce enough suction to draw nearly 20lbs of water up a scoop as big as the SSRA.

but beleive what you want...cause we all know everything on the internet is true

 

on a side thought....have you ever tried sucking milk or juice through a drinking straw that has a hole as small as a pin??

not easy...

imagine trying to do that with 20lbs of water with a hole the size of you mouth

 

I can see everyones point about the engine not sucking the water in and up the duct, but my concern was and still is while driving 60mph in the rain or driving through a pudle the water will be forced into the air box and then can be sucked into the mass air meter. Even a small drop of water can ruin a maf while it's operating. Mass air meter's have a heated element that the air passes over and any form of contamination can ruin the meter. I know i am over thinking this but that's just what I do. I think I will get the SSRA as soon as I pay some bills. Hey anyone want a clean 80 Vette 4 speed for around $7800?

 

Call what you want. That particular instance was was posted on this forum about 4 years ago

And this exercise means??? To hyrdrolock it only takes enough water in each cylinder to prevent the piston getting to TDC ... right around a half cup in a cylinder ... or about a quart for our engine ...

So I understand you to say that the SSRA is not sealed and therefore not a "true" ram air?

If you truely believe that, care to test it and let us know how it turns out?

 

a quart is a lot of water to suck in... i guess tomorrow ill get a piece of paper and have someone rev my engine slowly and see how it sticks to the ssra... or better yet a bag of water and she if it can suck it up the scoop... i still highly doubt the engine has enough suction to do that.

btw teke has said he has driven threw hurricane rain and no water made it up the scoop...

what kind of H/C set up are you running on that A4? 224/224 and stage 1 heads? those are some sweet numbers

 

"teke has said he has driven threw hurricane rain and no water made it up the scoop"

exactly...60-70mph in near blinding rain, in both hurricanes and regular summer storms...no problems.

"That particular instance was was posted on this forum about 4 years ago"

wow...4 whole years ago? damn...that's proof enough for me...gonna go remove the SSRA today.

i think the issue with water in the SSRA is basically a urban myth. i have yet to talk to anyone who has ACTUALLY had it happen, either to their car or a car they were RIDING in. it's all..."well i heard of a guy" or "i saw a post a few years ago where..."

seems like i saw a thread on this board about gangs driving around with their headlights off...
and we all know how that one ends


"So I understand you to say that the SSRA is not sealed and therefore not a "true" ram air?"

depends on how loosely you use the term "true".
perhaps 1% of the incoming "rammed" air escapes through the space around the latch support. but with the scoop being 2"x15" i don't really think that has any impact on the function of the setup.
however it is enough of a leak to prevent water from being siphoned up the scoop.
COULD it be splashed in and then sucked up...perhaps.

but like i said...i have yet to see anyone actually have proof that it has happened to them

 

Can we let this one die? I have actually POURED water into my RUNNING LS1 before. Guess what? It did not hydraulically lock the engine up. Small amounts of water can be ingested by an IC engine- this is the whole reason why we have HHLs and LHVs (respectively, higher and lower heating values) when referencing the heat of combustion.

The water is vaporized by the combustion process and converted to steam which compresses more than water as water is regarded as "largely incompressible" but not 100% having a constant density.

If I can pour 30 oz of water into my engine, and it run fine, do you not think (playing the devil's advocate here) if you were to suck up a few rain drops here and there, it would be worse?

Ben Theriot

 

Maybe you should email Andretti-Green Racing, and see if they've ever hydolocked a motor during a rainy race. I don't think they have yet.

Check out their air induction. They go a lot faster than we do, and spin their engines a little higher than we do as well.

Ben T.