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I just finished my experiment with peltier cooling my stock airbox and some people wanted me to post some pics of what it looks like.




Basically I just routed the air to blow across the cold side heatsink as it enters the box. I have a temp probe that im going to use today to test the temps at idle and after a few minutes driving with the peltier off and on to get an idea if this thing is actually doing anything at all. I was thinking about getting another stronger peltier and adding it to the box to see if I can get this thing even cooler but the problem is getting rid of all the heat on the hot side. The engine bay gets too hot to make this effective already and adding more heat is just gonna make things worse.

Thanks to Stpyro8 for the tip on the cig lighter. I wired up a relay to run the peltier only when the car is on using the cig as the source.

 
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cool

 
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i would be surprised if it actually worked, but keep us updated

 
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neat stuff - many peps arwe goin to be interested in this

 
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Interesting. + REP

 
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It turns out that the temp probe i was gonna use is broken.. I wont say if that has anything to do with it being 5v and me hooking it up to 12v but regardless its very much dead. Needless to say I was not able to take any temp readings so I'll have to swing by frys this weekend and pick up a new 12v temp probe. Hopefully I can get something cheap that will give me a reasonably acurate idea of the temps.

I have a strong feeling that the peltier is doing little to nothing, but the reduction from 2.5 to 2inch pipe that connects the blue AEM tube to the box seems to have done something. I notice ALOT less noise which I happen to like and it seems like my low end throttle is a little more responsive though the high end seems like it may not be getting the most it could. The noise reduction can probably be attributed to the stock box.

I forgot to mention that I have an automatic so its a little tougher to pull up cold air without relocating the battery (which I have no desire to do) which would make things alot easier on the peltier. Ill post an update if and when I get a new temp probe.

 
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Peltier cooling is cool. I've seen some engineering students that designed and built a functional Peltier cooled air conditioner for use in autos. It wouldn't suprise me if we started seeing these sometime in the near future.

 
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Those kids are the reason I decided to try this. General Motors said that a peltier A/C system for a car was not possible yet these kids managed to do it.

The biggest reason you wouldn't want to run A/C straight into your intake is because of the compressor and amount of horsepower you lose while running it, but if you could lose the compressor and still get the cold air then you would have something.

 
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First you need to ditch that air filter for a ITG filter

my last car i dynoed a K&N cone vs a ITG and the ITG made 3 more whp

 
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The foam vs K&N has been a debate since I was 16 and I don't think it will ever end. As far as I know the foam may flow better but the K&N actually keeps more dirt out of your engine. I personaly would rather have the cleaner air.

 
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nice, creative. keep us updated.

 
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Well I pulled the airbox apart after driving for a while and the cold side of the peltier was warm. This would suggest that its just not strong enough to handle all the hot air rushing into it. I guess for now it looks like the project is a failure until i can get my hands on a more powerfull peltier. The problem with a larger peltier is that it will draw much more current and produce a whole heck of alot more heat. Ill need a larger heatsink on it and a bigger fan. Im not above trying this but Im really not convinced that its really worth doing. I will update the thread when I get a new peltier and get it working.

 
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I like the idea ,but from my experience with a pelt cooler the hot and cool air will make condensation. So my only concern would be damage over time from small amounts of water entering the engine. I could not tell by the picture but the filter may take care of the problem. Just wondering

 
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Yeah, I thought about that as well. What I've run into now is that the air flow is just not good enough with this setup. Its so restricted that up around 60-70 mph there is almost nothing left in the pedal. It responds good off the line but once I hit the freeway its a dog. Im gonna try and work something out using the AEM piping (maybe use the pelt to freeze the pipe if thats at all posssible).

About the water, Is it really that bad? I mean I've heard people say that you can hydro lock an engine with a teaspoon of water and all but at the same time I've seen water injection kits where water is atomized and sent into the intake. I've even been told that spraying water into the intake like that could clean up carbon deposits. So which is it?

 
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A small amount of water can help the engine run better. Ever notice how well a car runs in the fog? Water injection works. I don't believe you can hydrolock an engine with a teaspoon of water, but a cupful, yes. Depends on the engine, though. So any condensation from a peltier won't harm a thing. Peltier cooling is impractical for several reasons. First, a sufficiently large peltier to cool that much air at driving speeds won't fit into the air box, and will use a LOT of battery power. Second, like any heat pump, it will only cool if you can remove more heat on the HOT side. So It also has to be ducted away from the engine to work more effectively. It's an interesting idea, but not practical. You'd have more luck designing a ventury cooling system. No electricity or moving parts. Just pressure drop to cool air. Works best with more velocity/speed. But still likely impractical. My best guess at what would work is an insulated intake from the front of the car. But it would have to be insulated all the way to the head. That's a tough one. Some engines did have thermal breaks between the head and intake manifold for this reason.

Keep trying, though.

 
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well from my experience with pc modding, peltier cooling seems to be a poor descision here. remember that one side gets VERY cool and not only will cause condensation, but mix that with an extremly hot other side (in engine bay) you have alot of poor elements. i hope this works, but I doubt it. sorry

 
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uh, for those who aren't well versed in peltier.....educate me. what is it?

 
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a peltier has 2 sides, a hot plate, and a cold plate. When you run electricity through the peltier cooler, the cold plate gets extremly gold but the opposite side gets very very hot. If you can cool the hot side well enough then the cooler can keep even the hottest electronic devices and spaces cold. But usually you cannot cool the hot side efficiently enough. Not to mention the relatively huge power draw for its size.

 
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for something like that to work, you need significant cooling. Slight cooling will only become just as hot as the air surrounding the inside of the engine bay.

The Greater Temeperature will overtake the Smaller Temeperature in efforts to create equalibrium.

 
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the amount of cooling you will need to keep the peltier efficient is far more work than getting a heat resistant wrap for the intake!

 
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That is exactly the problem im having with this thing. At idle with the hood open its able to keep things cool but as soon as the hood is closed and you get up to speed, the heat from the engine bay over powers everything. Oh well, it was a fun experiment but as everyone has said its extremely impractical.

I do have an idea of how it could be done but I just dont have the time or the tools to do it.

 
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hey awesome try! you gotta admit everyone, he gets respect for at least trying!