So you've decided to install an air intake on your Subaru Forester.  What a great decision.  There are many benefits and contrary to what some believe, there is a noticeable increase in your Forester performance and it does not affect your vehicle's factory warranty.  According to K&N, a top manufacturer of air intake systems, including the Forester, here are a few facts. "High Air Flow with Excellent Filtration, Designed to Increase Horsepower and Acceleration, K&N Million Mile Limited Warranty®, Will NOT Void your Forester Warranty, Lasts up to 50,000 Miles Before Cleaning is Required Depending on Driving Conditions. Buy a K&N air filter. Your Subaru Forester will thank you."

A little about the Forester. The Forester debuted in the late 1990s as an option for consumers interested in the emerging segment of compact SUVs. Long known for offering its seamless all-wheel-drive (AWD) system on all its vehicles, brought out the Forester to compete against the small sport-utilities from other Japanese automakers. Essentially a tall station wagon with AWD, the Forester offered buyers the rugged style of a traditional SUV along with carlike ride and performance characteristics. Based on the rally-proven Impreza platform, the Forester uses the same AWD system found in other Subaru models.

Thanks to its car-based foundation, the Forester has historically handled better than most of its rivals. The trade-off, at least with the first two generations of the car, was a lower ground clearance and less off-road capability. However, those "negatives" were typically not concerns for most buyers who are looking for a vehicle that can handle inclement driving conditions, ski vacations and the occasional trip to the trailhead as opposed to hard-core off-road boulder-bashing.

A new Forester has recently debuted. It's roomier, less wagon like and boasts a more upscale interior. New or used, the Forester offers buyers the strengths of easy maneuverability, sure-footed handling in slippery weather, solid build quality and different styling from the rest of the pack.

The 2009 Subaru Forester was named Motor Trends SUV of the year.  They say its because it does all the things that matter most in an SUV, incredibly well. The Forester was built with uncompromising safety, go-anywhere capability and lasting durability, so when it came to making a choice out of an exceptional field, the Forester stood out.

After experiencing its road-gripping Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, Motor Trend said "when it gets on dirt, the Forester almost encourages you to go faster." The judges also noted that Forester had "the best observed fuel economy for an all-wheel drive SUV in this year's competition." After all, there's no point in having go-anywhere capability if you can't afford to get where you're going.

We'll take being called "green as you-know-what" as a compliment, and it tends to happen when all of your cars are built in a zero landfill plant. Forester is also the most affordable SUV in its class, so you can see why Motor Trend said "the traditional model for a SUV has changed into something smaller, more fuel-efficient, greener.

It's a good feeling when you're rewarded for doing things the right way, and we're proud to have built a responsible, versatile, right-sized utility vehicle. So when Motor Trend called Forester "the right vehicle for the times", it wasn't just for today but also for tomorrow. We want to continue building cars that enhance whatever you're doing. Whether it's a trip to the market, or a trip to the mountains. It's what we've always done, and what we will continue to do.

A cold air intake is a device used to bring lower temperature air into a car's internal-combustion engine, to increase engine power and efficiency. It also enhances efficiency through higher flow, and can increase the life of the engine by allowing it to run cooler.

Standard Forester air intake systems tend to be very restrictive, in order to eliminate engine noise. Aftermarket cold air intake systems come in many different colors and sizes, and are easy to install when compared with other performance-increasing modifications. Usually screw drivers are the only necessary tools.

History

The aftermarket company K&N Engineering first offered air intake systems in the late 1980s. Those intakes consisted of rotationally-molded plastic intake tubes and a conical, cotton gauze air filter. In the late 1990s a proliferation of intake manufacturers such as AEM, Airaid, Injen, True Flow, and Volant entered the fray. In addition, oversea manufacturers imported their designs lending to the popularity of Japan domestic market (JDM) air intakes in sport compact markets. K&N and many of the other intake companies now offer intake systems in metal tube designs, allowing a greater degree of customization (the tubes can be powder-coated or painted to match a vehicle)

Mechanics

All cold air intakes operate on the principle of increasing the amount of oxygen available for combustion with fuel. Because cooler air has a higher density (greater mass per unit volume), cold air intakes generally work by introducing cooler air from outside the hot engine bay. However, the term "cold air intake" is often used to describe other methods of increasing oxygen to an engine, which may even increase the temperature of the air coming into an engine.

Intake systems come in many different styles and can be constructed from plastic, metal, rubber (silicone) or composite materials (fiberglass, carbon fiber or Kevlar). The most efficient intake systems utilize an airbox which is sized to complement the engine and will extend the powerband of the engine. The intake snorkel (opening for the intake air to enter the system) must be large enough to ensure sufficient air is available to the engine under all conditions from idle to full throttle. Under some conditions intake system efficiency can be lost if the intake opening for the airbox is too large.

The most basic cold air intake replaces the stock airbox with a short metal or plastic tube leading to a conical air filter, called a short ram air intake. The power gained by this method can vary depending on how restrictive the factory airbox is. The placement of the filter is usually directly in the engine compartment. The overall benefits depend on the specific application. Power may be lost at certain engine speeds, and gained at others. Because of the increased airflow and reduced covering, intake noise is usually increased. This effect is usually amplified on applications where a resonator, a part intended to reduce intake noise on some vehicles, is replaced by the intake.

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