Sin_Chase

Before I start I'll be the first person to say that in the colder weather compared to summer the throttle response seems sharper but actual noticeable power difference is well, debatable.

Today the fog rolled in thick and heavy in the island, between 50 and 150yds of visibility depending on where you are and it's pretty moist. I can feel it breathing in and well, either it's total placebo as a result of fog or I am cracking up but oh my lord I have never seen my rev counter so keen.

Noticeably keener, I have never experience the car accelerate as much as it did from 2nd gear out of VTEC from 20 up towards 45 so quickly. Nothing has changed other than the car got a clean after all this snow etc...maybe it is just repaying the favour

Fog = water vapour = more Oxygen in combustion process etc etc? Yes, no, maybe...shutup Sin_Chase?

2000GT Matt

Colder air is more dense... and therefore combusts more efficiently so gives you better pick up.

MB

Yep, turbo cars love it too.

Nobody has invested in an Aquamist system yet

jsh

also,don't forget A clean car go's faster

ch3tman

Indeed colder air is more dense... and therefore combusts more 'efficiently', but what about the other side of the coin: the fact that the atmospheric pressure around the car is also more dense [due to the colder air particles], the car finds it harder to 'cut' through the air, i.e. there is more resistance on the car as it travels, thus potentially nullifying the prospective 'better pick up'.

P.S. I don't actually know the answer, just putting a thought out there... Do we have any resident wind tunnel/aerodynamic experts who can clarify ?

Dan1987

placebo i imagine, foggy/high humidity content air loses power. moisture content reduces the density of oxygen simple because the moisture is taking up space the clean air could occupy.
On the other hand for example if you were running high boost on a FI car you could use water injection to run higher boost without the pesky detonation occuring...
cold dry air is where its at (on engines not running on the brink of det).

Dan.

phils2k

yes they do

lucky77

I nearly did, but you cant run any meth through the Aquamist system. Shame cause its a better made bit of kit then the AEM injection.

RobinA3

You can run methanol through an Aquamist kit, i run Aquamist on my Polo and i use a 50:50 water/methanol mix.

You don't see a massive gain using Aquamist on NA cars as much as you do with turbo'd or supercharged cars (My Polo was supercharged but is now Turbo'd). With force induction the intake air is much hotter than non forced intake air so the aquamist helps to keep det (pinking) away.

Ultra_Nexus

Hmm, fog would probably sap power IMHO.

Mainly because it carries excess water vapour that will not help you one bit - WRT N/A of course

According to my rudementary calcs, the difference in volume between 0ºC and 20ºC is 7%

Will this translate into 7% power?

No. maybe 1-2% depending on VE and a whole bunch of other factors.

Will it translate into louder noise thanks to denser air and water vapour?

Yes.

Would this explain the reason for feeling like you are going faster?

Yes.