Skull Crusher

So will a short tube.

So will a short tube. It won't really challenge a tune either. They're built in variables and parameters which the ECU is designed to automatically adjusts too. Colder air will make more horsepower/tq and the ECU will automatically adjust to those variables.

A short tube intake is constantly heat soaked by the engine compartment temperature. The temperature variations in a short tube vs. cold air system are substantial. The cold air system does exactly what it's designed to do and has been proven time and time again with plenty of empirical data to support it. To much intake heat, which is constant with a short tube system ='s lost of horsepower. The only way to effectively reduce the heat is to place a barrier between the heat source and the tube, vent it or mover the intake into a cooler element of air. Hot air rises, while colder more dense air is settles lower. So placing the intake lower out of a constant heat source, produces cooler denser intake temperatures. If your not convinced, here's a little test. Feel the engine compartment after it's been run at normal temperatures. Heat rises off the motor and you can feel it at a distance. Let it cool down and you won't feel any heat rising. Simple physics.

As the hot air rises, it's reflected by the hood back onto the engine producing more heat, hence heat soaked. It won't move lower and vent to the bottom of the engine. It will keep recycling itself maintaining a higher overall temperature. Anything directly under the hood will become heat soaked including the intake tubes and the filters, because air around it is heat saturated. The mix of hot air from the engine compartment and cooler outside air will effectually cause a miniature vortex, causing a rush of trapped hot air being pulled into the intake. The stock engine intake area and the CFM it produces is not sufficient to reduce intake temperatures by itself. Lowering the intake and isolating it from the heat soaked engine compartment, does effectively lower intake temperature overall and at the same time increase the CFM. Sure there will be some heat transfer on the upper tube from the engine but not nearly as severe.

Do this little test; Let a water hose set out in the hot sun for a couple of hours. The outside of the hose will be almost to hot to touch. Now turn the water on and let the water run through it for a couple of minutes. The water inside the hose will cool the hose. This illustrates the colder air traveling from the outside into the intake from a constant source of colder air, thus dramatically reducing the overall intake temperature.

Sorry no, a short tube intake will not provide a more constant source of cooler air, like a specifically designed Cold Air System. At least Not unless you vent the hood and allow the trapped hot air out.

But is a permissible modification by Nissan. So when you roll into your nearest Nissan dealer you won't get a bunch of crap about running a aftermarket intake.