A well designed CAI or "ram air" is a small-level forced induction, as the "force" more air into the intake manifold than it would "suck-in" on it's own. The force isn't great, but it is more than "normal." They are really only "forced" is they are designed in a way that air pressure is raised somehow by the forward momentum of the vehicle and then the air is shoved into the intake manifold.
The TRD one supposedly has a ram-air effect in its design. Some "short ram intakes" do as well, but many are just called that when they are actually just short-intakes w/ no real ram-effect.
IF designed right, CAI and SRI CAN have a limited forced induction capability. Still, they are much less than systems designed to be fully forced-induction from the start.
What most people think of when they hear/read "forced induction" is superchargers or turbos. Those 2 types force in tremendously more air than the system would suck-up normally. Both use compressors to compress and shove air into the intake manifold. Superchargers have the compressor spun on a belt-driven pulley that is connected to engine flywheel. The amount of spin is based on pulley sizes and ratios to each other. Turbos have what is basically a windmill in the exhaust manifold that spins the compressor. As for which is "better" depends on intent, design, and application. They are both great, just different.
The TRD one supposedly has a ram-air effect in its design. Some "short ram intakes" do as well, but many are just called that when they are actually just short-intakes w/ no real ram-effect.
IF designed right, CAI and SRI CAN have a limited forced induction capability. Still, they are much less than systems designed to be fully forced-induction from the start.
What most people think of when they hear/read "forced induction" is superchargers or turbos. Those 2 types force in tremendously more air than the system would suck-up normally. Both use compressors to compress and shove air into the intake manifold. Superchargers have the compressor spun on a belt-driven pulley that is connected to engine flywheel. The amount of spin is based on pulley sizes and ratios to each other. Turbos have what is basically a windmill in the exhaust manifold that spins the compressor. As for which is "better" depends on intent, design, and application. They are both great, just different.
