would it be posible for manufacturers to quit going the traditional way and start mounting the carb on the front with the air box lid facing forwards. And then they could put the exhaust on the back facing backwards.

In stock form it wouldnt be any different than a normal setup, but when you remove the air box lid- you have a nice forced air intake. the exhaust might also have a bit better air flow because there are no bends in it.

 

Canondales had a setup like that. I'd be more worried about gulping alot of sand or mud into the intake system though. Realize that the average speed of a quad is probably 35mph and at that speed a ram air system wouldn't be much help.

 

what if it has scoops or something? Thats going to be a lot of air forced through a 3-4 inch hole (is that about how thick the intake is on a ds450/650?)

 

The air box dos not have to be in front to get ram air, the intake to the airbox just has to be in a high pressure area. Think about trying to get a good straight snorkel and decent sized airfilter in front of your engine, its out there pretty far. Also there were some issues with getting enough pipe length on a rear exhaust port.

In my experience with cars you get more help from the cold air part of a ram air than the ran effect you actually get.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: TheStir
Think about trying to get a good straight snorkel and decent sized airfilter in front of your engine, its out there pretty far. Also there were some issues with getting enough pipe length on a rear exhaust port.
q]

couldnt they move the engine backwards then to make more room up front? or do they need a long exhaust pipe to keep noise down?

 

Balance would be a problem, but check out the Canondales like mistereid said, they we made that way.

 

Here is a little more information. Like I stated before, the average use for a quad would be around 35 mph. Some Superbikes like the Hayabusa claim to get 5 to 10 more horsepower at top speed. That's around 180+ mph. So 2 to 5% more power from 170+ horsepower bikes. Achieving the same results from a 40hp engine is 2hp max, if you could hit 180mph.
Next up, atmospheric pressure is 14.7lbs per square inch. That is the force or weight of air from miles of atmosphere pressing downward. An engine doesn't really suck air in, the air forces it's way in. Here's a little test, have someone drive you at say 60mph with something resembling your ram air idea. You could catch your air in a plastic bag and measure the pressure or use a device that measures airflow. They make cheap medical ones for testing lung function.

 

ok then.... that makes sense. Thanks for the clear explanation.