Header, Intake, & Exhaust - Cold air intakes all made the same?

Okay so I wanted to get one. They are supposed to improve fuel economy somewhat not to mention pep(takeoff?) and a few more horses.

Can I get just any old one like off of ebay for 30 bucks or should I go for a name brand?

Are they even worth it?

Thanks

theyre definately worth it.I have a 30 dollar ebay and its served mewell, but alot of guys swear by the v2 or weapon r. anythings better than a stock air box

branded or not, you're paying for quality of the items, but they all serve the same purpose.

only ones you will notice a difference between are V2 and comptech icebox (also maybe secret weapon)

Dont forget Injen.

i have another question. do they drastically improve gas milleage or is it just a slight difference. all my friends say it doesnt but i have a strong feeling that it does.

I heard like a 1-2mpg increase and like 6-12(dyno on a AEM short on a acura was 6hp I think).

So somehow the pipes are made so different that you wont get ANY? difference unless you get a name brand?

I thought about getting a AEM which is a name brand. But then those others are a bit cheaper.

buy an ebay one, put a K&N/AEM filter on it and it will work as well as any other thing u can buy. A pipe's a pipe in this situation.........amazing sound difference 2......this is all first hand knowledge lol

ORIGINAL: R35P3KT

buy an ebay one, put a K&N/AEM filter on it and it will work as well as any other thing u can buy. A pipe's a pipe in this situation.........amazing sound difference 2......this is all first hand knowledge lol


i think all of the information is first hand knowledge. AEM is costly because of R&D, they're heat coated, carb approved, and fitment is exact. Most cases, ebay and a good filter suffice, but fitment is lost. Overall, just depends on how much you want to spend.

imo, I don't think you will find a difference in mpg after adding an intake. You might be more apt to stomping the throttle withyour intakeand actually seem like your loosing mpg.

If you don't have the money just get a tube off ebay and add a nice filter as mentioned, but I would get atleast a name brand short ram like AEM, Injen, etc. there like a $100 bucksand the gaurantee is thereso you know that your engine will be fine imo.

i agree with the fitment concept.......the ebay tubes dont attach to the framework well at all. the research and development aspect is also true, but honestly how much research can you do with a 1 foot metal pipe. I kno what your gonna say that it is important and stuff, but its such a simple thing so there is not much to it. People who have name brand stuff will always reccomend name brand stuff......if you want to save 60-120$ and get the same physical results( appearence, sound, throttle response) get the ebay one......if you want to pay that extra money to be sure that you are getting one more hp through years of complicated research and not have to use a couple of tie wraps, buy the brand name......

i have a 30 dollar ebay one and works fine.. the mpg hasnt improved and instead it seems worse but it might be due to me always pressing on the gas.. nothing better than watcing someone looking for what that loud sound whooshing by them is. Im saving for a namebrand filter but for right now its tight. The fit is fine but i also have 3 cupplers holding it where it connects to the engine.

ORIGINAL: R35P3KT

, but honestly how much research can you do with a 1 foot metal pipe.


You can tune it so that resonating sound frequencies coincide with engine intake to push more air into the engine (V2)

R&D includes fitment as well, and includes what is mentioned above, and they don't spend years of complicated research on a single design, they do tune pipe lengths (V2 is a prime example)but there's nothing wrong with ebay tube with branded filter element, since the filter is the most important part.

ORIGINAL: R35P3KT

i agree with the fitment concept.......the ebay tubes dont attach to the framework well at all. the research and development aspect is also true, but honestly how much research can you do with a 1 foot metal pipe. I kno what your gonna say that it is important and stuff, but its such a simple thing so there is not much to it. People who have name brand stuff will always reccomend name brand stuff......if you want to save 60-120$ and get the same physical results( appearence, sound, throttle response) get the ebay one......if you want to pay that extra money to be sure that you are getting one more hp through years of complicated research and not have to use a couple of tie wraps, buy the brand name......

ORIGINAL: R35P3KT

i agree with the fitment concept.......the ebay tubes dont attach to the framework well at all. the research and development aspect is also true, but honestly how much research can you do with a 1 foot metal pipe.


If you put on a tube and it's not on the intake manifoldtightly, chances are things are going to get into your intake manifold/enginewhich wouldn't be healthy for your engine's life. Even if it seems tight to you, you can't see the tiny particles of dirt and stuff getting into it. I don't want to fight about this topic just wanted to throw that out there.

Okay. I really had been looking at a used AEM short ram intake.

Now you start talking about the loudness.

Nothing I dislike more is a little car passing me or driving down the road that sounds like a bumble bee on steroids. Some here may like it and think it sounds cool but to me its road noise. If I want my car to make noise let it be one of pure power that can rumble my ears like a motorcycle.
Or that of a v10 engine. ha ha Or a diesel! Love cummins diesels by the way.

So I dont want my car to sound like that. I dont mind SOME extra air sucking noise as long as its not bad from the inside and doesnt make my car sound like a bee. Maybe thats only some of those special mufflers that do that.

So these really pep the power? Can you really notice it? As of now I am all stock. I thought the car was fast now being a 4 cylinder. I mean really its not bad but its not a v6 mustang either.

How much can I expect?

I have a feeling people are going to get onto me about the used AEM thing.

^COWS--->not at all. those filters are washable. if you don't like that thought (used filter), you could always buy a new dry-flow one to replace it. no oiling and equal or better performance.

as for your pep, most CAI's, however they are branded or not, will add 6+ hp and some rev speed to your car. it's a nice little boost in power. if you're going to run naturally aspirated, it's the way to go. your other options are turbo or supercharger which clearly are more expensive.

there are pros and cons for the cai vs. sri dispute (corret me if I'm wrong anyone):

cai's get better performance (marginal over sri's but still there) and are at higher risk for hydrolocking your engine because they are placed behind your front bumper inside your wheel well. a remedy for this is the AEM air bypass valve, which prevents water from getting into your engine if you find a big a$$ puddle to drive through. just beware of clearance and you'll be ok. on the plus side, since they are placed outside the engine bay, they take in colder air, and thus improve power. they are also said to be slightly quieter.

sri's are typically placed inside the engine bay, where they take in warmer air. they have marginal losses of power compared to cai's and are much less expensive. they tend to be louder and don't have any of the hydro lock risk associated with the cai's

hope this helped.

SRI'shave better throttle response, but typically only feel hp gains past 5000 rpm's. Noiseier, easier to install. No hydrolock worries.

CAI's you can feel gains sooner around 3500 rpm's (V2 supposedly throughout all rpm's). But throttle response typically isn't as good.

It definately does not sound like a bumble bee .. its a deep sound. If you are in park and put the peddle to the floor you can hear the intake sucking in the air. I have had both a CAI and just switched to SRI. IMO the CAI has better gains at lower RPM's and the SRI and higher.


ORIGINAL: cowsgonemadd3

Okay. I really had been looking at a used AEM short ram intake.

Now you start talking about the loudness.

Nothing I dislike more is a little car passing me or driving down the road that sounds like a bumble bee on steroids. Some here may like it and think it sounds cool but to me its road noise. If I want my car to make noise let it be one of pure power that can rumble my ears like a motorcycle.
Or that of a v10 engine. ha ha Or a diesel! Love cummins diesels by the way.

So I dont want my car to sound like that. I dont mind SOME extra air sucking noise as long as its not bad from the inside and doesnt make my car sound like a bee. Maybe thats only some of those special mufflers that do that.

CAI are the long ones right?

Yeah those dont they stick out next to the tires. When it rains out here one of the roads I drive on has these huge puddles and well I would hate to hurt my car.

Hum...cant be only at 5k rmps can it for the short ones? I drive mine and unless passing I dont use but 4-4.5k somtimes just 3 if I feel like just getting there.

heh ya the CAI sits usually in front of the passenger front tire .. its easier to install with two people but the SRI is be able to done by yourself. I feel gains whenever i press the gas down to the floor .. obviously

sorry if someone has already gone over this, but the V2 is actaully two pipes inside one another. This cools down the air more or something, idk but its dyno proven to give better gains then just one pipe like a normal CAI.

and as for hydrolock, the filter has to be COMPLTELY submerged in water, ie driving through a small lake lol so dont owrry about it. And if you are worried, get an air bypass valve (although is does restrict air flow a littel bit)

So there is no chance of improvement in HP with a short one unless you get to 5k rpms?
Hum...big debate of what I need.

honestly, there's pretty much no way someone would "recognize" or feel a 5-6hp increase (and mind you, most of those dyno numbers are horsepower at the crank, not whp)

what is noticeable is the enhanced throttle response and noise

SRI is definitely noisy

CAI, not as noisy

SRI is an easy <60 minute install

CAI is an easy <60 minute install (requires taking off bumper most of the time)

with this kind of thing, it's not so much of what you NEED, it's what you WANT.

for example, you might NEED an alternator, but you WANT an AEM V2

^^ very true.. but installing a cold air doesnt necessarily mean taking off the bumper .. cuz u can go through the weel well which is a little hard with the space but ur able to do it without the big hassle..but its true.. u will not notice the hp gains as much as the other perks that come along with it such as the sound and look of it.

ORIGINAL: that guy



as for your pep, most CAI's, however they are branded or not, will add 6+ hp and some rev speed to your car. it's a nice little boost in power. if you're going to run naturally aspirated, it's the way to go. your other options are turbo or supercharger which clearly are more expensive.




You WILL NOT get these gains out of your intake. At least not on any d or b series engine that came stock. Maybe, Maybe, MAYBE you might see that much on a V2 or comptech. Maybe.

This is a secret weapon and only gained 3 hp. Lost power all the way until 5000 rpm or so.

http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/tech/0506_ht_1998_honda_civic_ex/

The biggest part is throttle response. But you will be able to feel gains on some higher end ones.

ORIGINAL: FlipHKD720

sorry if someone has already gone over this, but the V2 is actaully two pipes inside one another. This cools down the air more or something, idk but its dyno proven to give better gains then just one pipe like a normal CAI.

and as for hydrolock, the filter has to be COMPLTELY submerged in water, ie driving through a small lake lol so dont owrry about it. And if you are worried, get an air bypass valve (although is does restrict air flow a littel bit)


The two pipes are placed in areas where they creat resonating sound frequencies that coincide with the air inlet cycle of the engine to force more air into it. That's why they're so expensive and produce bigger gains. And I have driven through huge thunderstorms and had no issues with my V2

damn i wanna v2 now

well im stickin with my first suggestion.....buy the ebay CAI, with a niice filter....................then if u dont like the CAI, take the bottom half offf and make it a SRI. If you arent happy with that switch it back to a CAI, the possibilities are endless lol

P.S, what percent Tint do you have phan10m??? lol

I really dont know cuz my mom had it done for me for xmas and it was just like that when i went outside.. she said its 35% but idk cuz light shines inside pretty bright while driving at night it looks tight and almost like 10%. in the day its aight.. just enough to kind of see me in the car. sorry dont know the exact ill try and find out for u

ORIGINAL: R35P3KT
the possibilities are endless lol


haha not quite endless, but if you are one of hte people that are afraid of hydrolock its definitely convenient to be able to swtich SRI. I converted my CAI to SRI and sold the second pipe to my friend for $15 haha

ORIGINAL: phan10m

I really dont know cuz my mom had it done for me for xmas and it was just like that when i went outside.. she said its 35% but idk cuz light shines inside pretty bright while driving at night it looks tight and almost like 10%. in the day its aight.. just enough to kind of see me in the car. sorry dont know the exact ill try and find out for u


my 20% is WAY darker than that....and 10% you cant even see through at night unless there is light from inside...also, in the day, you can barley see through 20%....lol its ok though, thats 35%.

Back on topic. I like my ebay SRI, it was like $30 shipped and this kid at my school paid like $300 for a V2 and guess what, my car is still faster, and im still a better driver...and guess what else, with the $270 i saved, i waited a week (for some more money) and bought a cat back....he however had to wait 2 months and bought a super awsome name brand exhaust...and im still faster than he is..and he has vtec!...lol

It just depends...you really cant feel the power unless its one of the high end ones that are "dyno proven" then you can feel it a tiny bit...also, the intake only makes that sound when you are pushing the gas....(like past 50%) at cruising speeds, youwont evenknow its there (depending on how fast you like to go)

ya i got an ebay one its straight .. and i did the same thing with switching the cai or sri and i just havent sold the pipe yet. I want an exaust so bad.

well if thatys 35%, i guess i can deal with it.....i really want 20% but that tint u have is pretty good...better than nothing iguess....and i dont want to not pass inspection so i guess ill save up for it [:@]lol

hahahahahaha!!! i was on ebay lookin at intakes just for the heck of it.. i dont need one, already have one but i came across something hilarious that i thought some of you would enjoy... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/92-95-96-00-HONDA-CIVIC-DX-LX-EX-SI-JDM-COLD-AIR-INTAKE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ38634QQihZ006QQi temZ160110365293QQrdZ1...i can understand why they'd design it like that, sure, convenient to bend and put wherever you want, but one thing... look at all the spiraling and bumps to create turbulence in the air, making it hotter and not colder like it should! i think they forgot that its best to have it smoooooooth piping. wow, haha. hope you guys enjoyed that as much as i did. :D

I made one myself out of tubing for like $5 as a temporay one. I work for a plumbing whole sale company so I got cheap parts. I had that and it made a difference but then I went V2 cai and it made a huge difference. So intakes do differ alot.

ORIGINAL: the_turtle

ORIGINAL: phan10m

I really dont know cuz my mom had it done for me for xmas and it was just like that when i went outside.. she said its 35% but idk cuz light shines inside pretty bright while driving at night it looks tight and almost like 10%. in the day its aight.. just enough to kind of see me in the car. sorry dont know the exact ill try and find out for u


my 20% is WAY darker than that....and 10% you cant even see through at night unless there is light from inside...also, in the day, you can barley see through 20%....lol its ok though, thats 35%.


well the only reason why i have it on my front windows is cuz my moms a cop.. i can get away with it easier. I found out and made sure that they are 35% and i like it..