Hey guys, I'm new to the forums and the civic in general. I'm a sophomore in college and haven't had a car since I graduated high school, and I am finally getting my brother in laws 99 5 speed civic coupe this summer. I am very into cars and modding them and what not. My previous car had no real mods available for it (94 dodge intrepid). I am looking forward to doing some mods. For intake I was thinking AEM V2, I guess that is the obvious choice. My question is, do you guys have any opinions on AEM or any suggestions of different/better manufacturers. I noticed that the dyno on AEM's website didnt list huge improvements from the V2 like I've seen on other cars, is that just a characteristic of civic engines?

I was also thinking about "engineering" my own intake.....I think auto zone makes cheapo cold air intake tubes for the civic. The problem I see with this is that the cheapo pipes aren't ceramic coated. That leads me to my next question, do any of you know where you can buy clear ceramic paint, I've been looking around but can't seem to find any. I was thinking if I buy the cheapo intake tube, coat it with some ceramic paint and slap a k&n filter on it I would have a pretty good intake for way less than AEM's version. I also wanted to know if any of you have gotten the cheap cold air intakes, were they more difficult to install? Did they fit well in the engine bay and allow adequate clearances?

As for header's. I was looking at the DC sports 4-2-1 header. Anyone know of a better/equally good head? Also, anyone have an idea of how much hp I could expect off of headers (assuming there are minimal other mods).

If any of you know places to get this sort of stuff for much cheaper than AEM's website, let me know as well. I have been looking at ebay and places like that, but I didn't know if there was maybe some online store that others know of.

Sorry for all the questions, but I figure you guys would know a lot more about it since I'm just beginning to learn more about the ins and outs of the car.

 

My friend has the cheap intake from autozone. I installed it for him and it was pretty easy, I had plenty of clearance and it simply went right on. It took in all about 30 min.

 

does your friend think the horsepower increase is pretty noticeable and/or does the intake tubing get really hot? I dont want to get the cheapo if it doesnt improve performance, cause then its just a waste

 

the cheap ones make more noise than power, but you wont see any massive gains on a civic except for motor swaps, internals, and FI (forced induction) but 6-7 horses on a civic is noticeable. if you have the money, get the AEM, if not, go ahead and get the cheapo one. but i highly recommend a quality one. it will fit better, make a little more power, and last longer than a cheaper one.

 

yeah he noticed a change in horsepower, and no it doesnt get hot.

 

DC header, AEM intake

 

if you want some online stores try:

www.andysautosport.com

www.summitracing.com

those are just some common sites that have some good stuff.

 

The V2 AEM intake is just an overpriced version of their original intakes. Not worth the extra money