any thoughts on this CAI setup?

[kahlilj]

Saw this setup on eBay & am seriously thinking of getting it. all i really need thos is the pipe & supports. i have a k&n filter already.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...d=1,1&item=8050403148&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT

Anyone ever buy from this vendor or manufacturer? Any thoughts, impressions, ideas?

 

[FastGS-T]

Well when your dealing with an intake it is just a pipe man. I say go for it

 

[kahlilj]

thanks dude. what i'm mainly wondering about is the cost (~$40) than if anyone on here has actually bought from this vendor (or familiar with the product).

i have not contacted any local shop to see what they would charge. i figure they would want to see my car & the current piping to get a good estiamte on cost & right now it's not exactly "streetable"

sooooo, does $40 sound reasonable for the pipe itself? or have you or anyone else had a pipe made or bought from somewhere for less than that?

 

[chicagoavenger]

I got one for my buddy who was going to buy an AEM for almost 200 for his prelude. I told him by the cheap one for 40 bucks. It was the best 40 he spent on his car. A intake is a intake it's a piece of pipe you can't really go wrong with that.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

I just have a few things to add. While it's true that a pipe's a pipe, not all filters are equal. After buying this intake system I would then buy a K&N 3" Universal filter element. Lower quality filters can let all sorts of stuff in that you don't want.

Finally, I wouldn't call that a CAI - it just looks like a replacement for your restrictive stock rubber intake. Maybe "short-ram" would be a better choice of words.

 

[VPrime]

I got a ebay one for my 2g... all is great. Only thing is that the rubber coupler that goes to the turbo was too big and i had to actually move further on the turbo than the OEM pipe. No biggy i think....

 

[kahlilj]

good point paola & exactly why my main interest is with the cost of the pipe only. i already have a k&n filter & would put that on after i made sure this one was working properly. anyway, i decided to go ahead & buy it after they confirmed that it would work with my existing filter.

so has ANYONE actually had a metal pipe custom made?? or did you just buy the kits?

I just have a few things to add. While it's true that a pipe's a pipe, not all filters are equal. After buying this intake system I would then buy a K&N 3" Universal filter element. Lower quality filters can let all sorts of stuff in that you don't want.

Finally, I wouldn't call that a CAI - it just looks like a replacement for your restrictive stock rubber intake. Maybe "short-ram" would be a better choice of words.

 

[kahlilj]

I got a ebay one for my 2g... all is great. Only thing is that the rubber coupler that goes to the turbo was too big and i had to actually move further on the turbo than the OEM pipe. No biggy i think....

vprime, did you get yours from the same vendor as the one i linked above?

 

[VPrime]

No i didnt, but you may want t pre prepared either way

 

[Nonrml4]

Modify your stock intake and save some money for something else or follow one of these, Although they are for turbo cars the basic concept is the same.
1.http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215455
2.http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67085
3.http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79528
Hope one of them helps. John

 

[kahlilj]

thanks nonrml4. i had actually read those thread earlier today while researching on here. the onlyconcern i had with those mods was all of them (except one) still incorporated some rubber tubing as part of the air intake piping. my goal is to get rid of the rubber as much as possible.

the one that did minimize the rubber use seemed to me would still require the metal pipe to be bent somehow. that was nothin i could readily or easily do. maybe i could remove my existing rubber hose & take it & the pipe to a muffler shop & pay them to fab it for me, but in the end i wonder if that cost would be any differnt than this $40 kit?

but those are some kool ideas!

 

[slider85]

i would stay away from those intakes. I bought one a few months ago and they do not fit well at all, and I actually sent mine back. it's not worth it. better to spend your money on a custom CAI that actually moves the filter outside of the engine bay. I'm going to make one soon for my car, just trying to figure out the design. Right now I have a K&N filter kit, check my gallery.

 

[kahlilj]

i would stay away from those intakes. I bought one a few months ago and they do not fit well at all, and I actually sent mine back. it's not worth it. better to spend your money on a custom CAI that actually moves the filter outside of the engine bay. I'm going to make one soon for my car, just trying to figure out the design. Right now I have a K&N filter kit, check my gallery.

dangit slider! where were you a few hours ago?!?! i decided to get it this afternoon figuring it was worth the $40 just for the pipe & accessories alone.... oh well. so what exactly was the problem you experienced?? how/where was it not fitting? did you use their filter or did you have a k&n also? now i'm concerned..

 

[slider85]

don't worry. most likely you can return it. for me it didn't fit onto the throttle body properly. it's cheap because there was obviously no research and design done to it to make sure it was perfect. I suggest you try it out and try to make it work, but I believe that you won't get any noticeable HP gain when compared to an open air filter like mine. either way, you and I are still sucking in hot air from the engine bay(except on cold nights ). good luck

 

[VelocitàPaola]

I've heard of a few people having fitment issues with these intakes, but most were easily solved. Like slider85 said, try it out and see what needs to be modified (if anything at all).

 

[beatshack]

I made a custom one for my non turbo when I owned it. I also cut a large hole in the engine bay underneath the air filter to allow air to vent directly to it. I also later on made a heatshield for the air filter, and insulate-wrapped the entire piping. The piping cost me $23 and the two couplers were $10 each.

 

[slider85]

beatshack, can you provide a parts list of what you used to make that setup? i'm sure lots of us would appreciate it.

 

[kahlilj]

beatshack, can you provide a parts list of what you used to make that setup? i'm sure lots of us would appreciate it.

my sentiments exactly! (although a lil after the fact. !)

 

[kahlilj]

don't worry. most likely you can return it. for me it didn't fit onto the throttle body properly. it's cheap because there was obviously no research and design done to it to make sure it was perfect. I suggest you try it out and try to make it work, but I believe that you won't get any noticeable HP gain when compared to an open air filter like mine. either way, you and I are still sucking in hot air from the engine bay(except on cold nights ). good luck

thanks slider. but how did it not fit the TB properly? was it too small? too large? not shaped correctly? was there a taper? or ???

i wish that i had seen your rating/comments on their eBay remarks/comments page. i specfically looked at their (some, but not all) negative ratings to see if there were any dsm buyers. i did not see any tho.

 

[slider85]

the pipe and coupler didn't align properly on the throttle body. the pipe seemed to be too short after the bend and the angles weren't right.

 

[Morel]

Well, for one, it;s not a CAI.

it's a Ram Air..

Cold Airs actually draw air from the outside of the engine bay where it's colder.. Hense the name

 

[kahlilj]

Well, for one, it;s not a CAI.

it's a Ram Air..

Cold Airs actually draw air from the outside of the engine bay where it's colder.. Hense the name

yeah yeah i know morel. i was tired when i wrote the post & could not go back & change it. besides i have already been corrected once. & u know strictly speaking i'm not comfortable even with the "ram" air description. ram air to me implies some sort of forced air induction as opposed to indirect air which it seems that it will get in the engine bay, but that's whole nother discussion.

anyway morel, if that's one. then what do you have for 2, 3 or more on this air intake system? any thoughts? have you done this? please share.

 

[Morel]

Well like you, I was tired and missed that someone already said that

Anyhoo,

I have the Ebay cheapo type (tm) (actually i've had two of them) And it fits pretty good, except for the fact that the part that secures the entire assembly (the little prong thing) is usually VERY cheaply welded, as in if the thing even has the slightest wiggle, eventually that weld will break. Thus leaving the entire thing banging around youre engine compartment and then one of the rubber fittings will get loose and thats just plain annoying.

But other then that, most of the time all the different ones you see on Ebay are pretty much the exact same design. (minor differences may inclulde differen't angles for the Vacume tubing ect) They all use the same connectors, same hardware, and same type of tubing..

And not to mention the fact that most of the sellers on Ebay use the same stock photo for what they're selling it's really a shot in the dark.. You may get one with good welds or one with really crappy ones.

But I paid 24 bucks for my 2nd one (that's holding up pretty well so far) and they come with filters. So you get what you pay for. And it's one of the better deals you'll find for our cars..

 

[slider85]

is yours for a 1G or 2G? because there is a difference and I found the one for the 1G wasn't very good and wasn't worth the money for barely any performance gain. I feel the pipe just looks better than the stock rubber one. but that's just my opinion.

 

[Morel]

is yours for a 1G or 2G? because there is a difference and I found the one for the 1G wasn't very good and wasn't worth the money for barely any performance gain. I feel the pipe just looks better than the stock rubber one. but that's just my opinion.

I own a 2g, my Buddy owns 2 1g's (both the n/t 4g and the 1.8) Both with the CIA ,though strangly enough it's more noticable on the 1.8 .. Both pretty much have had the same problems..