I can't justify to pay 150 or more for an intake. I am considering the following 2 setups:

1. remove the resonator and leave the stock tube sucking cold air under the airbox (sort of cold air)
2. remove the resonator and airbox and suck air from the engine (better throttle response but however sucking hotter air)

I figure either way should be better than the stock setup, anyone care to comment? thanks

 

I think option number 1 sounds the best, i feel that the engine heat really hurts performance, but i really dont know how much "cold air" you would get from setup 1

 

I am running option 1 right now... i ran the stock and aem cai and pulled the same times at the track
with both. the aem does seem to have a stronger pull(or kick at vtec x).
but now in chicago its cold so im getting lots of cold air, i'll have to wait and see the effect it has in the
summer with the stock box and the chicago humidity.
if your trying to save money, jsut stick with option 1

 

Why not just pick up a K&n or a cmoptech drop in.

You wouldn't be spending so much and you would be upgrading in performance to the equivalent of an AEM.

 

I have K&N drop-in 2820. However, I don't like AEM as it will affect the throttle response.

 

Go for number 1 with a K&N filter. Maybe make some piping to imitate the Icebox.

 

Ok, here I go,

I think you could go with #1 but, I hope by saying running the OEM piping you are meaning cutting the black pipe from the bottom of the resonator?

If so I could forsee minor if any gains but still better performance than just the open bottom to the airbox. On a negative side though, with this option and the next one I will suggest, is that you have to permanantly cut/modify the stock piping and box's. What if you want to go back stock? just throwing caution to the wind.

I know from personal experience, when I removed the under airbox piping and took the resonator out of the equation I did feel quicker throttle response but, I also felt that the powercurve felt flatter and that my performance gains were not worth it.

I then added some 3" dryer hose and plumbed it from the bottom of the airbox, "which had a Comptech foam filter by then," through the fender to the front grill. again though I was not impressed with any worth while differences.

Now I have seen someone here on HT that kept all the stock plumbing and just split the resonator box and removed the interior baffle and reinstalled it. He "I wish I remember who it was," claimed that it pulled harder than stock and was minimally louder with a nice stock look.

So I say do what you like but, just take into consideration the examples I listed. Again though when I did it I felt afterwards that it wasn't worth it. I used to have an AEM/CAI, I currently have a Comptech Icebox. It's good, I am pleased with it and it does better than the DIY stuff I tried.

Don't get me wrong I am NOT saying that the things you may try would not work but, the things I tried didn't work for me. I'm sure there is a link to a Good DIY intake that you may assemble rather cheaply.

Check and search for the DIY intake made out of PVC plumbers pipe, I think that one did pretty well.

Good luck, and be sure before you cut that you won't want to go back to stock in the future. For all of the things I have and may do in the future, I always keep my stock parts just that Stock, just in case.

A.

 

well i finally bought a AEM CAI today... stop messing around with the stock air box, I did the same thing cut, tape, redo. so just spend the cash and be done.

One thing I see being a member of this board is look at everyones sig and see that more than half have the AEM CAI.

 

one thing i've noticed about cars with AEM or cold air intakes
is the throttle response is dirt slow. any of you all have this experience?
On my car tapping the gas revs to 5000. most of the cars i see with AEM
only rev to 2000

 

depends on how hard i tap, but usally it goes to 3000-3500
i've tighten my throttle cable

 

when i say tap, i mean hit the floor and let go.

 

AEM sounded nice and angry, but I've come to like the stock box.

stock box

 

tru dat

 

Keep the stock box and resonator... Just do the following...
Take out the resonator box, remove the snorkel from it. Get a piece of 3" or so plastic pipe..(I used the center section of a plastic water bottle). Press the pipe down inside the resonator box, so it slips inside the outlet tube in the bottom. Now, re-insert the snorkel tube. It should slide inside of the plastic pipe a little bit.

Voila!
Now you have the benifits of the factory intake location, along with the better throttle response, AND a bit more noise in V-TEC.

 

sgT, with your experience, can you comment on removing the stock airbox? I was under the impression that since carburetor sucks in hot air too, but generating massive power due to the throttle response. Does removing the airbox, leave the filter as is and suck in hot air from the engine bay increase throttle response as well? Since there won't be a box that restricts the air from going into the intake hose. A longer hose will always be like drinking with a straw, it can never be responsive. That's how I look at it.

 

Might be a result of the AEM being longer than a factory intake.

 

I think the stock airbox is restrictive.

The air in the engine bay isnt as hot as people think.
ONLY when you are sitting still.

 

My 2 cents:

While my engine was stock, I tryed many types of intakes and never pleased with any of them.

With the stock box/air filter It produced better torque and pull from bottom.

With the Comptech IceBox/Intake combination it has more power at middle and top end.

 

Just look at 90% of Japanese Group-A and N1 cars, almost all of them use stock air boxes w/ some kind of drop in filter. i.e. Monster filter, Spoon, K&N, etc.
If its good enough for race cars its good enough for my street car.

 

Beware of race series that require a stock airbox.

 

hmm... That's what I thought, but wouldn't the comptech be restrictive as well because it shares very similar setup except the diameter is a little bigger.

 

i second this one, alot of times i think its just the sound that makes peeps by them.
and then i see alot of peeps switch from the aem cai intake to a short ram... but like i said before, i was
able to pull the same time with my stock box with out resonator as i did with the aem.

also there was some one that made a DIY comptech style set-up and he said he loved it, cant remeber who it was.


[Modified by GONG SHOW, 6:18 PM 1/18/2002]

 

Build your own with piping and buy a good filter.


[Modified by JSpecwest, 9:03 PM 1/18/2002]