NAME BRAND AIR FILTERS vs KNOCKOFF AIR FILTERS
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Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Oct 2012
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From: Fl.
NAME BRAND AIR FILTERS vs KNOCKOFF AIR FILTERS
Hi Honda Tech!
I just wanted to clear up some of the confusion on one of the most popular discussions to date: BRAND NAME AIR INTAKES vs KNOCKOFF INTAKES!
First and formos: What is "Air Intake"?
Air intake is an abbreviation for Air Induction which is basically how you're engine receives air.
We all know if we can't deliver air to the engine then you probably won't make it out the parking lot unless you're pushing it.
So lets get to the facts!
There are an abundance of different brands aswell as types of Intakes on the market
But these are the 2 most popular due to ease of installation aswell as cost:
-Cold Air Intake [CAI]
-Short Ram Intake [SRI]
So lets talk about both, aswell as Pros and Cons of each!
COLD AIR INTAKE - A cold air intake draws ambient air from a location away from the engine; since this air isn't warmed by the hot engine components,
it's much denser. This allows the engine to burn more fuel which means more power. It usually consists of a system of longer piping that pulls air
from the open space surrounding the wheel well or the front bumper, coupled with a high flow air filter.
These intakes are more complex than short-pipe style intakes so installation is more difficult.
Many people may need a little help from a more experienced friend or opt for a professional installation to make sure the job is done right.
Pros: Healthy cooler air is always sucked in.
Cons: A Little more expensive, A Little harder to install in some cases, And a little heavier.
SHORT RAM INTAKE - Generally alot shorter then the cold air intake. These are often used when space is limited in the engine bay.
This design usually includes an aluminum pipe and high flow filter. This increases the flow rate of air into your car's intake manifold which helps the engine make more power,
especially at higher RPM. The main disadvantage of this type of intake is that it draws heated air from under the hood of the vehicle which tends to sacrifice some power,
because heated air isn't as dense as cold air. This is the simplest form of aftermarket intake which means it's the easiest to install.
Car owners with a little bit of mechanical savvy can probably do it on their own.
Pros: Easy to install. No intense modifications required usually.
Cons: Hot/Warm air is delivered to the engine which results in slower combustion.
So now that we understand a little more about what Air Intakes are and how they function,
I think its time to address some things.
Lets start with simple FACTS, and before you rag on me I've done my due dilligence aswell as I have 1st hand experience in both.
A 3" alluminum pipe will deliver air directly proportional to the circumfrence of the pipe it leads too.
A 2" alluminum pipe will deliver air directly proportional to the circumfrence of the pipe it leads too.
A 1" alluminum pipe will deliver air directly proportional to the circumfrence of the pipe it leads too.
So now that we understand this common misconception, lets point facts OUT and **** a few people off in the process.
A PIPE IS A PIPE, NO MATTER WHAT NAME YOU SLAP ON IT, NO MATTER WHAT STICKER YOU SLAP ON IT, NO MATTER WHAT BRAND YOU SLAP ON IT!
A 3" alluminum pipe will FOREVER deliver the same ammount of air that a 3" plastic pipe will. ANYDAY. ANYTIME. ANYWHERE!
"So whats this I hear about AEM, INJEN, K&N, & other specialty intakes?"
9 times outta 10, its comeplete ignorance.
If you wanna spend 200$ on specialty intakes be my guest!
To each his own a wise man once said.
BUT, theres an alternative to being so caught up in the brand that you bypass common sense.
Since we know a pipe is a pipe, there's just ONE variable left!
THE AIR FILTER!
It's been DYNO proven that certain filters ACTUALLY DO provide more performance gains then others!
What does that mean?
-ALOT OF $$ is to be saved, but how? We know pipes have nothing to do with the performance gain.
So theoreticaly you can buy a cheap Knockoff intake pipe for 20-30$, Discard the filter if it comes with 1 because it's probally trash anyway,
And buy you're choice of you're preferred aftermarket air filter from the brands listed above (20-30$) to slap on the end of the pipe.
The results :
A savings anywhere from 50-200$ in some cases.
The SAME exact horsepower gains as buying a full name brand system.
The pride of knowing everyone "flaunting" there name brand pipes are merely advertising and not seeing more of an performance increase.
The ability to apply the saved $$ to things that actually count when getting HP like Stickers (I kid).
A Happy, healthy engine that's not defined by the items put on it, but by the driver.
I hope I didnt step on too many toes with this.
Thanks for reading!
-Beneficial
I just wanted to clear up some of the confusion on one of the most popular discussions to date: BRAND NAME AIR INTAKES vs KNOCKOFF INTAKES!
First and formos: What is "Air Intake"?
Air intake is an abbreviation for Air Induction which is basically how you're engine receives air.
We all know if we can't deliver air to the engine then you probably won't make it out the parking lot unless you're pushing it.
So lets get to the facts!
There are an abundance of different brands aswell as types of Intakes on the market
But these are the 2 most popular due to ease of installation aswell as cost:
-Cold Air Intake [CAI]
-Short Ram Intake [SRI]
So lets talk about both, aswell as Pros and Cons of each!
COLD AIR INTAKE - A cold air intake draws ambient air from a location away from the engine; since this air isn't warmed by the hot engine components,
it's much denser. This allows the engine to burn more fuel which means more power. It usually consists of a system of longer piping that pulls air
from the open space surrounding the wheel well or the front bumper, coupled with a high flow air filter.
These intakes are more complex than short-pipe style intakes so installation is more difficult.
Many people may need a little help from a more experienced friend or opt for a professional installation to make sure the job is done right.
Pros: Healthy cooler air is always sucked in.
Cons: A Little more expensive, A Little harder to install in some cases, And a little heavier.
SHORT RAM INTAKE - Generally alot shorter then the cold air intake. These are often used when space is limited in the engine bay.
This design usually includes an aluminum pipe and high flow filter. This increases the flow rate of air into your car's intake manifold which helps the engine make more power,
especially at higher RPM. The main disadvantage of this type of intake is that it draws heated air from under the hood of the vehicle which tends to sacrifice some power,
because heated air isn't as dense as cold air. This is the simplest form of aftermarket intake which means it's the easiest to install.
Car owners with a little bit of mechanical savvy can probably do it on their own.
Pros: Easy to install. No intense modifications required usually.
Cons: Hot/Warm air is delivered to the engine which results in slower combustion.
So now that we understand a little more about what Air Intakes are and how they function,
I think its time to address some things.
Lets start with simple FACTS, and before you rag on me I've done my due dilligence aswell as I have 1st hand experience in both.
A 3" alluminum pipe will deliver air directly proportional to the circumfrence of the pipe it leads too.
A 2" alluminum pipe will deliver air directly proportional to the circumfrence of the pipe it leads too.
A 1" alluminum pipe will deliver air directly proportional to the circumfrence of the pipe it leads too.
So now that we understand this common misconception, lets point facts OUT and **** a few people off in the process.
A PIPE IS A PIPE, NO MATTER WHAT NAME YOU SLAP ON IT, NO MATTER WHAT STICKER YOU SLAP ON IT, NO MATTER WHAT BRAND YOU SLAP ON IT!
A 3" alluminum pipe will FOREVER deliver the same ammount of air that a 3" plastic pipe will. ANYDAY. ANYTIME. ANYWHERE!
"So whats this I hear about AEM, INJEN, K&N, & other specialty intakes?"
9 times outta 10, its comeplete ignorance.
If you wanna spend 200$ on specialty intakes be my guest!
To each his own a wise man once said.
BUT, theres an alternative to being so caught up in the brand that you bypass common sense.
Since we know a pipe is a pipe, there's just ONE variable left!
THE AIR FILTER!
It's been DYNO proven that certain filters ACTUALLY DO provide more performance gains then others!
What does that mean?
-ALOT OF $$ is to be saved, but how? We know pipes have nothing to do with the performance gain.
So theoreticaly you can buy a cheap Knockoff intake pipe for 20-30$, Discard the filter if it comes with 1 because it's probally trash anyway,
And buy you're choice of you're preferred aftermarket air filter from the brands listed above (20-30$) to slap on the end of the pipe.
The results :
A savings anywhere from 50-200$ in some cases.
The SAME exact horsepower gains as buying a full name brand system.
The pride of knowing everyone "flaunting" there name brand pipes are merely advertising and not seeing more of an performance increase.
The ability to apply the saved $$ to things that actually count when getting HP like Stickers (I kid).
A Happy, healthy engine that's not defined by the items put on it, but by the driver.
I hope I didnt step on too many toes with this.
Thanks for reading!
-Beneficial
Last edited by CD5Beneficial; Oct 12, 2012 at 03:25 PM.
DO IT ON ALL FOURS
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 7,632
Likes: 15
From: IN Your Mind
Re: NAME BRAND AIR FILTERS vs KNOCKOFF AIR FILTERS
Why in the world is this in the FORCED INDUCTION forum? Are you trying to insult the regulars here? Even worse you provided NO real technical information that actually proves ANYTHING. This is a TECH forum, not the GDD you are used to.
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 705
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From: Oahu, HI
Re: NAME BRAND AIR FILTERS vs KNOCKOFF AIR FILTERS
This really isnt the place for this post, there are multiple better boards for this. If you want people to praise you for your amazing knowledge on CAIs and SRIs you should probably go feed this to the new guys up in the general chassis forums where half of them don't actually know the difference between and SRI and CAI.
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,723
Likes: 1
From: San Antonio, Tx, USA
Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 24
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From: Fl.
Re: NAME BRAND AIR FILTERS vs KNOCKOFF AIR FILTERS
Sorry, didn't mean to post in the wrong place.
If someone could redirect me to where it should be posted [without bashing me], I'd appreciate it. Should I just delete it then move it? And where should I move it too?
If someone could redirect me to where it should be posted [without bashing me], I'd appreciate it. Should I just delete it then move it? And where should I move it too?
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Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,379
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From: Birmingham, UK
Re: NAME BRAND AIR FILTERS vs KNOCKOFF AIR FILTERS
Pm a mod, their user name's are highlighted in blue at the bottom of the main FI forum. Although I'm not at complete agreement about your main post I do have to credit you for the effort you put into it. So please go ahead and get the thread moved to somewhere more relevant. Good luck
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,379
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From: Birmingham, UK
Re: NAME BRAND AIR FILTERS vs KNOCKOFF AIR FILTERS
Here you go... https://honda-tech.com/forums/members/schister66-999452118/ I'll save you the bother...
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Michigan
instead of badgering the poor guy. 
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