So I just bought a '97 Civic Hatch.

I want to put in a cold air intake. I've been looking around and prices are anywhere from $40-$300+. Is there a difference in these? How much of a difference does brand make? What are some things that I should look for in a decent cold air intake?

I don't mind spending somewhere in the $150 range. But I don't want to spend $50 on something that isn't going to do anything for me if spending a little more would help more. Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks!

 

Not really much of a difference between any of them with a stock engine. I wouldn't waste your money on this mod if I were you unless your engine is built to actually need the additional air because you won't see a much of a difference in power, if any.

 

Won't the computer figure it out though and add more fuel to the mixture?

 

Only two things will come out of this as I have a short ram but had a CAI and sold it (tacky looking).

1.You get a nicer sound of air been pulled in.

And 2. When rain falls and a puddle develops you drive through it and bam hydrolock.

 

All that happened is that you took heavy plastic out for light aluminim. Only forced induction (turbo) will do what you are asking.

Same amount air been pulled just not quiet as what the stock intake did.

 

My AEM V2 was worth 6hp over a plain SRI tuned on a DynoJet

 

Just get a ebay pipe and call it a day. air induction kits are the only thing i buy on ebay.

 

That being said, I also made more power with my stock air box, K&N drop in and hard pipe combo than I did with the regular AEM 3" short ram unit and dry flow filter combo too.

 

Emphasis mine. Without a tune, the different is as close to none as makes no difference. If you want it for the looks, go ahead, but if you want it for performance, save your money - you'll probably get more bang for your buck out of a full tune-up, and having your injectors professionally serviced. If you still insist on getting a CAI, get an el cheapo (it's just a metal pipe), and put a quality cone filter on it.

 

On a stock engine with a stock ecu tune I would aggree all you will really gain from an aftermarket Intake is some sound. Possible shift the powerband ever so slightly to where it may feel like power was increased but not likely. On a built/tuned setup though I have to disagree that an intake is just metal pipe and any will work as good as the next. The more decent systems will actually have tuned bends and pipe sizing to maximize the vine of air while reducing turbulence and allowing the most
Effective air fill in the cylinders. On a stock 9.5:1-10.1 engine with a mild tune this might not be of much concern, but on a high comp, ported head full bolt-on/tuned all motor setup I assure you intake choice does indeed make a difference. Even the casting flaws inside of a cheaply produced Intake can be enough to disrupt airflow on a higher power setup with high breathing demands.

 

This one is the only one that actually provides anything more on a stock motor.

The AEM Short Ram might also as I think it has to do with the velocity stack incorporated into the dry flow filter.

The other issue is with a true CAI you have to put a water sock on the filter which will reduce the air flow slightly but does prevent water from being sucked into the engine on rainy days and puddles etc.

The upkeep of a true CAI is a pain in the ****.

I'd rather do a short ram and then vent the hood and build an ice box around the filter.

Easier upkeep, no need for a water sock and pretty much the same idea and results I believe.

But overall, as what has been said, 99% of these don't provide much to a stock setup.

Only the AEM V2 CAI has been shown to give a little bump, but it's little. It's more for sound more than anything.

 

That's all good and dandy, but if I'm trying to get more power out of a D series, I'd rather just replace the intake with charge piping, and force feed some air in there Much more bang for your buck.

 

What engine does the OP even have?

If d16y8 check into ITR arm and comptech box. If a y7 leave it alone.

 

True, I actually forgot we were talking about a stock D series here lol. Stock airbox is prolly your best friend for power at this point in the game unless your just looking to get a little intake noise. Even still if sound is what your after, just go with something inexpensive as was previously mentioned. Otherwise if your looking for power, spend the $$ elsewhere. Chipped ecu or a header perhaps.

 

header? XD lol

 

For your stock motor i will agree stock is most likely best for you. Although if you decide to go turbo that will change very quickly. Also remember if you plan on going turbo, there is no point in replacing your headers now.


For all you saying true CIA are a bad idea. I have a design that could in theory give you the benefits of a CAI but also the safety of a short RAM. Forgive the fact it was done in paint, its all theory at this point.



This would allow air to be pushed to the intake while moving, but it could not "suck" water up. Due to the break between the filter and piping. Also the hard angle of the intake pipe would make it difficult for water to make it up to the filter in the first place. If your still worried (ex. winter, hurricane Susan) you can just insert the plug and its a short ram again.

 

What you've come up with there is kind of like the AEM Air Bypass Lock. That hard angle makes water harder to suck up, but it also makes air more turbulent...granted, with the open filter up there, you won't see much of a difference with the extra arm anyway. It's not a bad concept, though - well thought-out.

This is all just silly, though. On a D series, you aren't going to get really noticeable power gains out of bolt-ons without a good tune, and even then, spending $500 on a tune for an extra 10 whp? I mean, it's your car, do what you want with it, but that seems like a silly way to spend money. The VAST majority of Civic owners would see better improvement from a good suspension, and some classes at an HPDE.

 

My car is a bone stock 97 cx hatch. I've had it for like 3 days. So I don't know what engine it has.
I understand that just a CAI or SRI on a stock motor won't do much for power, but this is step 1 guys. I don't have huge plans for this car. Simple exhaust system, rip out the Cat, maybe lower it like an inch or two. (I don't want it to look like I pulled it out of a cracker jacks box.)
So it seems like I should go with a cheap pipe and a decent cone and then if I need to upgrade later.

 

CX = D16Y7.

 

Dude, come on... Just use it for what it's designed and built to do: save gas. Doing mods on a D series outside of internals will do pretty much nothing except make noise. Do yourself a favor, do your regular maintenance, keep the gas mileage up, and use those fuel savings toward a better motor.

That's my plan, anyway.

Until you get a better motor, do interior and suspension mods. Then exterior. And brakes. ****, I dunno. Anything but the motor, at this point.

Also, chillerice was right. A buddy of mine went through a puddle, in his CB Accord, and he had a cone filter intake. He got a bit of water in his motor, but it eventually started back up, after trying for a week. I went through the same puddle that night, and I didn't even see it. I have a stock intake on my 99 Civic, and I didn't have any problems. I was certainly worried, but my stock intake didn't let me down.

 

Why dont you just throw a racing stripe, bench wing, and a bunch of random brand stickers on it. Your motor might even make 100HP then....

Secondly thanks @NotARacist. Otherwise idk why i even tried, based on this thread it seams Hunter is just trying to do the bare basics to become a ricer. On that note PLEASE dont hollow out your cat! Not only do you kill the environment, and smell like ****, but you very well may even loose power from it.

 

You need to have a plan and put a package together. Piecing it together part by part is not effective.

Intake, header, exhaust will give you a nice little gain. This forum swings back and forth over the years. Everyone is a naysayer currently but that will change again. People were all getting McGuyver and building their own intakes just a couple years ago.

When people speak of hp gain, they're only talking about the peak. Modifications will give you a varying increase at different points across the graph. So while a 6hp gain may not be impressive to some, it is in fact an increase across a range of RPM.

So what's your goal? You just want to make your daily driver a little faster for fun? A couple of simple bolt ons will get you there. All the basic stuff is cheap and easy. If you want to compete against others though, you'll need a plan as I said. Otherwise you waste money on I/H/E, and have to redo the whole thing when you swap the motor or go turbo. You don't even know what motor you have. What if you have a D16Y7, spend $300 on an intake, then find out you want to do a D16Y8 mini-me? That's a different intake!

This is basic 2001 stuff right here.

 

It kind of depends IMHO. The guy is just starting to be interested in cars. I know my first mod many years ago was a short ram on my 1.6L Sentra. I had installed it with my dad and had fun doing it. It was a simple install, but still a good way to get into it (I had never worked on my own car before then). Did I gain any hp from it. Most likely not.

Just to say that there is more to this hobby than just going fast. 20 or so years later, I would not just do an intake install if I wanted to go anywhere fast, but back then, I got a 200$ piece that reminded me of good times I had with my dad every time I hit the throttle. I still remember it to this day.

OP, if you decide to do this and buy the e-bay version. Make sure that the first thing you do is throw the filter that comes with it in the trash. This thing will disintegrate into your motor in almost no time. I wish I still had the pictures, but back in the day, I had put one to the test and it was not pretty. The filter actually breaks apart from the inside out, so when you notice something broke in the exterior, your motor will have already sucked up a good amount of debris coming from the filter. Get a good K&N or AEM filter that fits the pipe and you're good to go.

 

none, they dont work

 

Understandable I suppose. My first car was a B14 sentra 5spd, I loved that thing! At first I made a vacuum hose intake that started at the bumper, and went into a hose end, then to the stock airbox hose. Then I got a Spectre filter and attached it to the stock MAP. I didnt gain any power, but it was fun for a first few mods.