Well, as all of the intake and/or filter threads keep popping up, more and more members are getting annoyed (you can add me to that list). I thought it would be beneficial to not only me, but people who just joined the forum who don't know how to use the search or research intakes themselves.
So, I present an Intake FAQ. Everything there is to know about intakes. From the outrageous gains that K&N and other companies say you will get after installing a filter to how an eBay and AEM intake compare to one-another.
Q: Should I get a CAI (cold air intake) or SRI (short ram intake)?
A: Well, here's a simple breakdown of the two. I'll let you decide.
SRI: Less chance of hydrolocking, looks semi-neater in your engine bay considering it's smaller, gives a slightly better throttle response, usually cheaper than a CAI.
CAI: Has a more agressive sound, higher chance of hydrolocking, throttle response is a little less than SRI, need to remove bumper to install (only with INJEN intakes I believe).
Q: What intake should I buy?
A: This question isn't very specific, and it should rely on some important details - the climate in the area you live, how much money you're willing to spend, and how much power you're looking for (not a huge difference between the two to be honest).
Q: How much power would I gain with an intake?
A: After installing an intake, you can expect anywhere from 2 to 4 horsepower - nothing like the 10 horsepower brands like K&N tend to advertise. And although they are proven on a dyno, it's simply too good to be true and there are most likely other modifications to the engine that help gain horsepower.
Q: Will an intake void my factory warranty?
A: If by any chance something in your engine fails, breaks, or stops working as a direct effect of your intake and whether or not you installed it correctly or not, it will be considered your fault. Thus, you will be responsible for any charges for repair or for your warranty loss.
Q: How hard is it to install an intake?
A: It should take no more than an hour for beginners. If an intake is your first modification to your car or you've almost never touched an engine yourself before, you can complete the installation fairly quickly with instructions or with the help from a friend.
Q: What's the difference between an eBay intake and a namebrand intake?
A: While many people argue that you can just slap a K&N filter on an eBay intake and get the same gains as with a AEM/INJEN intake, you just can't be guaranteed the quality control and/or warranty you would get with a namebrand intake. That is just something you have to think about when buying an intake - whether or not you want yours to last, if you want a warranty or anything, and if you can sacrifice whatever the price difference is between the two intakes for a quality product.
- "You get what you pay for."
Q: What are some namebrands that I can trust?
A: AEM, INJEN, K&N, PasswordJDM are just a few that are very popular among car enthusiasts that I, and many other people, trust 100%. Also, if you're looking for a more bling intake, be sure to check out the PasswordJDM carbon fiber or carbon kevlar intakes. They're hawt, and mad JDM tyte y0~!
Q: What does "C.A.R.B Legal" mean?
A: C. A. R. B (California Air Resource Board) legal intakes (that I know of) consist of the regular AEM intake and the INJEN CAI intake - I'm not sure about the SRI, but I believe they are as well. You need CARB legal intakes if you live in California because of our strict emissions laws - yeah, I know. It sucks. But if you really don't care about a fix-it ticket if you ever get pulled over, then go ahead and get an AEM v2 or eBay intake because in all honestly, there's no negative sideaffects to an intake - it just helps your engine breath better.
------------------------------
Websites:
AEM - http://www.aempower.com
K&N - http://www.knfilters.com
INJEN - http://www.injen.com
PasswordJDM: - http://www.passwordjdm.com
------------------------------
I hope you had your questions answered somewhere in this FAQ! Also, if you have anything to add or if you feel something needs to be changed or added/removed from the FAQ, just let me know and I'll be sure to see what's up.
So, I present an Intake FAQ. Everything there is to know about intakes. From the outrageous gains that K&N and other companies say you will get after installing a filter to how an eBay and AEM intake compare to one-another.
Q: Should I get a CAI (cold air intake) or SRI (short ram intake)?
A: Well, here's a simple breakdown of the two. I'll let you decide.
SRI: Less chance of hydrolocking, looks semi-neater in your engine bay considering it's smaller, gives a slightly better throttle response, usually cheaper than a CAI.
CAI: Has a more agressive sound, higher chance of hydrolocking, throttle response is a little less than SRI, need to remove bumper to install (only with INJEN intakes I believe).
Q: What intake should I buy?
A: This question isn't very specific, and it should rely on some important details - the climate in the area you live, how much money you're willing to spend, and how much power you're looking for (not a huge difference between the two to be honest).
Q: How much power would I gain with an intake?
A: After installing an intake, you can expect anywhere from 2 to 4 horsepower - nothing like the 10 horsepower brands like K&N tend to advertise. And although they are proven on a dyno, it's simply too good to be true and there are most likely other modifications to the engine that help gain horsepower.
Q: Will an intake void my factory warranty?
A: If by any chance something in your engine fails, breaks, or stops working as a direct effect of your intake and whether or not you installed it correctly or not, it will be considered your fault. Thus, you will be responsible for any charges for repair or for your warranty loss.
Q: How hard is it to install an intake?
A: It should take no more than an hour for beginners. If an intake is your first modification to your car or you've almost never touched an engine yourself before, you can complete the installation fairly quickly with instructions or with the help from a friend.
Q: What's the difference between an eBay intake and a namebrand intake?
A: While many people argue that you can just slap a K&N filter on an eBay intake and get the same gains as with a AEM/INJEN intake, you just can't be guaranteed the quality control and/or warranty you would get with a namebrand intake. That is just something you have to think about when buying an intake - whether or not you want yours to last, if you want a warranty or anything, and if you can sacrifice whatever the price difference is between the two intakes for a quality product.
- "You get what you pay for."
Q: What are some namebrands that I can trust?
A: AEM, INJEN, K&N, PasswordJDM are just a few that are very popular among car enthusiasts that I, and many other people, trust 100%. Also, if you're looking for a more bling intake, be sure to check out the PasswordJDM carbon fiber or carbon kevlar intakes. They're hawt, and mad JDM tyte y0~!
Q: What does "C.A.R.B Legal" mean?
A: C. A. R. B (California Air Resource Board) legal intakes (that I know of) consist of the regular AEM intake and the INJEN CAI intake - I'm not sure about the SRI, but I believe they are as well. You need CARB legal intakes if you live in California because of our strict emissions laws - yeah, I know. It sucks. But if you really don't care about a fix-it ticket if you ever get pulled over, then go ahead and get an AEM v2 or eBay intake because in all honestly, there's no negative sideaffects to an intake - it just helps your engine breath better.
------------------------------
Websites:
AEM - http://www.aempower.com
K&N - http://www.knfilters.com
INJEN - http://www.injen.com
PasswordJDM: - http://www.passwordjdm.com
------------------------------
I hope you had your questions answered somewhere in this FAQ! Also, if you have anything to add or if you feel something needs to be changed or added/removed from the FAQ, just let me know and I'll be sure to see what's up.
