Yeah, I know, "Search, etc."

I looked, I got mixed results. I'm asking here, because after 4 years of ownership I'm thinking of overhauling the Talon fully and I'm putting together a list of everything I want to look into. Now, I've read that CAI's aren't worth it, are all the same, or should just be forgotten altogether. Can someone give me an intelligent answer one way or the other?

Is brand worth the cost? Should I get an ebay one? Should I get a short ram? Should I piss off? :P

Thanks guys, good to be back.

-Corey

P.S. - I'm not going turbo, so don't even start with it :P

Piping is piping.
However, the welds on the ebay piping in order to mount the intake are done pretty poorly (CAI), resulting in snapping from other member's experiences. I had a CAI from ebay and it worked as it was supposed to; loud is all I can say.

Short ram intakes are about as problem-free as you can get, as it just replaces the factory piping for aluminum w/ open-air filter... as anyone could guess. No worries of hydrolocking as with the cold-air extensions. Bleh, but everyone knows this information.

IMO, don't pay the money for name brand when you're only getting literally 2WHP... if that.

EDIT:

Originally posted by MajinVejitaXV
P.S. - I'm not going turbo, so don't even start with it :P

Oh, people will start whether you want it or not. Do the math... you get more HP with a turbo kit than you ever will spending the same amount of money on intake, header & exhaust (name brands). Hell, just man up and turbo. :P

Yea thats what I noticed after already buying a headers back exhaust system.. doesnt feel like it did anything but sound good lol.. Thats exactly why im going turbo. I mean im only running like 4psi because of stock internals but its better than no turbo at all..

But hey either way you go.. good luck with your car.

Turbo Project In Process:
Up and Running Turbo By Aug 06'

Originally posted by saikou
Oh, people will start whether you want it or not. Do the math... you get more HP with a turbo kit than you ever will spending the same amount of money on intake, header & exhaust (name brands). Hell, just man up and turbo. :P

I know, I know. Trust me, I've done the math since I was 18 and bought my Talon, and I'm 22 now :P

I dunno, all motor just sounds better. My friend's WRX may smoke me, but I just like the (slightly) better reliability factor. Plus, I'm afraid of what I'd do with a turbocharged car, after I've worked so hard to keep my record clean for 3 and a half years ;p

I love turbos, they're fun as hell to drive, but for now...it's not for me. Despite cost.

-Corey

In all honesty... Why get a short ram? Even the stock airbox pulls in cooler air ( from the fender area). That and considering that METAL cinducts heat better then plastic... yeah. If Anything I bet you loose power and its all in the sound.

As for a CAI, If you gain everything its not much at all...Id say its more fromt he filter then the Intake. IF that.

Best point I've heard. Striking the CAI idea. Thanks.

-Corey

I have the eBay special and it's been working fine. If I were to do things differently, this is what I would do. Probably cost the same as my eBay or less and be just as functional.

1. Buy: a length of PVC tubing in the 2.5-3" dia. range, one 90* silicone coupler elbow in the same diameter, one K&N filter.

2. Paint PVC tube to match engine bay.

3. Remove airbox, tube, et. al..

4. Install couple to TB inlet. Clamp.

5. Install (dried) PVC pipe in coupler. Clamp.

6. Install K&N on end of PVC. Clamp.

This would still require some form of bracing to keep it in place, but it is cheap, totally customizable, functional, safe from hydrolock, and offers the best in filtration.

Just my thoughts.

WORTH IT!

Originally posted by thedawg
WORTH IT!

Love it!! wish i would've taken a pic of mine.

Originally posted by Chamuko
In all honesty... Why get a short ram? Even the stock airbox pulls in cooler air ( from the fender area). That and considering that METAL cinducts heat better then plastic... yeah. If Anything I bet you loose power and its all in the sound. As for a CAI, If you gain everything its not much at all...Id say its more fromt he filter then the Intake. IF that.

I'm sorry.. But your wrong. :)


1) The air intake of the stock box is about the size of a quarter..
2) The plastic stock intake isn't smooth on the inside, thus reducing air velocity..
3) The Longer the tube, the faster the air flows.

When I put my CAI on, I noticed a huge difference in acceleration. And it can be had for 30 bucks on Ebay, it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade for anyone with a N/T.

Also, If you get a quality cone filter, Hydrolock isn't really that much of a worry, just don't go driving thru floods or anything. Even heavy rain doesn't bother it..

Originally posted by Morel

Originally posted by Chamuko In all honesty... Why get a short ram? Even the stock airbox pulls in cooler air ( from the fender area). That and considering that METAL cinducts heat better then plastic... yeah. If Anything I bet you loose power and its all in the sound. As for a CAI, If you gain everything its not much at all...Id say its more fromt he filter then the Intake. IF that.

I'm sorry.. But your wrong. :) 1) The air intake of the stock box is about the size of a quarter.. 2) The plastic stock intake isn't smooth on the inside, thus reducing air velocity.. 3) The Longer the tube, the faster the air flows. When I put my CAI on, I noticed a huge difference in acceleration. And it can be had for 30 bucks on Ebay, it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade for anyone with a N/T. Also, If you get a quality cone filter, Hydrolock isn't really that much of a worry, just don't go driving thru floods or anything. Even heavy rain doesn't bother it..

1.couldnt find it to verify.
2. Its molded plastic... I see nothing that I would not consider smooth.
3. Wow, Really? Thats a new one to me...And here I thought That velocity had to do with Line diameter. All the euqations i tend to find the the SAE papers and books say that volume flow rate = flow AREA x fluid velocity. Maybe thats why engines never improve...

Originally posted by Chamuko

Originally posted by Morel

Originally posted by Chamuko In all honesty... Why get a short ram? Even the stock airbox pulls in cooler air ( from the fender area). That and considering that METAL cinducts heat better then plastic... yeah. If Anything I bet you loose power and its all in the sound. As for a CAI, If you gain everything its not much at all...Id say its more fromt he filter then the Intake. IF that.

I'm sorry.. But your wrong. :) 1) The air intake of the stock box is about the size of a quarter.. 2) The plastic stock intake isn't smooth on the inside, thus reducing air velocity.. 3) The Longer the tube, the faster the air flows. When I put my CAI on, I noticed a huge difference in acceleration. And it can be had for 30 bucks on Ebay, it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade for anyone with a N/T. Also, If you get a quality cone filter, Hydrolock isn't really that much of a worry, just don't go driving thru floods or anything. Even heavy rain doesn't bother it..

1.couldnt find it to verify. 2. Its molded plastic... I see nothing that I would not consider smooth. 3. Wow, Really? Thats a new one to me...And here I thought That velocity had to do with Line diameter. All the euqations i tend to find the the SAE papers and books say that volume flow rate = flow AREA x fluid velocity. Maybe thats why engines never improve...

1. The stock air intake is pretty small, maybe an inch by 3 inches or so.
2. He means the rubber tubing that goes to the TB. It's sectioned so it can flex and that creates a lot of turbulence in the intake path.
3. You're corect on that one. It's pipe diameter that makes the difference in velocity. However, the longer pipe would change the resonance frequency and could make a difference that way.

Originally posted by Silv Blt

Originally posted by Chamuko

Originally posted by Morel

Originally posted by Chamuko In all honesty... Why get a short ram? Even the stock airbox pulls in cooler air ( from the fender area). That and considering that METAL cinducts heat better then plastic... yeah. If Anything I bet you loose power and its all in the sound. As for a CAI, If you gain everything its not much at all...Id say its more fromt he filter then the Intake. IF that.

I'm sorry.. But your wrong. :) 1) The air intake of the stock box is about the size of a quarter.. 2) The plastic stock intake isn't smooth on the inside, thus reducing air velocity.. 3) The Longer the tube, the faster the air flows. When I put my CAI on, I noticed a huge difference in acceleration. And it can be had for 30 bucks on Ebay, it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade for anyone with a N/T. Also, If you get a quality cone filter, Hydrolock isn't really that much of a worry, just don't go driving thru floods or anything. Even heavy rain doesn't bother it..

1.couldnt find it to verify. 2. Its molded plastic... I see nothing that I would not consider smooth. 3. Wow, Really? Thats a new one to me...And here I thought That velocity had to do with Line diameter. All the euqations i tend to find the the SAE papers and books say that volume flow rate = flow AREA x fluid velocity. Maybe thats why engines never improve...

1. The stock air intake is pretty small, maybe an inch by 3 inches or so. 2. He means the rubber tubing that goes to the TB. It's sectioned so it can flex and that creates a lot of turbulence in the intake path. 3. You're corect on that one. It's pipe diameter that makes the difference in velocity. However, the longer pipe would change the resonance frequency and could make a difference that way.

1. Yeah figured that, I remember it being tiny, but no where near a quarter. Either way, thats why I said the FILTER is the biggest restriction area.
2. I still dont see how that creates more turbulance then the Coupler sections in your intake or the Bypass that some of the "higher" end ones come with. thats ridiculous. Then theres the turns that the air has to take into the runners and the casting flaws ... That is not the reason for a intake. Its less then 1hp which is probably lost with the heat transfer from the metal pipes...

Originally posted by Morel
When I put my CAI on, I noticed a huge difference in acceleration. And it can be had for 30 bucks on Ebay, it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade for anyone with a N/T.

:eek

Originally posted by Morel

Originally posted by Chamuko In all honesty... Why get a short ram? Even the stock airbox pulls in cooler air ( from the fender area). That and considering that METAL cinducts heat better then plastic... yeah. If Anything I bet you loose power and its all in the sound. As for a CAI, If you gain everything its not much at all...Id say its more fromt he filter then the Intake. IF that.

I'm sorry.. But your wrong. :) 1) The air intake of the stock box is about the size of a quarter.. 2) The plastic stock intake isn't smooth on the inside, thus reducing air velocity.. 3) The Longer the tube, the faster the air flows. When I put my CAI on, I noticed a huge difference in acceleration. And it can be had for 30 bucks on Ebay, it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade for anyone with a N/T. Also, If you get a quality cone filter, Hydrolock isn't really that much of a worry, just don't go driving thru floods or anything. Even heavy rain doesn't bother it..

u felt a huge difference in acceleration . lol . maybe u had something clogging ur stock one than cuz is really no noticable difference

Originally posted by boosted60trimrst

Originally posted by Morel

Originally posted by Chamuko In all honesty... Why get a short ram? Even the stock airbox pulls in cooler air ( from the fender area). That and considering that METAL cinducts heat better then plastic... yeah. If Anything I bet you loose power and its all in the sound. As for a CAI, If you gain everything its not much at all...Id say its more fromt he filter then the Intake. IF that.

I'm sorry.. But your wrong. :) 1) The air intake of the stock box is about the size of a quarter.. 2) The plastic stock intake isn't smooth on the inside, thus reducing air velocity.. 3) The Longer the tube, the faster the air flows. When I put my CAI on, I noticed a huge difference in acceleration. And it can be had for 30 bucks on Ebay, it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade for anyone with a N/T. Also, If you get a quality cone filter, Hydrolock isn't really that much of a worry, just don't go driving thru floods or anything. Even heavy rain doesn't bother it..

u felt a huge difference in acceleration . lol . maybe u had something clogging ur stock one than cuz is really no noticable difference

Lol, yea. Maybe if you put a UDP on or something at the same time.

You can hear the filter sucking in air. That's all I noticed.

As I've said before, the single greatest advantage to any aftermarket intake is not the length of the pipe, the material from which the pipe is made, or the temperature of the air at the filter - It is the installation of a freer flowing filer element and nothing more.

All your specially measured piping, bends, and even velocity stacks might serve to net you 1whp on the dyno. I would only concern myself with such things if I found myself within 1whp of breaking 200whp. Otherwise, just make something. Hell, Pep Boys now sells parts to make them!

Originally posted by DR1665
As I've said before, the single greatest advantage to any aftermarket intake is not the length of the pipe, the material from which the pipe is made, or the temperature of the air at the filter - It is the installation of a freer flowing filer element and nothing more. All your specially measured piping, bends, and even velocity stacks might serve to net you 1whp on the dyno. I would only concern myself with such things if I found myself within 1whp of breaking 200whp. Otherwise, just make something. Hell, Pep Boys now sells parts to make them!

All in favor? AYE!

Originally posted by Chamuko
All in favor? AYE!

AYE.

Originally posted by Chamuko
All in favor? AYE!

arr! i mean aye


here's how the last owner of my car did it. stock airtube cut off and a K&N slapped on there. I am happy with it, though I don't recommend it if you want to ever want to go back to stock, since you'll need to buy a new tube. Definitely not gonna pay $100 for a metal pipe just to put the filter 6 inches further away.

Stock, I mean AYE, I mean... screw it

i ordered the titaniam pearl aem cold air intake for my 420a and i have to say it was a good buy. the install was super quick and everything fit nicely. it sounds good and looks good. the pipe routing takes it under the left front fenderwell near the horn and it works out nicely. engine compartment heat is much less down there. a custom heat shield would be nice to have though. and never order anyhting from andysautosport.com. i just bought my eclipse and have spent a ton of money on it so far. that place never delivers what you order and when they screw up they take for ever to give back the credit.

Originally posted by synapse1981
i ordered the titaniam pearl aem cold air intake for my 420a and i have to say it was a good buy.

EDIT:
I hope that works out for you. General consensus is that name brand CAIs are not worth the price. They do not provide sufficient gains to warrant the additional cost. Thanks for sharing, though.

Yes but his is Titanium PEARL. Those net 5 more HP than the standard red ones.

Originally posted by thedawg
Yes but his is Titanium PEARL. Those net 5 more HP than the standard red ones.

Originally posted by synapse1981
i ordered the titaniam pearl aem cold air intake for my 420a and i have to say it was a good buy. the install was super quick and everything fit nicely. it sounds good and looks good. the pipe routing takes it under the left front fenderwell near the horn and it works out nicely. engine compartment heat is much less down there. a custom heat shield would be nice to have though. and never order anyhting from andysautosport.com. i just bought my eclipse and have spent a ton of money on it so far. that place never delivers what you order and when they screw up they take for ever to give back the credit.

you paid over 150 for no extra power and a good chance of hydrolocking ur motor . good decision .lol . u pretty much paid 125+ for a sticker .

Ok. Here is my take on it. I would get a K&N drop in replacement for the stock filter and call it a day. All that other stuff just doesn't do *ENOUGH* good to be worth a damn.

If I had to do over again starting from the beginning, the first mod would be UDP. That will make a difference. Exhaust, headers, intake ... bleh.

I'm sorry if this has been asked already, but I couldn't find any topics about this. I just recently purchased a K&N drop in filter b/c of all the horror stories I've read with the CAI intakes from other members. Now since I've removed the intake shield, the stock box won't suck in water with the new filter will it? Sorry if this has been asked already, but I just don't wanna hydrolock my motor up (BTW my car is a 98 Eclipse RS) and I just don't know too much about these cars yet (Former Honda driver). Thank you all in advance for the help and sorry to be such a BANME!

uh i have a CAI and hydrolock was never an issue, dont let it scare you, your stock box will never hydro-lock

Uh.. I bought a $40 CAI that put the filter right in the right side of the front bumper. HUGE difference; both in feel and performance.

Now this was about 5 years ago, but i raced my friend in his slow ass (every bolt on imaginable) v6 stang. I went from losing by a fender to 1-2 car lengths win. No shit. This was not just one race, I was new to cars and he was pissed. We raced all the time on both configs and was constant.



Nick
97RS

I got an AEM for 15 bucks on ebay with a filter with about 200 miles on it just look around and when you see a good deal jump on it.

Thanks so much for the help. Really appreciated. I actually got a drop in K&N filter from a friend for free (Can't beat that LOL) and after recharging the filter my throttle response was way better than a stock filter, especially in the midrange area. Just wanted to stop in and say thank you again

Originally posted by EventsCo21XL
Thanks so much for the help. Really appreciated. I actually got a drop in K&N filter from a friend for free (Can't beat that LOL) and after recharging the filter my throttle response was way better than a stock filter, especially in the midrange area. Just wanted to stop in and say thank you again

Now it's time for you to hack your airbox. I remember that being a decent little mod. I rebuilt my engine before I replaced my hacked airbox w/ K&N for some eBay shit. :thumbsup

My advice would be drive it the way it is ..do all the free shit you can to it and save that money for a turbo kit.... Ive been doing this crap for five years or more ...I still dont have a turbo ,prolly wont ever and Ive spent $5k on wortless shit like paint, intakes.... SAVE 4 TURBO dont be stupid.

Haha I know, I'd love to go turbo on the car, but right now I just don't have the funds for two cars right now, plus school LOL. This just became my daily driver as I took my 88 CRX Si off the streets for a motor swap (No insurance as well on the Honda) so I was just trying to find a way to get a little more response, that's why I asked about the Intake issue. Thanks again everyone for all the help.

Also speaking of the turbo, I haven't had the time to research the issue, but I live in California and stupid CARB laws make it hard to fix up a car here, so does anyone know off the top of their head if the Hann Stage 1 or 2 kit has CARB approval. This is the only reason I wish I had a GSX so I could skip wheel dyno and just use a sniffer. Thanks again for all the help.

You would need to search more to find out about the HRC kits and CARB. I don't know anything about them. If you would like to discuss CARB, find a good thread by searching "CARB" and maybe bump something.

Let's keep this one on-topic, okay? :thumbsup

Thanks for the advice, I'll do some more research on it. Thanks again and I'll try to find another topic which relates to my question. Thanks for the patience.

UPDATE

Found what I was looking for. Thanks for the search hints.

My cousin had a talon with a CAI. Had being the key word.