Intake question

[scottm1985]

Should i go for the stock intake with a drop in K&N filter or go with a ebay sri ?

 

[Matt V]

This debate will rage on forever but I personally think intakes are a waste of money. A good drop-in would do you just fine.

 

[Brian_K]

the first aftermarket part i bought for my car was an Injen CAI. with this part alone i really didnt feel a difference. both low and high end power felt the same. however, it did give the engine a nice growl at about 3400 rpm. if this is the only mod you're planning on doing to your car i would say just get a k&n or wix drop in filter instead. an intake on this car will only make a significant difference when it's paired up with several other mods ie: exhaust, header, mp3 ecu, etc. and make sure to get a heatshield if you decide to go with the sri.

 

[McBadass]

well if you want performance I believe the drop-in will give as much gain as a CAI... however I love the sound of my Injen CAi with ebay headers. The best way to find out what you want your car to sound like is youtube it.... theres several vids. Performance wise.... uh.... turbo it (nana)

 

[AG DesignWorks]

You're not going to get any more noticeable gains with an intake over a drop in K&N.

 

[Tommyr]

What is the deal with headers all the ones that I have seen all say that they do no meet pollution requirements. I would like to find some that meet requirements because I may need to get my car aircared (smog tested) next year and I don't want my car to fail, any ideas?

 

[McBadass]

get a midpipe catalytic converter. headers replace your catalytic converter (therefore no good for emissions). I cant remember who makes a midpipe cat but ive seen one that improved performance and met emissions. however it was $130 plus headers (60-240) and well if ya get headers and a midpipe why not just get the exhaust (200+). But since Im broke im keeping my cat until I need to get emissioned... then I will just swap it back in for a day (^: however our proteges sound pretty nice with a nice exhaust and intake setup... its just how much ya willing to spend to make your car sound good and slightly improve performance (maybe 20 horse for hundreds of dollars)

 

[Tommyr]

Thanks a lot I'll look into it maybe I could do it in stages!

 

[scottm1985]

i ended up ordering my K7N drop in last night thanks again for all the insight,will try it ou and if i dont liek it to much you will be seeing it on the fourms here soon, and will be buying a sri intake,what are good ones ? i dunno about cai becasue of water and when it rains ,i wouldnt want it to come up in my engine

 

[Tommyr]

Ya I think I am going to start with the K&N drop in first!

 

[McBadass]

i ended up ordering my K7N drop in last night thanks again for all the insight,will try it ou and if i dont liek it to much you will be seeing it on the fourms here soon, and will be buying a sri intake,what are good ones ? i dunno about cai becasue of water and when it rains ,i wouldnt want it to come up in my engine

CAI can get water clogged if ya hit a good puddle. Injen or K&N are good brands

 

[Shift2xlr8]

I've personally never heard of someone hydro-locking their motor with a CAI, you'd have to submerge the filter for that to happen, and that's why they make the by pass valve's so that you can prevent that. As far as a K&N drop in versus a CAI/SRI...I have a AEM SRI and I noticed a decent amount of gain on the top end, however I noticed a decrease on the bottom end, and my 1/8mi time got worse (1/8mi is what is nearby). From what I've researched and talked to other fellow Protege owners, CAI are worth the money, but if you do it right you don't need to spend gobs of money to have one. A friend of mine runs a Ebay CAI and he noticed a difference on the bottom end, and between riding in his car and mine (we have very similar mods) I could notice he had more low end torque than I did, but I had more top end power/pull than he did.

So to sum this all up I don't think that it is worth the money to spend $50 or so on a drop in filter regardless if it is a K&N or not, if you are going to spend the money on that why not just buy a cheap CAI for the same money? All it is, is pipe and couplers and a filter....right? I spent over $200 on my AEM SRI and although it's been a decent intake for me, it was no where near worth the money I spent on it and I will be selling it soon and replacing it with a CAI, probably from Ebay or another member on here.

Just my $.02

 

[murda79]

I just ditched my cai and went back to stock. There's a noticable difference in throttle response and low end hp. I wish I went back to stock a long time ago. My supporting mods are header, cat-back, underdrive pulley and mp3 ecu.

 

[McBadass]

I just ditched my cai and went back to stock. There's a noticable difference in throttle response and low end hp. I wish I went back to stock a long time ago. My supporting mods are header, cat-back, underdrive pulley and mp3 ecu.

what type of filter did ya have on the cai? and are you using a K&N dropin now?

 

[Shift2xlr8]

I just ditched my cai and went back to stock. There's a noticable difference in throttle response and low end hp. I wish I went back to stock a long time ago. My supporting mods are header, cat-back, underdrive pulley and mp3 ecu.

From my understanding the CAI's have a smaller pipe diameter (smaller than a SRI) which is why they are more for low end TQ, similar to the stock setup...the reason why the stock piping is ridiculous is because it doesn't have an even flow into the intake manifold, its designed to be jumbled up so that the air will mix better with the fuel and overall get better gas mileage. Don't get me wrong better MPG's is great if that's what you are looking for, I personally haven't ever had any problems with throttle response or power so I can't bare witness to why you'd go back to stock. I suppose its personal preference.

 

[murda79]

what type of filter did ya have on the cai? and are you using a K&N dropin now?

I was using an Injen filter, right now I'm using a paper air filter but will be getting a k&n drop in. I also cut my existing cai piping so I could use it with the stock airbox, so its not completly stock.

 

[McBadass]

I was using an Injen filter, right now I'm using a paper air filter but will be getting a k&n drop in. I also cut my existing cai piping so I could use it with the stock airbox, so its not completly stock.

ah.. ya see its really just a modified sri then. stock tubes are for better gas mileage (ive been told) and I guess aftermarket for hp gains (if they exist haha)

 

[murda79]

ah.. ya see its really just a modified sri then. stock tubes are for better gas mileage (ive been told) and I guess aftermarket for hp gains (if they exist haha)

I guess you could say that, I was also getting annoyed with the clicking/sucking sounds, especially when shifting. An underpowered car trying to suck for air sounds weak.

 

[McBadass]

I guess you could say that, I was also getting annoyed with the clicking/sucking sounds, especially when shifting. An underpowered car trying to suck for air sounds weak.

I guess i havent had mine installed long enough to get annoyed. Also what ckixking sound you talk about? I only hear the sucking

 

[Shift2xlr8]

I never noticed any clicking noise...and I've had my SRI for a while and the sucking..I don't even hear it really. But it doesn't bother me, just reassures me that the car is sucking a lot more air than it used to.