Which Intake is "best"?

Jae

Member
:
2004 Mazda3S Black on Black
I'm looking at getting a cold air intake for my 04 Mazda3s. I'm looking mostly at AEM and K&N.

Also, what is the difference between a normal intake kit and a short RAM intake? (idhitit)
 
an intake in the basest sense is just a pipe, some couplers and clamps and a filter. it comes down really to the kind of filter being used. gains across the board will roughly be the same.
 
I'm looking at getting a cold air intake for my 04 Mazda3s. I'm looking mostly at AEM and K&N.

Also, what is the difference between a normal intake kit and a short RAM intake? (idhitit)


intake kit can be short ram...

Cold Air and ram are the different ones...the K&N can be both
Cold Air drops the filter down lower to it can get cooler air, and is much less restrictive than a traditional air box, while a short ram does not drop the intake piping down and is also less restrictive, CAI generally see better gains but at the risk of hydrolock because of the placement of the filter.

hope that helps
 
lol thanks, oh and sorry I know it's a stupid question to those of you who know cars :(. I'm working on it, my father wasn't to keen on teachin' his daughters too much, and he works a lot so i'm kinda on my own here. Thanks for the help. I'm sure down the road i'll have more dumb questions. Pls bare with me here.
 
welcome to the forums. where in wisconsin are you? i am a stone's throw from the state line. send me a message if you need parts or have any questions.
 
we all start some where so take it easy people. No intake is the "best" it all depends on where you want the power to be released. The diameter of the pipe makes a diff. The smaller the diameter then it will most likely improve your low end power to mid range power. A bigger diameter will improve your top end or mid to high end range. Fujita F5 is very popular and i happen to click on Captain KRM's site Protegegarage.com, maybe he can help you out getting one. Pretty decent prices.
 
I'm about 30 min from IL border give or take on traffic and the oh-so-lovely construction going on. I actually just bought the car from a private seller in Evanston.
 
I'm about 30 min from IL border give or take on traffic and the oh-so-lovely construction going on. I actually just bought the car from a private seller in Evanston.

we have a meet this weekend in zion, feel free to attend
 
Wow I may just come :D , isn't that some kind of taboo though? I mean IL and WI lol. But I guess since Zion is less than an hour away, I may come on down :).
 
Well the final result, and a couple of brews later... :D AEM cold air intake installed! (drinks)
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lol so what do I do with the TON of stuff I took out? (nuts)
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actually....I don't think people were being "mean" because of the question, people on the boards are generally more than happy to answer questions. However, "what intake to get" might be one of the most asked questions closely followed by "what exhaust should I get". There's a search function in the upper right corner, if you have a question try searching and see if someone else already asked it first. If you don't find the answer you're looking for then make a thread and just make a little note that you already searched. Glad you decided on an intake....how's it treating you?
 
So far I love it :) I like the little purr it makes when I accelerate.. oh and I am not looking into an exhaust btw lol. Burnin rice aint my thing.

Well, you might want to. There's a huge difference between the axle back mufflers they sell at autozone and a true exhaust system. The later is on the list of basic mods to get some cheap power out of the engine. Intake, headers, exhaust.....the trifecta of budget moding. There are many exhausts out there that increase power without making your car a neighborhood nuisance. =)
 
There are many exhausts out there that increase power without making your car a neighborhood nuisance. =)

I'll have to start doin some research on that then :). Cause I am not a fan of the obnoxious sounding exhaust systems, so I haven't even looked. Also i'm still trying to keep my fuel economy up (not sure how different mods effect it) at least until these gas prices settle (strike). I still get about 28-30 mpg (and love it) but if anyone has any suggestions or anything feel free to speak your mind pls (lol2). any opinions are welcome.
 
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123700593&highlight=exhaust


a la the search function. Most of what you'll find here are true exhaust systems and some people were nice enough to take sound clips to give you an idea of how loud they are....keep in mind most of the clips have the camera right beside the muffler, lol. You have to remember, like I said before, there is a big difference between a muffler and a full exhaust set up. The obnoxious sounding "exhaust" systems you're talking about are usually just some poor car *cough* honda *cough* that gets a big, loud muffler strapped to the back of it. A real exhaust set up will open up air flow and then it's a matter of picking what muffler you like best. Yes, some companies have made their set up appeal to the "ricer" crowd and made them loud and proud, but others realize that some want performance without destroying drivability (droning at highway speeds). Like you said, do some research on it and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't worry about MPG by adding an exhaust either, of everyone I know that has a real exhaust set up I've only heard of people getting better or the same MPG, not getting worse.
 
Not to hijack the thread, but you probably aren't too far from where I originally grew up, only you're more east I think. From Beloit, WI, about 30 min north of Rockford, IL.

Nutty.
 

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