Air Intake Question
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 20
From: Hayward
Air Intake Question
i'm not planning on doing a major mods to my car for a while, but i was debating between an intake, or just a filter upgrade. should i just get a K&N (if there is a better one, let me know) filter element, or should i go the route of a short ram intake?
rob
rob
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Originally posted by ugly
No reason in getting a CAI or short ram because you'd also have to get some kind of engine management so they don't lean out the car.
No reason in getting a CAI or short ram because you'd also have to get some kind of engine management so they don't lean out the car.
Originally posted by Conduit
Your "lean condition" is misleading and seems to imply that you are running the car lean in such a way to damage it by using an intake. That is complete pocky. The car might briefly run leaner under closed loop conditions, and I mean briefly, and it may leaner in open loop conditions by a small margin, but these cars run rich to the tune of 8:1-8.5:1 open loop with increased boost on stock turbos.
Your "lean condition" is misleading and seems to imply that you are running the car lean in such a way to damage it by using an intake. That is complete pocky. The car might briefly run leaner under closed loop conditions, and I mean briefly, and it may leaner in open loop conditions by a small margin, but these cars run rich to the tune of 8:1-8.5:1 open loop with increased boost on stock turbos.
I will concur with ugly about not getting an intake, atleast not a CAI, only on a bang for buck basis though. On an otherwise stock WRX, you won't see nearly the gains you'd expect for $200. For $140, you will get decent gains(I did atleast) from intercooler hoses, plus increased reliability. Or $100-$175 can get you a lightweight or lightweight AND underdriven pulleys. I have a lightened only crank pully, and I felt gains across the board in every gear, and the motor revved more freely. For free, and only if you are confident in your honing/grinding/dremeling skills, you can knife-edge your throttle plate and throttle body lip, and feel decent(for a free mod) gains. I did this too, and the car breathed better in the upper rpms. Didn't seem to run out of breath. For ~$180, you can get an HKS downpipe, and see great gains, especially considering the price. You will have to sacrafice one cat, and you will probably get a Cat Inefficiency CEL, but you can get a fix for $20, or $5 in parts at radio shack. Or $150 you can get a 3rd cat eliminator, and see good gains, especially in torque.
I guess it would be prudent to tell you I do indeed have an intake, a Greddy Airinx shortram. I did get better throttle response and this too helped the car breath up top. What I see as the biggest benefit of this intake, and probably most other shortrams, is the increase in fun noises. I vowed I would never buy a BOV because I could hear my stock one so clearly. Turbo spool is much more obvious.
So, if nothing else, get a K&N, or better, a Unifilter dropin, and hack the bottom of your airbox off.
Tim
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Didn't Shiv conduct a number of tests with and without the silencer and determine that a removed silencer results in more noise and a nominal reduction of horsepower?
Thread Starter
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 20
From: Hayward
i removed the silencer already, but i don't think i've lost any horsepower due to it. i think i'm doin pretty good by running 14.4's in the 1/4 mile with a stock wagon. i think i'll just go with a filter and maybe some pulleys. that whole throtle grinding sounds a bit too risky for my unsteady hand.
thanx for the feedback
rob
thanx for the feedback
rob
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Originally posted by ugly
Originally posted by djwrx
Not really true. Not all intakes lean the mixture out.
Tim
I agree. I actually have an AEM CAI and have noticed a few small gains, and never had any problems with it.
Originally posted by djwrx
Not really true. Not all intakes lean the mixture out.
Tim
I agree. I actually have an AEM CAI and have noticed a few small gains, and never had any problems with it.
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 673
From: Lake Forest, Calfornia
Car Info: 2004+ Two Tone Green
get a cold air intake. makes your car sound cool and thats about it. dont expect mind blowing power from any small mods, but they are good to have with larger mods.