Here is some eye candy for you all to enjoy. It was fun doing the install.
Here's all the parts to the CP-E CAI.



Stock airbox.



Intercooler cover removed.



Ahhh! here's airbox, resonator, and battery removed. This was the trickiest part of the whole project, removing the resonator box, very tight fit.

 

Ohhh...Im jealous, I just got the notice in my P.O box today but I cant pick it up till saturday morning because I have to work at the exact same time as the post office opens and closes!!....

 

More pics.

All the parts of the stock intake. All in all, probably removed 10 pounds out of the engine bay. Lol!



Here's the new CP-E Intake installed before reinstalling the battery.



Everything put back together.



Closeup of the air filter.

 

Here are a series of videos of stock and CP-E Intakes. First of all, remember, these videos were made for the sound, not picture quality. Ok, so I'm not so good at taking videos, but you try holding a camera, manually shifting, dodging cyclers, and going around switchbacks, lol! Oh, and you might want to grab some Dramamine, you might get a little quoozey, lol.

 

Hang in there, it will be worth the wait, trust me.

 

nice! FedEx has been stupid and it took them 5 days to actually ship mine once they got it. Then they said I wasn't here yesterday when they tried to deliver, except, I didn't leave the house all day, so that was a lie. FedEx is pissing me off! But, I should be able to get it installed this weekend, at least.

 

JGard,
That sucks about FedEx, sorry to hear that. Mine was shipped out on Mon. and I got Thurs. Btw, I think after you install the new intake, you won't have anymore desire to put on a blowoff valve. You're gonna hear everything that turbo is doing, lol. It kind of sounds a little like Darth Vader breathing?

 

wow, I just listened to the video and you ain't kidding! Nice! My intake is here now, I may install it during lunch...it's hard to wait

 

So true Scott, I recieved mine Wednesday and installed Thursday. You really hear every air/turbo movement. I love it! but its going to take some getting used to; the RDX was so quite in stock form. What do you think about the added performance? It def. pulls harder now (as advertised) with all the gobbles of fresh air through the pipe. The stock air box and resonator really were restrictive. Taking it apart I could tell why we get such an increase in horsepower with this mod.

 

Scott,
Thanks for the pictures as well as the videos! I just ordered mine today!!! Only a few left!

I can't wait to put it in!

 

Success!! I'm so happy to hear such positive reviews from the first few (most appreciated) customers!! And thanks so much for the new order mcgoo25!

Thanks especially to Scott for taking those before and after pics/vids. We would have loved to do so, but we had such limited access to RDX's that it made it difficult to pull off. So thanks a million for sharing!

I wonder what bystanders will think when they see a sedate looking RDX driving by, and then they hear the turbo, "Woooosssh-Pfffff!!!"

 

Very, very nice. It would be good to hear any comments regarding mpg once you lead-boots calm down a little!

As I mentioned before, I am highly interested in the CP-E/Hondata evaluation.

Keep those reports coming, folks!

 

sounds great! THanks for taking those videos!

 

+1

 

You can def hear the turbo now.

 

Tell me about it!

 

Just installed mine...wow, yeah, it's loud now! hah

I can't wait to get onto the highway later to open it up a bit and see how much the power has changed.

 

I'd be interested to see a non-vendor provided before and after dyno.

 

X2+

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. I've had the new intake for a couple days now, and have made a few observations. Regarding gas mileage, I've been driving around like a bat out of hell with a lot of on off, on off, throttle applications just because it's so much fun, lol, and the MID display says i'm getting 18 mpg. I'll have to give it a couple tankfulls to get a more accurate average though. The sound the engine makes at WOT is addictive. You get a lot of turbo whooshes and whistles, and intake noise, along with an enhanced vtech growl. On the otherhand, other than the turbo sounds, the engine still sounds refined and smooth.

I can't wait till an aftermarket exhaust system comes out for the RDX. I think it will complement this CAI very nicely. Now the next test will be to see if my Acura dealer accepts it, so I can retain my warranty. I go in on Mon. to get a seat heater and a buzzing speaker repaired. Have fun with your RDX!

 

I'm sure the Acura service techs will love taking your RDX out for a test drive!

 

scott sounds great love that first video on the mountain haha.

 

I'm very curious on the actual "seat of your pants" power you felt up here at 5000ft of elevation. The sound is definitely cool, but what about actual noticeable power increase?

 

Its essentially a noisemaker. There'll be a bunch of people that will figure their engine is stronger because of the extra sound coming out of the engine bay, but unless the ECU is recalibrated, you're not going to see much, if any, power.

Even with the recalibration, you'll likely see some peak gains at the top end of the rev range, and probably some torque loss down low.

It would be nice to hear the turbo a little more, though. Its probably worth it for the aural experience.

 

After about 150 miles of driving with the new intake...few observations.

Under partial throttle, the car is MUCH more responsive. I find it hard to acheive moderate acceleration now because the car just GOES more rapidly than it did with minimal pedal push.

Full-throttle acceleration does seem a bit quicker, but that could just be me telling myself that it's faster. I have no way of proving it right now.

I checked my trip computer and I have Trip B still calculating mileage from when I purcahsed the car. It was sitting at 19mpg for the past two weeks with mixed driving. After last night, it's up to 19.6. Current gas mileage on the recent tank of gas is around 19mpg because I have been heavier on the throttle.

Under partial throttle, the turbo-whine is LOUD. Almost obnoxiously so. There's also sometimes a horrible metallic grumbling kind of noise that comes from the intake and I'm not sure what it is...it doesn't sound good, though. It's not a frequent occurrence, but it happens. Under full throttle/boost, you really can't hear any whine at all...not sure why the noise just goes away.

the stock recirc/blow-off valve is much louder now. As mentioned earlier, an atmospheric blow-off valve is completely unnecessary now.

Overall, I like it! Knowing how Honda would want to keep their cars as quiet and nice as possible, I can see how the stock intake would seriously restrict power and fuel economy in the effort of sound.

 

+1 thats the main reason why I cut the airbox and fitted a short ram intake. Car may feel more responsive and get better fuel mileage but really its just for the sound. I doubt there is any power gains.

 

I used a K&N drop in and removed the resonator. Sounds much like the people here describe.

 

did you run out of gas on that second video...lol saw ur light on and the range said 1 mile...lol good job with the updates!

 

That sounds normal. My GTI with intake made that same "metallic scrape" sound.

 

You know, I really can't say objectively, that it's making more hp with the CAI, but subjectively it feels stronger and more responsive, with better throttle response. I just drove up to the mountains today to go skiing, and she flew up I-70. Even at 11,000 ft by the Eisenhower Tunnel, there was little power loss, and very little turbo lag. With the stock intake, I had much more turbo lag at high altitude, and a little more sluggish response. The best part is, MID display said I got 23.2 mpg in 156 miles of driving. It's all highway driving, but also mountain driving, with over 6000 ft of elevation gain, plus some stop and go near the tunnel. Who knows, maybe it's all in my head, but to me it's still worth it because I love the sound.

On a side note, this turbo sounds different than any other turbo I've driven, even with the stock intake. And I wonder if it has something to do with the variable flow turbo. The sound changes dramatically, from partial boost to full boost. just a thought.

 

Lol! I was hoping noboby would notice that. I filled up shortly afterward.

 

I noticed the dramatic sound difference from partial boost to full boost also, must be related to the gate in the turbo? My jetta sounds the same from partial to full and it whistles alot louder than the acura...can't wait to get a exhaust and hondata next!!

 

They did a great job on the intake! Looks like it went on without any fitment issues which is always a pain ugh.

 

Very Nice!!

 

It is actually much more than a "noise maker" The turbo is getting some serious amounts of air it was not getting in stock form. If you recalibrate the ECU you would see even more power gains. The good people @ CP-E dyno'ed the intake and everyone saw what the hp and tq gains were. Don't doubt it cause our RDX's are faster than yours..?

 

is it sucking up the engine bays air or is there a hole some where i dont see that leads it to the outside?

 

engine bay. It's really not a "cold-air" intake...it's just a high-flow intake, IMO.

 

For what its worth, I just ordered mine and as soon as I have a wiring diagram of the ECU i'm going to install a Greddy E-manage that I have lying around in my room...

 

Good news. I just got my RDX back from the dealer with some warranty repairs, and they didn't have a problem with the new intake. I was sweating there for a few days. I'm so happy to have my RDX back, I've been driving an MDX all week. Very nice car, but it feels slow and cumbersome compared to the RDX.

 

But you can bet real money that there is now a note under your VIN file/number in case you have engine related problems in the future.

Not that I believe the CPE CAI has any detrimental functionality(***), or for that matter any functionality at all above OEM, but dealers and manufacturers are always on the lookout for ways to void your warranty.

*** Actually, since it is now pulling in engine compartment air any period of long idle followed but a quick jump to be "on-turbo" heavy acceleration might very well be seriously detrimental to the engine, especially on a hot August day in the Sun belt.