davidspalding

I benefited from so much good, solid guidance I got on my last upgrade inquiry, that I thought I'd ring the bell again, buy a round, and set the keyboards clicking again.

I only use a K&N drop-in filter in "clean seasons," i.e. winter before the pine pollen apocalypse we have here in NC, and in the summer when the air is terribly warm (so an engine needs more, if'n it's like the suck-bang-burn-blow turbofan engines that I flew with). Otherwise, I use stock.

I'd considered K&N's Typhoon CAI when I got the car, but thought the gains would be negligible on a stock vehicle. Now that Hondata and better springs are installed, the CAI will contribute to power and torque. But ... which one? K&N, Injen, or...? What makes one better than the other? What are the best values in CAI? Are there some that are easier to install and switch back to the stock breather if I want to run stock off the track?

Any and all opinions and anecdotes invited. TIA!

PACman

You'll definitely get opinions on this one. The whole point of a CAI is to get colder air from outside the engine bay and into the engine with as much ease as possible; thus getting some gains.

I know K&N and Injen have CAI's that can be converted to SRI. Filters for both are reusable; filter location is behind the left front bumper (stock resonator location) for CAI mode so getting into this location to eventually clean the filter will take time. Also consider that the intake location can cause worries if driving around in street flooded areas. These CAI's have minimal HP gain, but the sound it makes are enticing at WOT.
Formerly known Comptech has their Icebox. They also have a reusable filter, but location is more accessible as it replaces the stock air box.

My opinion is any of these well known CAI's are an improvement over stock. With proper maintenance, you'll never buy another air filter since they're reusable.

Personally I've been running the K&N Typhoon since ~10K miles. I'm currently at 137K miles.

Here's a review by JTso years ago about the Typhoon. https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-performance-parts-modifications-126/k-n-typhoon-cold-air-intake-review-648677/

davidspalding

SRI ... stock intake respirator?

I wasn't aware of the Comptech Icebox, that definitely sounds easier to maintain (no need to tear apart the wheel well to get to the bumper location; yeah, I've studied the installation steps). I've held off on a CAI due to the limited gains (though the Hondata dyno results shows a little better performance from the reflash with a better air intake), because it does rain heavily in NC (home of the generally highest level of precip for the eastern seaboard), and some street flooding isn't uncommon ... and is unpredictable. We had some serious rain Tuesday night, and there were spots of significant standing water on I-40. A CAI that doesn't incur that liability would be superb...!

Hope it comes in nice colors, the appearance of other CAIs with shiny paint are a visual treat as well as functional improvement.

GWEEDOspeedo

SRI = Short Ram Intake... I like the sound of stock intake respirator though

SRI's are easier and you can actually make a custom one by removing the stock air box and slapping a cone filter on the end. The up-side is quicker throttle-response over stock air intake and you get the sound. The down-side is minimal power and fuel-efficiency increase as you're drawing in hot air from the engine compartment. It also sits right behind the battery so it's pretty stagnant hot air.

I originally gave a custom SRI a chance but have since changed mentality and I bought an Injen CAI. My custom SRI sounded kind of nice but didn't give any measurable advantage over stock. I've tracked my fuel economy every time I've bought fuel since buying the car (date/odometer/gallons/price/fuel-station) and there were no changes from stock to SRI. I literally just put my Injen CAI on yesterday so I'll continue to record my stats when refueling and I expect the fuel efficiency to go up slightly. The fact is the engine is more powerful and efficient when burning a fuel/air mixture with cooler air.

GWEEDOspeedo

SRI = Short Ram Intake... I like the sound of stock intake respirator though

SRI's are easier and you can actually make a custom one by removing the stock air box and slapping a cone filter on the end. The up-side is quicker throttle-response over stock air intake and you get the sound. The down-side is minimal power and fuel-efficiency increase as you're drawing in hot air from the engine compartment. It also sits right behind the battery so it's pretty stagnant hot air.

I originally gave a custom SRI a chance but have since changed mentality and I bought an Injen CAI. My custom SRI sounded kind of nice but didn't give any measurable advantage over stock. I've tracked my fuel economy every time I've bought fuel since buying the car (date/odometer/gallons/price/fuel-station) and there were no changes from stock to SRI. I literally just put my Injen CAI on yesterday so I'll continue to record my stats when refueling and I expect the fuel efficiency to go up slightly. The fact is the engine is more powerful and efficient when burning a fuel/air mixture with cooler air.

You can get a drycharger (JTso has one on in his K&N thread) to help with any water that might get into the CAI filter area. I haven't seen tests or video of how water can get into the bumper area, but if any does, I don't imagine it's any worse than water droplets that get into the stock air box or SRI filters. I imagine the only real problem would be dunking the front end of your car into standing water. Some water droplets or heavy vapor won't get past the filter, which would dry out after getting hit with some water.

EDIT: That's weird, I hit "edit" to my post above but it made a whole new post.