I'm interested to find out from all the enthusiasts out there about air intake systems. If you were given a choice to either (1) make your own intake or (2) buy one that is for your vehicle, which one would you prefer?

Here are a little more details about each options.

(1) Make your own intake (or design your own): (no CARB exempt)

• sections of tubing (straight, 90°, 60°, 45°, and 22°) are individually packaged

• use of multiple couplers to connect each section together

• you can design your own intake to route however you like it

• cheaper than most intake kits on the market

(2) Buy one that is for your vehicle: (may have CARB exempt)

• you know that 99.9% of the time it'll bolt right in to your car

• easier to install (because no need to fiddle with different rotations of each tube section)

• you know it's gonna work because the company has already done the development

• more expensive

So with that in mind, which do you prefer?

 

I have the K&N Typhoon in CAI config.

 

I think that's product R&D about.
so Bolt On for Me

 

I did both. An Apexi power intake coupled with a hand-made insulated and sealed enclosure which has a cold air feed all the way down to the front fog light cover (which I cut large holes in)

 

I chose bolt-on because I'd want something that was tried and true to my vehicle.

 

DIY sometimes can be more costly and time consuming, but it's also more rewarding when the project is done. However, it also depends where you live, which may require you to buy the intake instead of DIY due to CARB requirement.

 

Being new at modding I elected the bolt on Injen CAI. Easy installation.

 

Bolt-on for right now, but when I have more time and more money, DIY is not out of the question.

 

bolt-on for most of the reasons listed above.

 

Yeah, well don't you have that funny govt requirement not to mess with that stuff, so you have to hide it by making your CAI look totally stock?


I chose bolt-on because I'm willing to pay for the product that's been tested. I helped my buddy build his for his 04 GTO before I had kids and it took a bit of creative thinking. Like JTso said, rewarding, but very time consuming.

 

In my case I would say it depends on the car. for my 06 accord I want something with a name on it, but if I were doing something on a 99civic then I would just customise one

 

it's funny, b/c after i installed my icebox w/ my friends, we went to home depot to get a bracket or something and they were in the pvc piping section and showed me a plastic elbow that cost like 15 bucks, and then started making fun of me for spending 150 on the comptech. freaking losers.

 

Bolt-on. I did DIY CAIs for previous cars....laundry tubing, pvc pipe, the whole Home Depot special for my civic and teg.

With my TSX, I went immediately for the CT Icebox. In the end, nothing I could fab looks as good, fits as well, or is as legal as a bolt-on system.

 

^^ Creating the snorkel from PVC is one thing but making a larger volume airbox lid to replace the stock would be quite another. And, for me, the benefit of the Icebox isn't so much the less restricted airflow as is having a larger volume of filtered air available that results in much better throttle response.

 

I said bolt on, but would've liked it if the advantages applied to me. The newest injen doesn't seem to have carb exempt and it doesn't seem to fit well in my car. It could be I put it into the car wrong, or that there's no bend in the hinge that goes out to the battery.

 

laziness costs. so id buy aftermarket. =P

 

someone in the 'other' forum was complaining about that too. the hinge where you bolt it down doesn't bend so it's awkward and possibly rattles.

this can't be rectified by just angling the piping more towards the battery? the pdf install also shows that hinge to be straight and without a bend.

 

Thanks to all who participated in the poll. Keep them coming.

I guess I should throw in my thought on this as well. Technically, I would choose the "Don't care because I don't plan on modding" option because I don't plan on anymore engine mods. The Hondata reflash is enough for me. However, if I were to get an intake, I'd go with the bolt-on one because it's more convenient and less time consuming.

 

I have an SRI. Yeah, where I was living, we couldn't have exposed SRI pods (but CAIs are alright). I've moved to a different state where exposed SRI non-oiled pods are legal. But I still prefer my enclosed SRI since I don't have heatsoak problems.

 

haha, that was me. I've been busy, so i haven't taken out the whole thing and try to put it all in again. Where's the pdf install for this? can't seem to find it. I had the paper ones, but lost them.

 

i got injen and its nice

 

try this LINK.