I would be most appreciative for any opinions on the following;
I am planning this week or next to install a AEM Cold Air Intake w/ bypass valve and a set of Comptech Headers. Do you feel that these are a worthwhile investment? The headers while beautiful, are somewhat pricey. I am also concerned that the air filter element will be difficult to get to for service. Will these upgrades actually be perceptable in everyday driving? I will not be adding new exhaust system for many reasons; do not like highly polished appearance(should be painted black), do not like round tips where rear valance is cut for oval tips, unless a high performance Cat. Converter is also installed I see no real benefit.
Thank you in advance for your opinions.

 

intake is basically just for sound and show....4-8 hp gain max.....and its really not something you can notice....it does sound cool however....the HEADERS on the other hand are a definate must..if i had the money, its the first thing im in line for.....ive been in a cl-S with headers next to my CL-S with no headers and the difference IS OBVIOUS.....if you can afford the headers....go with it...also, buy them from DEAN here on the site...$999 shipped, that the best price ever seen for new headers....

 

In a week or so I will be puting in the UR pulleys. We will see if they are worth the $300+

But wait sec where is the Alt Pulley....

Unorthodox Racing

 

I completely disagree. It is considerably quicker with the Cold Air Intake.

 

Yeah the intake does make the car a bit faster for sure. It is NOT for show.

 

i dont know what you dudes are smokin, i had the injen for a few months, didnt notice jack shit...besides the sound...i think its just your mind trying to convince you the 250 bucks you spent is justified by some type of performance gain....wishful thinking...i mean, i rad 14.8 with my stock cl-s...some cl-s with intake have a hard time hitting a 14.8....so i dunno, id only consider getting the intake again if i ever got headers...maybe then it would be more beneficial

 

Clean up the Cone Filter... hit the track in cold and dry night (at 40 dgrees) And you would see ur time drop by 0.2 sec.

 

You have to run the car many times to get the times down. There are so many factors involved that you really can't say that the intake doesn't do anything.

I hit 14.6 in my car w/ CAI. I added headers/exhaust and my fasts time was 14.9 and had trouble breaking 15 on one day. Does that mean the headers don't do anything, no. It takes proper tuning to get the car to run and since most of our cars are daily drivers it adds that many more variables.

 

I suggest the intake.......its only $250 with the Bypass Valve. Its cheap, and it is the one mod that makes the car sound like a badass exotic!!!!!

 

So which is the best intake AEM or INJEN? And what is this bypass valve???

Newbie
David

 

AEM and Injen are both very good. Really, neither is better or worse than the other. This has been discussed to no end, so either one is great.
Headers are pricey but great at higher RPMs. Gotta WOT it with the auto and the headers will give you the HPs.
What the headers don't do too well is improve your 0-60 time. Okay, okay, someone will come back and say how they managed to improve it .2 sec but big deal. I think the true consensus is maybe .3 sec improvement in your 1/4 mile. Remember, you only see those sweet ass 25HP gains at the top of your RPM band (6k+ RPMs). In most of the 4k-6k RPM band you only get about 10 HPs. That ain't enough to make a difference with a 3500+ lb car.
My personal experience is that I got the headers as my first mod and I was so excited and when I tested 0-60 I got NO difference in times pre-header or post-header. I thought I completely wasted my money. However, the car felt like it did accelerate more smoothly and the engine sounded better to me at those high RPMs.
I changed out the suspension with Konis shocks and stiffer springs. Now -- with the headers, of course -- the car feels significantly faster. It explodes off the line (well, that's what it feels like) and just feels so, so strong to redline.
My take on all this is that the stiffer suspension helps "direct" the car's energy forward better, putting those headers and new found HPs to damn good use.
Honestly, I thought the headers were a waste of my money at first. Now, with the stiffer suspension, I just love the death how the car performs and I know the headers are also a contributing factor. I feel as if I have a whole new, more fun car now.
A bit long for a response but those are my experiences. My advice would be to improve the suspension and then get the headers. That's how I would have done it had I had to do it all over again.

 

I agree. Well said.

 

and he said a lot!

 

The intake is totally worth the $.

Anyone who says differently doesn't know wtf they are talking about.

The Headers are amazing. A definite.


Also, consider some new rubber. With the increase in hp by that much, the stock tires can't handle it at all.
The sidewalls feel much more flimsy, especially in my car when I got the headers put on. Its too much power for the stock tires, and new, bigger tires help transfer all that hp to the road a little better.



Good luck with the mods, you'll love it!

 

Just my two cents:
The upgrades are worth it, not only for performance (more HP) but also for fuel mileage (MPG), provided you drive like a NORMAL PERSON when it is modded. The aftermarket Intake/Headers/Exhaust flow more air thus increasing the volumetric efficiency of the engine. This means that it requires less fuel to get the car to move the same distance... = better MPG (when driven normally). Why doesn't the factory do this you ask? Because it is louder, as you can all tell with your new intakes! As an example, my 1990 Accord (which I have modded the hell out of the last 7 years) was rated 22-28MPG from the factory. It RARELY gets less than 30MPG now and as much as 36! This is with Intake/OB'd-Throttle Body/Header/Exhaust, and some other goodies. Anyway, go for it!

 

The Pulleys are def worth it for the car. I only got 11 more hp at the wheels, but you can really feel the car pull much harder when it hits VTEC. GEt them. I don't think the intake did much, but it did add about 4 Hp.

 

Wow, there is the hidden bonus -- better MPG! Cool.
Of course, you may find yourself flooring it a bit more with the new found HPs and engine roar. It just sounds great.
I'll have to check, but I think I averaged about 26mpg pre mods and probably 24-25mpg now. I do punch it more and drive faster through the twisties. Stickier rubber effects fuel economy negatively.
There will ALWAYS be tradeoffs when you mod a car. Corners on Rails = Rides like a Rock. Blasts off the line = poorer mpg. Death grip on the road = higher rolling resistance.
All I know is that the mods I invested in have transformed my car from a luxury car that is sporty to a sporty car with luxury. Worth every penny if you love to drive.

 

I added a K&N Filter and the Comptech Headers. I can tell you that those mods will give the car a big kick in ass as the engine goes higher in RPM. Ask the embarrassed kid and his girl friend in the 5.9 R/T pick-up. ...And I even left the "air" on and smoked 'em. I may get the Comptech Exhaust in the near future.

 

Hmm... I don't smoke so can't help you there but I can tell you there is an increase in power with CAI. I have one and I know. You don't so nyah nyah nyah nyah! All kidding aside, go get one. It's the cheapest mod for performance out there. If nothing else the sound will give you kicks.

 

Intake is a must !!! And those headers aren't bad either

 

How did you get that number?

 

I don't think you can base a mod on one run. You need at least 4-5.
When I had my turbo ls. my first run was 14.91
each run after that it would drop.
best i ever did was 13.79 with stock clutch.

 

True True, at LEAST 4-5 then take an average.

 

Ive had my alternator on since beginning of July and no problems....knock on wood....Im thinking of calling up Valencia Acura to have them get the correct one. They should install this one for free right? They betta

I aint paying for installation on a wrong product.

Nick

 

Weren't some people saying you can get more "virtual" HPs from getting some lighter weight rims?

 

when my car had h/e only it ran 14.80's. w/ intake it ran a 14.67.

 

Be sure to get the cold air intake and not the short ram intake.

 

It is almost 10 weeks now and no new Alt Pulley from UR....

I am royally at UR!

 

Now UR is giving 10% on all the UR pullies.