I recently had an aem cai installed and it rocks. the intake is dead quiet until you hit the vtec range 5000-7000 rpms, once your in between 5 and 7 the engine gets very deep and throaty, similar to a camaro ss, except more refined and better sounding. Plus the engine has more power, I don't no how much but the increase is noticeable. I simply can't believe an air intake can make such a difference in a cars performance.

 

I agree 100%!
We had a meet this past Sunday and we were all racing on the highway. We all punched it and the sound of the AEM CAI during VTEC is amazing!
BTW, I believed the gain is somewhere @ 10 hp.

 

Not that much, being optmistic, 5-8hp.

 

Aaah! You guys are killing me....... You just added more dilemma into whether I should get CAI or H&R springs first?!?!?!?

 

imo you should get the CAI first...

 

Sigh* Too late I just order the H&R OE sport springs and I probably get the CAI next week.

 

Springs were probably a better move, evolaerok. I am still debating on which intake to get. I hear the Injen is actually better; more power and better craftsmanship. But, what about that Xeypher I heard about on the CL board?
That horsepower is misleading. You have to find out at which rpm the gain is at, and the effect the weather has on it. Does a bypass vlave take away any power? I don't like noise, either (by noice, I mean the civic/neon exhaust kind of noice), but I heard 99DWP, and his AEM sounded sweet.

 

Xeypher? Do you have a site or link I can check out? I am close to buying AEM, but we'll see, it'll probably change. Like I almost bought the Comptech springs, but ended up buying the H&R because you guys talked me into it. Oh and it looks better.

 

I WOULD be able to give you a site, link or more info, but the CL site id down. Maybe one of the CLers can tell us more. I know Infamuz is from there, and comes here a lot.

 

the xephyr one is no more because there was some "bad business" going on with it. but i think park ave. acura still has some (i have one reserved through them for when i return home). they only have red left though.

 

Yeah, what he said. Xephyr went out of business and he ended up screwing a couple of people out of money (which finally got corrected). It's really a shame b/c he had a great product, he just didn't have any business sense. AEM is the way to go in my book although the Injen is nice too. Personally I prefer the By-Pass valve which is why I will probably stick to the AEM......

 

how much does it cost, and who installs it for you? Will the dealer do it? I live in Ft Lauderdale. Please advise, thanks.

 

What kind of maintenance or upkeep does one need to perform once the CAI is installed? Or put another way -- how much work is involved in having a CAI?

Thanks,

Vincent

 

to maintain the aem cai you just need to clean the filter once every 3000-5000 miles, with the cleaning kit other than that there is nothing else to do.

 

Clean the K&N filters is recommended each 30K-50k miles, or at least once a year.

However, I do check mine each 15K miles or twice a year.

 

I ordered my AEM Cai from Tim(Snook) at www.autocarparts.com he has the best prices around and you can't beat his service...I am supposed to receive it today...dammit..can't wait till the UPS guy gets here...

 

bdimc2001
I never paid a attention to your sig, but man that's cool. Did you install Ps2 by yourself, or was it custom by someone? I'm thinking about putting one those in my car, but I need to buy DvD nav, plus kenwood monitor first. Then I can play Gt3 while @ redlights like that other korean boy on Fast and Furious .............. Oh and where can I buy the cleaning kit?

 

So the Injen doesn't have a bypass valce? Darn.
I know you're only talking 1-2 hp (because all you can expect from a CAI is 8-10 tops ), but I heard the Injen produces more.
Plus, ins't Comptech developing an "Ice Box" air filter? If it will trully be that cold, maybe it will give ya 15hp or so?

 

the bypass valve is sold separately, and it can be used on other intakes. the xephyr one that i'm gonna have park ave install for me includes the aem bypass valve.

i don't know how well it fits with the injen one, but it obviously fits fine for the aem and from what i've seen, it fits well with the xephyr.

 

to Stylin Silver Sled........
So far I have purchased only one mod and I almost bought another in the past and I think Snook has the best service. I will always purchase from this site and never no one else. Now if you can help me find a local dealer or place that can intall my springs for cheaper than $370... then you are the greatest...........

 

TLS260 & Beiruty: Thanks for the CAI maintenance info.

Now what's the scoop on the bypass valve for the CAI? It looks like it's an optional piece to the CAI.

V.

 

Yes, it's an optional piece which prevents water from getting in the engine. Some people say it's not necessary but personally I'd gladly pay $45 to make sure no water gets in my engine.....

 

Man, I've argued on this topic many times before, and time and time again I still end the conversation with the same state of mind, and noone has been able to logically present their arguments well enough to change my mind otherwise. Here's a couple of things that might help answer some questions so that you could decide for yourself.

The AEM bi-pass valve will fit on ANY CAI setup provided the pipe you attach it to as long as the diameter is 3 inches wide (the standard for the 3.2 engine). Why wont AEM warrant it if you install it on a different pipe? Who knows...maybe this way they could sway potential customers to want to buy their CAI setup and only their setup in fear that they wont be covered in this "warranty". Regardless to say, if you install the bi-pass filter wrong (which is the only way I've seen it done in person...ive never seen it installed right exect from pics online) you wont get the warranty security blanket you think you have.

Will the bi-pass filter save you from water....yes and no. It totally depends on how and where you set it along the pipe that determines this "imaginary blanket of protection" that we all want to feel whenever we install anything new. First off...people who install the bi-pass valve should know that you need at least 2 feet of clearance from the filter head for it to accually do anything. Any less would be just like not having the valve there in the first place. Reason being is that in the very unlikely *CASE the filter head ever gets completely submerged in water, it wouldn't of created a large enough vaccumm for the valve to open UNTIL the water has already traveled 2 feet up the vertical pipe. If you put the bi-pass valve anywhere in this area, you're screwed either way. So a warning to those who think the valve is meant to stop water by bleeding it out through the valves and foam filter...you are COMPLETELY and utterly wrong! Say it like a mantra........"The bi-pass valve is never suppose to touch water."

I myself am tired of the general defense, "It's a 30k car, why risk any form of engine damage when you can prevent it for as low as 45 bucks." when they themselves arent fully aware of the product to begin with. It would be a complete tragedy if that was to ever happen...but you must also consider your environment that you drive in. If you live in San Diego, CA where it is mostly sunny and hardly ever rains, then the bi-pass valve might not be as high priority as someone who lives near the mississippi river or uh...i dunno...florida. Either way, if your TLS ever gets in that situation, then you have alot more things to worry about along with the engine, like a flooded interior.

My car isnt lowered, nor do I plan on lowering it, so for me, I would have to drive through water deep enough to cover the top portion of the fog lights for me have to even start worrying about sucking up any water. I am in no way against the installion of the bi-pass valve, I think it's a great idea and a valid mod, I just dont feel it is a neccesity for my driving habits and my surrounding environmental condition.

Now to answer the question about which is "better" Injen vs AEM....I honestly cant say. I personally decided on purely the aesthetic difference between the two and chose the one I thought looked cooler. For those of you who are on the border..........the AEM CAI comes with black hoses, while the Injen ones comes with red. But for me, if money doesnt matter, I'd get the injen CAI with the heatshield/splash guard and the Apexi Power Intake filter (found in autocarparts) and maybe some additional colored hoses for the water and coolant lines.

 

Is that what YOU personally do? That means I would have to remove my bumper cover ever month. I've had my CAI for a little over 7k miles and have yet to clean it. Removing and installing the bumper cover once a month is NOT a viable option.

 

You dont have to remove the bumper....... Just remove the splash guard screws underneath and pull it down andd back... the feed it down and out from below...... then feed it up and back to put it back in......

 

Wow, edgalang, tell me how you really feel! Naw, seriously though, I really do appreciate the info. I think I'd have to agree with ya... should be a pretty slim chance of inhaling water up here in Northern Cali.... I'd probably skip the bypass valve, too.

Hey, I looked for the Injen stuff you mentioned -- but all I could find was the CAI itself. Couldn't find the other items you mentioned. Can you give a hint to your old pal on where to find them?

Thanks,

Vincent

 

this is wrong...height of water does not cause the vacuum in the intake pipe to change. your 2 feet is arbitrary, the throttle position changes the vacuum and this changes the water level.

the test that was done on the aem bypass (forgot hte link) was using an nsx and a clear intake pipe with a filter submerged in a tank of water. at WOT, the water rose several feet (2?) up the pipe BECAUSE the vacuum the engine created couldn't be satisfied by the volume the bypass was providing, so some of it pulled the water up the tube.

if the car isn't at WOT, then the water level would be lower, but the bypass flaps WOULD STILL BE OPEN. the bypass works on differential pressure...if there's no vacuum between the outside of the bypass and the inside (when the main filter is dry and clear), then it won't open. if there's greater pressure on the outside of the bypass flaps (when the main filter is submerged), then they'll be forced open by the vacuum. when the flow of air into the bypass isn't enough to satisfy the differential (when flaps are all wide open), then water would start to rise. if the vacuum increases more, the water rises more. get it? 2 feet is arbitrary.

try this...get a straw, put a little cut in it and start sucking...air doesn't go through the cut, it goes through the other end of the straw because it's the path of least resistance. now try putting it in water and suck. depending on how hard you suck (how much vacuum you make ie throttle position), the water level changes.

so unless you are really on the throttle when your intake filter is submerged, then you may be fukked.

 

Here is the link with the bypass valve testing on the NSX:
http://www.aempower.com/magart.htm

 

Would you recommend I get the CAI in Colorado? It snows and rains a lot here and I certainly do not want the water going into my engine, if it enters even with the valve control.

 

This is true, but that wasnt exactly my point. I was just using that as an example that seeing as the water level rose at least 2 feet in the NSX article on a vertical pipe, I myself would be very hesitant to put it any closer than that to the head of the filter, since our pipe itself isnt even completely vertical. I know it's completely arbitrary, but I just wanted to set some sort of a baseline for argument sakes. Just an exageration for example, you wouldnt want to recommend anyone placing their valve immediately right after the filter do you?

This whole thing could lead to a series of redundant question of "Well, in that case...how far should I place it away from the filter head?" so...basing it on that particular NSX article, i just simply chose to have that value set to the worst case scenario, which is 2 feet. Obviously the amount of vaccum our engine creates would be different from that of the NSX, but the general idea is to set it away from the head of the filter as far as possible, allowing you more free space *just in case you ever decide to go WOT during a knee high flood. Great....so now why dont we just place the bi-pass valve right next to the engine...why even talk about placing it any where near the filter?

Why? well, if you took a tape measure and measured 2 feet from the filter, you'd see that this would lead you to the L-curve portion of the CAI pipe. This in turn creates another problem since if you do decide to put the valve on the horizontal portion (straight from the engine bay but before the L-Curve), you'd notice that the valve does not have the proper clearance and will accually hit the underside portion of the hood once you close it (potentially damaging the valve itself).

So where does this leave us? A broken bi-pass valve? Hell no, so I guess we have no choice but to place this valve after the L-Curve but at the same time less than 2 feet away from the head of the filter. (Unless of course you modify your hood like on the previous version of Eclipses with an uneven hump)

Pros: You can "glide your way through heavy flooded areas hoping to not create a large enough vaccum so that water does not pass through the valve.

Cons: Possible lower structural stability, since the CAI only holds itself by 1 bolt. Depending where the individual chooses to put the bi-pass valve, you could have a semi-loose filter head flapping around whenever you go through rough terrain (possibly more noise...aaakk). Ever watched your engine at WOT? That thing vibrates the CAI like crazy, not alone while driving it. Sooo.....the absolute worst case scenario (exept taking water in the engine bay of course) is that you would have 1 more loose joint to worry about. Hypothetically, if you vibrate the entire CAI just enough, you may acually loosen the filter head off the base of the pipe while driving (no flames please....Im just offering the extreme possibilities).

Regardless, if anyone on this board accually witnessed the bi-pass valve at work in a real life event, then I would seriously feel for them. That would mean that their interior got at least partially flooded and would probably suffer from adverse effects of water damage later in the car's life.

The main reason why I'm even taking so much time to post is that I've accually met other TL/CL owners (on this board too I might add) who thought that when water reached the bi-pass valve, that it would bleed through the valves and that the foam filter would help in one form or another in sapping the water out from inside the pipe. By no means is this a flame on them! I just found it odd that some people would buy such a product without fully understanding the main functionality of it solely on the basis that it was told to them that item X is a necessity. They even refused to listen to my explanation that, just like you said, if the water level ever reaches the bi-pass valve, that you are just 1 to 2 seconds away from being f*cked.

 

Correction..................18 inches.

 

Wait a sec....you tellin me you went ahead and bought it after all? No more shopping? lol

Well, if you are insterested in the heat shield and better filter you have to manually go to www.autocarparts.com and select intake and show all categories. As for the colored hoses, I was just dreaming that up....but the Injen one's are red though vs the standard black. I'm pretty sure you could get the colored hoses at any performance rice stores though since that's really nothing but just engine dressup.