ebay kit

is this any good? it's dang cheap!!!

 

is that a homemade kit? should be interesting to see how well it actually works if it is...

 

oh god, please tell me your joking.

 

yeah i wonder what makes Comptech stuff more expensive (or better)... maybe it's that comptech stuff has a inlet pipe that is pointed toward the ground (which doesn't make all that much sense to me as an engineer....). but making the inlet pipe is pretty easy if you know how to do some fiber glass work. since nobody will see the pipe, you can do a pretty crappy job making it (granted that you don't do something really funky to create bad air flow within the pipe)...

 

why?
what am i not seeing?

air flow is air flow. the improvement you get from any cold intake is that you increase the filter surface area to decrease the airway resistance. if you have a cone filter this is done. people talk about cold air and what not but as long as the pipes are inside the car the temp difference is minimal, unless you mount something in front of the radiators....

 

 

I had a cheap knock off CAI for my 2000 Accord, and it felt like it did the exact same thing as my friend who had a 2000 Accord as well with AEM CAI.

Not sure about TLs though. Im sure its the same though

 

as long as the intake works and fits properly then it will be fine. its only air flow

 

DUDS!!!

those intakes will work fine as long as you get another cone filter. Since that is some random alloy, it will heat up...just slightly more than $200 ones...but you'll probably get the performance of a $100 short ram. if not the same of a 200dolla one...

try it out, if it doesnt work, then you're just $60 out...whopty fokin do...

 

 

Yeah get it and tell us how it's like =)

 

like you can tell the difference........

 

Exactly! Some of you damn noobs are ludicrously cheap! Yeah, go for the ebay intake, I need something to laugh at.

 

:whocares:
Oh sorry mr. pro mechanic...i want him to get that cai just so that he can laugh at your face when he proves he gets the performance of a $120 SRI for less than half the price.

Yeah, cheap but smart...i seriously hope you're not insulting us "cheap" people with ebay OBXs because we didnt want to spend 1000 on headers...and what makes us newbs? you had some dumb problems determining which hoses connected where to your CAI...

====
fo' real, there was no need for you to get all hostile...keep it peacefull...chill :blaze:
i guess i made my point...sorry.

*BTW, i'd still never buy that.

 

Only thing I would worry about the cheap intake on ebay is the filter itself, not CARB certified, and how it is not coated with zirconia-based coating.

For the filter itself, you can just buy a K&N filter, but then the price of the cheap CAI is adding up.

It's not CARB certified........so people living in states with car inspections are taking a chance of failing their cars or having to take off their intake when going in for inspection.

The metal intake is not coated with any heat resistant coating. Whats the point of pulling in cold air if the metal tube is heating the air up as it goes into the intake.

Intakes like Icebox have heat resistant plastic casing or zirconia-based coating like AEM.

I mean, they can't even post dynos.........for all you know, it's worst then the stock intake. I still stick to the saying "You get what you paid for"

 

I have heard more then one story of the OBX Headers not lining up, denting easily, having a crack, or not being welded properly.

I have not heard any single story of Comptech Headers having these problems (maybe because no1 can afford them haha).

But yes 1000 vs 300-500. But how much would you pay not having a problem later.

There is a fine line between a smart shopper and being a cheap ass. Make sure you don't cross that line. I wouldn't take a chance on these cheap CAI..........the stock intake is probably better.

 

I have that cheap one and it works great.

 

define "great." performance/mileage/sound/feel-wise. whatever difference compared to stock intake. also how many miles have you had it for? kinda curious as to how those cheap kits perform (sorry cant blame me for being a poor college student) thanks.

 

Excellent sound, great performance and for the money looks good. You won't be dissapointed.

 

It wouldnt be worth the time it takes to put it in.

 

Hey, etxxz, yes I did have some trouble hooking up my AEM V2 intake, but I did end up figuring it out myself, since the replies to my post were never answered in full, that and the instructions that were included were for the wrong engine. This did take place over a year ago, and since have learned plenty about our cars. Anyway, I, too am a college student am on a limited budget(i.e. also not a mechanic!) Basically, what I am saying is in ALMOST every case, you get is what you pay for. In automotive perfomance, and in my experience, this also seems true.

I feel that it IS possible to get decent results from an ebay intake, BUT that I wouldn't risk it considering the money that I have invested in my car already.

 

Oh, and yes I am sorry for my perceived "hostile" remarks. I was a little drunk at the time and a little short fused(bad day). I apologize.

 

so, gotbeef? did u get it yet???

 

Does anyone know if the coating lasts for the life of the intake/car or does it eventually wear out?

Also this whole discussion about certain intakes being better than others, remember that intakes barely add a few hp at most and is more for sound.

 

the coating will last forever as long as its a good intake and you dont get it wet all the time - take care of it. and a quality intake is much more valuable if you have headers and or exhaust and or other mods. I do agree with a stock engine, pretty much any CAI intake will do the same job.

 

geez... no love in this place. i stumbled on that intake on ebay and was curious if people tried it out or not.

my stock intake housing is cracked and i'm driving around with a duct tape around it. i know i need to replace it sooner or later but i thought i would do some research before i buy something.

maybe some of you are more fortunate than i am and have very rich parents but every cent counts for me. my stanford education landed me a job that only pays me 60k a year after tax... so if you got $ to spare i would gladly accept donations~


and those of you who talk about heat insulating coating making any difference... you obviously slept through your heat transfer course in college... do a simple heat flux equation at 25 mph and you'll realize that as long as there's direct inflow of cold air from outside the nominal operating temperature of intake pipe is negligible and what goes into the engine is cold air...

a noob question: what does PIITB mean?

 

Um, well, although I'm not a fan of Stanford, I was excepted, made a visit and decided that the professors I met were too manipulating and agenda based. Anyway, back to my point, 60k a year isn't bad right out of college, but I guess when you take into account the cost of living in Cali, it lowers the idea of that quite a bit. Seriously, though, I'm still in college, paying my way, no support from my parents, and I still manage to afford at least the necessities of car management and minor mods.

I'm assuming that from your statement you are saying that the difference in air temperature between, let's say a short ram intake and a "cold air" intake, is negligible. While theoretically, that is quite debatable, in reality, however tests have shown at least minimal improvements. Aftermarket intakes, in general do provide a more freer flow.

 

comparing short ram and full scale is like comparing apples and oranges. the comparison i'm trying to make is cheap ebay full scale CAI vs more expensive full scale aftermarket CAI.

a short ram would be very different from a full scale CAI because it doesn't provide direct inflow of cold air from the outside. mass of air that is being inject at the inlet of the short ram is much hotter than mass of air being injected at the inlet of a full scale CAI since air inside the engine compartment is heated by the engine.

in other words, colder air source (full scale CAI) means colder air to the engine and warmer air source (short ram) means warmer air to the engine. the arguement i'm making here is that temperature of the air source overpowers the effects of intake pipe temperature and the engine will get what you put in.

with that said, there is the issue of the air filter's effects on air flow. but if you combine the cheap intake pipe with a good cone filter i would think it would perform as well as the expensive CAI. i say this without knowing how much those good filters cost...

another noob question: how do you clean the filters on full-scale CAI? it's hidden behind the bumper isn't it? just wondering if you have to take the bumper off to clean it... that sounds really painful...

 

It isn't necessary to remove the bumper to remove the intake for cleaning/replacement or for installation.

 

YEAH it is...i mean, unless you found a way to get the stock intake resonator out by magic.

But tru, for cleaning it can be done...you can tight'n the filter-tube strap in a way that you can unsrew/screw back on from under the car...saving you like 30minues of bumper on/off work.

^^Atleast this is what i did lastime (first time also) on my CAI

 

What?!? I have NEVER removed my front bumper and I installed my AEM V2 myself. All you have to do is jack your car up and remove an under car cover on the front left side of your car. It's much easier than removing the entire front bumper.

 

I just took a look to see if what you said was possible/EASIER...and there is no way that you took that 8inch screw from under the car...nor being able to pull the resonator either...I did 3CAIs including mine so i'd know.

fo' real in not in the mood to fight over this plus i got jeanne up my ass; but if you were albe to take the resonator off the please share in detail with other a-TL memeber who dont buy intakes because they dont wanna take their bumpers off nor wanna pay 100bux for labor.

 

==hzm82==
Intakes like Icebox have heat resistant plastic casing or zirconia-based coating like AEM.


What's the benefit of having an Icebox to CAI? I see most people if not everyone so far saying they run with AEM. I just thought that an Icebox would add more hp and torque.

 

Icebox is the quiet one of the bunch yet giving about the same HP gain as the other CAI (i believe its also the most expensive one)

one thing i know about cheap ebay intakes, is that it won't line up correctly and will probably have missing parts (like mine).... so you get what you pay for......

 

Is there less maintenance with the Icebox? Since with the CAI you have to change filters. I've also seen someone talk about having to take out the fog light inorder to get an actual air advantage from the icebox. And no i'm not scared to do some work... i just want to know, but i sure don't want to take out my fog light.

 

you got it all wrong...and whoever said anything about foglights is an idiot.

Icebox maintenance: open hood, open box and the filter is right there. I think thisone has to be replaced not cleaned, someone shed some light here please.

CAI maintenance: get under the car, remove that plastic cover, unscrew, take the cone filter out and CLEAN IT with this K&N AIR FILTER CLEANER kit which costs 5 dolla and can be reused 15times (not replace it for $40) every 3000miles...Off course, then put back on.
Time: 20minutes labor, +10minute-cleaner soaking + 10minute-oil spray

BTW, welcome to our forum...