Excuse me being one of the forums novices but...I figure you guys are the people to ask...

I am considering getting cold air intake on my 03 TL-P(I don't know why I guess for vanity purposes...if I buy something it at least boosts the economy, so why not????). If I go through with the purchase and installation am I then obligated to buy exhaust to decrease back pressure? I understand exhaust would be ideal, however, I guess I was just wondering if it was a necessity to get it and what the adverse affects would be without the exhuast.

Also, I just bought a K&N filter and I was curious what their horsepower increasing capabilities were compared to one another(CAI vs. K&N drop in air filter).

Thanks in advance for the advice and the excusing me for being so green on the topic

 

no, you could only add the intake and stop there, although for more gains and better all around performance then you could add exhaust and other items, as of right now I only have the intake

 

A CAI will increase hp more than just a drop in k&n. It also sounds great when you hit higher rpm's. Either way, why not get CAI?

 

I wouldn't get CAI because it cost more and I just bought a K&N. I was wondering how much each(The CAI and the K&N) increase hosrepower.

 

i think the comptech ice box gives the most hp gains.. i read 10hp.?

 

Compared to most mods, the exhaust gives minimal if any gains. Most get it for looks and/or sound. So feel free to stop at any point you want, you arent limiting yourself.

 

Thanks for the help guys, but due to the CAI's ability to suck up water and hydrolock my engine, my unwillingness to take it out everytime it rains(It rains basically everyday in Louisiana), and the minimal HP gains I would get from it I'll pass and just stick with my K&N.

Also, after I read up on that I was considering short ram air inatake, but will again pass because it only sucks in hot air from the engine bay and mainly just increases sound, which is not what I was going for. Again, I'll pass on the short ram air as well.

Correct me if I have been misinformed, I really do wish their was an intake you didn't have to take out in bad weather and would actually create a sufficient amount of HP to merit the money spent. If there is please inform me.

Thanks again.

 

you could always get the bypass valve which i might be wrong but i believe it alows you too to hunook the intake easier and drive without. Sorry i havent really looked much into it please correct me if im wrong

 

Just my
Short ram was not an option for me because of the hot air from the engine.

The CAIs like the AEM, Injen or whichever, I was a little concerned about the water issue at first. After continuosly reading threads here for the past few years, I don't think anyone really has anything to worry about. If you're driving in that much water, you'll have it come through your doors as well.

I went with the Comptech Icebox. From what I've read here, it is the highest HP, but only by 1 or 2 HP from what I understand. No big whoop. Unless you're the type who will mod the car like mad, then ever little bit will add up in the end.
I mainly went for the Icebox, because I'm never showing off my engine. Nobody sees it but me. And I didn't want the loudness. It's loud enough whenever you get on the throttle. Just wanted a little more pep.

As far as gas mileage, efficiency, you may notice a very slight increase. I've been seeing this with mine and friends cars, but it's so small, it doesn't really matter. Sometimes you get an increase, sometimes you don't. It's all hype IMO.

For now, since you bought the drop in K&N, I'd use it. Maybe take the time and pull out the resonator box that is inside the front bumper. It is there basically to quiet down the "noise". There are people here who pull it out, drop in the K&N and leave it at that.
Here's a pic of that box

...nice to see a thread that isn't filled with a "do a search"

Good luck with your decisions

 

Don't think "do a search" would be appropriate here. TLsu seems to have the knowledge and is looking for opinions...so here is mine.
I went with the AEM CAI and I love it. Yes you have the possibility of sucking up water, and guess what...I have. I was scared that I hydro-locked when I did it but I was able to get it back in good working order by pulling the plugs and cranking. Water shot out for quite a while. Then I put them back in and cranked it again. More water came out the exhaust. Very suprised that I did not do more damage but I have been driving it for about 6 months since that happened and have had no symptoms of anything being wrong with the car. This is how my car got the name "Sippy Cup". Now as SK2003TypeS said, the water would have to be coming in through your doors, and it just about was. I was following a friend in a huge truck that was clearing the way for me but when someone cut me off I had to swerve to not get hit and ended up stalling. There is no chance in having something like this happen if it is just raining...even if it is pouring out. Only if you submerge the filter in water will something like this happen.
Okay...enough about that. The HP difference that you will notice between stock and the icebox are minimal. Actually, you probably won't notice them in the seat but may be able to tell from a dyno. I love the sound and the look of the AEM CAI, but the Icebox might yield better numbers. In the end, it's your call. If you have the drop in already, I would stick with it until you get bored or have some extra cash to throw at your car.

 

Again, thanks for the insight everyone. I was just thinking and yeah it does seem a little outrageous that just rain would hydrolock your engine. It just doesn't seem like a sufficient amount of water to do that? Maybe I'm wrong??? I guess because the ram air sucks in so much air it overcomes the fact that it is indeed hot air, thus making it "worthwhile". SK2003TypeS, would you confirm that the ice box adds about 10hp? Mr. Hyde, the only reason I would purchase exhaust is to aleviate "back pressure", as I'm not very much into sound and stainless steel tips look fine to me for how much they cost compared to how much exhuast costs. I'm still unsure if back pressure is just a gimmick to force people to buy exhaust or if it is really necessary with an inatkre of sorts. Seems to me, from teh responses on this thread, the intakes don't generate enough power to merrit buying an exhaust and are chiefly used for looks and sound. Again I could be wrong???

I have been very fortunate to start a thread not responded to "do a search". However, I'm sure I've been jinxed now hahahaha. I can imagine it would be frustrating if someone ask the same question you just informed someone else on 2 months ago. That having been said, if we never discussed these things there would be no Acurazine.

 

I just installed a K&N and took out the intake resonator on my TL-S and cruising around under 3000 rpm, I can't tell a difference sound wise from inside the car. When it hits vtec though, it sounds mean. I don't know if there are any actual hp gains, but my car certainly doesn't feel any slower and it's been getting about 1-2 mpg more a tank. $45 and less than an hour of labor later, I have no regrets about not getting an Icebox or a CAI. I'd rather take the $200 I saved and put it toward something else. Economically this is a very worthwhile thing to do, but don't expect huge HP gains from it; I can't imagine I'm getting more than 2 or 3 HP with it if even that. If usable power is what you're after, my first choice would probably be the Icebox followed by the AEM CAI.

 

I got the K&N because I didn't want to deal with the install of the CAI

It also flows better than stock and is fairly easy to clean! The HP and economy is a plus but not really my sole reason.

 

I can't confirm that it adds 10hp. I haven't dyno'd this car. I mentioned it because of what I've read here the past few years. I remember people posting dyno sheets
with AEM, Icebox, etc. where the numbers were 10+.

Here's something I found as far as some numbers. This is tough to tell since headers are involved.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...threadid=98338
I found a lot of old dead links.

Keep in mind, we're talking about peak hp, so unless you're on it, you're not going to really feel too much. Even when I'm on it I don't remember feeling a big difference between the icebox and stock (it's been a while). It's that whole "getting use to power" idea. My experience with horsepower gains is that I can only tell if there is a decent hp boost (maybe something like 15-20 hp). And then of course you can go by percentages. I.e. a 4 digit hp car with a 20 hp increase, will probably not be noticed too much, but a 100 hp car with a 20 hp increase would be a big difference. But I get the sense you know this due to the way your posts are written.

If you're looking for more power after an intake, I'd go with the headers before changing the exhaust. Some of these exhaust systems are pretty pricey for a very small gain in power. As far as a good leap in power, headers are the way to go (excluding the supercharger mod).

From what I remember from my turbo days, we use to always battle heat. I remember reading something about every 10 degrees drop under the hood was like a 1 or 2% increase in hp. This was really noticed when comparing a hot summer day in the 90s to a cold night in the 70s. Turbos love the cold. This thinking has always kept me away from shortram systems and other systems where the air is not coming from outside of the engine bay.

 

I have an icebox, and no fear of hydrolocking. The two best mods would be CAI and headers. Megans can be had for 4-500 and OBX for less, both less than an exhaust and yielding larger overall economy and hp improvements.

Good luck.

 

on ebay megans can be found for 240-260 shipped brand new

 

hey guys where can i get a comptech CAI, only place i found online is here
http://www.modacar.com/products/Acura/TL/AirIntakes/

goin for 269 USD, anyone know anywhere cheaper?

 

anywhere, ebay you can find them for a decent price also there's a sponsor on the board www.autocarparts.com who has some intakes.

Or you could pick out an intake and buy through my friends website, you'll get about 5-10% off doing it that way.

 

SK2003TypeS, I would certainly invest in headers prior to exhaust if having CAI and headers would not create an excess of this "back pressure" my friends(who claim they are car gurus) keep lecturing me about. As I said previously, nice stainless steel tips look fine to me and would quench my desire for that powerful exhaust(well the more I read the thread the more I see exhaust is more for sound and not performance) look despite the fact they are all bark and no bite. It is just my understanding after conversing with them that CAI alone would even create too much back pressure. Would adding headers exacerbate this so called problem or would it help aleviate it because headers are more a part of the "exhaust system" as opposed to the engine? Thanks again for your info...

Mark

 

Back pressure is always a good topic of discussion for turbo cars. Depending on the size of turbo you're running, mods, power you're building, etc. You will need different levels of backpressure. I use to run an '82 280zx Turbo. The stock turbo is a Garret T03 (IIRC). That thing took a long time to spool, so when I initially did the intake/exhaust, I notice the power came in only when the turbo was cranking boost and not vacuum. So in essense, the decrease in backpressure hurted me on the low end power range (which was already pretty low). The power was really effective in the mid and high range. That engine/car was extremely workable for it's time. 11 and 12 second cars are pretty common for those who still run these cars today.

My point being, is that the stock exhaust on the TL is a "low restriction dual outlet exhaust", so backpressure should not be an issue. The intakes available and the headers simple free flow the "breathing" of the system and helps the engine realize horsepower. You're not really creating it IMO. You do need some backpressure in order to have some decent low end power and maintain regular drivability. The TLs move once you're really in the VTEC range, but on the low end (out of the hole), it doesn't feel like it has too much punch.

Lastly, I'll keep going back to what I've read here. There are plenty of people here who have the Intake and headers with the stock exhaust and like the power they get from that combo. I'll take that information along with what I've experienced, read in magazines, net, etc. and come to my on conclusion. Basically, if I were really mod this car, the exhaust system would probably be one of the last things I'd visit.
HTH

 

first=intake or k&n filter
second= headers
third=crank pulley
fourth=upgrade TB, IM or get OE spacers
fifth=exhaust(catback will give you 5whp or average so there is a decent gain, but not much for the money)

 

Hey guys. Thanks so much. I think I'll stick with my K&N and ask for headers for Christmas. Spoiled? You bet. (in the meantime I'll research them) SK2003TypeS, thanks for clearing up the back pressure issue. I'll say this though, I have the TL-P, and from what I read the exhaust is not as free flowing as that of the Type -S. Maybe I was misinformed? That having been said, it seems I would be more of a canidate for back pressue than you or someone else in possesion of a Type S?????(not that all back pressure is bad). Either way I really don't wanna spend the cash on exhaust if I can just buy some nice tips.

sbuswell....third=crank pulley
fourth=upgrade TB, IM or get OE spacers

If I only knew what that stuff was. Damn I'm a mental cripple when it comes to cars. I'm such a noob on this site, perhaps I'm unfamilar with the abbreviations in #4. As far as a crank pulley I just flat out don't know what that does or how it works. However, I have seen that listed as a mod on many peoples car in the directory.

out of the dark and back in,

Mark

 

No prob. But don't just go by what I'm saying. There are a lot of guyz here who do some pretty elaborate moding on this car. Check out the "Tranny solution" thread started by fsttyms1. He has a lot of knowledge about this car which I've learned over the years.

The crank pulley (in general) is a lighter aftermarket pully that replaces the stock pulley. In essence, it lightens up the weight that the crank has to move and frees up some more power. Think of it as running with running sneakers, instead of running with work boots on. You have to work harder with the boots. The aftermarket pulley would be like putting sneakers on your car. Also something that will give you a little more low-end power and more responsiveness throughout the RPM range.

The TB = Throttle Body, IM = Intake manifold and OE spacers I believe increase the plenum volume. I haven't kept up with the spacer threads, but NSXNEXT has done that mod and has a thread about it.

My general advice to anyone new to performance modding, is to read, read again...and then read again until you understand it too well. Just a good way to keep from getting in over your head. I did that with my '82 280ZXT.

 

Ok, he did both....I haven't read the whole thread yet....so more tomatoes for me.


https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...hlight=NSXNEXT

 

Thanks for all the info guys. I will certainly continue to read and seek information before I do anything too drastic to my car. For now I'm doing small stuff like Iridium plugs, the K&N, cool shift knob, stainless steel tips, and a grille tech grille. Which reminds me I need to tint(20%), order some Zaino, and then fix some small scratches on my TL.(I bought her used...I take better care of her then to let her get scratched up).


Later,

Mark

 

how much are K & n filters for intakes?

 

I'm going to replace the comptech one in my icebox with a K&N. It goes for roughly $40. I'd imagine the drop in K&N for the stock box would be about the same.
Check out Kandn.com for a local store or online retailer. I think I'm going to go with AJUSA since it's under $40 with free shipping.

 

Hey guys. I took off the bumper to remove my airbox resonator prior to installing the K&N....so the bumper was off and the resonator was removed and my dad comes out and sees my car sans bumper and says"Well, since we have the bumper off...what the hell lets just get the Comptech Icebox...". -----I KNOW I'M SPOILED. ------So I have been driving around in my moms minivan in teh meantime and the iceox comes today and after work I'm going to install it. I really prefer the tame sound, and I don't mind if it isn't visible like the other makes. Thanks for the help.

Mark

 

Congrats on your icebox !