AEM vs eBay brand matters if you're in California and the police officer decides to make you pop your hood to make sure your parts are all CARB legal.

Other than that and the filter, same shit.

 

So please tell me what makes AEM carb legal, and EBAY brands not? All an intake does it suck in the air, so all you would be doing by having a bad filter is hurting your engine and its performance, not polluting.

I would laugh at a cop if he asked if my intake was carb legal. I heard Cali doesn't mess around, but the only CARB things you need to worry about is emissions, which is exhaust and how well you upkeep your motor.

I hope some store didn't tell you this lie for you to buy their product.

 

This is what makes it CARB legal
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3339/aemsticker.jpg

That little sticker makes the AEM intake cost as much as it does. AEM has to pay to have their products tested and CARB approved. Of course the cost is passed onto the buyer.

When you go in for a smog in California they will verify the sticker or when the LEO pulls you over and decides to look under your hood will verify this as well.

I'm not rooting for AEM, hell if I were outside of California my last intake would have been a cheap ebay one with a K&N filter.

 

Ok, but they would still have to prove that it "isnt" carb approved. If you want I can get you vinyl sticker made that says carb approved lol.

I mean, whats the difference between getting intercooler piping and putting an AEM cone on?

 

In reality YOUR going to have to prove it is approved.

 

+1
Pretty much, if the LEO can't verify it's CARB legal you'll get a fix-it ticket.

 

The difference is AEM paid to have their products tested and approved for the state of California.

AckTL05, we're on the same page here, ebay and AEM intakes are the same(except for the filter)! If you want to pass a visual smog check or if a LEO wants to check your intake, it better have the correct CARB legal sticker with the correct CARB number (yes they will check this) otherwise you won't pass smog or you'll get a fix-it ticket.

 

Wow, thats crazy.

 

WOW dude, this is so true. today after sharksbreath told me i gained sound and lost power i decided to add the other pipe to my ebay intake to make it a real cold air instead of a ram air. anyways i only went WOT once and of course the butt dyno did not feel a difference, but the throaty sound is so real. the ram air was louder and sounded like it was sucking in air faster than a vacum, but this one sounds deep kind of like a roar instead of a scream for air. hard to explain. i think i liked the ram air sound better because it seemed more aggressive but maybe im just so used to it. anyways the cold air is better according to everyone here so im happy with it. thank you acktl05 and sharksbreath too, you guys were my motivation to get off my ass and put the other piece on...lol