I recently bought a K&N Air Filter for my 2007 Acura TL Type S and was wondering if I should have just gotten a CAI. I read a lot of posts here and majority say the CAI would not add any HP but will only produce a "mean" noise...like a race car.

K&N says the air filter gaurantees a gain of 1-4 HP....and I think I felt a little pull but it could have been in my head. So, my question is would getting a CAI give me more than 4 HP, then I would actually think about getting it.....I hear AEM V2 is the best CAI for it but I have a Type S and I heard it wouldn't fit but would have to cut it to make it fit. I'm not very handy so I don't trust myself doing that.....or is it easy to do?....any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

 

K&N panel filter gives 0. its no different from stock besides you can reuse it.

 

I have a Drop-in AFE reusable filter, and plan to just cut the intake resonator out to get the CAI sound. stock system flows pretty well the way it is now so our cars dont benefit highly by getting a CAI. I think AEM gains 10hp in top end but u will lose on low end.

 

It was.



CAI won't be noticeable either. Might give you 4-6 whp if you're lucky, but you'll never feel that in a 3500 lb car. Unless you're planning on going nuts trying to eke out as much overall power as possible with full bolt ons, I'd leave it as is. Some don't like the K&N and claim it can harm your engine, but I've never heard of any devastating effects from them. I've used them from time to time in various vehicles.

 

I had the K&N drop in for the first 3 years and just recently installed an AEM V2. Sounds great and increased gas mileage by 1mpg, not much of a power increase but looks clean i love it.

 

^did u have to do some modifying/cutting to make the AEM V2 to fit?

 

No matter how many times the information is presented, these myths never go away.

No air filter no matter how dirty or free flowing can alter mpg.

Better air flow can not decrease low end power.

 

If that's the case, any suggestions on simple mods you can on the car that will increase performance?

 

J pipe!

 

I am not giving you adivise or posting any new information, this is the way I have my car setup.
K&N panel filter, intake resonator removed, using part of the stock resonator piping attached to the stock airbox to get "cold" air from behind the bumper.

 

Yes....J-pipe....simple to install and more power.

 

what's a j pipe and how much increase in performance are we looking at?.....and are these expensive to get?...thanks again!

 

to paint you a better picture; I'll explain

our heads are cast onto the block.
so, we dont have a need for headers.
instead, catalytic converters come off of the heads.
we replace these cats with straight pipes.

after the primary cats; a jpipe or a pipe that looks like a J connects to it.

we replace the stock Jpipe with an aftermarket jpipe that has better bends and longer primaries - all to which frees up a little bit of horsepower.


primary cats-->jpipe-->3rd cat-->stock exhaust

you can replace each part.

straight pipe-->aftermarket Jpipe-->aftermarket exhaust.

an aftermarket jpipe will get rid of the 3rd cat and is good for about 15 horsies.

 

 

#8 is the factory j pipe which connects the precats to the 3rd cat.

 

it dropped right in!

 

what happens with check engine lights and emissions?

 

3rd cat does not have any sensors in it so there will be no CEL. since it removes the 3rd cat emission could be an issue if you live in a state where they check it. not really sure tho cuz in Indiana they dont monitor that sh!t

 

there are no sensors on the 3rd cat.
so, simply replacing the stock jpipe with an aftermarket pipe will not cause and check engine lights.

the third cat is in place to achieve the ULEV II rating.
if you notice, honda civics are only LEV.

Ultra Low Emission Vehicle.
by getting rid of the third cat, you've just turned it into a LEV.


if you want to replace the primary cats; the straight pipes from RV6 come with defoulers to prevent check engine lights.

 

If I get the aftermarket Jpipe, would it let me pass emissions?.....also, do i need to get a straight pipe to get an aftermarket Jpipe?I would stay away from the exhaust. i used to have one and it's just too loud.

would it be pointless just to get a aftermarket Jpipe and not the straight pipe?...and how much you think this will all cost?.....these are all great suggestions. thanks again!

 

Technically anything forward of the cat is not legal to touch unless it has the documentation, EO number, CARB, whatever the current government rip off is. However, a J-pipe is not going to affect emissions other than possibly not retaining as much heat before the 3rd cat for quicker light off. It will not affect an emissions test.

My TL just got it's first smog check and it passed with zero hydrocarbons with no 3rd cat. Back when the car was almost new and before I knew any better I removed the 3rd cat but before I gutted it I took it to a friend's smog shop and had it tested to make sure it would pass. Ironically it passed easier this time around with 113,000 miles on it than it did with around 10,000 miles on it. NOx emissions were up, probably the egr system but cats don't really help with the NOx anyway.

If I were doing a J-pipe in a nazi state like Ca, I would probably paint the nice stainless a flat black just in case the smog guy actually looks for aftermarket parts which many in this state do. As long as it's not a bright shiny new part on an older car it's unlikely they will notice it.

 

Like I hate cars pointed out; you can still pass with an aftermarket Jpipe.

You however DONT need to do the straight pipe if you dont want to.
its another mod. completely different than the Jpipe.

the straight pipe is called PCD. or Primary cat deletes.

If YOU CHOOSE to do PCDs, know that there are several drawbacks or side effects.

1)you might not pass emissions
2)Since there are no cats, you will get a gasoline smell emitting from the car. Almost like a weed whacker or a motor bike.
3) at 4k RPM the pipe will emit an annoying sound.

 

If that's the case, why do people still get a PCD? Those drawbacks that you listed are pretty awful.

And is there any drawbacks with a Jpipe? Like loud annoying noise or gasoline smells?

thanks again....your information is very helpful!

 

Jpipe has no drawbacks other than raw sexy power!

 

People got by for the first 70 years with no cats with the average engine size being much larger and no where nearly as efficient meaning even more emissions. So yeah there is a smell but you would probably get used to it. My turbo car is catless and is usually run on leaded race gas and even the meth injection adds a little kick to the exhaust smell under boost but many times I don't notice it until someone points it out or my eyes are watering and nose running when sitting at a light from the leaded fuel and slightly rich idle (misfires). I doubt I would be able to even notice a difference in smell on the TL with no cats.

You absolutely will not pass emissions with the precat deletes, not a chance in hell. Visual or tailpipe.

The TLs I've heard with PCDs, J pipe, and 3rd cat delete with stock exhaust sounded great, just the way I like it. Very close to stock sound at idle and part throttle but a little better, barely audible note. At full throttle it gets louder but it could pass for stock on a performance car. In wish I had done these mods when the car was new for 6 years without emissions testing

The J pipe has no smell or noise issues.

 

I hate cars: 84' Grand National? my gpa has an 87 GN, car is mean even not modded all up for just a 3.8L v6. the turbo does make a difference tho. They are very sexy cars!

 

LOL

I first got the jpipe.
then I wanted MOAR power, so then I went catless.
the smell isnt so bad.

while the rasp is tho.
I need to quell the sound by adding a resonator.

 

 

Thanks. I've had it since my Junior year in Highschool in '94. For a short time I had the quickest 84 "hotair" in the country before converting to the '87 style setup. Get your grandpa to mod it. If you spend the money wisely and tune it well you can go from 13s to 11 second 1/4 for $600-$800. Just the first &200 will give roughly 100hp. Then again it's worth more stock but I thought there was no such thing as a stock GN.

 

OP dont take this the wrong way but you been a member since 2011 so you should know how to search the forums because this topic has been cover serval times. If you are so skeptical about PCDs then you can go with HFPC or stay with your TYPE-S cat. coverters. Also, check your state if they do visual inspections since every state differs in laws. To find where and pricing check out our vendors or go to the BM and see if anyone has one for sale (usually cheaper).

 

well I guess its somewhat modded. K&N filter with ram air kit and lowered 2" it looks sexy. its only got 20,000 miles on it and he bought it brand new from dealer. its his baby and has won several car shows with it.

 

How much power?

 

so, how much power did the jpipe give you?...and how much more power did you get, catless?

 

I believe the jpipes add 15-20 hp

 

None taken and yes, you're right but I haven't been active on this site until this week. I was a member but hardly came on. I tried to search the forums but it was too many information out there but none that really answered my question or at least to my understanding. So, I decided to post my own thread.

On the other hand, I decided to stick to my TYPE-S cat. converters.

As for the BM, any brands you recommend for the jpipe and where I could get a deal?

 

^ click the vendors link (top right hand corner; next to where you sign in)
also there is a sticky (first one in the performance section) click the link and there is tons of info on what parts are avaliable to us.

 

What yr and model is your car? Because of the threads I read said the AEM V2 had to be cut to fit in a 2007 Acura TL Type S.

 

And if you don't want to get a CAI just remove the resonator and see if that gets your desired "mean" sound.

 

yea, i was thinking of doing that but saw vids of it and it sounded like a high pitch raspy sound and that's not what i want. was wondering if that was a 1-time case or if it's really like that when you take out the resonator.

and what is a mid muffler delete?

 

removing the resonator is almost just like getting a cold air intake.
it will provide a deep induction sound at WOT.

rasp.

and on the stock exhaust; the engineers put a mid-muffler or a baffle to quiet the sounds.
take the car to an exhaust shop to have them cut out the mid muffler and weld a straight pipe in place