For those of you who have one installed on your car have any of you actually hooked your car up to a dyno to get a true reading of increased performance?

I know all the manufacturers out there claim 15+hp...but that isn't always true.

The thing I am wondering about is that most of the CAIs that I have seen, the pipe itself is made of metal or plastic. Have u ever touched one of them after you go driving. Those things are hot as hell! So my question is...how are they doing your engine any good...performance wise.

They are suppossed to be sucking in cold air from the fender well...or wherever you have it set up...but the pipe itself gets that hot, it's heating up the air that is flowing through it. SO when your engine gets the extra "air" it's already been heated up to be hotter than if you just ran it from the stock setup.

My friend had one on his 03 TL-S and he swore he got all this extra power from it. I just laughed cuz I knew all he got was a little more sound at WOT

-Pat

 

I don't think anyone has dyno'd before & after a CAI install. But most all members with CAI posted positive "results." By "results," I mean they felt like there was an improvement, both power & sound wise.

My brother has an 03 TL-S, and I know where your buddy's coming from... I drove my brother's car before & after, and I can tell you my grin was a lot wider w/ the CAI... the car's response was indeed much quicker, and it sounded a lot better/louder. I'm not sure if adding a CAI to a 3G TL will add as much power, since the stock set up is so much like a CAI, but the 2G TL's definitely gained quite a few ponies.

My AEM just arrived today - won't be installing until next week/weekend - so I'll post my experience later.

 

I'm also interested in getting a CAI (AEM or Injen.. Does anyone have a preference?).... My biggest concern is how easy/difficult is it to get to the filter element? Of all the pics I've seen posted, it looks like you have to either come up thru the wheel well or remove the front clip to access the filter. I live in So. Cal. and commute on the freeways out here, so I'd like to clean the element every 15-20k miles to be safe (I know K&N recommends every 50k miles, but that's under ideal conditions).

If it's a real pain in the a$$, does it sound stupid to just pick up a second filter element and when I take the car in for scheduled maintenance, I can ask the dealer to swap out the filter for me?? That way, each time I do it, I'll have a 'new' filter and can clean the 'old' one and get it ready for next time.

 

search is your friend...

BASELINE
https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/fuckd-up-tidal-wave-kansas-112685/

AFTER AEM CAI + Comptech Catback:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114656

 

Yeah, you could buy a 2nd filter and swap them.

I'm waiting for my Injen CAI, it's on order.

 

here is what i found from the AEM site as far as temperature testing...

http://www.aempower.com/pop_intakeTemp.asp

 

I think it's foolish to dyno test before installing a CAI. If you do, you will see that you have either no or minimal gains in BHP, thus you will be kicking yourself for spending that money. That's when you have to justify your purchase by telling yourself that it sounds better, anyway. Just my

 

IMHO, I've owned both AEM's and Injens, both were bought with the installation in mind, for example AEM made a CAI for the RSX-S but you had to do more work to your car by switching the location of the windshield washer fluid bottle from one side of the car to the other, were Injen supplied you with a different shaped w/w bottle ...which made the installation much easier...
I live in MA and here the weather changes from hot to cold on any given day, so I also made it a point to clean my filter as many times I could, once in the Spring and once in the Fall.
I don't find it to be a PITA to work on my car, so taking off the tire and pulling a few clips to get to the filter is fun for me and not work, so it depends what you call a PITA...
A pain in the a.. to me is to install a ceiling fan or trying to start a charcoal grill....

 

I have an AEM CAI and a Apexi catback. They both made a huge difference to me without a doubt. I also put on a Unorthodox pulley and unlike most, I didn't notice much difference. The CAI and exhaust rocks! Well worth the money and hassle installing.