Goodbye to all CAI club members and saying hello to K&N drop-in users!
#1
Purchased: April 28, 2001
Thread Starter
Goodbye to all CAI club members and saying hello to K&N drop-in users!
Yep...I've made my decision. I'M SICK of my Injen CAI. As of today the cumulative negatives just outweighed the optomistic possitives.
Negative Reasons:
#1 I hate having to jack up the car and go underneath it to check the filter under the bumper.
#2 The more times I clean/reoil it, the worse my underbody clips get. Now I have a total of 3 missing (each costing a little more than $2 a piece.)
#3 The finish of the CAI gets worse over time. Mine had scratches all over it so I decided to paint it...but that just got f*cked up as of yesterday...AAARGG!
#4 Reason why I have to check the CAI more often is that the filter itself gets wet...ALOT. So, although it may not injest water (hydrolock), but every puddle/car wash removes some of the oil that the filter medium itself was meant to hold. So in theory, you can drive around with a superior filter that can't filter anything because it's not oiled properly.
Positives:
More HP & better sound (although "better" is subjective).
Soooo...where does that leave me? I have an out of the box CAI that I used for over 30k miles that looks butt ugly that decided to put the stock airbox (without resonator) back in. I figure if I put a drop-in instead, I would avoid all 4 reasons above.
Bah...I should of thought about this sooner. But yeah, take it from someone who's been through the experience...I would never buy a CAI kit again simply because it is the most pain-in-the-ass power mod.
P.S.
Thanks to hzm82 for doing the pre-shopping homework for finding us the cheapest source of K&N drop-ins.
Oh..and before you make any comments regarding intakes...remember...I'm only bashing the CAIs...since short rams and iceboxs dont qualify as one.
Negative Reasons:
#1 I hate having to jack up the car and go underneath it to check the filter under the bumper.
#2 The more times I clean/reoil it, the worse my underbody clips get. Now I have a total of 3 missing (each costing a little more than $2 a piece.)
#3 The finish of the CAI gets worse over time. Mine had scratches all over it so I decided to paint it...but that just got f*cked up as of yesterday...AAARGG!
#4 Reason why I have to check the CAI more often is that the filter itself gets wet...ALOT. So, although it may not injest water (hydrolock), but every puddle/car wash removes some of the oil that the filter medium itself was meant to hold. So in theory, you can drive around with a superior filter that can't filter anything because it's not oiled properly.
Positives:
More HP & better sound (although "better" is subjective).
Soooo...where does that leave me? I have an out of the box CAI that I used for over 30k miles that looks butt ugly that decided to put the stock airbox (without resonator) back in. I figure if I put a drop-in instead, I would avoid all 4 reasons above.
Bah...I should of thought about this sooner. But yeah, take it from someone who's been through the experience...I would never buy a CAI kit again simply because it is the most pain-in-the-ass power mod.
P.S.
Thanks to hzm82 for doing the pre-shopping homework for finding us the cheapest source of K&N drop-ins.
Oh..and before you make any comments regarding intakes...remember...I'm only bashing the CAIs...since short rams and iceboxs dont qualify as one.
#3
Purchased: April 28, 2001
Thread Starter
Originally posted by yield2S
sound wise how much diff is the "poorman icebox" compared w/CAI
sound wise how much diff is the "poorman icebox" compared w/CAI
#5
Purchased: April 28, 2001
Thread Starter
Originally posted by PeterUbers
Poorman's icebox don't do jack for performance.. and it's VERY sketchy as to whether it really does influence your mpg...
Poorman's icebox don't do jack for performance.. and it's VERY sketchy as to whether it really does influence your mpg...
Not arguing that it does...but I'm just sick of the maintenance you have to put in a CAI. Its "cool" factor has worn out I guess. I should of bought the icebox to begin with...but unfortunately, I'm in no position to do so and the icebox was not available 2 years ago when modding my car was still "in".
#7
Senior Moderator
i have THE POOR MANS ICEBOX.. BUT i not only removed the resonator i cut the bottom of the air box out! it lows alot more air in and the sound is very simular to a cai. oh yea i have a K&N flter also.
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#8
Like a mideget on a moped
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Bakersfield,CA
Age: 41
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hey ed waht are you planing to do with the cai? e-mail me.. hungryxo@sbcglobal.net
#9
Purchased: April 28, 2001
Thread Starter
Originally posted by EddieXo
hey ed waht are you planing to do with the cai? e-mail me.. hungryxo@sbcglobal.net
hey ed waht are you planing to do with the cai? e-mail me.. hungryxo@sbcglobal.net
#12
Senior Moderator
An Icebox definitely qualifies as a CAI, and I went from a year with The Comptech drop in & no resonator to The Icebox, and there definitely is a big enough difference to feel.
Going from stock to the Drop in, I never really noticed a difference in pull.
P.S. the reasons you listed are exactly why I went with the icebox. Those are the same issues I had with my AEM on My accord, and the Icebox solves every single one, especially #4 which scared me the most. Also I like teh Icebox sound vs other CAI's which are too loud for my tastes with this car.
Going from stock to the Drop in, I never really noticed a difference in pull.
P.S. the reasons you listed are exactly why I went with the icebox. Those are the same issues I had with my AEM on My accord, and the Icebox solves every single one, especially #4 which scared me the most. Also I like teh Icebox sound vs other CAI's which are too loud for my tastes with this car.
#13
I replaced my stock filter with a highflow K&N as well. I also took the resonator out and took the lil air intake thingy from the engine bay and shoved it upside down to where the air goes in the filter.
Makes a great improvement on the butt dyno over stock. I rode on a buddies' CL with the icebox and cant justify to spend over $250 for an icebox.
Makes a great improvement on the butt dyno over stock. I rode on a buddies' CL with the icebox and cant justify to spend over $250 for an icebox.
#14
Purchased: April 28, 2001
Thread Starter
Originally posted by Mr Hyde
An Icebox definitely qualifies as a CAI
An Icebox definitely qualifies as a CAI
The reason why I don't put the 2 in the same category is that the Icebox filter is not in the same location...whereas AEM and Injen is.
So in future references...when we discuss the topic of "intakes", we should be more specific.
CAI (filter in bumper area)
Short RAM (Exposed filter in engine area)
Icebox (some sort of enclosed short ram)
I do agree that the icebox is the way to go...all I was doing was ranting about how I no longer agree with a CAI design. None of the problems of a standard CAI applies to the icebox, therefore an icebox is a category all in itself.
#15
Senior Moderator
I gotcha, not putting you down or picking a fight, but I would still consider the Icebox a CAI (Cold Air Intakes for the newbies) since being a CAI means it draws in cold air only, and thats what the icebox does, but with a different design. A design I think is superior to the others out there for every single reason you listed, plus the fact that its quieter than other conventional CAI's
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