DefBringer

I am interested in buying the best intake solution for my FD. I have recently gone through some old threads on this forum and the popular opinion appears to be that the enclosed box offered by CWR and M2 nor the open air intakes such as those offered by Apexi and Pettit offer no real benefits over the racing beat intake duct combined with a K&N filter in the stock airbox.

Do you disagree with this conclusion?

What *is* the best intake solution for an FD? I want noticeable HP increases and prefer a simple and elegant solution to some convoluted do-it-yourself jobbie that requires routing duct throughout the front of my car.

Thank you!

artguy

the pettit is so ugly that people ask me if mine is home made

the m2 is the best looking....both perform fine.

the pettit is way overpriced for what you get...if you want that one...buy it used on the parts trader.


jason
94 fd modded

black99

actually I heard apexi

Rix7

Me too. Most hp. Zero maintenance. Good looks. Don't know about price though, but I wouldn't expect it to be much more or less than the competitors.

cewrx7r1

iTrader: (2)

The RB intake is crap even with a K&N filter even though it is better than stock. It removes so much air from the IC duct at low speeds that it can cause a hot backdraft through the IC.

The M2 is the best out there right now.

I had a RB, then modified my stock box to soemthing almost as good as the M2. I did not even try to sell the RB or even give it away, instead I trashed it.

I then went to the M2 because it also allows better radiator
cooling.

black99

check it out... these filter tests were on a skyline, but they still show hp increases and quality of filtering...

http://www.gtrowner.com/induction.html

DefBringer

Why does the M2 design offer better radiator cooling? Wouldn't an open intake system offer those same benefits?

BlackR1

Im sticking with the A'pex intake...has the best looks, proven performance and filtration. With the A'pex you can at least install a FMIC...

The M2 and Pettit intakes are ugly and overpriced IMO...theres no numbers to go with them and you cant run an FMIC with it. A'pex Power intake is only 280 bucks, the M2 and Pettit are somewhere around 400?

1FAST7

No ones mentioned the Greddy Airnax Intake... I dont know much about it, and i would like to know more about it... Is it good? HP?

thanks

1FAST7

mmaragos

I've got the Apex. Noticeable improvement after I installed. Only issue is that you have to make sure that they are protected from intaking excessive heat (they are not provided with any heat shields.

Also, the intake noise is much louder than stock. Doesn't bother me...I kind of like it.

DefBringer

What did you do to protect from this then? Did you make your own heat shields? I'm not much of a fabricator and my tools are minimal....

BlackR1

the only downside is that you start to hear the airpump making loud *** honking sounds

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

I went to order the Apexi first, but all Apexi stuff at the time was on backorder. Then I went for the Blitz, same thing. I ended up getting the HKS and have been very happy with it.

From what I've read, they all give about the same performance. The difference is mainly in the fileration quality. Here is a comparison that I found on the web before trying to purchase anything:

http://www.gtrowner.com/induction.html

The performance difference is nominal, but the fileration consideration may be a factor.

DK

iTrader: (5)

The best intake is no intake.

artguy

the m2 and the pettit allow for cold air....the others suck super hot air from the engine bay....

I wouldnt put any hot air intake on my car without a direct duct to the cold air....

scuderiaciriani.com has temperature tests for the intakes in the mods section

jason

BlackR1

I think that with a good intercooler, it shouldnt matter whether you have a cold air or hot air intake. The turbos will heat up the air no matter what, and it is the intercoolers job to cool down the charged air. Even if you're getting more cold air, a non efficient intercooler will negate the gains. It's really a judgement call... depending on what you're gonna be doing to the car in the future.

A big FMIC + Open air intake will yield more power than
stock mount IC + cold air intake

After that, all you should be concerned with is filtration... having no intake has the most gains, but it'll be really easy to damage the turbo impellers and get unwanted things like dust which will damage your engine due to friction

for sh*ts and giggles im gonna try and fabricate a heat shield/duct with a lexan cover and check for gains.

Taz

iTrader: (1)

I posted this a while back. For those of you who have removed the headlamps or have the C-west lights, this is probably better than anything out there.

1FooknTiteFD

I actually have the M2 cold air box and intercooler for sale. Why you ask? Because the unit is very poorly made. A lot of people (including me) have experienced the filters coming off of the brackets from the inside of the box and not know about it until we opened it up since it is closed off. Also, the threads on the cold air box also tend to come off a lot and the filters need to be crunched in there for fitment. Although it seemed like a good idea at first, I don't think the designers spent enough time engineering the damn thing to make it fit right. So right now, I am looking at the alternative of getting a "hot air" intake such as the apexi and going for a front mount

Zoomspeed

Would a vented hood be enough to negate the heat of a "hot air" intake?

Poweraxel

an upgraded intercooler with a open-air filter will probably give you the best results

JspecFD

iTrader: (2)

Best intake I've seen was the one for the RX-7 SP. Feratures:

•dedicated and enlarge front air/cold intake source from revised nose
•thick, well insulated carbon fibre box
•carbon fibre smooth tubes
•looks the best(debatable)

Downsides are too expensive and hard to find

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Very helpful . I think he wants to filter the air before it gets to the turbo, dude.

mmaragos

I haven't done any fabrication of heat shields for the Apex intakes. And I might not. I am upgrading to FMIC that will sufficiently cool intake temps no matter what the ambient or underhood conditions are. I am going to monitor my intake temps after the FMIC install...if there are issues, then I am going to either fabricate something myself or...

You should be able to find a welding/fabrication shop close to you. Usually, a good shop will have one or two guys that can fabricate anything out of sheetmetal (aluminum or steel). They could probably do it in under an hour or two (they have all of the proper tools...breaks, etc.). It doesn't have to be anything complicated, just something that separates the intakes from the rest of the engine bay...then you can insulate it. I wouldn't recommend boxing-in the Apex intakes...something similar to the Pettit would be sufficient.

Might be getting a little crowded...but there should be enough room for this.