ok, don't get me wrong, i'm another one of the guys who likes the best for his car. but seeing as how nobody can come anywhere close to an agreement on which is the best, i'd like to know how big the difference really is. also, since nobody can come to a consensus on the best, tell me which ones really suck ***, maybe that would make it easier to narrow choices.

 

Sponge filters can get dried out and break up, then pieces can be sucked in. You would need to change them very often as you would paper filters.

I prefer the ease of maintenace and high flow of the metal mesh filters. They are also used on jet planes.

You will have to consider personal preferance, design/fitment with engine mods and maintenance.

 

k how about this one http://www.phase2motortrend.com/phas...supin19rx.html
anything wrong with it ?

 

What,s wrong with it? Hell, what's right with it. It uses foam filters and it sucks hot air.
Besides, why would buy anything from a place that can't even spell Porshe correctly?

 

The best intake is the ghetto K&N intake. It costs $60. Not all that pretty, but who cares.

 

k i basically liked that one cuz it was pretty, how do i make the k&n one look good? anyone got one that looks decent or maybe even... sexy ? i've heard before that the K&N one is just as good as the others. looks do mean something to me tho

 

uhmm.. you mean.. Porsche ?

 

http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobi...kn_filters.htm
You can make it look pretty good. Just a matter of time and taste.

 

The metal mesh filters make sense, Apexi, Blitz. Seems easier to suck through it then cotton.

 

At least someone got the joke. :-)

The best looking and best all around kit IMHO is the M2 cold air box.

 

All I can advise you is that you buy a filter system that pulls air from the outside like a M2, Pettit, etc. If you buy an air intake system that grabs underhood air you will defeat the purpose of an aftermarket air intake system.

 

Apexi filters have been show to be the cleanest/highest flowing filters. Although the K & N filters weren't tested in this test I am sure they filter/flow very well too...

 

Open air intake does "not" defeat the purpose of upgrading the intake. The stock intake is restrictive and that is the purpose of upgrading, not for cold air. The stock intake sucks cold air.
(yeah, yeah, exept in between shifts and idle)

The guy that runs Phase2 is trustworthy and he just changed his website.

I do "NOT" trust the GTowners intake test. How do you know it was not "sponsored" by Apexi? Blitz and HKS are the brands most sold in the UK and I beleive Japan (RE is somewhere up there to). Alot of single turbo guys don't even run a filter.

I've talked to a race car mechanic and he told me he thought K&N was total garbage but it was rated 2nd on that test. HKS now offers metal mesh filters, just like Blitz which is what they use in airplanes.

-> So which is better? Personal Preferance on design and maintenance. One is too restrictive, the other gets hot air. Most likely your choice will be limited to your engine bay layout. Large SMIC or FMIC will limit your choices.

 

I know this doesn't answer your question, but I have the RE performance intake system & it works great. I've had no problem with it.

<a href=http://home.attbi.com/~mfluder999/rx73.jpg>rx73.jpg</a>

 

To be honest.. i liked that HKS one because it came with the shiney pipes is the hot air that the open air intakes pulls in really that harmful to performance or reliability? or is it just another figure to pick at.. I want something that will look sweet, will improve flow, and requires minimal maintenence.

 

If looks are also a priority, get the M2, CWR, or rx7fashion intakes (carbon fiber or polished metal). Not only are these "cold-air" intakes, but they will allow you to upgrade to a larger stock-mount intercooler. Other filter designs like the Blitz and Apexi will force you to go with a front-mount IC. Also, if you are retaining the use of your air pump, the hot air intakes will dramatically shorten the life of the pump.

 

GoRacer: You're right that test could have been sponsered by Apexi. Who knows. But IMO other than that test there is nothing else proving which is better then the other. Then it comes down more to a personal opinion and everyone has a different opinion. Some people may even have a different opinion than the race car mechanic you talked to. Again who knows. IMHO without any other proven gains in flow/filtering on any of them, I'd tend to believe the test or at least take a chance on it.

It all comes down to what who ever is buying it likes. Whether it's because it's a brand he likes or it's because the pipes are shiny. Really running brand x filter over brand y you probably wouldn't notice a difference but I personally would never run a foam filter, it's just something in me that says "yucky"... All of this is just my opinion though.

 

there's nothing ghetto about a $60 intake. why not go w/ generic brand k&n style filters for 20 bucks total, they flow just as well. or stockings wraped around the end of the intake pipe work well too, now that's ghetto.

 

This is interesting, so far... every other person has answered differently on which intake to get... I can't imagine those tiny K&N's flow much better than the stock airbox. There can't be THAT much more surface area, and combined with the hot air, I hesitate to believe any real gains are made. I don't know if I'd use the HKS intake, 'cause I don't like the sound of using thin foam to protect my engine. Then again, I have a hard time believing that the most free-flowing (K&N cotton gauze) element never gets clogged, and maybe it really is better to get foam and change it often, in the long run. I'm pretty certain that both the Apexi and Blitz intakes will fit w/o a front mount intercooler. I've seen the Apexi model on a SMIC FD before. Blitz makes a lot of toyota parts... that's my hesitation. Apexi has those cool venturi ends, and a lot of surface area... I've noticed one other thing; re amemiya, greddy, and hks - all reputable for making BIG power engines (see HKS 180SX Dragger), ALL use a foam element filter. Blitz, and Apexi both have their own versions of intake filter elements... Does this mean that Apexi and Blitz are pioneers? Or that foam really does perform better? Just something to think about. You may consider calling around to manuf. reps. and asking why their intake is better than the rest...

Just food for thought.

 

a friend of mine switched from a closed aftermarket air box and large ic, to a modded stocker and greddy ic. he lost about 2-3hp. it doesn't matter what intake you get the stock one isn't restrictive under 15psi

mike

 

Would any of those "headlight vents" help w/ a open air intake?

 

Of course the K&Ns get dirty. You just have to clean them and reoil them afterwards. You don't throw them away.

Surface area and the quality of the element
material determine the over all quality of an air filter.

Manufacturers reps would hardly be the best source of unbiased information.

 

I don't think that's accurate at all. The reason he lost 2-3 hp was from going from a large IC to the much smaller and restrictive Greddy SMIC. I've seen many people here gain 1-2 psi of boost from going to an aftermarket intake. How is the stock box not restrictive?

 

i just bought the blitz. i looks tight, i noticed a difference, and it looks tight!

had the hks but heard alot of bad things about it from other users, never ended up using it myself.

still happy with the blitz and it still looks tight.

 

This doesn't mean anything to me for a couple reasons.. I would be willing to bet that most of those engines making BIG power are running a mesh screen on the turbo compressor housing, that is what I call unrestrictive. Just keeps out the real big stuff. The other thing is that those high power engines are not designed with longevity or reliability in mind, sure those foam filters may perform well but who can say when they will deteriorate. You may be WOT one day and suck in a nice piece of that high quality HKS foam, not a pleasant thought. I'll stick with the mesh filters.

Matt