anyone using it?
opinions please

 

Pretty much like M2, so why settle for less and pay more?

 

I'd get the ARC.... cuz... its ARC! ARC has some very high quality products for FD.

they cost only about 100 bucks more than the M2...and M2 is already way overpriced for what it is....but at least you get the ultimate in quality with the ARC unit

 

the ARC is a very good unit and is widely recommended in japan. It costs about 500-600 new but i've seen it sell for 200 used here on the forum or in the partstrader.com I'm pretty sure it flows more than the M2 box as well.

Danny

 

I've heard it flows and filters very well but to me it looks like it's the same size as the stock box. Which means you can't do a medium or large SMIC.

 

ok i'm gonna buy one since i sold my pettit intake

 

ARC is very good stuff, my friend used to have one before he went single turbo. I would pick that over the M2 which I have seen fits not so well, and the price is a tad on the high side for what it is.

Timmy

 

just a ques , if the M2 is worse than the ARC , how come used M2's are still very expensive, and used ARC's are pretty cheap from the price they are brand new.

 

Seems like most people don't want the ARC hence lower prices and difficulty finding people interested in one. Its too large and bulky so most aftermarket IC's won't fit. Plus, it has no dedicated source for cold air. I'm not sure why anyone would want one as its essentially just a stock airbox with a filter panel for a top, a filter panel for the bottom and no ducting. A modified stock airbox eith a K+N filter panel would seem to be more effective and cheaper.

 

I have the m2 intake, and i like it...when i was shopping for my intake i also considered the ARC intake. all in all they come out to the same price if you decide on getting the polished intake piping with the m2 intake. my only problem with the ARC intake is the same as what was stated above...why go for an intake that sucks in almost nothing but hot air around it? the m2 unit gets cooler air directly from the nose, cooler air is denser air is more air is more power--->right? though the difference in temperatures may not be great and the hp difference may not be that significant don't just go wasting that 5 or 600 dollars. if you're wondering why its expensive, think about this:
its made of carbon fiber
the k & n filters it uses aren't exactly cheap
m2 is a relatively small shop that specializes in just two vehicles and one of those is a ten year old car, so its working in a niche market
mine fit perfectly fine, if anybody has the intake and is having problems with the fitment, ask me maybe i can help...nost people don't realize you have to take the intake apart first and then install it.

 

One thing about ARC is they designed everything to work together with their components. ARC intercooler is Japan's #1 best cooling intercooler available and lightest weight. My guess would be at the time when the air box was designed, custom enclosure air box wasn't the 'thing' as it is today. Not to mention if anyone has a ARC FMIC, there really isn't any need for bulky enclosed air box, unless you are after every bit of HP possible. The ARC filter kit flows quite well, paired with ARC FMIC it's a very good aftermarket system.

When it comes to ARC, I doubt anyone would question about their craftsmanship, quality and also performance.

Surely we do things here alittle different in the state, that is why ARC will not be popular here unless they 1) lower their price or 2) make changes to their product to suit the American market.

However, Japan is still the #1 market when it comes to Japanese performance parts, I have heard from a friend stationed in Japan said U.S doesn't even come close to 1/3 the sales potential as it is in Japan. Hence, ARC probably won't make any changes to suit the taste of the U.S consumers.

Timmy

 

There is NOTHING out that has the flow of the ARC induction box... There is NOTHING out there that filters the air better than the ARC including the stock one... It is the same size as the stock box so some front mount intercoolers dont fit but if you have stock turbines the front mount intercoolers are a bit pointless...

There is NOTHING out there that is better for stock turbines... K&N filters dont clean crap... they arent horrible but they dont come near the ARC filters.

 

Is there somewhere in the US that I can get replacement filters for the ARC air box ??

I have the option of getting a used ARC for free ..swap my air box for it, but it looks like the filter on the ARC intake is a bit old and If I did swap I'd want to change the filter.

 

I wouldn't use the ARC box no matter how well it cleaned or flowed, simply because it takes in hot air.

 

I think you can find a K&N that size. Just have to go flip through one of their catalogs.

David

 

i think the arc filters were the same as mpv filters. they wouldn't be hard to find

mike

 

Unless you have a heat sheild or suck air from between the radiator. Blitz is the only open intake i'm aware of that has a heat shield to block the radiator fans.

I'm sure you could get replacement filters from Laujesse or Canman69.

 

You can put a shield aroud it if you are REALLY TRUELY concerned about hot air...

I made a heat shield that fited to the stock plastic vent from the front of the car on the top and also a drier vent going to the bottom... ya know what it did NOTHING NOTICABLE.

The temp of the air going into the turbines unless it is more than your engine should ever produce, doesnt do much and it never will.

If you have stock turbos there is nothing out there that will be as easy to install... flow more air... filter the air better... and even with all the heat your radiator can generate produce more HP.

 

ARC doesnt have to rely on 2 or 3 products to keep their business alive.. They have several parts for several cars...

Japanese dont try to screw people like the americans do..

 

I've tried and tested the ARC filter.
It looks great and performs very very very badly.
firstly the lower filter sits directly over you radiator, being that hot air is less dense it will draw the hot air in preference to cold air and secondly when you stop at a junction, the heat soak of the ali box turns it into a air heater. once I removed it and replaced the stock intake there was a noticable improvement.
In sort If anyone wants a cheap one I know of 3 which need new filters- going v cheap

 

BLAH...

Get new filters. I would still take a ARC with bad filters before I would take a stock with a new filter or a set of new HKS's for that matter. Heat soaked air intake.... BLAH.

 

If you do city driving please think twice about the air intake you are going to use. The stock airbox has some problems, esp when the radiator fans are on while standing still or driving slowly, but for the most part it pulls cold air and is sealed off.

I tested a box that was shielded from the radiators pretty well, and was more than just a heatshiled, but it did have a couple of gaps. I put a remote thermometer on the air filter, and in city trafic on a 80 degree day I was pulling 160+ degree air. =:-0

I think that when the radiator fans are on positive pressure forces air off the turbos and radiator into any open or shileded air filter. Only a fully boxed airfilter with a long nose into cold air will avoid this.

 

As i have bought a ARC intake(from Jessie, thanks!) I am sending it, along with my SSdp, IC pipes, and Efini Y pipe off to Jet Coating.... Just taking small steps... they will all add up, down the road. Carter

 

I need a smaller intake to clear my CWR intercooler, So I'll part with my ARC. Filters aren't bad, but aren't new either... Either shoot me an e-mail:
mike@ucsbalum.com
or meet up with me at sevenstock!

 

arc works well at first but when car warms up because it's aliminuim it just heat soaks like crazy. we've done testing on it here in the uk. No good. Thats probably why it's so cheap second hand.