Should I buy this CAI?

[grandam2006]

This is a cold air intake that i am thinking of buying the used intake pictured below. The seller says it is a doctorspeed intake, but it still has the stock black ribbed tubing. I am not sure if it would be worth the money to buy it. It will cost a little over a forth of what i would pay for a new stage 3 intake. What is everyone elses opinion? Is it worth buying?

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t316/grandam2006/bluegrandamenging.jpg

[dandragonrage]

Honestly, CAIs don't give you that much. They do have more agressive looks and sound and a K&N filter lasts a long time, though. Decide whether to buy it on those factors, not so much on power.

[coupe]

that is not a DS intake

[grandam2006]

would the gains be worth about $60. it has a k&n filter

[armanigt]

No that would not be worth $60. (It's used.) Go buy a cheap air cone filter, not real cheap but one on sale and by me I can go to an auto store like Auto Zone or Pep Boys and buy the CAI parts for the cone (All the metal tubing and all). You'll spend a lot less and everything will be brand new.

[grandam2006]

The fact that the piping is used is not my concern, and i can just buy a K&N recharge kit for the filter. it would be better than a WAI cause it is in the fenderwell. In all reality, how much power would i get out of this thing?

[DomestikDemon]

5 or 6 horsepower, and better gas mileage.

[grandam2006]

is that not worth $60? I mean horsepower is horsepower, right? If it opens up the restriction of my stock airbox, it is worth it. Better gas mialage would be a plus anyway, since i drive 50 miles for a round trip to school

[Houndawg]

It looks like a 2 piece Chrome Intakes CAI from Ebay. They go for about $50 with a K&N and $20 with a cheap filter.

[grandam2006]

well i will talk to the seller and see if i can get some better pics, and go from there.

[Shad0wguy]

You can get a 3 piece intake for around $70 from the ebay seller 'Chrome Intakes'. Excellent product.

[SappySE107]

What is special about a doctor speed intake? besides the whole advertising thing, I see nothing unique to the design. Anyone have some dyno or track results? Id like to compared that with something you can make yourself with PVC (yes, a true material to reduce heat soak) plus if you get it thin enough, its lighter than the metal tubing.

You would be better off with a better tube from the stock air box to a cold air source. Id be surprised if it wasn't getting the cooler outside air in stock form.

[04alyGT]

Yeah you would be better off getting a new one from chromeintakes

[SappySE107]

Or modifying stock so that you can keep the intake air cleaner than with those 'high flow' types. Has anyone dynoed a cold air intake to see if there was a restriction with the stock setup?

[04alyGT]

Originally posted by SappySE107
Or modifying stock so that you can keep the intake air cleaner than with those 'high flow' types. Has anyone dynoed a cold air intake to see if there was a restriction with the stock setup?
huh? you can't pipe into the air box, that thing is crap. Or are you talking about using the black ribbed piping that comes with the car and just adding a CAI from that?

[O1GAGT]

Originally posted by 4576foxtrot
huh? you can't pipe into the air box, that thing is crap. Or are you talking about using the black ribbed piping that comes with the car and just adding a CAI from that?

Modifying the stock system.... such as in the case of a GA GT with the ram air. Has anyone sealed the intake system and line the airbox with an insulating material?

It has been proven that K&N style filters do not filter as well as stock Delco filters.

To further add to this, has any checked the AIT's of a car with the stock Ram Air vs a car equipped with a "stage 3" intake. It seems as if the aluminum piping used in the after market intakes would hold more heat than the plastic air box.

There are a lot of things that can be done to the stock air box and intake system.... it just takes some creativity.

[Houndawg]

The stock setup IS a cold air intake. The box being inside the engine compartment really makes no difference in temperature because the air moves fast enough that it never has a chance to heat up. The biggest problem is the restriction of the system. Yhe resonator in the fenderwell restricts flow, as does the way the filter box is set up. The CAI from Dr. Speed, Chrome Intakes, and others solve this problem by allowing non-restricted airflow through a smooth tube that is the largest diameter possible without hacking up the fenderwell. The K&N filter isn't the most efficient, and there are better out there, but it does the job well enough.

[SappySE107]

Generally the more efficient your filter is for flow, the less efficient it becomes at filtering the air. There are metal mesh filters as well.

The air does move fast through the intake to be heating up from a hot tube. Its about as lame as the throttle body heat shield that dr speed sells or used to sell. zzp sells one now which made me laugh.

Cold air intakes will cool off manifolds and tubing at wot, but idle is where heat soak comes into play.

So if we have established that its the restriction that makes them worthwhile, we can then dyno compare them. I read claims often but does anyone have before and after for a cold air intake system on a grand am?

[Rainbow1616]

Originally posted by Shad0wguy
You can get a 3 piece intake for around $70 from the ebay seller 'Chrome Intakes'. Excellent product.

I have been looking on ebay, they want 83 bucks plus 25 shipping for a 3 piece with a k&n filter.

[02SilverGT]

thats what i paid for mine, and its worth every penny

[grandam2006]

how is this different from the one in the picture. I don't see why some people believe that a CAI isn't worth it

[dandragonrage]

Originally posted by grandam2006
I don't see why some people believe that a CAI isn't worth it

It's okay, we were all 19 once.

[grandam2006]

i looked at the chrome intakes on ebay, but i can't find a 3-piece intake with a K&N filter, only a chrome intakes filter. I can also find some with a heat shield. Do i have a color choice when it comes to couplers? or do they just come as black

Ebay Item number: 230098172016

[04alyGT]

I think they all come with k&n, mine did and it wasn't in the description

[grandam2006]

well, in the website it shows a filter that has a logo on it in the slideshow. I have no idea what to do

[grandam2006]

how about this intake?
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t316/grandam2006/DS-intake.jpg

[ChevelleSSLS6]

I have one of Keith's intakes he's a member used to make intakes, gave me permission to make them so long as long as I give him credit for the design and all. I got an awesome intake growl, and by getting rid of the crappy airbox and "ribbed for pleasure" tube by the tb freed things up a bit.

[04alyGT]

TBH any filter that comes with it will do fine for a while, its just that you will have to replace it fairly soon (10k?). If it doesn't come with k&n just use the filter until it needs a change then you can replace it with one.

[grandam2006]

I might hold off on the CAI, because i just ordered some GTS carbon fiber headlight covers and an SC/T spoiler painted for my car. That is going to set me back around $200