DoubleO7Spyder

I am new here. I looked into a few items for the S2000. One was the K&N air intake. I have read multiple views and opinions on whether this part will help or hurt your engine. One side believes a new intake will increase your HP. The opposite side argues that the stock intake is more than sufficient for power and the after-market intakes will ruin your engine with dirt and grime via ineffective filtration.

Will a new intake have a net positive or negative effect on the engine?

I was looking to the forum to see if there was an opinion here. I am planing to have my S2000 for an extended period and do not want to ruin my car with poorly planned mods. 2004 S2000 - 100% stock.

Thanks,

-D

freetors

http://www.dieselbombers.com/chevrol...r-testing.html


Back in the day K&N filters were really good stuff compared to everything else. Nowadays, most OEM paper filters are far better even though they may not make as much power.

darcyw

i have used an aftermarket PRM intake on my 2000 Civic SiR since it had 1200 miles(2000 kms) on it with ZERO problems engine wise. my car has 135K kms (85K miles). use a quality filter, clean it occasionally, don't over oil it, and it should give you a lifetime of service.

good luck

darcy

Presto123

No.


But a cold air intake can ruin it via hydrolock.

takeshi

Rather than just reading opinions you need to consider the sources -- same as always. What evidence are the people with opinions on differing sides presenting?

Neither really. If you've read the intake threads here it should be apparent that gains are negligible on the S with an intake.

Poor driving/poor install is actually what does that. You certainly can't just plow through water with a CAI with the filter in the fender. Hydrolock is also possible if water drips onto the filter but a shield/umbrella and/or plugging the fender hole above the filter will take care of that.

lopez14

Once you hear vtec with a CAI and test pipe you won't go back.

zeroptzero

My personal belief is that some cotton and foam aftermarket air filters do not filter air as well as the stock filter. They have to allow more dirt particles through the intake as they open up the air flow. I don't really buy the marketing info put out by K&N filters, if you ever see one up close you can see gaping holes through the filter, and the fact that the filter works better as it gets more dirty kind of supports what I'm saying. However, saying that, I have never seen any evidence that the extra dirt/dust is harmful to the engine as lots of people run these intakes without adverse effects. It is possible that smaller sized dust/dirt particles have no adverse effect on the engine, and the filters work good enough to keep out the larger sized particles.

The surface area of the stock filter is more than adequate for the size of our engine, and it has a built in velocity stack which I personally like. I think xviper once calculated that the single s2000 filter has more surface area than the two combined air filters that were on his Viper motor. If it is a bit more restrictive than some aftermarket intakes that is okay with me.

Saki GT

Is the stock filter and intake sufficient? Yes. Are there aftermarket solutions that are just as good or maybe better? Yes.

Intakes are basically the filter and pipe that lead into the engine - they're not that complicated.

You should replace the stock filter yearly, and the OEM is ~$30 from Honda. I've had My S for eight years, so, $30 x 8 = $240. You can also be a filter you can clean and reuse for around ~$60, so, long term, its a money saver. Air filters work as pre-screeners to keep dirt out of the engine. What they don't catch, engine oil does, and the better they filter, the more the restrict air flow, so its a trade off between pre-screening and air flow.

CAIs exist on all cars these days - manufacturers long ago took advantage of getting cooler air into an engine. Some are safer than others. Stock, the S2000 intake is good, but designed to be quiet, so its in a thick airbox that muffles sound. If you want more sound, get an unmuffled intake like a K&N FIPK. The stock filter is also high and protected from water, and so is the K&N, but some are not, like AEM.

Rather than look at a filter and guess how well it actually works, I've had OEM and aftermarket filters (K&N) on my car, had used oil analyses (UOA) done, and there is no elevated dirt in the engine oil.

With the S, it will be negligible. With you, I'd say positive if you want:
- to spend less on filters long term
- to hear the intake sound better

DoubleO7Spyder

Thanks everyone for the input. The consensus seems to be that the intake does not make a material difference. I like the sound of my stock car and so does my neighborhood. I try to drive the car when the weather is good and avoid water. Maybe I should go for the Berk's high-flow catalytic converter instead as it is essentially the same price as the intake I looked at.

TougeS2k

dont be a wuss, do it