So I’m new to the s2ks and I’m looking at some different cold air intakes, and not sure what’s going to be the best bang for my buck. I’ve ran aem in the past when I had a rsx but I’m not sure if they’re any good for the s2k. Any help would be appreciated thank you!

 

If your goal is power, then leave it stock and just to a K&N filter, few gain anything and those which do gain such a small negligible amount that they aren't worth it for power. If you are looking to not lose any power but have better induction noise and lose a little weight, the K&N FIPK is the best bang for the buck.

 

AEM or AEM style intake are the best bang for buck. They sit low, in the bumper cover cavity and require either removing the front cover or the under paneling to install properly. Popular CAI is the K&N CAI; a little more expensive, but proven. Cheapest is getting a larger K&N filter for your OE intake box, cut the partition in the box to allow for the larger filter, and thermal tape the whole box.

Best cold air intake for performance is the MG Racing intake. It's one of the rarest intakes and very costly to find and get one because of the rarity.

 

This mod is probably the first thing most of us did to our cars when we got them. * But does it do anything besides satisfying our wrench turning desires?

Power gain with any of these is negligible and probably well within the margin of error in measurements -- they essentially add no power but typically add noise which is the next best thing to real power. None of us have backyard dynos so there are no before and after power readings. This means your best bang for the buck is the LHT airbox modification. Cost is less than an hour of your time. Delivers the sought after intake noise. Sucks in outside air right in front of the grill not off the blistering hot pavement. The S2000 air filter is not an obstacle to good breathing.

-- Chuck

* First week I owned my car I put on the K&N FIPK air intake like all the kool kids had on their cars. Looks good and makes all the required intake noises which makes the car feel more powerful. Would I do it again? Nope, I'd do the LHT airbox mod. Since this "don't cost nothing" I recommend you start there. You can have it on the car by morning.

 

Have airbox mod with a snorkel with good results ie no bogging when hot

 

Bang for the buck implies that there's a mathematical equation of
Satisfaction = Bang/Buck

Since the stock intake costs $0 to leave on, the resulting satisfaction is mathematically infinite.

As hard as it is to put math aside...all aftermarket intakes are going to come with compromise, and its probably good to factor those into your thought process.

I think the AEM V2 will make the most power (maybe 5hp?) for the least money. And it will keep the power consistent because of the cooler intake temps.

The problem with the AEM is that they're water traps. When it rains, water will drain off the headlights, down the bumper, and into the filter. The shape of the pipe near the filter is kinda like a P-trap. It will store water there and the car will stumble (or worse) when you start it up.

Of course, there's the risk of water ingestion when driving in puddles.

They're (IMO) a little ugly.

And finally, you'll need to modify/mutilate your fender liner.

K&N FIPK doesn't have the water ingestion issue...but (IMO) is still ugly and it will heat soak faster than stock.

The stock intake is incredibly well designed and makes the most power it can, with the least compromises.

If you're just looking for that loud honking noise that intakes make, you can remove the filter lid off the stock intake. You'll get massive heat soak. But also massive honking noise. Shit you can do that right now instead of waiting for an aftermarket intake to arrive in the mail.

 

Stop calling it the LHT airbox mod. People been doing that mod since before LHT made their first youtube video.

 

I loved my J's racing snorkel on the stock air box, never had a drop of water even when driving in huge rain events on the highway. That setup seemed to have some crazy ram effect at highway speeds and worked great. I then changed to the Mugen intake which I also loved - for looks and name and good performance too - but I can honestly say the Mugen did not perform much better than the snorkel setup, but I still loved the Mugen even with the huge cost difference. Both intakes were great for water safety, and sucking in cooler air , the stock underhood temps are really high on the S2000 and the stock intake sucks too close to the radiator and needs a bit of help in that department , so a snorkel works well.

 

I believe the Mugen is like $6K, if you can find a used one, no?

The J's is also over $1K.

Both require the use of some special type of hood, or modding your stock hood by cutting off the reinforcement web IIRC.

The bang for buck probably isn't there. They both add minimal power and noise - which I assume is the bang that OP is seeking.

I used to run a Spoon or Spoon style snorkel. You're right that the ram air effect kept the air charge cool and it did make more consistent power. But it also shoved road debris, rain, grass, and whatever else got into the snorkel into my airbox.

I removed it after I found a (still alive) gigantic horsefly in there. I was annoyed to find out how much it had damaged the paint on my hood and core support.

I've tried a few different intake setups in the last 18 years of S2000 ownership. I felt like the AEM made the most power, but sucked in a ton of water. It also made the loud succ noise that people crave.

The snorkel was a somewhat happy compromise between the AEM and stock in terms of power and debris ingress.

A K&N filter in the stock airbox seemed to do absolutely nothing.

A ballade velocity stack, cone, and silicone arm inside the stock airbox actually worked really well and looked like stock. It felt like it helped throttle response and power/torque. I have no way to substantiate this, though. I removed it because I didn't want an aftermarket filter on my fresh engine.

 

^ Oh yes Mugen is expensive, maybe around $1,600 US , I got mine used for much less at the time. I think the J's Racing snorkel was $500 US at the time ( I could be wrong) , and I bought the version that did not require modification of the hood, there were two versions at the time. This is going back a few years. I think J's Racing may have stopped production since then, unless they are back in production now ? I've been away from it for a few years.