hi, this is my first time doing car modification.

i understand the difference between CAI & short ram intake.

but r there any cons for using CAI?

ppl say it sucks up water, true? wut happen if it really does suck up water?

where should i start modifying my car? i am just a student with not alot of $, the s2k i own is a used 01 model with 20,000 KM (not mile). i recently got a new transmisson under warrenty since the last owner had driven hard on it. i can only afford to do a small amount of mods at a time.

 

in the case of my car (rsx) the CAI was the best bang for the buck... the only disadvantage as people said, is it possibly sucking up water... this will only happen if the filter is completely submerged in water, and u are driving... so if you would have to deal with floods a lot, don't get it.. otherwise, get it, and just be careful of deep puddles and such... i'm sure other s2k owners will let u know, cause i believe my filter is much higher off the ground


-stek

 

If you "hydrolock" you would need to get head work done...depending on the amount of damage, it could be ALOT of money. If you do get it and it rains, just drive slow enough so that if you see a puddle you can drive around it. If water submerges the road, dont try to drive over it. Just take a different road.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jackson1628
[B]ppl say it sucks up water, true? wut happen if it really does suck up water?

 

I think I am the only one that had an AEM cai and hated it on the S. I have had intakes on my last 3 cars and enjoyed them, but not on the S. I am sure if I had an exhaust it would have sounded much better, but I didn't. Also the two weeks I had the AEM on it rained every day. I checked the filter and it was soaked and to make it worse it had water standing in the bottom part of the filter. That was with the fake brake duct in. To get the maximum gain that needs to be removed.....not worth it to me.

 

thanks for the clear explanation jeffbrig, and all others' opinion!

i am planning on getting the Spoon air box conversion. is it like a combination of CAI & short ram? since cold air goes thru the air duct to the intake, and the intake still locates at it's original place.

 

AusS2000 makes a spoon knockoff for a lot less money.

 

Look at something styled like the Comptech. It has a cone filter, but it sucks from behind the headlight. Cold air intake with out the chance of hydro lock. Unless you are in 2.5' of water... Safety was my primary concern. I didn't want to gain power by risking the engine. Every now and then one pops up in GB. Keep checking back.

 

jeff: Water, like all other substances out there in the real world, IS compressable, just not nearly as much as air is. Other than that, good explanation...

jackson: It doesn't sound like you truly understand the difference betwee a short ram intake and a CAI, but don't feel bad since most people make the same mistake as you have. The mistake I mention is the belief that a CAI will suck up water, whereas a short ram intake will not. This is a false assumption, although generally true when it comes to most makes of CAIs. I can just as easily create a CAI that sticks through the hood of the car as I can one that sits near the ground...and in the former case, it would last in much deeper puddles than your typical short ram intake...but it's still a CAI.

CAI - Cold Air Intake - is not defined as being "near the ground", although with most of today's designs, it has become synonymous with that definition. If I suck in my air from in front of the radiator, near the top of the hood, it's still a CAI...with a small extension to the inlet, even the stock airbox can become a CAI.

VERY few people have hydrolocked their engine here, and you'll see that when you separate out the threads claiming "I heard of a guy who..." or "Didn't a bunch of people post about locking...". If you look solely for the posts that say "I hydro-locked my engine...", owner-specific posts, and then filter out the ones where it was later shown that some information was missing or they weren't quite being truthful (I've helped debunk one or two of those myself by pushing for more info), you'll see that the numberis QUITE low.

If you're respectful of what damage CAN be done, the chances of actually DOING that damage are extremely small. I'm going on a year and a half now with my intake in a state that has a lot of deep puddles on the backroads...not a problem yet.

 

ok, i have decided not to a CAI.
and now it comes to which name brand intake should i get.
there are so many, spoon, neuspeed, comptech, injen, AEM...etc.
wut's the difference? and which cleaner should i use? K&N's or spoon's? i notice that K&N also offer intake kit too but i dun see ppl using em, why?

sorry, for asking these elementary questions...i am just a beginner on car mods. i am still learning.

thank you