Don't be lazy and/or scared to pull off the stock plastic. It needs to be removed.

 

 

so what IS the consensus on this... does it or does it not work?

i'd ask if its worth the 170$ but thats completely subjective

 

It seems that most people use this in conjunction with an intake or gutted air box. It's hard to say if you see a lot of gains from just the plate itself. I'm sure it is doing something besides just looking good. I think the looks alone are worth the $170, but that's just me.

 

Good question, and futhermore ss there a difference in effectiveness between the different brand plates? IE: the one with the skoop

Also, has anyone fabricated a way to make this work better with an intake like the K&N FIPK? With the intake in its own little box but exposed filter, I'm not sure what the best way would be. Any ideas or pics?

 

Personally, I've found the AUT (plus some associated mods) to be the best way to get "cool air" (meaning that which hasn't been super-heated in the engine bay) to the filter. When you install it, it is best to use sheet insulation over the radiator top where the AUT scoop is, and do some "sealing up" with tape. A gutted airbox is best, but not necessary if you don't care to do this. Get adventuresome and fabricate an aluminum "scoop" to run from the bottom of the grill up and backwards into the intake of the AUT to get a mild "ram air"" effect.

This isn't going to make your car run like FI or anything like that. But it will totally eliminate heat soak, and seems to ad power and fuel mileage.

 

Thanks Dolebludger, its a pleasure to be communicating in a thread that isn't involving law suits for a change =)

 

Yes, this is more fun than a lawsuit.

I think something should be clarified on this thread. To my experience there are two types of CF rad plates. One type does not have a scoop built in to the stock intake horn of the air box. The purpose of this kind of rad plate is ONLY to provide more air to the radiator. It is used by owners who track their cars hard, and need more effective water cooling from their radiator. Most people who use this type already have some sort of CAI that does not rely on the air intake position of the stock set up. Yes, you must remove the stock air plate to get advantage from this type.

The other type of CF rad plate is like the AUT and has a scoop molded in to the stock air intake horn. It is also a CAI. For this to work, you definitely have to remove the stock rad plate. Otherwise, no cool air could get to the scoop. I'm not good at all at posting pics on this board. But if you want pics of my "fun and games with an AUT", otherwise known as the "Dolebludger mod" email me at richhruth@aol.com, and I'll email them to you. I've driven several other s2ks with various CAIs, and really like this one the best. One word of warning. If you are looking for a more agggressive sound, this AUT-based mod is not for you. It is actually quieter than stock.

 

[QUOTE=Jsmply,Feb 28 2007, 11:26 AM] Has anyone fabricated a way to make this work better with an intake like the K&N FIPK?

 

If the ARC plate has no scoop, how does it make cool air avialable to the filter and intake?

There have been some mods done using the AUT plate (with the scoop) and a K&N FIPK. I don't know how well they work. Might be quite nice. However, note that the FIPK set-up dies not seal the filter in a box like the stock unit. Whlie the AUT could just blow in cool air, there is no possibility of putting the aribox under any positive pressure from ram air, for lack of this seal.