After tinkering with the car last night I took a short ride with the stock airbox lid removed. It sounds much deeper and makes V-Tech engagement more noticeable. Can I leave the cover off without risking damage? Obviously the filter is still in place, and if I covered the opening with a screen to keep out leaves/twigs/bugs would I be okay? I would be sucking in more hot engine bay air I assume, but are there any other consequences?

Thanks in advance.

 

Not really, as far as I know. People just do this because they think it sounds cool. It's just louder and you are more prone to heat soak. Like you say, the filter is still in place.

 

Besides losing a few HP...I think you will be fine...The heat soak from the engine will make you lose a few HP..But I road around for a little bit myself with the air lid off...Sounds nice...

Since then I have bought an AEM v2 which should be here in the next few days....I have a K&N filter replacement that I will sell if you are interested. It cost me $79.99 and has less then 2,000 miles on it, it looks brand new. PM me if you are interested.

 

you actually had the hood opened on the car with the big gold VTEC letters staring you in the face and you still call it V-Tech?

 

 

you will have to clean the filter more often.

John

 

Compared to other cars, our air boxes are so much easier to open then other cars. This leads me to believe that Honda knows that this is an easy mod that some people like to do.

 

Or that they wanted to make it easy to take off the lid to put in a new filter...........
I have had many cars with pretty much the exact same latch system and that removed as or more easily.
Doubt very much they expected you to drive with the cover off for the sound when they spent mucho to tune the exhaust to the sound it has from the factory.