Everyone suggests getting a CAI as a first mod. K&N seems to be the brand everyone goes with, 13HP at 5,000RPM, right? But is it worth it? Do you actually feel the difference? Also, are there any torque gains to be had? And lastly, are there any disadvantages to installing a CAI, like lower gas mileage, I heard they're not recommended in rainy areas either, are they too noisy? Thanks for the info in advance.

 

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We feel a high quality performance intake system is one of the best dollars to horsepower investments you can make and once again K&N is the clearly defined leader. We built our first kit in 1992 and haven’t looked back since. We currently manufacture over 500 different part numbers and our team of engineers is designing, building and testing new systems constantly.


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A CAI is a good mod, but I wouldn't go with K&N. They aren't completely enclosed so once the engine warms up then become a hot air intake and will hurt performance. I recently installed a wizaird CAI on our 04 ss supercharged, which is a true CAI because it is fully enclosed. It still uses a k&n filter, but the box is insulated. Its actually cheaper then the k&n too. I measured temperatures the other day, and at 30 mph after a hot soak it was only 5-10 degrees above air temperature inside the air box while the air in the engine compartment was 150+degrees.

You not really going to notice any power differance but if you plan on modding anymore your going to need it. As far as milage goes, it will improve slightly as long as you don't floor it all the time. The only time its noisy is on a cold start up and when your stepping on it. Other then that is not noticable during normal driving

 

^ Great answer.

Go with what you want, fully enclosed is always the best. I went for looks, that's why I got my K&N. There are numerous companies with a kit to sell. Thrasher, SLP, Wizaired, K&N... Just stay away from Ebay hot air intakes that are cheap. They are cheap for a reason.

As for a good first mod... I suppose it's a good first. It was my first. But you have to have your goals, and honestly I would probably start with getting the ZZP downpipe first. Get rid of the restrictive stock. You won't feel a difference, but it will help you later on when you want to do more mods.

As for the rain, you don't wanna get the filter wet, for obvious reasons. But any good intake system shouldn't have much of a problem with it.

You will hear it, but it's a good sound, don't worry

 

mine went exhaust, then about 2 weeks later I went with the wizair. been one happy customer since!

 

I went with just the K&N airfilter but i got 2 MPH out of it and kept the underhood stock

 

I did just air filter too, TrueFlow. I just can't justify spending the coin for a nice CAI cause the gains are so minimal. They looks nice, no doubt, but I'm not under my hood enough to justify buying one for looks.

 

I noticed a SLIGHT gain in responsivness after 4,000 RPM...your gas milage will not go down at all, infact you might pick up 1mpg if you drive it nice. The sound the CAI puts our is AWESOME IMO. It is definelty louder than stock, but sounds wicked to me! I would recommend it for sure.

 

As said above, K&N full intake kits are more popular on other cars, on these cars people seem to go more with full enclosed CAI boxes like the Wizair, or do fender well intakes-custom made.

Nope, not even close. Not even at the crank. You'd probably be lucky to get 2-3 whp. Its not a bad mod, but stock intakes aren't all that restrictive anymore (obviously the more you increase airflow with other mods, the more they help)- but at the stock power level, the bulk of the power gain is from eliminating the noise silencing parts of the air box and piping.

Doubtful. I know a lot of people claim to feel it; but I wonder how many could if it was done without their knowledge (and they wore earplugs to keep them from hearing the noise difference).

Its not possible to increase horsepower and have zero effect on torque, the two are related.

It will be slightly higher, due to less restriction, but a bit more noisey.

Rain isn't a big deal really unless you have a custom fenderwell intake with the filter way down in the fender.

The nosie does go up, but no a whole lot.

 

I've read reviews that the K&N filter sounds the best. I'd prefer to go with them because they seem to have the highest gains, and best reliability, but they have the highest price tag, $300! So if I get the K&N it increases hot air in the engine, which then decreases performance and MPG? And the wizair doesn't do that at all? Also, what are the gains for a Wizair CAI and MPG benefits. Thanks.