Check it out:

http://www.daviddenmark.com/maxima/cais/

Only cost $4.11 for the tubing. Everything else was stuff that was laying around.

Post comments and questions here. Thanks.

 

That's pretty cool.

A lot better than the people dishing out major bucks for a piece of round metal.

how much had you spent on intake before this?

 

Im doing it!! One quick question, could you tell me more about this metal piece that had to be bent down, and why it had to be bent down? I bet I could go out and find it, but a slight bit more description would be helpful. Awesome man, no drilling, no sawing, 1/50 the price. Way cool. You just saved me 150 bucks Now ill go blow it on a Y pipe

 

I spent $40 for a K&N panel filter and $8 for a sheetmetal box I built. For this intake, I am borrowing a friend's old K&N cone filter (3" ID). Here's a picture of it:

 

Dude, you need to loose the 2x4

 

OK, let's see if I understand what you did here. I've been meaning to replace that stock box of mine with a cone sometime during the month, but your idea is definitely not all that more difficult, if I am understanding this correctly that is.

- You have the metal duct hooked up to a MAF adapter and attached via zip tie to some piece of metal attached to the MAF adapter.
- The metal duct is routed along the driver's side with the cone filter attached (how? Using another MAF adapter?) at the other end. The cone is now tucked in the area below the headlight, basically in front of the bumper.
- A piece of metal behind the headlight has to be bent back (about how much and despite there being holes, is it used to secure anything on?) to allow the duct to clear without any dents going in it?

Is this what's basically going on?

Now, aside from that, I'm just curious as to how the airflow is behind the bumper. The growl is there, but do you think it's getting more flow vs. a cone & MAF adapter setup directly on top? It's probably not going to be as effective (so I think) as a typical CAI with all the drilling involved, but if it's better than a regular pop-charger-type setup, ~$5 isn't a lot.

Also, the battery is secure the way it is without the white housing, right?

Outside of those questions, this looks cheap, clean, and sounds like something anyone is capable of doing. Thumbs up for a very creative idea. I'll definitely be doing this very soon, but just wanted to get some questions outta the way to curb any problems that might happen .

 

ugh.... dryer vents are ghetto. they should stay in the house. same for PVC intakes. buy a real CAI and you'll thank me later. better performance, reliability, and sound.

 

how are you making the connection between the duct and MAF adapter airtight?

 

Hmm , the tube is in HEADLIGHT bracket's way and there isnt no bent on it or anything like that ? What is the sign of improvement after you installed it , is it better than the one u have on with K&N ? What is the big different from KN to the long TUBE ?

 

Like he said.

 

That vent material doesn't look too durable.

 

I would imagine that the duct tubing wouldn't really improve performance that much because of the disruption in air flow. It looks like the location of the filter will not pick up a great deal of "cold air" and the air flow that would be picked up would be seriously hindered by the ridges in the duct tubing. My .02. I could be wrong.

 

I think you are right about the disruption in air flow. There is a reason ALL custom intakes are made of SMOOTH plastic or metal. Same with exhaust -- that's why mandrel bent (totally smooth) costs more.

However, you do get COLDER air from below, which helps a lot. When you have a cone directly next to the motor, you tend to pull in air that has been warmed considerably by the engine. That's why a lot of intakes now (see "Iceman") try to get air from below the motor where it's cooler.

There is actually a lot of cooler air in behind the fender and up under the front air dam on all cars. Take a look at a 5.0 Mustang sometime. The air comes right from inside the fender -- it's cooler and has plenty of flow.

The idea is there, but the ridges on the ducting are really a hindrance. For what you spent, it's better than stock, but there are many improvements that can be made. Plus, it's not the most attractive intake I've ever seen.

 

only problem I see with those new intakes like that are that they usually place the filter VERY close to the tranny and/or exhaust where a lot of the heat is. my friend had an AEM CAI like that on his '02 Civic, when we took it out the side of the filter that faced the tranny was actually black and burned!

 

ok who's taking bets on when that filter will instantly fall off the alum foil hose? because that hose is basically crimped together in a spiral pattern..you clamp something on it'll eventually come off w/ movement..or break off. it's about a thick as a broiling pan you use to cook.

i would've done PVC before this ghetto rig. guys an intake is NOT THAT EXPENSIVE!! GO BUY A REAL CAI!

i don't want to hear you complain that your engine is siezed because it took in too much water..or your engine is wearing down fast because the hose broke and it's sucking in dirt.

 

Yea, I do wonder how long the duct material will last. Isn't it a little thicker than aluminum foil.

 

Well, just keep us posted on how long it lasts. Can you tell a difference in the out-put or anything else?

 

Matt, you hit the nail right on the head. Anyone that's studied fluid flow can tell that the air velocity losses will be great due to the "roughness factor" of the ridges on the inside of that metal flex tubing. PVC is definately out as a substitution - danger from fumes due to heat degrdation amd possibly melting of the PVC.

However, the setup is intriguing. There IS hi-temp flexible smooth wall silicon tubing out there - I'm trying to run some down now. THAT might make this scheme a great CAI. Gotta had the man kudos for innovation, though. If I find the silicone tubing, I'll post it back to here.

 

the silicone tubing that size is $10/20 per foot, or more depending on where you get it. it's a lot easier just to buy a CAI from warpspeed or something and let them do the design work for you. I'm all for saving money, but there's a difference between performance mods and ghetto rigs.

 

Matt do you think you could just cut the bull and shoot stright with them?

 

...and there's actually a website dedicated to this work of art??

"you WILL get what you pay for"

 

Matt is just mad because he paid big money for a CAI and has to justify it (so did I )

Matt's second post is very valid though, your site says that you spent about 1 hour and 30 mins fitting it and everything, while with a aftermarket, You can install it in 10 mins taking your time (ok, well maybe not WSP).

btw, where in Washington are you. I'm in Issaquah.