So are you saying to not even bother with a Cold air intake or an intake at all. Just leave it all stock as far as filter and everything.. OR is the midpipe higher up on the intake... So lets say i buy one of the Cold air intakes from ebay that is $50-70... Are you all saying that is actually going to hurt my PULL... That is what it sounds like but i am a bit confused on the midpipe to intake.. Sorry guys im new with max's.. used to running hondas.... so glad im converted... Much nicer vehicles..

I think replacing the resonator with a mid-pipe should help a bit. I know Dave B used to praise the resonator but later said it didn't make a difference. Also just make your own if you want.

Here's the general ideas:

Stock airbox - Low end
Hybrid - mid-high end increase, tradeoff some low end
CAI - low end, tradeoff some mid-high end
HAI - high end, tradeoff low-mid range

It's all a bunch of junk IMHO, the intake barely makes any difference from what people say and all dyno relatively near one another. I know that i got increases all throughout the power band, but i think it was due to cleaning my TB, mid-high end i attribute to the cleaned TB and a bit from the midpipe + cone.

LEMAR

I always thought midpipe helped high-end/hurt low-end, while the stock resonator helped low-end/restricted high-end.

Thanks guys for you assistance.... I think im going to just go ahead and get the CAI from ebay the one that is righ around 50-70... I think i will like the sound and hopefully it will add a little in the low end... What do u all think... sound reasonable... Thanks again

if air intakes really did much, why don't supercars/bmws/supras/skylines etc have air filters like we all do(shiny big filter etc.). why do they use panel filters? why so much ugly black plastic?

cuz all aftermarket air intakes do is basically make noise, look shiny, and give you +/- 5 hp somewhere in your powerband....

Keep the stock intake in place, use a good filter like K&N and open up the backside of that resonator box under the battery so the stock setup can breathe better. The result is no loss in low end, no sound increase and an intake system that flows a bit more freely.

Good Job,
Install it the right way,(use every pipe) dont be lazy and forget WHY It's COLD AIR
I felt the power diff. when I installed mine the correct way.

I bought an ebay CAI, but decided I didn't want to cut a hole so I had went HAI. And my car pulled very nicely with it on. And now with my ypipe the car is freakin insane.

When I had my intake, my car actually started torque steering. I was amazed, it definetly added some power. I also took the resonator out. It sounds so badass, too!

All CAI, HAI, they are all the same. Your just paying for the name basically. One really doesn't give more power over the other one. They just add power in different areas of the power band.

I've had every type of intake known to man installed on my Maxima and I've tested all of them against each other at the track. They all feel and sound different (hacked air box with midpipe, hacked air box with resonator, CAI, CAI with resonator, hybrid, POP with resonator) but after studying all my slips plus taking into consideration the conditions (I can't emphasize how much difference barometric pressure makes) all these intakes perform about the same. I really can't see any measureable difference. I've always run my best with my hacked air box and midpipe, but the conditions were always the best on those days and my ET/MPH was only .15 to .20 and 1mph better.

Right now I'm running a CAI and it "feels" completely different from the hacked air box with midpipe in that the pedal feels stiffer and acceleration is immediate after a shift where as with the hacked air box & hybrid the acceleration doesn't feel as strong at that moment. The hacked air box & hybrid feel more athletic and more eager from a roll, but boggy in the low rpms. The CAI feels more torquey off the line probably because the long pipe can store a column of air where as the short intake path of the hacked & hybrid intake causes some lower rpm turbulence. It's hard to explain. From a 40mph-70mph roll-on in 2nd gear I really can't tell a difference, butt dyno wise.

The reason I went back to the CAI is because of what I've read and seen over at DINAN (the BMW tuner). They only make CAIs and they admit POP style intakes do yield higher peak numbers, but at the expense of poor tip-in throttle, slightly less midrange, and inconsistent power once ambient temps get warm. Seeing that DINAN is no BS tuner, I tend to believe them.


Dave

its all about the butt and ear dyno

Which CAI are you using Dave, which style? I want to make something custom and want to know what works best.

Hey guys is there a how to no what type of hole needs to be cut in the finder in order for the cold air intake to work. Thanks Rich

Dave B seems to have the most knowledge on the subject, and what he says corresponds to what I have seen with my Frankencar. I keep the Frankencar on because the throttle response is better (revmatching downshifts), but I am planning to do something else next summer, because the Frankencar straight sucks when it's really hot out...you can definitely feel a more significant loss of power than with the stock intake.

I don't really want to cut a hole, so I may just do a hacked stock airbox or OSCAI for summer, and use the HAI during the winter when it really seems to kick ***.

from pop to hybrid to CAI, the gains are the same at different range of RPM. it's just the trade off that's all.

but one thing that DOES matter is the filter. a high quality filter vs a poor quality filter DOES AFFECT the performance. at least i can tell a difference and throttle response from JWT to K&N. just watch out when you are biddin on ebay for BOMz racing intake kit, make sure get the one with the REAL K&N filter, not the fake one. poor quality air filter may not filter too well, and possibly causing dirty throttle, lack of air-flow, etc...

btw IMO i think CAI piping setup looks better than short ram or popcharger

Funny how there is aboslutely no difference between my K&N panel filter and a $5 NAPA filter. Or that a K&N cone filter feels the same as a $10 AUTOZONE filter. Even if there was you wouldn't feel it as an intake doesn't give enough power to make the change noticeable.

intake alone probably won't feel too much difference. but along with other performance upgrades + working knock and O2 sensors , it is noticable.

i started to noticed the difference when i had to put my car back to stock for CA emission. i guess that's when i started to actually feel the power difference. not to mention i appreciate the way my car is a lot more than before...

Are you actually comparing extended periods of driving or just the time right after the change in filters? I remember when I did the hacked air box mod it felt so much better down low but it just went back to the same thing after a few days.

extended periods of driving. with proper maintance from cleaning the throttle body and cleaning the air filter at proper mileage interval.

BIG D,

I think that you ran into the "Butt Dyno" problem: The butt dyno is brain calibrated. Meaning, small upgrades in power feel great for a few days, but then you adjust to your new power and the new power then becomes the normal power.

I think I lost a little when I went back to stock (from cone filter), but now it is hard to tell.

Any cone filter will have a larger surface area advantage (assuming equal quality) and more air pass thru = greater higher RPM breathing (potential power)

P