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Your opinion on Injen CAI VS $15 CAI

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Old 09-24-2008, 10:20 PM
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Your opinion on Injen CAI VS $15 CAI

Looking at the Injen setup VS a $15 E-bay setup, do you think it is worth paying the extra, lets see, $285 for the Injen CAI? If so, why? They basically come with the same parts/setup so I was guessing for the Injen to be that much more expensive it would just be a durability issue other than a performance issue correct? Let me know what you think.
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:29 PM
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No.
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:31 PM
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no difference.... just the name... intake is more for sound and looks, you will not gain any noticable power
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:35 PM
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Originally Posted by 19max95
no difference.... just the name... intake is more for sound and looks, you will not gain any noticable power
right on the money
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:41 PM
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Well from what Ive heard you would get around 9-10 HP. That's a descent increase to me for $15.
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:46 PM
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You won't gain anything on these cars - if anything, you run the risk of losing power, especially in the low end and if your car is an automatic. If you have something better to spend the $15 on, then buy that instead. All you are going to gain is sound at WOT. Notice I have the 5th gen OEM intake on my car with the 00VI. There's a reason for that
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Noladol
Well from what Ive heard you would get around 9-10 HP. That's a descent increase to me for $15.
You've heard wrong, very wrong.
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:50 PM
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Ok then I would basically be wasting $15?
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Old 09-24-2008, 10:53 PM
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Basically, yes. Unless, of course, you want the increased sound under the hood, then go for it by all means. If you want a quick & easy power gain and you haven't already installed one, you can put the money toward an aftermarket Y-pipe. I believe the warpspeed pipes are under $200 these days.
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Old 09-24-2008, 11:09 PM
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Well I very much appreciate the information. About how much gain would I get out of the Y-pipe?
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Old 09-24-2008, 11:14 PM
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Well the Y, on the other hand, is more likely to give you the 10+ hp that you're looking for. And that's legit power. Intakes are more for show & noise

Check out the motorvate site. They gained an average of 19 HP with the Y:

http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/504

If you're otherwise stock, it's really the best first mod that you can do. It was my first mod, and the initial drive after the install was great!
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Old 09-24-2008, 11:14 PM
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if you go on the warpspeed site it says like 18-20 hp i think, from wat i hear this is the best mod to get for the power gain and the price, im too lookin into gettin a y pipe, just gotta get some money for it first lol
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:41 AM
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Sweet. I think that's the way I'm gonna go then.
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:52 AM
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Now if they only had a $15 Y-Pipe. It'd probably be made out of flex hosing and duct tape, marketed to give you 50 hp, and someone on here would be asking if it would be a good idea to buy and put on their maxima.
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Old 09-25-2008, 04:34 AM
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The Injen intake was the worst mod I ever did to my car.
Throttle response was completely gone in my a/t once it was heat soaked.

Horrable, just horrable...
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Old 09-25-2008, 04:57 AM
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Originally Posted by CRiME
Well the Y, on the other hand, is more likely to give you the 10+ hp that you're looking for. And that's legit power. Intakes are more for show & noise

Check out the motorvate site. They gained an average of 19 HP with the Y:

http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/504

If you're otherwise stock, it's really the best first mod that you can do. It was my first mod, and the initial drive after the install was great!
same here first power mod, but first did all the maintenance like spark plugs itp.. noticed big difference after putting the y pipe in worth the 200 $
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Old 09-25-2008, 06:27 AM
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if u have an MT get the cheap $15 intake anyway, the noise it makes is incredible, but u will not see any gains from it. And the MTs dont suffer on low end like the autos
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Old 09-25-2008, 06:49 AM
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just buy a KandN filter well worth the money
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Old 09-25-2008, 11:26 AM
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So, you guys are basically saying getting a 15/30 dollar ebay short ram is a fine idea? For the sound, basically is what I want. Not going to lie .I mean, the only bad I have heard is that they are not well put together. Are some better than others on ebay?
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Old 09-25-2008, 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Eyce
So, you guys are basically saying getting a 15/30 dollar ebay short ram is a fine idea? For the sound, basically is what I want. Not going to lie .I mean, the only bad I have heard is that they are not well put together. Are some better than others on ebay?
buy anyone really as long as it has a mid pipe, when i was buying mine the only color i could find was green, red, and blue so i went with flamboyant blue, im using the filter until it gets dirty then i will buy a K&N one, ur filter is not really going to make any difference.
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by njmaxseltd
The Injen intake was the worst mod I ever did to my car.
Throttle response was completely gone in my a/t once it was heat soaked.

Horrable, just horrable...
indeed....i had bought one..cause injen makes good stuff..and so does aem..so i boguht the injen intake....figured that everyone on here was lieing..i put it on..drove it..n took it right off..LOL......sold it for about hte same price..but i didn't lose any money..so it was ok..but seriously..i lost so much power...n throttle response lagged so much it was kind of funny...

Get the Y pipe, its worth it..but be prepared to bring it to a shop because ur bolts that bolt onto the cat are most likely rusted to the point where it doesn't budge. I had air tools and still didn't work..i had to bring it to a shop where they torched it off.

And for the intake..i still wanted sound. So i went to pep boys..found a maf adapter (it was like a plastic one) doesn't fit 100%, but i got two bolts on there n it covered the air holes on the side..so whatever....bought a cone for $20....took out the box, n got myself a short ram intake....lost a little bit of power, but i got the sound i wanted..woot!!! but then now i'm back to stock..not worth the lost of power n gas mileage IMO....
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:15 PM
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can you elaborate a little on your custom short ram here?

Pep boys sells MAF Adapters??

If you could explain how it all goes together that'd be awesome, I still don't exactly understand.
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:24 PM
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i later one bought one of these..the metal ones....

http://forums.maxima.org/group-deal-...f-adapter.html

But you can get a plastic one on e-bay for like $10 shipped

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_Car-...=p4506.c0.m245

Pepboys has one like it, but not exactly the same...it doesn't fit exactly, a little modding has to be done. You take off the stock box...attach this to the maf..n then put the cone at the end of it...simple short ram intake...this only works for hte 4th gen cause the 5th gen maf is different i believe..
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Old 09-25-2008, 01:20 PM
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Thanks for all the info guys. I honestly didnt realize having an Auto trans would make that much of a difference with the CAI. I found a Y-pipe and headers for $180 and I think im going with that. Maybe I'll get a CAI when I have enough power and wont notice the loss.
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Old 09-25-2008, 01:21 PM
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Originally Posted by ImmaSquashYou
i later one bought one of these..the metal ones....

http://forums.maxima.org/group-deal-...f-adapter.html

But you can get a plastic one on e-bay for like $10 shipped

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_Car-...=p4506.c0.m245

Pepboys has one like it, but not exactly the same...it doesn't fit exactly, a little modding has to be done. You take off the stock box...attach this to the maf..n then put the cone at the end of it...simple short ram intake...this only works for hte 4th gen cause the 5th gen maf is different i believe..
No pipe or anything? You can just put the air filter in after your MAF adapter?
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Old 09-25-2008, 01:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Noladol
Thanks for all the info guys. I honestly didnt realize having an Auto trans would make that much of a difference with the CAI. I found a Y-pipe and headers for $180 and I think im going with that. Maybe I'll get a CAI when I have enough power and wont notice the loss.
No problem. Happy to help you out. Would have been a shame if you bought the injen without checking in here first. Man would you would have been disappointed if your expectations were that high!

The header and Y set that you found, what brand is it? IIRC, SS Autochrome sells a header and Y combo for around that price on ebay. From what I've read, fitment/quality is not good at all. Most people opt to just opt to get the Y pipe [Cheapest right now would probably be Warpspeed - I may be wrong, but I don't think that Budget (LSS Exhaust) makes pipes for our cars any more] as headers are pretty difficult to install on these cars and do not yield as much power as the Y pipe.

Originally Posted by Eyce
No pipe or anything? You can just put the air filter in after your MAF adapter?
The cone filter is attached to the MAF adapter with a clamp. So pretty much you slip the rubber part of the cone over the adapter and screw the clamp on - it won't budge
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Old 09-25-2008, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by CRiME
No problem. Happy to help you out. Would have been a shame if you bought the injen without checking in here first. Man would you would have been disappointed if your expectations were that high!

The header and Y set that you found, what brand is it? IIRC, SS Autochrome sells a header and Y combo for around that price on ebay. From what I've read, fitment/quality is not good at all. Most people opt to just opt to get the Y pipe [Cheapest right now would probably be Warpspeed - I may be wrong, but I don't think that Budget (LSS Exhaust) makes pipes for our cars any more] as headers are pretty difficult to install on these cars and do not yield as much power as the Y pipe.



The cone filter is attached to the MAF adapter with a clamp. So pretty much you slip the rubber part of the cone over the adapter and screw the clamp on - it won't budge
Awesome, thank you for the information.
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Old 09-25-2008, 02:16 PM
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I have had countless intakes. Short ram, OSCAI, CAI, k&n, drilled box, mid pipes, resonators, etc. and no noticable difference at the track.

IMO with the usim dont bother. They sound terrible. If you want to do anything just drill a hole in the bottom 1/2 of the box (on the fender side), add a hose to the fender. Then drill holes on the fender side of the resonator under the battery.
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Old 09-25-2008, 02:26 PM
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i wouldn't suggest getting the $180 y-pipe with header. first of all, it doesn't seem like you know the hassle of installing the headers. Read up on installing headers for out cars, you have to take the motor mounts off and swing the engine. Yea, its not as simple as a honda...-= ) Plus fitment will probably be really bad with the $180 set-up. Do yourself a little favor, go with reputable companies and spend a little bit more. You might just want to do the y-pipe for now.
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Old 09-25-2008, 07:55 PM
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Well I'm not worried about the installation because I have a good friend that is more than willing to help me install the headers and he has been a mechanic for 30 years. However, what should I look for when buying headers? You say the "fit" wont be as good as say "name brand" headers?
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Old 09-26-2008, 05:00 AM
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I got the "headers and y pipe" from a guy on here who bought them off ebay, probably the same ones you're talking about. The y pipe took some muscle and grinding to make fit, and the headers are not in use, because I don't want to do it lol.

From what I understand the "shorty" headers that often come in that kit don't give much power, just a better sound.

maybe if I get an engine swap I'll install them
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Old 09-26-2008, 12:19 PM
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ebay cold air/short ram intake kits

i have actually bought two kits off ebay and wound up mixing and mathcing parts.... what you will get is a straight tube and a curved s-shaped tube. the curved tube is useless. throw it away. what you will want to first is take every plastic piece found in the intake setup, remove it and throw it away. the airbox is big and sucks on airflow. the mixing box muffles sound and doesnt do anything. the short piece included in your kit will be attached to the throttle body. then the MAF will be connected to it via a hose/clamp, then an adapter plate will be mounted to the right side of the MAF and then the filter. be sure to connect all hoses to the short tube. also you will have to re-mount the nissan boost sensor, not a hard task. you can use the bottom of the airbox to "cradle" the cone filter which it will still bounce around or you can make your own mount for about 5 bucks worth of metal and rivets.

now for the upside of things. your engine will roar!!!! especiall when you get it in the right gear and hit the gas. it really purrs.
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Old 09-26-2008, 12:57 PM
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Originally Posted by djluski
i have actually bought two kits off ebay and wound up mixing and mathcing parts.... what you will get is a straight tube and a curved s-shaped tube. the curved tube is useless. throw it away. what you will want to first is take every plastic piece found in the intake setup, remove it and throw it away. the airbox is big and sucks on airflow. the mixing box muffles sound and doesnt do anything. the short piece included in your kit will be attached to the throttle body. then the MAF will be connected to it via a hose/clamp, then an adapter plate will be mounted to the right side of the MAF and then the filter. be sure to connect all hoses to the short tube. also you will have to re-mount the nissan boost sensor, not a hard task. you can use the bottom of the airbox to "cradle" the cone filter which it will still bounce around or you can make your own mount for about 5 bucks worth of metal and rivets.

now for the upside of things. your engine will roar!!!! especiall when you get it in the right gear and hit the gas. it really purrs.
The OP has already decided to skip the intake idea and go for a Y-pipe; something that will actually give him better performance.

Out of curiosity, though, which kit did you buy? Why is the "curved tube" useless? If you bought the BOMZ cold air intake or something similar to it, the curved tube that comes with it is designed to run into the fender well. But if you didn't cut a 3.25" hole in the fender well for it to fit, then it would be useless because it just has nowhere to go.

Setting up your intake that way would actually be better than your current setup - it's considered to be a "true CAI". The way you have it right now, as a short ram, you're sucking in a good amount of hot air from the engine. So if you didn't throw the curved tube in the trash, drill the hole for it and run it that way.
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Old 09-26-2008, 03:51 PM
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the injen comes with a carb legal sticker...other then that its just a metal hollow pipe.
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