Hey guys, I am wondering what makes one CAI system better than the other...

Example: $250+ AEM vs $25 Ebay cheapo.

If both pipe sizing is the same and say the ebay one fits ok, and you bought a nice K&N filter for your ebay cheapo pipes.... Why is AEM(or any other high priced intake system) better? Besides from the coating...

How much gain is a Intake going to give you anyways? Is it worth it to wast $250 on somthing you probabally wont notice that much?

 

i just have my own custom AEM intake, its got the intake from a civic and it goes into one from like a GSR or something...its not bad..sounds pretty mean..but i do have a K and N filter


EDIT so to keep on topic, no therei s no difference in my eyes..but im sure someoen on here will tell u different

 

You should do a search, we had like a 8 page topic about this sometime ago.

Paying a big company like AEM for a product supports further products for our cars.

Supporting some ebay ripoff artist gets money in his pocket, but doesn't further the Hyundai cause.

Brand names are important for clout and car shows too.

Lastly, a AEM CAI should only cost about $180 shipped. Where you got $250, ya got ripped.

 

Well...people say that AEM is better because they just want the name brand. Supposedly, they do a lot of research to get you the best design for air flow...but no. It doesn't matter...as long as you get smooth flow, and very little sharp bends (like 90 degree bends), then you should be fine. If anything, the filter design is what separates which CAI is better. I believe the Apexi one, with the cone design in the center, has the best shape and highest HP output. But eh. It's pricey...any other filter is fine.

So...all in all...there is really no separating difference. People just want the name brand crap on their intake. Any mandrel bent 3" tubing is fine...as long as you don't have 90 degree bends.

 

AEM, does research and dyno's their products for best results.

Ebay doesn't.

 

If the location of the filter is the same, the inside of the piping is the same (some of those Ebay ones don't have mandrel), and the filter is the same, the only thing that seperates the two is the coating. Also, with AEM, you get higher quality material in most instances. Plus its SHINY.

 

Also keep in mind our small market has almost nothing to choose from.

For example you guys think AEM really did hardcore testing for our intake???

C'mon man, they took a tube, looked at someones car and entered it into their computer. The computer told the bender what to do, and blam, hardcore research. They didn't do crap guys. They made a 3" aluminum tube fit in a tiburon. Thats it. Now yes we want AEM parts, but we dont get any, because they wanted to address an issue quickly and they did. But no big testing on hyundais. Just a dyno to prove their number is good. And even then, AEM will take the highest spike in the dyno and claim that is the estimated HP gain. Not the overall rating, they could care less. As long as that Peak HP is high enough to market the bent tube, they are happy.

There are a few way different types of intakes. Filters inside, short ram, ram air, Aluminum, ABS, Silicone, etc. The difference is in the properties of the material used to make the intake. For example with AEM, you get cold air right? Right? kinda. You get a filter where there is cold air, and in your hot ass engine that "cold air" is already significantly raised in temp by the time it hits the TB. Thats because the aluminum keeps the hot temps from the engine bay and introduces them to that new cold air. Plus even with the mandrel bent tube, that surface the air passes by is only so smooth.

There are silicone intakes with baby smooth insides, made from a material which keeps cool no matter the temp under the hood. NOW THAT is a cold air intake. It give your TB cold air, and no goofy air bouncing around before hand, its a nice smoothe entrance to HP. Nice steady curves on a dyno. Reason being, that system would provide HP throughout the powerband, forget about peak HP. There are even systems out there, where the first part of the intake system is a horn that replaces a headlight, from that horn down into the new airbox, through the filter and still cold to your TB, that cold air is being pushed in as you drive.

Cool stuff. I doubt we'll ever see anything like that, but at least we'll a new intake made of silicone. wink1.gif

 

^^ True with all intakes and exhaust. There really isn't much testing to do on a product. Things like headers and intake manifolds you can play around with different designs. Not so much with simple piping.

Really though, the air in the intake doesn't heat up too much. It really is only in the pipe for a few seconds.

 

My good crazyass friend Random would disagree.

Do you know anyone who's set up a laptop and multiple heat sensors in their engine and intake, solely for the sake of having the info on tap???

I do, the aforementioned RANDOM!!! He did a bit of testing, and the results were pretty crazy. Lets just say lots of heat add up through the cold air coming in.

 

wow, he wouldnt have those test result lying around anywhere would he??? that'd be crazy interesting to see...