this is a question for someone who is familiar with car mods

Check here also:

http://www.honda-acura.net/

Used to be really awesome a few years back. I haven't been doing many mods lately, so I'm seldom ever there.



Also, I read a research study somewhere that says that on average, you can expect a 1 HP gain for every 10 degrees you can drop the incoming air. This is due to the density of the colder air. I think I gained more "Mental" HP out of my CAI than legitimate HP, but where I noticed it was in my mileage, which went up probably about 3 mpg in Los Angeles city traffic, which is HUGE out there. However, a stock Accord has a horribly restrictive intake and it directs the air all over the place, which kills the velocity of the air.



Don't know if you have any smog checks or anything that your vehicle has to go through, but most CAIs are prefectly legal. They should have a sticker or a notice with them that gives their inspection numbers. I remember some young kid got into with me over my CAI telling me that he was failing me for the "visual" inspection b/c the CAI was illegal. I showed him the CARB (California Air Resource Board) sticker and told him to check the book. He refused and started to write me up as a failure. I quickly got the manager and explained to them and they checked the reference number and sure as heck, it was legal. The manager apologized and passed my vehicle. Gave me a little discount too, if I remember correctly.
 
zzyyzx said:
I think I gained more "Mental" HP out of my CAI than legitimate HP, but where I noticed it was in my mileage, which went up probably about 3 mpg in Los Angeles city traffic, which is HUGE out there.
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I also noticed an improvement in gas mileage... after the first few weeks of course. The first few weeks involved lots of WOT, so gas mileage decreased a bit during that time. :D
 
rjstaaf said:
Personally I think CAIs are a huge waist of money. Typically any gains from them are due to the less restrictive than stock air filter that comes with them.
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It all depends on how efficient the stock intake/airbox is and how well designed the CAI is--there's a difference in brands. But I agree that for a lot of cars most of the benefit of a CAI can be had by replacing the stock filter with a high flow K&N type. IMHO, a lot of people install a CAI for the look and differnence in sound. One that isn't a good match for your engine may give you more power at high rpms but at the expense of torque at low/mid rpms.
 
yeah, I don't think he's interested in optimum respiration of his engine, or getting lower temp, more dense air masses into his engine so much as he is 'tricking out' his car.
 
see i really don't have an accord, it just my s/n was what i wanted before i got my car. i actually have a 2004 civic. it's not that fast but it feels fast. so i just want a cai to make that sound people talk about. and maybe improve gas mileage if it could get any better which i doubt. i'm already getting 33 mpg city. any ways you guys said something about changing the muffler so i was wondering usually how much does it cost. thanks
 
Muffler, well there's a ton of choices and cost will depend on what brand and if you just do the muffler or catback system. Don't know how much it'll run but a friend of mine installed an A'pexi on a Civic he used to have and said it's just a little louder than stock. I doubt it cost much.
 
thats fine if its a bolt job, but what if welding is required?



Eh, if you just wanna make your engine rev a little louder, stick with an open air element, like a Cold or warm air kit.



If it says autos wont fit, then don't buy it; look somewhere else. EVen better, like the other guy said, hit the net and ask people used to modifying civics. :)
 
rjstaaf said:
Personally I think CAIs are a huge waist of money. Typically any gains from them are due to the less restrictive than stock air filter that comes with them.
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Not on Hondas. They have this ridiculous resonator that is like a dang maze the air has to pass through on the way to the air box. Some of the cold air intakes on Acura RSX Type S are getting almost 20 hp at the wheels because of how restrictive the resonator is.



I know on my Accord, the AEM cold air intake I got made a difference you could feel. The long tube required to put the filter down in between the wheel well and bumper gives a nice fat bump between 4000-5000 (depending on the engine) that in my Accord really helped because the engine would drop to 4000 rpm on the 1-2 upshift. After installing the intake, my engine no longer momentarily fell on its face after the 1-2 shift. The trade off was a big increase in intake noise.



On my 626, I doubt it would help me much, since the stock intake is very efficient. It not only draws air in from between the batter and headlight, but it is factory sealed with foam to help insulate it from heat.
 
accordmaniac said:
see i really don't have an accord, it just my s/n was what i wanted before i got my car. i actually have a 2004 civic. it's not that fast but it feels fast. so i just want a cai to make that sound people talk about. and maybe improve gas mileage if it could get any better which i doubt. i'm already getting 33 mpg city. any ways you guys said something about changing the muffler so i was wondering usually how much does it cost. thanks
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More noise is a horrible reason to spend money on your car. Trust me, after a while, it gets very annoying. Short ram intakes can really be obnoxiously loud. CAIs tend to be a bit quieter at cruising speeds but are almost as loud at WOT. Loud mufflers can be even worse, especially if they drone at freeway speeds.



I did get an improvement in mileage with my Accord after a cai/header/exhaust/pulleys but it was only a couple mpg in town and freeway, certainly not enough to pay for the mods in saved gas. The payoff was much improved passing power.



I must admit though, that cool 'hiss' when you turn off a Honda with a CAI does sound pretty neat. ;)
 
Scottwax said:
Not on Hondas. They have this ridiculous resonator that is like a dang maze the air has to pass through on the way to the air box. Some of the cold air intakes on Acura RSX Type S are getting almost 20 hp at the wheels because of how restrictive the resonator is.



I know on my Accord, the AEM cold air intake I got made a difference you could feel. The long tube required to put the filter down in between the wheel well and bumper gives a nice fat bump between 4000-5000 (depending on the engine) that in my Accord really helped because the engine would drop to 4000 rpm on the 1-2 upshift. After installing the intake, my engine no longer momentarily fell on its face after the 1-2 shift. The trade off was a big increase in intake noise.



On my 626, I doubt it would help me much, since the stock intake is very efficient. It not only draws air in from between the batter and headlight, but it is factory sealed with foam to help insulate it from heat.
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My accord has a dead spot at the same spot :(
 
Scottwax said:
More noise is a horrible reason to spend money on your car. Trust me, after a while, it gets very annoying. Short ram intakes can really be obnoxiously loud. CAIs tend to be a bit quieter at cruising speeds but are almost as loud at WOT. Loud mufflers can be even worse, especially if they drone at freeway speeds.
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My Injen CAI is nearly silent when cruising. The only time I can hear it while cruising is on the freeway at >80mph (~3000rpm I think). Other than that, I generally don't even hear it when accelerating normally. To me, the intake roar at WOT is beautiful since you only hear it once in a while... unless you drive like an idiot all the time. :rolleyes:



I agree with Scott about loud mufflers. When I got my muffler, I was 17 and looking mostly for sound "improvement". Of course I loved the sound for a while, but now I get tired of it. Back then, it was also less common to see a car with an aftermarket exhaust. Nowadays you're hard-pressed to find a Civic here without modifications.

I still like the appearance of the chrome muffler on my car, but the sound definitely got annoying after a while. Mine rarely drones, and actually makes no noise at all above 3000rpm, so it's not as bad as some mufflers would be.







The payoff was much improved passing power.
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This is one thing that keeps me holding on to the loud muffler. I feel that if I put a restrictive muffler back on, it would affect the performance a bit, and there are a lot of roads here that don't offer long passing opportunities. Sometimes I need near 100% of my car's power to execute a safe pass.
 
DetailGirl said:
Who is dumb enough to keep a stock air filter on a CAI??:nono
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I believe this is what he means:



Typically any gains from them are due to the less restrictive than stock air filter that comes with them.
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Reworded in my words...typically any gains from a CAI are due to the air filter that comes with the CAI, which is less-restrictive than the stock filter.



Forgive me if I reworded your sentence incorrectly.
 
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