[matt1034]

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Just thought I would share some info. I installed my AFE intake and can feel a difference. No CEL's. engine noise remains close to stock with a subtle increase in pressure release from the turbo. Off the line performance is better and the power remains constant up until the high 5's from what I can tell. Will update later on with long terms thoughts and fuel economy feedback.

[bnekic]

Thanks for the feedback! Mine is sitting in the living room waiting for my car to get here...along with the aFe exhaust, intake scoop and BMS Stage 1.

Can you hear the intake from inside while driving?

[matt1034]

I'm waiting on my BMS to arrive as well. Let me me know how the downpipe turns out. You can hear it but it's not very deep. The increase in sound seems the same at all RPM's. i am pleased. My only concern is the increased airflow will cause the computer to pump more fuel resulting in a loss of mpg. If that is the case I believe the ECU will adjust over time but I am no expert.

[bnekic]

I got the aFe cat back exhaust not down pipe. I'll take a video and give my feedback once I get everything installed.

[buildbright]

It's been proven this intake does not increase horsepower but even if it did produce 15hp you could not feel it.

[bnekic]

Originally Posted by buildbright

It's been proven this intake does not increase horsepower but even if it did produce 15hp you could not feel it.

Where did you get this info? aFe's dyno sheet clearly shows it making power, 10hp/14tq.

[matt1034]

2-3hp ... No 15hp ..yes, you feel a difference.

[rado]

Matt, which air filter did you go with, the Pro Dry S or the Pro 5 R? I'm leaning towards the dry filter to eliminate risk of fouling the MAF with oil from the 5 R (though if it's never over oiled, it should be OK). What I don't know is which filter is more effective at catching particles, probably neither one is as effective as the stock paper filter.

TIA,

[PGT]

Originally Posted by bnekic

Where did you get this info? aFe's dyno sheet clearly shows it making power, 10hp/14tq.

every intake manufacturer promises numbers like that

[matt1034]

Originally Posted by rado

Matt, which air filter did you go with, the Pro Dry S or the Pro 5 R? I'm leaning towards the dry filter to eliminate risk of fouling the MAF with oil from the 5 R (though if it's never over oiled, it should be OK). What I don't know is which filter is more effective at catching particles, probably neither one is as effective as the stock paper filter.

TIA,

Dry filter

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by PGT

every intake manufacturer promises numbers like that

True, I also am always skeptical about intake power claims.

I had an Carbonio on my CC, claimed 15hp at the crank.

My butt dyno wanted to concur.

All I know is it had to make some more power because the clutch slipped when I had software+intake, the next day when I removed the intake, the clutch held the power no problem-no slipping.

[PGT]

Originally Posted by matt1034

Exactly .... Turbo cars almost always respond well to intake mods. NA not so much. Regardless, I am happy with my purchase.

Eric at Helix posted about how hard it is to show intake improvements on the dyno since airflow is artificially created.

intakes can improve performance in two ways; IAT and flow. If the stock airbox location is providing IAT's higher than 6-10 degrees above ambient, there's room for improvement; if not, an intake is useless. That brings up flow.....nobody tells you this spec (except perhaps Banks Power). You'd have to nearly double the output power of most modern turbo cars to exceed the flow capabilities of a stock airbox.

I think the reasons you guys think the car is faster with an intake alone is that your wallets are lighter, thereby improving performance.

[roozie2001]

Originally Posted by PGT

Eric at Helix posted about how hard it is to show intake improvements on the dyno since airflow is artificially created.

intakes can improve performance in two ways; IAT and flow. If the stock airbox location is providing IAT's higher than 6-10 degrees above ambient, there's room for improvement; if not, an intake is useless. That brings up flow.....nobody tells you this spec (except perhaps Banks Power). You'd have to nearly double the output power of most modern turbo cars to exceed the flow capabilities of a stock airbox.

I think the reasons you guys think the car is faster with an intake alone is that your wallets are lighter, thereby improving performance.

^ what he said. Once u get a downpipe. full exhaust. change out your turbos to bigger turbos and increase the amount of boost youre running, etc. Then you can put on an aftermarket intake and see some real gains. Til then its a nice little mod that makes 3hp. it looks "Cool" inside your engine bay and makes a nice little woooshhhh noise with a tiny bit of growl when you hit the gas.

[bnekic]

^ Right...the OP is getting a BMS Stage 1 so his boost will be increased and he'll see more performance gains out of his intake.

[topcat87]

some people report have their car throw a lean code error so its highly possible the intake lets more air into the engine

[PGT]

Originally Posted by topcat87

some people report have their car throw a lean code error so its highly possible the intake lets more air into the engine

correct, but without a proper tune it makes no difference as the ECU can't take advantage of it. An intake alone is a waste of money. As part of other mods, it can be useful.

You'd be surprised what a good panel filter in the stock airbox can do......50-75% of the benefits of an intake at 10% of the cost. I put an AEM panel filter in my SRT8 and got lean codes so it flows more air as well. I can monitor IATs via the LCD screen.....6-8 degrees F over ambient.....pretty darned good.

<--- has bought dedicated intakes for quite a few cars but gotten rid of them unless a tune was involved.

[Kaitain]

Originally Posted by PGT

Eric at Helix posted about how hard it is to show intake improvements on the dyno since airflow is artificially created.

intakes can improve performance in two ways; IAT and flow. If the stock airbox location is providing IAT's higher than 6-10 degrees above ambient, there's room for improvement; if not, an intake is useless. That brings up flow.....nobody tells you this spec (except perhaps Banks Power). You'd have to nearly double the output power of most modern turbo cars to exceed the flow capabilities of a stock airbox.

I think the reasons you guys think the car is faster with an intake alone is that your wallets are lighter, thereby improving performance.

+1 on this. Sorry guys, but an intake by itself, as has been proven on Dyno's with multiple intakes on multiple forced induction cars, at stock or near stock levels, has no improvement in horsepower. Asstated above, you would need a MUCH larger turbine with a lot of other mods to get to the point were a stock airbox cannot keep up with the required air intake need of said large turbine. Your measley bolt-ons with a piggyback are not enough to need more flow then the stock airbox can supply.

Congrat's on a great sounding intake for a lot of money. I would say it felt faster on my butt dyno 2000 also!

[bnekic]

On a forced induction car you will gain hp/tq with an intake...bottom line.

[Kaitain]

Originally Posted by bnekic

On a forced induction car you will gain hp/tq with an intake...bottom line.

Absolutely incorrect statement. Add an intake to a stock car, and you will see no/neglible gains, proven on Dyno's from a non seller of intakes. Add an intake that sees higher IAT temps, and you will see lower HP on the same dyno. I will have to pull up the episode of Mythbusters that tookquite a few cars, stock to full aftermarket turbo with engine work, and they proved an intake was neglible overall. The built car with a ton of mods and larger turbo was still barely showing a decent HP gain from a stock intake to an aftermarket one, Intakes, overall, by themselves do nothing but sound and butt dyno improvements. With other mods, with a very small increase in HP, they are neglible, but, when you talk about doubling the stock power, then you are needing more air into that forced induction engine, you will then see some improvements.

[bnekic]

^ Your right, my Evo that made power on the dyno with an intake must have been a dream.

Also are you saying the dyno sheet aFe posted showing gains with their intake is not real?

[S-Dot]

I'm a bit curious as to why the two dyno runs shown on the aFe dyno chart are a week apart...

For me to be convinced of any power gains, I'd want to see back-to back dyno runs from customers (not from manufacturer or resellers).

I remain skeptical. The chip tuners have shown that a more aggressive program will make more power with the stock intake, so clearly the stock intake is capable of flowing more air than required by the stock engine.

I think it may be possible to improve upon the OEM design to provide more flow, but that's only helpful if the flow of the stock design is restrictive. I certainly wouldn't expect much if any gain on a stock or lightly-tuned vehicle.

But I'm more than happy to be proven wrong, so let's see some dyno charts!

[jokerswld34]

I agree that an open filter intake probably offers negligible power gains. The stock intake on most cars today are designed to be more than capable if equipped with a better filter element. But for turbo cars, especially those with increased boost levels, a higher flowing CAI or open filter intake should enhance throttle response and power delivery at highway speeds and top end quite a bit.

The 328 gets choked out as the speeds pick up, but the power still feels available. I would imagine with a ram scoop and open air intake, the performance at higher speeds would be better.