'01 Cavalier 2.2 Intake Suggestions/Help

[Zeifer]

Hey guys. The time has come to start upgrading the Cav. I figured I'd start with an intake. Lacking the proper facilities, I can't really fab my own unless I can get access to one of my friend's garages (which is near impossible), and not wanting to wait 2 weeks just to stick a metal tube with a filter on my car, I began looking at budget intakes.

Now I know there's no such thing as cheap speed, but I'm not really willing to dump 200 bucks on an AEM or whatever for their claimed 8HP gain (which I probably wouldn't get anyways). I'd be happy with a 2HP gain and ecstatic with a 5HP gain.

After a bit of searching I found these:

Short Ram:
http://www.slickcar.com/details/1002...air-intake.asp

CAI:
http://www.slickcar.com/details/9958...air-intake.asp

Now I know the second link says it's for a 2.4L. Can anyone elaborate on whether or not it will/won't fit on my 2.2?

Now failing that the CAI won't fit on my 2.2, I'd opt for the short ram. Does anyone have any experience with this brand ("KS")? And my biggest concerns really are the fact that:

A. It won't do anything at all or will reduce performance.
B. It won't have a socket to plug in my MAF sensor.

Would I be better off with a couple Ebay intakes and coupling them together (if need be and I can't find a CAI or getting one that goes in the fender (which sucks) with some hose clamps and a silicone band? I can cut the intakes if need be but I don't have a welder.

Thanks for the help guys.

[J-Ri]

The 2.2 and 2.4 are completely different, no similarities between them whatsoever.

Unless you tune the engine, don't expect any gain from an intake (or any add-on component, for that matter). You may occasionally get a bit more HP, but the computer limits everything. You will have no more fuel injected than with a stock intake. In closed loop, the PCM will adjust a bit, and the throttle may feel more responsive in the normal driving range. As soon as you go full throttle, the PCM reverts to pre-set tables and completely ignores the O2 sensor, which is what was telling it to give more fuel at part throttle.

If I were you, the first thing I would do is tune the car, then get a header (the exhaust is much more restricted than the intake), then an intake. Or, do nothing to this car and save your money for something else. Your engine is a good one for everything except performance.