Intake and Spiral Max

Alright all you guys are smart so I have two questions for you: 1. Is getting an AEM CAI for my 2000 Accord really worth it or are there other brands that cost less and perform just at well. 2. Is that Spiral Max seen here: www.spiralmax.com a bunch of bullshit or does it really work?
Thanks

<statement retracted> No clue about the Spiral Max, but I wouldn't spend $70 on a few peices of bent metal. Add $20 and you could have an AEM short ram intake.

There are plenty of other intake manufacturers besides AEM, however AEM is probably the most widely known one. The AEM CAI V2 is supposedly a one-of-a-kind intake because it has multiple-width piping but it is quite a bit more expensive. If you live in a place where it rains a lot, be sure that you buy an intake with an Air-Bypass Valve so you don't risk hydro-locking your engine. You'll also want to get a good filter that isn't likely to break off.

If you're looking for something cheaper, I would say just go with the Short-Ram Intake. I know what everyone says: "Colder, denser air means more power." Okay, well, that may be true but here are the advantages of a Short-Ram:

1) It's cheaper.

2) It looks much cooler in your engine compartment.

3) The pipe is shorter. Getting air through a short pipe is easier than getting air through a long pipe.

4) A CAI will only give you a few more HP, and if you REALLY need those few HP, just remove your passenger side headlight when racing (but don't do it in the rain).

here's the disadvantage of the short ram intake:

1)a gain of 1 to 2 hp if even that over stock :rolleyes:, why waste the money?

2)it looks cool to people who think it looks cool

3)the pipe is shorter so your inducting hot air from the engine bay, not what u want.

does the v2 come with a filter? What do you mean by buying a good one?

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm not sure if the v2 or just the normal CAI comes with a filter but all you have to buy is a K&N filter and you will be fine. The spiral max thing is still bothering me, I emailed the company and asked them about it and they sent me a ton of ppl's comments that had used it and loved it. Now i know that if the company really wanted to they could have made all those posts up, so.... I dont know, if it works then it would be pretty sweet, but i am hesitant. I think I will go with CAI instead of short ram.

The V2 and CAI should both come with filters. My Short Ram did.

tran_nsx:

Did you even finish reading my post? The point of removing the passenger side headlight is to get all that nice cold, dense air right into the intake.

If you buy a CAI, what will you get, 4-5 HP? Wow. That's worth $200. If you're just driving your car around, 4-5 HP instead of 2-3 isn't going to make any difference to you what-so-ever. On top of that, you can't do anything to increase air flow to your CAI since it's in your lower bumper. Having a Short Ram and removing your passenger side headlight is like sticking your intake straight out into the air, you're likely to get a better air flow by doing that than you ever could with a CAI. The placement of the air filter on a Short Ram is directly behind the passenger side headlight so by removing it you're getting air passing directly into your intake.

The V2 and CAI should both come with filters. My Short Ram did.

tran_nsx:

Did you even finish reading my post? The point of removing the passenger side headlight is to get all that nice cold, dense air right into the intake.

If you buy a CAI, what will you get, 4-5 HP? Wow. That's worth $200. If you're just driving your car around, 4-5 HP instead of 2-3 isn't going to make any difference to you what-so-ever. On top of that, you can't do anything to increase air flow to your CAI since it's in your lower bumper. Having a Short Ram and removing your passenger side headlight is like sticking your intake straight out into the air, you're likely to get a better air flow by doing that than you ever could with a CAI. The placement of the air filter on a Short Ram is directly behind the passenger side headlight so by removing it you're getting air passing directly into your intake.

yes i did read ur whole post but i forgot to add the last one here it goes:

4. removing passenger headlight? do u want a ticket that bad?

ok ur at a stop light, a another car comes next to u and revs. u shout out, "hey, hey, hold up, give me 10 mintes, let me remove my head light"! the other guys look at u and laugh :lol2: , thats worse then u telling them u have to go to ur trunk to turn on your nitrous.

for people's info, there has been several test comparing a sri (short ram intake) to an oem's intake, and with some of them they actually made less hp. just think about it, most of the honda's oem's intake air induction takes place in front of the car near the radiator, by switching to a sri, ur actually kinda down grading.

more info, all of aem's intake comes with a k&n air filter, but it just says aem on the bottom.

with the air bypass valve, don't even buy it unless u live in an area where there are flooding water. for the valve to work, the filter must be fully submerged. in an average vehicle the top of the filter is around 12 above ground. so don't expect the valve to work until water reaches this level. also when the valve is installed, there will be a decrease of hp due to its inference and resitance of air flow.

with an aem cai u can see about 5 to 9 hp. there was a test done on done using a 93 civic h/b si and it got 3 hp, but they tested it on a race track in the desert where the ambient temp of the air being induct is similarly to the temp of the engine bay.

1st...u don't see any "gains" more like "freeing."

2nd, i believe he is talking about at the track, even tho an extra 2-3 hp freed up will do jack squat for u car. in an accord, the guy even w/ a cai would be lucky to see anything over 5hp freed up (and this would have to be when its cold out.) if its hot out...not even going to free that much up.

3rd...ur both right... :biggrin:

Good god, thank you KrNxRaCer00. I was talking about the track.

Do I want a ticket that bad? For removing my headlight? If I'm blazing down the street at 100 mph and a cop catches me, not having a headlight is going to be the last of my problems. And when I said "when racing" I was implying racing at a track. I don't suggest street racing to other people as it is illegal, and incredibly dangerous.

And as he said, 2-3 HP or 5-9 HP won't do you a whole lot. The only case where it will probably come in is when you have two identical Accords racing and one has a CAI and the other a Short Ram.

Besides that, IT IS AN ACCORD. IT IS NOT A STREET RACING MACHINE. If you have another person riding in the car with you, it pretty much negates the whole point of that CAI with the additional weight. We're talking about a 4-Cyl engine that does about 150 - 160 HP in a car that weighs over 3000 lbs.

Besides that, IT IS AN ACCORD. IT IS NOT A STREET RACING MACHINE. If you have another person riding in the car with you, it pretty much negates the whole point of that CAI with the additional weight. We're talking about a 4-Cyl engine that does about 150 - 160 HP in a car that weighs over 3000 lbs.

:iagree:

Oh wait! I drive that very vehicle D'oh! :banghead: but still :iagree:

but really, I have an AEM CAI and the vast improvement I noticed was not in the speed department, but in sounds. Engine sounds alot better now, but performance is still the same. (gas mileage is also up, ironicly-sp) I guess you could look at CAI as an investment for mods to come. if you follow the usual "My First Mods" Handbook and get headers and exhaust next, you could see around 15hp above what you used to get. But H22 is where its at if you have an Accord. Thats my next mod (besides lowering)

Good god, thank you KrNxRaCer00. I was talking about the track.

Do I want a ticket that bad? For removing my headlight? If I'm blazing down the street at 100 mph and a cop catches me, not having a headlight is going to be the last of my problems. And when I said "when racing" I was implying racing at a track. I don't suggest street racing to other people as it is illegal, and incredibly dangerous.

And as he said, 2-3 HP or 5-9 HP won't do you a whole lot. The only case where it will probably come in is when you have two identical Accords racing and one has a CAI and the other a Short Ram.

Besides that, IT IS AN ACCORD. IT IS NOT A STREET RACING MACHINE. If you have another person riding in the car with you, it pretty much negates the whole point of that CAI with the additional weight. We're talking about a 4-Cyl engine that does about 150 - 160 HP in a car that weighs over 3000 lbs.

well if ur doing 100 and an officer catches u, not having a head light is still going to be a part of your problem, now he's going to give u a ticket for speeding, no headlight, and any other illegal mods u got on your car (especially if ur intake isn't carb certified).

im confuse, u won't do street racing because it is illegal, but u would go 100 mph? im not saying u did because u stated "if," but chances are u have passed the posted speed limit from time to time i bet just like any of us, but whatever.

as far as the track goes with just a sri or cai for that matter, i wouldn't even consider it, unless your trying to improve on ur launch skills or ur trying to find the almost stock 1/4 m time. why waste more money when u can save that for more mods.

tru an accord is not a street racing machine, but niether is most hondas. this on the other hand doesn't mean u can't make it fast, there had been people who built their accord's just like any civics or crxs and they got some pretty decent times in the 12's, this doesn't mean u can't make it faster though.

a note on the sri, some people also prefer this over the cai because of the louder sound it makes. this doesn't make its better, its just from the simple fact that the air induction is taking place closer towards u, giving the impression its better. i use to have a sri for my 91 crx si, and yes i admit i like that sound.

lastly, i just want to say by getting an intake, this doesn't turn your car into a racing machine. all it does is free up several hp and makes your car run more efficient, but after an accumulation of several bolt ons, mods, and a couple of thousands wasted, u will then notice the harvest of your strenuous and costly labor.

p.s. don't take any of this to heart since this wasn't meant to be. i really hate it when a debate becomes a never ending battle especially when its over an intake, besides that, those never ending arguements really bore me. im sorry i don't get a hard-on from repeating myself. if u guys want more info just go to the faq in the civic or integra forum. theres a plethora of info just waiting at your disposal, but most members tend to ignore them and ask the same questions over and over again when the answer is just a click away.