Intakes Too Expensive!

[JohnnyCiphe]

Ok so there's always alot of questions about CAI's and Short Rams but my main question that I see on any car forum is WHY ARE THEY SO DAMN EXPENSIVE? For a 9g 4cyl CAI or Short Ram I've found nothing but $150+ with most being at $220+ . For a V6 I've found them slightly cheaper but still too expensive.

I understand AEM, Injen & K&N have many people who claim they have tested it out and have gained performance but are there any tests that show the eBay intakes, or any other intakes besides the big names, doesn't give the same (or close to the same) performance?

Is it not just tubing and an air filter?

[G-spot]

quit complaining and just bux a filter/adapter for $35.

[foxbrand]

^that and buy some piping and some coupler elbows from an auto parts store, I have many friends that have done this, I could have with my intake but the sound alone is worth the money

[Dominicano]

i got my injen cold air intake on ebay for like 100, it was mint with plastic and everything. I initially had it with the CAI and it was raining all day around my way i never went over any puddles but my car stalled like a bitch and shut off on my while driving in the street. I had to pull over start the car again and keep giving it gas. once I got home I took the CAI off and have left it as short ram since. I always heard people saying light rain won't do anything but it sure did in my case.

[brent-ralliart08]

i was gonna say its winter... save up.... but youre from florida so. dont apply. you wont feel any gain from an intake. torque will allow you to feel gains. not horsepower....

[jubeiaire]

Its not what they do but how they do it..Cheap metal, coated plastic ,unpolished non-sealed and thin walled intakes ,all eventually chip, rust, crack, peel, warp, melt and so forth,,
thin walled intakes soak up heat from the engine and pass it on to the air.. whole point is to allow more COOL air in..
you can buy what ever you want but you get what you pay for....cheap products require constant replacement....
or spend the money up front and be done with the part

Honestly though... i been doing this for too many years and if $150-$200 hurts that much thinking about spending it, then just back down focus your time on saving up or a better job and come back to modding when you can afford it. this is NOT a cheap hobby and NEVER will be.

If not then go to a junk yard and find any wrecked modded car and check for CAI or Short rams. find the bends you need and go from there. Thats about the best way to get good shit for cheap.

[M-Rod]

^ $200 does hurt when it only nets a 2-5whp gain. A CAI is probably the most common waste of $200 on a name brand product on this platform. I use a cheap eBay pipe originally designed for a Cavalier and I would so much as dare somebody to think I'm losing power because it's an eBay pipe. And if they do, I will digress when they make more power in N/A form.

[Silvertune]

I have as much into my entire cold side minus the intercooler as one aftermarket POS cold air intake.

[jubeiaire]

Ive got $200 tied up into the Power cables for my stereo. its not the matter of how much you spend its the matter of feeling a pinch for it...some people would cringe at spending $200 on power cables and wouldnt hesitate to spend it on an ingen intake. not because they cant afford it but because its not worth it to them.

The issue is wanting the Part to be cheaper cause you cant afford it. If you feel the cost isnt justified by what you gain, fine invest elsewhere. but if the cost for the intake hurts then it will also hurt when you have to pop $200 for breaks, or $200 per for good tires etc etc etc..... i dont give a crap where you put your money, just dont jump into an expensive hobby and complain that it cost too much.
Lets be real... 99% of us on here DO NOT RACE OUR GALANTS FOR A LIVING... so this is a hobby. These are our big boy toys. Toys cost money,, if you dont have it then find another hobby or save up to get what you need or improve your quality of life so you can afford to play with your big boy toys..... My big boy toys are plastered all over tgc in pics i never complain that something cost to much i just find a way to get it cheaper or save up and get it. Silver ive seen you post up shit you bought that could be a down payement...but ive never seen you say "this or that cost to much why oh why oh deary me" what i see you do is post up alternatives to what you are looking at and see if the savings are worth it quality and gains wise.

Op not only complained about the cost but then asked whats the diff from any cheaper CAI's. WE HAVE THREAD AFTER THREAD of people posting pics and more pics of cheaper alternatives that work VS buying name brand CAI's. this means no homework was done on what alternatives can be done only on how much the name brand cost.

[G-spot]

^ this post x 1000. read noob!

[Silvertune]

Yay. I like this forum.

[Isaurio]

Like i always say. If you you going to do it. Do it right the first time. Last time i checked money money money was the name of the game. Lol

[JohnnyCiphe]

I understand it's an expensive hobby but I'd like to know where my expenses can be best spent. If I can save $100 on an intake and use that money to put towards a better exhaust or whatever then by all means I'll do that IF I am not losing quality or performance.

I'm a music producer and I'm the same with my products. I won't buy a Beats by Dre headphones for $300 when I know I can find headphones that produce the same quality in sound for $150.

[OMEGA PHX]

Try to find a used name brand one on club4g or craiglist, and do your research on other parts that would get you some more power... You gotta pay to play ;)

[polishmafia]

If you don't want to spend $200 for an intake to modify your car, then you shouldn't mod it at all.

[M-Rod]

I understand it's an expensive hobby but I'd like to know where my expenses can be best spent. If I can save $100 on an intake and use that money to put towards a better exhaust or whatever then by all means I'll do that IF I am not losing quality or performance.

I'm a music producer and I'm the same with my products. I won't buy a Beats by Dre headphones for $300 when I know I can find headphones that produce the same quality in sound for $150.

I will agree to this all day long. There is nothing wrong with making sure you get the best bang for your buck.

Maybe this will put it in perspective for everybody else:

Injen intake - $200
Name brand catback - $350+
Total - $550+

EBay intake $35
EBay catback - $125
Total - $160

Any guess how different the results are? For the extra $400 spent, you would have to be extremely optimistic to think that extra money will help your car perform any better. It takes more than bolt ons to get anywhere on this platform anyway.

[2002BlackDragon]

Personally, when i get another Galant, i will start off by rocking the ebay intake and exhaust. It not much different and it will allow me to dump more money into the bigger projects like wheels, coilovers, and exterior body parts.




But on a side note.... if i never sold the Galant or the parts i had in storage i wouldnt have to wait for anything. lol.

[SPD_FRK]

www.siliconeintakes.com


Enjoy

[9Ggts]

Ok so there's always alot of questions about CAI's and Short Rams but my main question that I see on any car forum is WHY ARE THEY SO DAMN EXPENSIVE? For a 9g 4cyl CAI or Short Ram I've found nothing but $150+ with most being at $220+ . For a V6 I've found them slightly cheaper but still too expensive.

I understand AEM, Injen & K&N have many people who claim they have tested it out and have gained performance but are there any tests that show the eBay intakes, or any other intakes besides the big names, doesn't give the same (or close to the same) performance?

Is it not just tubing and an air filter?

If you want a cheap alternative just cut open the resonator tube inside the right front fender as RPW suggested. Definitely a big improvement . Don't forget to change to k&n filter. I used to have injen SRI but I felt no improvement so i tried the resonator mod and torque really improved.

[infliction]

there's a write up on club4g, but basically, take out your stock air box. clamp a cone filter on the end of the tube with the maf sensor on it. done.
might get a light from the filter being that close to the sensor. can get around that by running a short pipe.