Injen CAI: is it worth it?

[Mikecivic78]

Hey ya'll.

Its tax time and I'm gonna have 600 bucks 2 spend on my new (stock) em1. Injen CAI looks nice, but I'm sceptical about quoted gains from CAIs. K & N claim that theirs puts 10.7 hp more ATW (dyno sheet), but many enthusiasts say that in reality it is 1-3hp.

Is an Injen CAI worth it? My tyres are under stock size (205/40/16, they look real small), so I would probably upgrade them to larger ones if I didnt get the CAI. If all I'm gonna gain is 3hp, then that would probably be my other option.

Basically I'm after some reviews/stats/opinions on the ol' INJEN b16a2 CAI.

..or maybe u can give me some other advice on spending my 600 on an otherwise stock car (resonator now removed though).

[jks24]

ive got a injen cai on order for my em1 mate, a guy i know has one on his em1 with b18cr and he said it is worth it. Just buy it :P If thats your car in your avatar man you seriously need to drop it

[damienm]

save your money get a custom intake arm n blox intake n stack.

[Mikecivic78]

ive got a injen cai on order for my em1 mate, a guy i know has one on his em1 with b18cr and he said it is worth it. Just buy it :P If thats your car in your avatar man you seriously need to drop it]

yea thats it in the avatar.... yea, i know i should drop it. Drop it or CAI?

[ek4-guy]

ive got a injen cai on order for my em1 mate, a guy i know has one on his em1 with b18cr and he said it is worth it. Just buy it :P If thats your car in your avatar man you seriously need to drop it

hmmm thats a pitty i know of one that will be up forsale cheap soonish

[jks24]

hmmm thats a pitty i know of one that will be up forsale cheap soonish

leighton said he will be selling his soonish, that the one your thinking off darryl?

[jks24]

]

yea thats it in the avatar.... yea, i know i should drop it. Drop it or CAI?

you will need to save a bit more mate to get coilovers though

[Mikecivic78]

hmmm thats a pitty i know of one that will be up forsale cheap soonish

Yo sell it 2 me. Ive PMed u.

[Mikecivic78]

What about quoted/actual HP gains. Can anyone shed some light on this?

[ek4-guy]

leighton said he will be selling his soonish, that the one your thinking off darryl?

no not leightons mine

i wont be needing it once i boost

[redefine]

dont need coilovers though...just lowering springs. cheapest i've found is 3-400 bucks for springs. but if you do only springs carefull of ur stock shocks.

[MRB18R]

the injen CAI is proven to give KW gain on the dyno like you said... even tho it might be a bit pricey... its a good gain at the end of it all.. you have more grunt and it sounds better aswell... my mate had his EK4... it went good but he bought an INJEN CAI... slapped that on and you could feel the increase in power... i reckon buy one... im gonna buy one soon too just gotta pay rego first lmao... hope that helps abit lol
GL mate

[jks24]

the injen CAI is proven to give KW gain on the dyno like you said... even tho it might be a bit pricey... its a good gain at the end of it all.. you have more grunt and it sounds better aswell... my mate had his EK4... it went good but he bought an INJEN CAI... slapped that on and you could feel the increase in power... i reckon buy one... im gonna buy one soon too just gotta pay rego first lmao... hope that helps abit lol
GL mate

same kinda stuff i got told and ive seen and heard it on an em1, sounds awsome and convinced me to buy one.

[Mikecivic78]

Thanks, im getting keener 2 get one now. However, i still havent been able to get dyno stats on the INJEN CAI. does anyone know where i can find em? Also, the K & N dyno sheet only went up to 7100 rpm. does that mean power goes down after that? The B16a2 makes max power at 7600, not 7100rpm.

[neo_phase]

What about Comptech IceBox Hybrid?

Some dynos for all of you wondering...

Stock vs IceBox vs Injen

Red: Stock Blue: Injen Green: IceBox
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5443/92788401km3.jpg

IceBox vs Injen

Blue: IceBox Red: Injen
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/1989/56661551tu7.jpg

Injen being CAI would have a better mid-range gain but the Comptech goes better at low and top end.

[jks24]

Thanks, im getting keener 2 get one now. However, i still havent been able to get dyno stats on the INJEN CAI. does anyone know where i can find em? Also, the K & N dyno sheet only went up to 7100 rpm. does that mean power goes down after that? The B16a2 makes max power at 7600, not 7100rpm.

maybe also pm eg5-yonas at jdm yard mate. He sells these injen intakes and he will be able to tell you more about them :thumbsup:

[JetSir]

what happen to ur tail lights? judgin by the avatar looks like u have ej8 tail lights.


why not jst DIY a custom pipe into ur stock airbox?

[Mikecivic78]

what happen to ur tail lights? judgin by the avatar looks like u have ej8 tail lights.


why not jst DIY a custom pipe into ur stock airbox?

yeap, thats right, its got ej8 tail lights. I bought the car with these really shit aftermarket ones. I swapped them out of my old ej8. i think the injen cai would be better than a DIY custom pipe tho'. it feed right into the bumper cavity.

[DEMON83]

before i put B18cR in i swaped the short ram on the B16a2 with the Injen. slightly less responce but better pickup from 3500rpm all the way to 8300rpm. gives good power and even better when mixed with other bold-ons i.e. Headers and exhaust and maybe larger throttle body (66mm to 68mm) stock is 62mm for all B-Series engines. any Q's PM me.

[ivtecep3]

injen CAI gives the best bang for buck, as for the hp gain, most retailers say 1 - 10 hp as an average estimate and to suck people in. however the actual gain depends on the rest of the car. you will gain something if u do the CAI, i estimate from experience at most 5hp. but say if u do ur exhaust system and balance the breathing for the engine, then u will get the most out of your injen CAI, otherwise it just gives a nice sound at the higher rev range and not so much power.

[jks24]

i should have mine monday so ill let you know my thoughts OP

[Alvis]

I'm going to throw a spanner in the works and suggest the BCM CDA (Carbon Dynamic Airbox) induction system. I'm also looking to get an intake for my D-series, and due to the law in NSW where the filter needs to be housed in an airbox, it really limits your options. There's either a Mugen airbox (super expensive, but heard they are worth it and sound awesome), Comptech Icebox or another I just came across called the BCM CDA.

I don't know much about CAI - but I think it's important to not only look at whether they increase power/torque, but 'where' this increase actually kicks in. I thought CAI were more top-end - and really Civic's need all the low-end kick they can get.

But check out the below pic and dyno chart for the BCM CDA on a Type R (looks like a K-series engine): I've read the technology used in the CDA systems are used by several Formula One teams - including Brawn, as well as in the Audi LeMans:

BCM CDA Induction Kit for 1.6L V-TEC (94 onwards):
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/164/bmccdaspecialkit450.jpg
By CivicA (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/CivicA) at 2009-10-02

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/341/airfilterv.jpg
By civica (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/civica) at 2009-10-02

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4876/airfilter2.jpg
By CivicA (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/CivicA) at 2009-10-02


Dyno run for Type-R with BMC CDA induction kit:
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7169/bmc3gd.jpg
By civica (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/civica) at 2009-10-02

It shows an increase of: 4.4 kilowatts (about 6 BHP) and a firm increase in power from about 2800 rpm across the mid-range to the top-end at 7500 rpm. So it's looks nice and meaty where you would want the power.

I'm still undecided... what are your thoughts people...???

[jks24]

doesnt look bad, how much mate?

[Alvis]

well so far I've only been able to find distributors in the UK, in particular Regal Motorsport who have them the cheapest: 160 pounds - or about double that in Aussie dollars (say $320) + shipping (not sure how much that is) - but you would probably be looking at about $400 all up as a rough guess with shipping.

http://www.regals-motorsport.co.uk/filtration-induction/induction-kits/bmc-cda-induction-kit-honda-civic-16-vtec-94-p-4689.html

I suppose the other good thing about the CDA is that it is carbon fibre meaning it will reduce the amount of heat in the airbox - I know the Mugen systems reduce heat by up to 10 degrees C which is a huge decrease in temp!

[jks24]

well so far I've only been able to find distributors in the UK, in particular Regal Motorsport who have them the cheapest: 160 pounds - or about double that in Aussie dollars (say $320) + shipping (not sure how much that is) - but you would probably be looking at about $400 all up as a rough guess with shipping.

http://www.regals-motorsport.co.uk/filtration-induction/induction-kits/bmc-cda-induction-kit-honda-civic-16-vtec-94-p-4689.html

I suppose the other good thing about the CDA is that it is carbon fibre meaning it will reduce the amount of heat in the airbox - I know the Mugen systems reduce heat by up to 10 degrees C which is a huge decrease in temp!

sounds good mate try it out maybe :thumbsup:, I will have my Injen CAI monday though so I wont be buying one of these CDA ones.

[Mikecivic78]

i should have mine monday so ill let you know my thoughts OP

Yea mate, i'll be keen to know.

[Doe.Man]

Um i got a question about the ingen CAI... If i decide to get it for my car would it be a defectable item/mod? I'm from NSW(sydney).

[Alvis]

As far as I've know any air filter will need to be contained in an airbox - however, in saying this feedback from the RTA to an email I sent regarding airbox modification stated and quote:

"You cannot alter the induction or exhaust systems of a motor vehicle manufactured on or after 1st January 1986 without engineer certification.

This is to prove compliance to ADR's ( Australian Design Rules ) on noise and emission pollution.

RTA Tech Enq"

I'm not sure on the above - sounds very hard ball if you know what I mean - but you'd probably need to check out the below - I haven't had a read through this in detail yet tho:

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/index.aspx

[akira]

nice grunt to it too. its a must have!1

[kriZy]

INJEN CAI is awesome.
love it.

Had a custom made long ram CAI...
swapped over to INJEN CAI

- Sounded wayyy better
- Screamed louder
- Notice abit of a gain (this compared to a custom long ram CAI too!)

[jonezy]

i own an em1 and had one of those bmc cda intakes ( mine was a little smaller though ) and i changed it to an injen CAI just recently. the Carbon intake was a little boring, doesnt sound nice and it didnt scream. For a bit more $$ you might aswell get the injen.

[jks24]

got mine on a few days ago, sounds awsome and i have noticed an increase in power :D

[sinseven]

save your money...go blox with custom short ram intake


plus if you live where it can get flooded easy or rains alot the injen cai wont do you good

[dougie_504]

I recommend just getting like a $50-70 APC short ram intake and extending it with a silicone bend & straight piece of aluminium pipe with clamps ($100+/-). Then get a 3A Racing pod filter (rated 2nd for flow and 1st for filtration by Autosalon) for another $26.

So you spend $200 and it'll flow just fine. Not worth the extra $300 I reckon :)

[Mikecivic78]

Just got my Injen CAI ( thanks for the posts ). Got it 2nd hand courtesy of AKIRA. Its a bit old and the filter is a bit ****ed from age and use ( am looking for a new one) but it goes well. Install took less than 45 minutes. People complain that with CAIs u need to remove the bumper to clean. I did it myself of course and taking off the bumper seriously takes 3 minutes.

CAI for ek/em1 is very good and better than SRI IMO (lets not start an argument) Its got noticeably more gain from 3500 up, not to mention an excellent induction sound.

Nice intake. Is it worth it? At 2nd hand prices it definitely is.

Mike

[Mikecivic78]

Remember guys, underbonnet heat is a real power killer. Check out this article from Autospeed which is reputable source IMO. Read this before buying a short ram intake with an exposed filter in the engine bay.

http://autospeed.com/cms/title_Into-the-Intake-Part-2/A_1370/article.html

[dougie_504]

Good work man. Call 3A Racing and get them to send you a filter for about $26 + postage. Autosalon tested all the big brands and they came out clearly on top for filtration and flow. Very good deal at that price compared to K&N, AEM etc.

I elected to do a budget CAI on my EH Civic VTi because it's my daily driver. I spent $70 on an APC SRI a while ago, then I spent another $106 on an angled piece of pipe, a silicone connector and a couple of clamps. Here's how she looks after a couple of fiddly hours!

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k158/dougie_504/21102009046.jpg

I get better responsiveness and more mid/high range power. Thrilled!!

[vodkashot]

Do they make these for the twin carby eg 1.5?

[Mikecivic78]

Good work man. Call 3A Racing and get them to send you a filter for about $26 + postage. Autosalon tested all the big brands and they came out clearly on top for filtration and flow. Very good deal at that price compared to K&N, AEM etc.

I elected to do a budget CAI on my EH Civic VTi because it's my daily driver. I spent $70 on an APC SRI a while ago, then I spent another $106 on an angled piece of pipe, a silicone connector and a couple of clamps. Here's how she looks after a couple of fiddly hours!

I get better responsiveness and more mid/high range power. Thrilled!!

Nice DIY intake, well done.

Ive just ordered the 3a racing pod filter ( great price, i hope it lives up to the autosalon hype). Only prob is i need to get some extra rubber or something to fit it. Its 77mm but my intake pipe is only 70mm. I need some type of 3mm thick material to make it fit. Any suggestions?

[EK1.6LCIV]

seen alot of good ideas when I was at Shift in NSW with their precut mendrel bent pipes, cut to suit many applications

and Saas has filters forsale atm at autobarn for $20 with a 3" neck :) bargain :)

you can use the filter oil and cleaning products from any supplier on them with k&n's kit on special for $20

very nice intake on the eg above :)

[dougie_504]

Nice DIY intake, well done.

Ive just ordered the 3a racing pod filter ( great price, i hope it lives up to the autosalon hype). Only prob is i need to get some extra rubber or something to fit it. Its 77mm but my intake pipe is only 70mm. I need some type of 3mm thick material to make it fit. Any suggestions?


Don't the 3A Racing ones come in 3" necks?

You could always go to an exhaust shop and get them to sell you a piece of flex-pipe (will go from 2.5" to 3"). Won't cost much, but then you need silicone piping and clamps to connect it = another $40 or so

[Mikecivic78]

I've had my Injen Cai for 6 months now. Overall, it sounds awesome on my stock exhaust. Low down it is nice and peaceful sounding... Due to the stock exhaust, the car sounds quite refined beneath 3,000rpm. Passengers with no car knowledge think that the car is an everyday 1.6 runabout.

3000-4500Rpm, it starts to growl and as soon as Vtec kicks in on the B16a, the sound changes into a hammering induction roar. People on the freeway or track hear you coming even before they see you.

To end this thread, even though B16a owners are spoilt for choice, I personally 100% recommend the Injen CAI as a 1st step mod for any B16a. Forget all those guys that talk about the dangers of hydrolock. Unless you are driving though flooded areas of road, you'll be 100% fine with a CAI.

IMHO if you have an exposed pod filter in the engine bay (ie; no heatshielding) you are foolish. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's true.

Thats my .2

[T.I.X]

I've had my Injen Cai for 6 months now. Overall, it sounds awesome on my stock exhaust. Low down it is nice and peaceful sounding... Due to the stock exhaust, the car sounds quite refined beneath 3,000rpm. Passengers with no car knowledge think that the car is an everyday 1.6 runabout.

3000-4500Rpm, it starts to growl and as soon as Vtec kicks in on the B16a, the sound changes into a hammering induction roar. People on the freeway or track hear you coming even before they see you.

To end this thread, even though B16a owners are spoilt for choice, I personally 100% recommend the Injen CAI as a 1st step mod for any B16a. Forget all those guys that talk about the dangers of hydrolock. Unless you are driving though flooded areas of road, you'll be 100% fine with a CAI.

IMHO if you have an exposed pod filter in the engine bay (ie; no heatshielding) you are foolish. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's true.

Thats my .2

don't worry about the dangers of hydrolock...u can always consider convert it to SRI (Short Ram Intake) as it gives better and quicker response too ~

[dougie_504]

This is why I've just built a mock-version of my DIY icebox intake. Better response, all cold air.