Skunk2 Intake Manifold Review
G'day OzHonda members,
I bought a Skunk2 Intake manifold for my Honda Civic SI 99 - 00 (B16A) recently. I thought that I will share my experience with you guys. Before I bought it, I was told by the staff at Skunk2 Racing in Norco CA, USA that it will bolted onto the cyclinder head on my B16A like an OEM fitting.
True enough, it bolted onto the cyclinder head with ease. However, there are some stuff that needs to be modify in order to use the intake manifold. First is the Intake Air Temperture sensor (IAT) and second is the cable that is connected to the throttle body sits on.
I have attached a pic of the Skunk2 intake manifold and the stock intake manifold from Honda. If you see on the stock manifold, you will find that on the 4th pipe (beside the gold colour thingy), the IAT sensor has been sealed. It is done so by Honda as Honda Civic SI 99 - 00 doesn't have a IAT sensor on the car. If you look at Skunk2 manifold, the IAT sensor is on the 3rd pipe.
Here comes the problem. Skunk2 didn't provide a seal that covers the IAT sensor for it. I have to get a friend to create a seal using a CNC mill. In my own opinion, I think Skunk2 should provide this seal as they should know that the vehicle that the intake manifold will be use on doesn't have the IAT sensor.
The second modification that was needed to be done on the manifold is where the cable sits. Apparently, the Skunk2 manifold is smaller than the stock and hence the mounting location for the cable is nearer to the throttle body than the stock. I have tried to adjust the cable to suit the mounting positing but the different is more than 1" and it just will not work. So I have to create another metal plate that extend from the mounting position to closer to the 4th pipe on the manifold.
I have forgotten to mention another modification I have done. Apparently, Skunk2 has 'forgotten' or 'neglected' the mounting bracket for the map sensor. On the stock manifold, it has a bracket that the map sensors can be mounted on. But on the Skunk2 manifold, there isn't one. It isn't a very big deal nor a big job to fix the problem but I thought that I should just let you guys know. I simply drill a hole on the battery tray and mount the map sensor there.
I have already let Skunk2 knows about the problems I faced. They were all very nice and understanding. They are ensure me that they will be looking into this issue with their team.
Even after all these problems I faced, I would still trust products from Skunk2. I believe they make some of the best performance parts on the market now. And I will still recommend everyone to use Skunk2 parts for their car. I'm currently waiting for a Skunk2 Throttle Body to come from the States! After I have install it, I will go to run it on the Dyno and see how much horsepower I will gain with AEM V2 CAI, Skunk2 Throttle body and Intake manifold.
That's all I have to say now. I hope that these information are helpful to anyone who are planning to get an intake manifold. If anyone needs pic on the modification I did, just let me know. I will post it on this forum.
Cheers!
Regards,
Johnnie
[IMG]S2 Vs Stock.jpg[/IMG]
