FN2R Injen CAI Review

[MMike]

Hey guys

A couple of weeks ago I purchased and installed an Injen CAI for my FN2R and thought I would write a review on my opinion/experience I have had with the cold air intake on my FN2R.

Just a quick side note, the Injen CAI was installed on my stock FN2R, therefore this review compares the Injen CAI against the stock induction of the FN2R.

Why Injen?

I spent a lot of time researching induction kits and what they had to offer the FN2R in terms of performance and sound. After a few weeks of researching; I ended up narrowing it down to three options: Injen CAI, GruppeM or the HKS Racing induction kit.




The HKS is a SRI (short-ram-intake) which replaces the stock piping with a metal pipe and has a HKS mushroom filter at the end of it. The reason I opted against the HKS Racing Induction Kit is due to the fact I have heard and read (both online and from other car enthusiasts) that the HKS mushroom filter is quite poor at filtering, which would cause a lot of dirt (among other things) to get through it. Furthermore, there is no heat-shield with this induction kit, meaning the induction kit is exposed to the heat of the engine and therefore will suffer heatsoak and potentially cause a loss in power.

So that scraped HKS off the list…

GruppeM… the holy grail of intakes… just didn’t do it for me on the FN2R.

Apparently the GruppeM had a decent KW increase (although that is debatable). The GruppeM is again a short-ram-intake which uses the stock piping connecting to a K&N pod filter which is enclosed in carbon fibre and has an under-bonnet carbon fibre ‘scoop’. The sound produced by the GruppeM induction kit on the FN2R is comparable to a stock FN2R, which is unlike their induction kits for the EP3 and so on which sound insane! Each to their own however I did not personally want to spend over $1000AUD on carbon fibre and a K&N pod…

So that left me with the Injen CAI. The Injen CAI has a 90° bend from the TB connected to a polished metal pipe followed by another 90° bend which then connects to an Injen pod filter which sits in-front of the passenger splash guard of the FN2R. I've read several good things about them on the other Type R variations and thought I'd give it a shot

Installation...



I took my FN2R to my mechanic for this installation. The underside splash guard was detached in order to remove the stock air box and related piping of the FN2R. (Note: there are some tricky screws!)

After the factory induction kit had been removed, the passenger side front tire was removed fitting process begun. All parts are an absolute perfect fit; the bends cleared everything by 1-4mm which was perfect engineering on Injen’s side of things.

However the only hiccup my mechanic and I had faced was that the mounting bracket which acts as a damper for the pod filter (in-front of the splash guard) would not be able to be attached to any of the existing mounting points with enough room to actually have the pod filter attached to the end of it. My mechanic had came to the conclusion it was impossible for the bracket to be mounted to the FN2R in its standard form, so we made same calls and the people we spoke to were unsure of where to mount it as well, so my mechanic manipulated the bracket in the only way possible that would allow this CAI to fit.

When installing the Injen CAI, it's a good idea to cut the cable ties that hold the MAF sensor cable in place, this eliminates any ‘pull’ on the cable and gives it more slack to move.

Once the whole thing is in, it’s just a matter of tightening it all up and sealing both the underside guard and the splash guard, meaning the pod sits in the splash guard (i.e. protected from rain, water and hydro-lock).

Installation Images...

Stock FN2R Engine Bay



Engine Bay + Injen CAI (including a quick engine-bay clean)



From the TB



Injen Piping



Performance...

Unfortunately I did not dyno my FN2R before installing the Injen CAI, however I am planning on dyno’ing it in the upcoming months so once that is done I will edit this section with the figures received from a FN2R with only an Injen CAI.

Upon first hopping in after installing it, there were no rattles which is always a good sign. Also, there was no ‘flatspot’ throughout the rev range (which others have mentioned with other induction kits available, excl. GruppeM).

Because I haven’t dyno’d my car either before and after, I can only talk in terms of feelings (compared to the stock FN2R – which is something I hate doing, however…)

The car feels amazing, it’s almost like it has a new found sense of urgency when you put your foot down. It feels like there is an increase in power all throughout the rev range, especially towards the higher end of the range.

That said, any increase in HP that would be achieved from an induction kit would be hard-to-feel however the car does feel like it ‘pulls harder’ (always a good thing ).

Sound...

The sound produced by the Injen CAI on my FN2R is an incredible improvement over the standard sound of the FN2R, it is a lot more throaty and deep! It goes to show how drastically an induction kit can change the sound of our cars.

At quarter throttle, the CAI sounds slightly louder than stock. However with the more throttle you apply - the more this intake screams! At WOT (wide-open-throttle) this CAI is extremely loud (think: waking up the neighbours) and really does emphasize the VTEC crossover point, all the way through to redline.

That said, it's almost like a switch, if drive relatively soft-footed your car will sound normal however upon twitching your right foot and this thing will scream like no tomorrow!

Videos...

I decided to do some filming to give you guys a better understanding of how the Injen CAI is compared to the stock induction of the FN2R:

MMike's FN2R in Stock Form - This video is a compilation video I put together while my car was in it's stock form.

MMike's FN2R with Injen CAI - As above, featuring the Injen CAI. As a result of filming this portion of video (which consists of predominately VTEC driving) - my hearing was shot for a few hours!

Conclusion...

In conclusion the Injen CAI is a great induction kit for the FN2R. Price wise it sits mid-range and should set you back approximately $500 from JDMYard which is good value for money when compared to the other induction kits I mentioned earlier.

From what I've noticed there has also been a slight increase in fuel efficiency from what I've gathered from my FN2R, although this is also dependent upon how you're driving.

Personally speaking I wouldn't bother with any SRI for the FN2R, as the majority of them are affected by heatsoak and contain flat-spots (from what I've read). Therefore my advice to the other FN2R owners would be to seek out a CAI (be it Injen or CPL for example).

I hope this has been somewhat helpful for those wanting an insight into how the Injen CAI is on the FN2R and if you've made it this far, thanks for reading

If you've got any questions or queries, feel free to ask

Regards,
Michael