CU2 Intake Resonator Delete Experience

[Holy Frog]

After two years of umming and ahhing, I finally decided to remove the intake resonator from the K24Z3 as I did for my CD5.

Having lived with it for a few weeks, I thought I'd post up here for anyone else worried about it. Blue-tsx on youtube has good advice on removing the front bumper. All up from start to finish was 1 hr and 10 minutes.

Remove the top clips with a flat large screwdriver and remove the similar tabs from underneath. Pop and pull out completely.
8 up top and 12 underneath, plus two phillips head screws under the wheel arch.
Laying them out in this way, help make sure you put the right ones back in the right spots. The ones underneath on the ends are slightly different. Removing the bumper needs to be done carefully and take close note of your existing gaps, particularly around the headlights. The tabs under the headlights provide the biggest risk to this exercise I think. Take your time.

There are plenty of cables running to the bumper - I chose not to remove any, although it woudl have been a touch less risky to remove the resonator had I done so. But no need. Headlight washers, parking sensors all cabled in. Only two bolts on the resonator and once they are easily removed, the resonator itself will need some twisting and working to get out. Nothing risky here.



Make sure you "tuck" the under bumper parts correctly, as they were. I had one put in incorrectly, and could not figure out why the pin would not pop back in and hold its position. The tip with the pins - if it doesn't feel right, its probably not. Pull it out and go again.


One bit of advice - the volume at certain RPMs is deafening - It will literally resonate inside your ear drum. It may not be pleasant, but can be mitigated but retaining the rubber seal from the resonator on the airbox. Putting this back made the car "better" and I have no issues with it now.

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So whats it like inside the cabin?
Below 3k it is barely noticeable and 95% of your companion travelers will not notice anything. This is good!
Between 3k and 4k the volume begins. The sweetness of the sound is debatable, but you are aware things have changed and there is a deep draw of air.
Between 4k and 5k the resonances are all over the place, but its clear you are not hanging about. Fairly epic and will concern your partner in the car.
Between 5k and 6k its loud, some mild VTEC hammering is perceptible, but certainly no audible "vtec changeover", which is as expected. (tho easily simulated but holding partial throttle at 4500rpm and nailing it from there lol!)
Between 6k and 7.5k its rude. Loud and fun-ish, but not the crisp sweet titanium VTEC we want.

Upon further driving, mild harmonic resonances became apparent to me between 2k and 3k which are very mild and largely imperceptible, except for me being hyper aware. Returning the rubber square back to the underside of the airbox, improved this in particular. Much better.

All in all though, it is totally liveable and for sedate driving no one will know anything has been done.