Which reasonable priced air intake?
 

Hi guys!


I own a Boxster S 2001 and for my bday a friend wants to get me an air intake, I was told to be careful as some cause sensors to light up, can you recommend a well priced cold air intake for my car?


Thx!

There is very little agreement here whether an aftermarket intake is an upgrade or a downgrade in terms of performance. They do sound cool though. Many drivers have had good success with the K&N but I prefer the stock paper filter in my car.

Yeah.....the one that came with it.

^You stole my line JFP!

I guess I'm in the minority, I have an EVO. The argument I've heard is with the removal of the stock airbox (which is highly restrictive, four 90 degree turns before the MAF sensor) the replacement panels that surround the new filter don't seal out the hot engine compartment air. I removed the front engine access panel, closed and sealed the top engine cover and reached in and sealed any gaps I could find...and there wasn't many.

With that complete, if I look in my drivers side intake I can see the Outerwear I installed over the filter. It's a straight shot air sucking path right to the MAF sensor.

Another one is MAF fouling. Some people experience this and I can only think it's traced to over servicing of oil on the cotton gauze filter element. I run this type of filter on EVERYTHING I own. Flat panel filters on four cars, twin oval's on my VW bug, cones on the Boxster & quads and a Big Sucker on the Hog...never have had a problem. I personally like it and feel it does a better job of filtering out the dust and dirt particles than a dry paper filter does.

I have K & N on 5 vehicles. the only one that is tempermental is the BMW. Havent put on in the boxster yet.

The only problem with the K&N is that in two independent tests I've seen it allows more and bigger particles of dirt to pass through to the engine. Since air filtration is what you buy a filter for, never made any sense to me to buy an oiled filter.

I have the Evo intake on my vehicle. And, as far as sound is concerned, I love the "bark" it makes at mid to upper range rpm's . However, don't expect any real increase in power (if any) other than a slight blip in throttle response . Also, in order to avoid contaminating the MAF sensor, it's important to periodically clean the filter and oil it with just the right amount .

My personal opinion: Who are you, probably a person with little or no schooling in cars, to buy a $100 intake that "upgrades" the stock intake over the Porsche Engineers that are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to make nearly the most perfect design possible for the car? However; they do sound cool.

Personal Experience: I have friends that work at shops with dynos and have had a few cars come in that want to see how much horsepower there car that feels so much faster with the new "cold air intake" has gained. In almost all results, the car has actually lost a few horsepower but it sounds cooler making the illusion that it's faster. As i like to say "Audible horsepower" :P However; there are exceptions!!

What most CAI's Lack:
1) A shield that block's of hot air... Making it not a cold air intake, but a hot air intake if you will.
2) Much, if any engineering. I've seen CAI's that don't even fit the car they're designed for. They just come with a heavy duty hose clamp and some super soft rubber that you're supposed to extremely over tighten onto the MAF....
3) Filtration. This is probably the most minor, as it obviously is letting in more air it also lets in more contamination particles. Just clean the filter more often. Easy as that.

If you really want one, buy a K&N. They actually do some engineering in all their products. I've never seen one that doesn't fit properly and they rarely cause a decrease in HP. However; try to find one with a shield. And remember, METAL SHIELDS DON'T WORK!!! They just get hot and make the surround air hot and therefore turn it into a hot air intake lol.... Duel pained, heavy duty plastic, with thick, soft rubber on the top to seal with the engine bay hatch is the best IMO.

However; if you want one, get one. It's not going to make a big differance in anything but sound. And i know you just want to be able to say you have one lol

Another option is the desnork. When I desnorkled my intake, the sound was definitely better at higher rpm's.

I don't know if the CAI sytems give better sound over desnorkeling, so guys that have done it, what is your take?

The way I see it, though it does have a bunch of bends in the airbox, the stock intake is, by design, a cold air intake. You're getting ambient ram air straight to the filter.

Ask your friend to buy you some aftermarket headers instead, like Schnell. They actually cost less than the intakes built for our cars and will give you a HP bump. ;)

Without hi-jacking the thread, the exhaust system on the "s" model is very different from the one on your '97 . The headers on the "s" incorporate pre-cats . When eliminated, this gives rise to a whole host of challenges .

Big oversight on my part not looking back at the model and year of the car, good catch, Johnny. At that point it's not a cost-effective alternative to the intake.

To the original poster's point of concern, I can't say there's any "well-priced" intake for the Boxster, as the only one I've ever seen that still involves an airbox is the EVO Motorsports one, which rings in usually between $350-400, depending on where you shop.

If you're looking for the aesthetics of the nicer sound and don't care about performance gains/losses, go for the Evo intake, and (personal opinion), I'd say nix the oiled cone and go for a paper cone if you can find one to match up to it. The cost of a replaceable filter once or twice a year shouldn't kill you, and no MAF fouling to worry about.

Unfortunately, the size of cone filter on the Evo intake is propriety . However, it's considered a "life-time" filter . Meaning, with routine cleaning it will probably last forever . As far as oiling it is concerned, it's really not that big of a deal as long as you apply the right amount .

I agree that if you look at the engine compartment of the Boxster it is almost impossible to achieve "cold air intake" by replacing the factory airbox and installing a CAI that originates in the engine compartment. If you want to do that you'll have to have the intake originate outside the engine compartment where there is actually cold air.

What about using a 987 airbox? I have heard that this set-up is a big improvement over the 986 airbox.

Anyone try this?

Can't imagine why. Why would it be?

When the 550 model came out, it had a jump in power over the standard S model. I was told that the airbox is different, this is second hand info so,....

Stock box with an ipd silicone pipe and a stock filter. De snorkel of coarse.

Fly, you are absolutely CORRECT! The 2004 anniversary 550 and the 987's utilize the same basic design concept as the EVO intake. The airbox is built as an all encompassing unit, not like the EVO that utilizes panels to seal the air filter from the engine compartment.

Below; 550/987 airbox assembly breakdown ($560+ tubing from airbox)

Porsche Boxster Air Cleaner Parts

550/987 air filter

Pelican Parts - Product Information: 987-110-133-00-M67

EVO intake ($379)

Pelican Parts - Product Information: EVO-INTK986HF

The filter is an oval, tube shape like the EVO, but a lot bigger to allow more unrestricted air flow. It's design is a straight shot from the left hand intake port, through a big snorkel (to probably suppress sound), to the filter and to the MAF. The 550/987 intake set-up is an OEM answer to the EVO intake. Porsche engineering at an EVO price, and you can to install it on your car.