Cold air intake

[Hummer-addict]

Has anyone added one to thier car? I have a 1997 boxster, I bought one and in the instructions it says I have to remove the left intake to get the old air box out...are the gaskets reusable? I already removed the snorkel so I can skip that instillation step...is it worth installing a cold air intake? Will I notice a difference in power/sound? Already sounds great thanks to Fister muffler...My car is running great now so not sure if it's worth installing the cold air system or not...all feedback is appreciated.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Hummer-addict

not sure if it's worth installing the cold air system or not...all feedback is appreciated.

It isn't. Your car came from the factory with a cold air intake.

[Luv2Box]

Despite varying opinions regarding the install of a CAI oiled filter system I installed an Evolution Motorsports unit on my '99 Boxster. At the time the unit was being sold by Suncoast and cost $389. I picked mine up off eBay, new in box, for $125 from a guy who bought it and wrecked his car before install.
The entire OEM intake system has to be removed, which is a project as some of the screws are up inside the wheel well. When the OEM system is removed two baffles in the system are also removed whose purpose seems to be to dampen intake sound.
I can't tell you if my car recovered the claim of 7-8hp gain as I did not dyno the car before and after. I can tell you that the sound of the intake is awesome. At idle you hear a hissing sound and when the car reaches 3K rpm it turns into a roar that a friend of mine said sounds like a Formula 1 car.
I've had the unit in for a little over three years and have had no issues. After the unit was installed I bought a second filter cone so I could swap out every 10K miles with a cleaned and re-oiled filter. Having a second one allows me to clean, re oil and let the filter sit for months so any excess oil drains off and I've not had any MAF problems.

[mikefocke]

And in your 60s-70s you can buy hearing aids for about what an IMS replacement costs.

An air filter is there to filter dirt out of the air. Most of the oiled filters do a very poor job of doing that.

You already have a cold air intake.

Your car, your $, your choice. Good luck in whatever you do.

[Topless]

If you want the oiled CAI strictly for Bling factor, go for it.

If you want it for better performance, ignore. Just change the paper filter with every oil change for best performance.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Luv2Box

Despite varying opinions regarding the install of a CAI oiled filter system I installed an Evolution Motorsports unit on my '99 Boxster. At the time the unit was being sold by Suncoast and cost $389. I picked mine up off eBay, new in box, for $125 from a guy who bought it and wrecked his car before install.
The entire OEM intake system has to be removed, which is a project as some of the screws are up inside the wheel well. When the OEM system is removed two baffles in the system are also removed whose purpose seems to be to dampen intake sound.

All to make a little more noise............

[Luv2Box]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

All to make a little more noise............

Yes, and it's a glorious noise.:dance:

[Luv2Box]

I'm 68 Mike, still have perfect hearing and replaced the IMS four years ago. "Most" has a lot of space left in it for those that do a good job. Look into Evolution Motor Sports and you will find their CAI units are in a lot of Porsche models including track use and at one time were sold by Suncoast and could be ordered by my local dealer. Porsche no longer sells them because of some state laws that prohibit modifying a car even if the mod makes it run better.

Originally Posted by mikefocke

And in your 60s-70s you can buy hearing aids for about what an IMS replacement costs.

An air filter is there to filter dirt out of the air. Most of the oiled filters do a very poor job of doing that.

You already have a cold air intake.

Your car, your $, your choice. Good luck in whatever you do.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Luv2Box

I'm 68 Mike, still have perfect hearing and replaced the IMS four years ago. "Most" has a lot of space left in it for those that do a good job. Look into Evolution Motor Sports and you will find their CAI units are in a lot of Porsche models including track use and at one time were sold by Suncoast and could be ordered by my local dealer. Porsche no longer sells them because of some state laws that prohibit modifying a car even if the mod makes it run better.

It doesn't. We have run before and after dyno runs with EVO and other suppliers systems, the differences where very very small (less than 2 HP), and sometimes where even negative. A lot of money to spend for those kinds of results. But enjoy the noise.....

[Luv2Box]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

It doesn't. We have run before and after dyno runs with EVO and other suppliers systems, the differences where very very small (less than 2 HP), and sometimes where even negative. A lot of money to spend for those kinds of results. But enjoy the noise.....

So JFP you can tell us you've never spent any money on something that gave you pleasure regardless of what other people think about it. It is my money, not yours, and if you read my post I never said anything about a hp gain as I don't believe in them either. Besides, it's not noise it is a flat six symphony.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Luv2Box

So JFP you can tell us you've never spent any money on something that gave you pleasure regardless of what other people think about it. It is my money, not yours, and if you read my post I never said anything about a hp gain as I don't believe in them either. Besides, it's not noise it is a flat six symphony.

Actually, you did: "I can't tell you if my car recovered the claim of 7-8hp gain as I did not dyno the car before and after."

But you are absolutely correct in the fact that it is your car, and your money to spend anyway you please.

Running a shop, we get inquiries all the time about CAI, DME ref-lashes, aftermarket exhaust systems, larger throttle bodies, intake plenums; you name it. And we always answer the question to the best of our knowledge and experience, even if it pisses off those asking the questions......

[mikefocke]

I've only seen two independent tests of oiled filters versus "paper". Consumer Reports and some reputable car mag, which one escapes me. Both results were more dirt and in larger particles made its way to the engine. Lots lots more.

If you are willing to trade that for noise, go for it.

[Luv2Box]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

I've only seen two independent tests of oiled filters versus "paper". Consumer Reports and some reputable car mag, which one escapes me. Both results were more dirt and in larger particles made its way to the engine. Lots lots more.

If you are willing to trade that for noise, go for it.

I don't live in a high air particulate area and if I did I might not. By your own admission, Mike, you have been out of the arena you were once in and in your statement you allude to things that you have no concrete evidence for, in particular a test of the EVOM CAI system so perhaps it's best you enjoy your retirement and stop giving unsupported advice.

[Luv2Box]

Actually no I didn't, if I had said I felt it gained 7-8 hp I would have made a claim but I said I can't. There is a difference in those meanings. Perhaps JFP to the best of your knowledge and experience is not always the final word on things for everyone and if you resort to sarcasm, the way you have here, I can understand how you would piss people off.

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Actually, you did: "I can't tell you if my car recovered the claim of 7-8hp gain as I did not dyno the car before and after."

But you are absolutely correct in the fact that it is your car, and your money to spend anyway you please.

Running a shop, we get inquiries all the time about CAI, DME ref-lashes, aftermarket exhaust systems, larger throttle bodies, intake plenums; you name it. And we always answer the question to the best of our knowledge and experience, even if it pisses off those asking the questions......

[mikefocke]

I did not make any statement relating to the Evcom product.

I merely injected some independent testing results re oiled filters into the discussion. It always helps if the OP has the most info from which to make an informed choice.

Ageism comments don't belong here.

[The Radium King]

i think the issues with the aftermarket CAI are threefold:

1 - oiled filter. if over-oiled you can ruin your airflow sensor. been there, have first-hand experience with that.
2 - oiled filter. when first installed the oil does a good job of capturing particles, but with no oil, the openings in the filter are larger than on a standard filter, so, you've gone from a 'default safe' situation (oem filter will just block more particles as it ages and plugs-up) to 'default unsafe' (oiled filter will pass more particles as it ages). oiled filters were not originally designed for performance, but for recyclability, so make sure you keep you maintenance up.
3- cold air. engines are very sensitive to intake air temperature (iats - important enough that your engine has a sensor for it). the oem intake draws ALL air from outside the car. the aftermarket CAIs do not seal well against the side or top of the engine bay and, if you do a search here, you will find tests that show a significant increase in iats when running an aftermarket CAI because they draw in a significant amount of air from the hot engine bay (I think it was jake, but could be wrong). easy enough to test yourself; iat is one of the obd outputs that you can track with a cellphone app.

[Luv2Box]

"If you are willing to trade that for noise, go for it."
And neither does sarcasm.

Originally Posted by mikefocke

I did not make any statement relating to the Evcom product.

I merely injected some independent testing results re oiled filters into the discussion. It always helps if the OP has the most info from which to make an informed choice.

Ageism comments don't belong here.

[BrokenLinkage]

The first post says "all feedback appreciated." True, but not apparently by L2B, who seems to know what he wants to hear, both literally and figuratively.
Anyway, thanks to JFP, Mike, and TRK for your insight and shared experience on this forum.

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by BrokenLinkage

Anyway, thanks to JFP, Mike, and TRK for your insight and shared experience on this forum.

+1,000,000

I always cringe when I see these types of threads because I am afraid that our significant contributing members of the forum will get fed up and leave off from it (ala JD)

[Hummer-addict]

Thanks For All The Advice...sorry If It Caused Trouble...I Bought A Cold Air Kit Off Ebay For About $300.00...Debating On Installing Or Selling..lol Still Undecided...