Which intake mods?

Myself · Post by **Myself** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 5:03 am

On the showroom floor, I poked around under the hood for a few minutes and said to myself "that intake has got to go!". I've had my Matrix for a 15 months and 42,000 miles, and it's as good a time as any.There seem to be several CAI and ram air options available for these cars. Anything would be better than the stock intake snorkel! Performance is nice, but since my car is a grocery-getter more than a racer, I'm mostly interested in the mileage gains from a free-flowing intake.One thing I don't want to compromise is rain drivability. I'm not afraid of puddles, nor should my car be. I've heard that certain intakes require you to avoid deep water. I'm also no stranger to dirt roads and desert driving, so my air filter should be able to handle anything life throws at it.I'd also like to keep it quiet, and I understand part of the stock intake's shape is to muffle noise. Should I even be considering aftermarket intake parts? I'm asking the experts here, do any available kits meet my needs?

slinkston · Post by **slinkston** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 5:10 am

You don't have to worry about hydrolocking your engine with a Cold Air Intake (CAI) unless you plan on driving your car in a flood.There is a ton of information on different intakes, INJEN, AEM or TRD all over this site as well as http://www.matrixowners.com.If you want the all versatility you are looking for, you might want to consider getting a short ram intake. It will give you added ponies, just not as much as CAIs.If I were to be desert driving and stuff like that (anything life throws at it) I would get a short ram intake.I got the TRD CAI and love it.-Slink

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 5:10 am

A lot of members such as myself, have cold air intakes which put the filter just above the foglight. I personally have an Injen CAI. The filter element is well protected against splashing water. The only way you are going to hydrolock the motor is to submerge the filter. In order to do that, you would have to be in water deep enough to go above your foglights. I'm not sure exactly how deep that is, but I would never take my car through water that deep with the stock air box.If you are really worried about it, I would suggest a short ram which is basically a cold air intake that is cut down. You will not gain as much horsepower, but it will give you peace of mind.As far as filter durability, it just depends on your driving conditions. If you are constantly driving in dusty conditions, you are going to want to clean and recharge your filter more often. If you are not in a dusty area, you can go quite a while without worrying about the element.I hope this help. If you have any other questions, I would be happy to try and answer them for you.BTW, I see you are from Michigan. Have you seen that we are having a Vibe rally on June 28th in Fenton? It is just south of Flint. It is going to be a great time. If you are able to make it, go to the Michigan forum and confirm your attendance. Hope to see you there!

MadBill · Post by **MadBill** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 8:56 am

"I'd also like to keep it quiet, and I understand part of the stock intake's shape is to muffle noise."I think this is where your problems will arise! I'd guess that at least half the appeal of a CAI to most people is the noise!All those chambers, pipes, snorkels, ("bongs") ,etc. are indeed there for noise suppression! If you want a quick preview of roughly how the average CAI sounds, just temporarily pop the top half off your air cleaner box and go for a quick blast. (avoiding sand storms, of course)Possibly your best course would be to just go for a high performance air filter (I'll post some pressure drop numbers soon to show what modest gains should be possible) and perhaps do a little work to ensure the intake snorkel, which is close behind a hole in the radiator support, gets all cold air.

Lorin · Post by **Lorin** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 10:52 am

My filter has gotten soaked (not immersed) more than once. I wasn't paying attention and went through a car wash with underbody wash. When I was done I checked it out and there was water all around and on top of the filter. It happened another time when I was on one of my 1,000 mile Indiana road trips. Went through a TERRIBLE storm - the windshield looked like one of those dishwasher displays with the clear front they have in the appliance stores! SCAREY ... anyway, when I got to the next gas stop 2 hours later, everything surrounding the filter and most of the engine compartment was soaked. It didn't seem to hurt anything, but its not a mod I would want if I drove through heavy rain all the time.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 10:58 am

I have the Injen CAI like Triton...Since the day I installed it, it's been pouring...drove around, no problems.It does make the engine louder..especially when you push the engine past, say 4500k RPM...but it's not insanely loud..You might be able to counteract the noise with a different exhaust system, but my guess is putting a quieter exhaust in will also counteract the performance gains from the CAI...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 11:02 am

Interesting...something for me to look into...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 11:05 am

Isn't the exhaust system on the GT and base the same? I thought only the AWD was different...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 1:29 pm

Whoops. Me be wrong again! LOL!Crapper, that is an EXPENSIVE modification!!!!

slinkston · Post by **slinkston** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 2:34 pm

$300.00 plus shipping for a TRD Exhaust (Base/XR) models - none GT/XRS.Priced nicely when compared to other exhaust systems...-Slink

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 11:28 pm

Hey ragingfish, you may also want to look at the Borla exhaust. It has a really nice sound as well. Rasermon has it and has posted movies. It sounds awesome.As far as the intake goes, I'm glad to hear that their have been no problmes with the filter getting wet.

Myself · Post by **Myself** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 2:55 am

Thanks for the info about the noise, I had a feeling that was part of it. I figure anyone can build a Formula 1 racer if they're willing to make it look like a formula 1 racer. The goal of modifications, to me, is improved efficiency, handling, or power without changing the look, sound, or utility of the car.I guess supplying cool air to my stock intake intestine is the easiest, I'll have a look under there this afternoon and see what looks promising. Moving the battery to the rear would help weight balance and open up a lot of room for quiet, free-flowing intake equipment. Battery relocation doesn't count as an intake mod does it? Oh, and water up to the foglights is not uncommon. I'd probably be more careful with the Matrix, but when I was driving my Encore I had water up past the floorboards on several occasions. I-75 under 8-mile was flooded one morning on the way to work. All the macho SUV's were creeping by on the shoulders, while the $600 subcompact Renault plowed through at hull speed, leaving a wake. It was up slightly past the bottoms of the doors.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 4:34 am

What's an Encore?Did the water leak in?

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 5:03 am

If you go through water that deep, I would definately look at a short ram. Avoid even the possibilty of water being sucked into the motor.

Lorin · Post by **Lorin** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 10:39 am

Yeh, some people have commutes that get partially flooded during heavy rains - definately not candidates for a CAI. They would end up with a CWI (Cold WATER Intake)

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:36 am

Water bypass? That sounds cool...what's it do, and where does it attach?

millster · Post by **millster** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:39 am

It's a valve and a small foam filter that sits between the main filter and the throttlebody. It's supposed to close when the filter gets submerged and the pressure increases in the tube, allowing air to come through the foam filter. The only problem is, the earlier ones ahd a tendency to fall apart and get sucked into the engine. They've supposedly been fixed, but I'm not sure. It's still a plastic flap in the intake.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:39 am

nifty...sounds expensive though...and it sounds like that will make fitting the injen CAI in the same space even MORE difficult...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:43 am

quote:Well, I would assume Injen, AEM, and TRD are the same size on diameter since they need to connect to the throttle body.Well, I wasn't thinking diameter, I was thinking length...it adds length to the CAI, which will force the filter downward, directly into the fogs...By the way...how does one cut a CAI cleanly and straight, should I opt to go for this nifty filter you speak of??quote:They are like $40.00 or something online.That doesn't sound bad at all...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:46 am

quote:Use a pipe cutter or a Saw Zaw.I'm sorry...Saw Zaw? (removed)?

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:53 am

Ooooohhhh....MORE POWER!

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Tue Jun 03, 2003 9:27 pm

quote:Use a pipe cutter or a Saw Zaw.Hey Rob, I think you meant "Sawzall" which is a Milwaukee brand name for a reciprocating saw. Here is a pic: I don't mean to sound like I am correcting you or anything. (Just kidding!)Anyways, back to the topic at hand.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Jun 04, 2003 2:19 am

quote:Yeah, thats it... I pronounce it different, since I am from the country... Y'all hool-ee-gans makin fun of the way that boy pru-nunce things, are yeees?

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Wed Jun 04, 2003 2:54 am

quote:Yeah, thats it... I pronounce it different, since I am from the country... LOL!!! It's the accent then! I didn't notice you had one.

Which intake mods?

Which intake mods?

Re: Which intake mods? (Myself)

Re: Which intake mods? (Myself)

Re: Which intake mods? (Myself)

Re: Which intake mods? (MadBill)

Re: Which intake mods? (Myself)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (ragingfish)

Re: Which intake mods? (ragingfish)

Re: Which intake mods? (MadBill)

Re: Which intake mods? (Myself)

Re: Which intake mods? (Myself)

Re: Which intake mods? (Triton GT)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (ragingfish)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)

Re: Which intake mods? (silverawd26)