GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I am thinking of getting a new intake for my base '05 Vibe and figured Id ask you experts on here some questions.Are the K&N Typhoon Short Ram Intakes worth the money (about 190bucks at crutchfield, less on ebay)... ?Is it worth doing if I don't do the exhaust as well (currently have stock exhaust and may not ever change it)?Are there other brands that are better/ better value for the money than K&N, I am mainly looking at them because it is watch Crutchfield carries, and I hear their air filters are the way to go...And finally, how hard is the install to replace the stock intake, assuming I know absolutely nothing about cars, have little mechanic aptitude, about all I can hack tool wise is a screwdriver and a drill... Would this install be too complicated for a novice??Just wanted to get people's general recommendations, what brands, types of intake I should get, ease of install, trying to figure out if it would be noticible perfomance upgrade without spending other money on exhaust, Sorry if this question has been asked before a million times but I am a newb and thanks in advance for any help,David

Well personally my preference is for the full cold air intake as opposed to short ram. Mainly because a short ram draws in warm air from around the engine while the full CAI draws in air from the outside before it reaches the engine. However the short ram is easier to install as you need only disconnect the airbox from the throttle body and any vac lines. As well as your Mass Air Flow sensor (MAF) from off the air box itself and attach to the short ram tube. Hook up and vac hoses from the air box to the short ram and your pretty much set. The full CAI requires a lot more work I can tell you that having installed/removed mine a few times. Short Ram is easy by comparison. I almost did buy a typhoon intake. Just make sure it has all the vac line ports... I know these new Vibes have a few things gained in its air/fuel systems from 03-04.

ya ive been reading if I do an intake Ill definitly go with short ram over cold air just because I might feasibly be able to install it. Just wondering if anyone had one of these or knew how they were compared to other brands.Also will I still see performance improvement even if I only have stock exhaust?

Get a real CAI from Cosmo Racing. They're the only ones that sell a CAI for '05+. http://www.cosmoracing.com/pro...=1258

Well the full CAI requires you to remove your battery, put new brackets on the fuse box to raise it up so the CAI can fit under it. Also you need to take two screws off the bottom of the driver's wheel well to pull that away enough to get the air filter up in there which I suggest doing before sticking the cai tube down through the underhood opening in the wheel well. If you don't know what your doing, it can be interesting... only problem I can warn you of and this happens to a few people be it short ram or cai thats being installed. Be VERY careful with your MAF, disconnect it before disconnecting the battery, and reconnected it after the battery is reconnected. A few of us, including myself, shorted ours out during the install. Go Cosmo though, they are good.

ya those ones at cosmor racing look nice (and not too expensive) Im just not sure I could hack the more difficult installation of a cold air.

thanks for the advice, ill definitly go with short ram, now just to google to figure out what the heck the MAF is again lol I told you Im new

MAFs= Mass Air Flow Sensor, it regulates the amount of air flow through the intake to the throttle body. Its part of the air/fuel system basicly. With a shorted/bad one, what happens is it governs the vehicle to cut out on fuel at the 2800rpm mark as it is unsure of how much air flow is coming in and needs to maintain safe air/fuel ratio. If you pop your hood and look at your airbox, you'll see a bunch of wires to a harness connected to a sensor on the tubing from the airbox to the throttle body. Thats the MAFs.The CAI comes with instructions on installs as well as most people here know how to/have installed one before. You could even check and see if someone on GV is in your area and could help you out.Oh and no drilling is required. Only screw driver you need is for tightening the hose clamps. Most of the bolts/screws can be removed with the same size socket and extension for those hard to reach ones in the airbox. Also on GV here you will find picture detailed install instructions.http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1281 for the Injen intake which pretty much is the same as cosmo.Oh and welcome to GV.

ya I found that out, I actually found a pdf of the install instructions for the Typhoon short ram.They say to disconnect your battery first then the air sensor but Ill be sure to do it the other way around so I dont short it. Other then that it doesnt look too bad just a long list of finding the right place to screw and unscrew.So do you guys think the short ram intake at cosmo are just as good as or better than the K&N,The cosmo racing one is 75 bucks compared to the K&N one which is 180 at crutchfield.

Well see I disconnected the battery, then disconnected the MAF and then I reconnected the MAF when done and then reconnected the battery, I instantly fried my MAF. Now I have seen (work at a shop) MAF sensors replaced without the battery disconnected so when I removed my cai I did the battery after the MAF was unplugged and hooking the battery back up then the MAF when done and I didn't fry the MAF... So I do it that way since.Cosmo is just as good as any for their short rams and full CAI. I would have bought a Cosmo myself but settled for Injen because I wanted a polished intake pipe.

I installed a short ram. ( off brand) I got on E-bay for $33.00. It works great. Took the stock air box out and hooked up the new SR. I have much more power than before. It is a bit louder than it was but only when I stomp on it. MPG went down a bit but I think that is a result of a fuel change ( anti-freeze in the gas for winter) Well worth the few MPG I lost if it is due to the SR.

thanks for all your help guys im gonna go for it. ill probably get a cosmo so ill have some support if I need it. you guys recommend getting the K&N air filter? it will work alright with a cosmo intake unit right? (obviously I know nothing about cars).. I figure dropping around 125bucks for both and if I get 10more horsepower out of a 130some horsepower engine its worth it.

ok last stupid questionDo I even need to get a replacement Air Filter like K&N if I am replaceing the entire stock intake with a Cosmoracing shortram or would the replacement intake include a high quality filter like the K&N,

The intake comes with a washable air filter similar to a K&N. It needs to be oiled, it ships dry. Just buy a K&N recharge kit ($15.00). I used it on my '04 and it worked great. I could see no trace of fine dirt sneaking by the filter. I am buying a Cosmo CAI for my '06.