i am looking to get a cai to improve throttle response and mainly sound I'm stuck between AEM and K&N.

i want to go AEM since its a real COLD air intake not a shirt ram K&N but i am afraid of water locking it. i don't live in a very rainy place (Fresno Ca) and i hand wash my 8.

are there many cases of water lock or is it because people are irresponsible?

i have read other threads on subjects corresponding with this but have not seen the answer of my question.

does the aem come with a coat of protectent to cover it or something along those lines?


Also my 8 is an 04 6sp has 72k miles i bought it at 70k 2 months ago. the previous owner used and abused it and didnt take care of it at all. should i just change all the plugs wires and oil change? or doesnt it have enough miles on it to worry yet?

Thanks, Jason

ps sorry if some of this is a newbies questions i just want the best for my car.

Get the AEM.
Water will not hydro-lock the engine, just screw up the MAF reading.
It comes with a sock that will repel a small amount of water.
You can play it safe and put a plastic bag over the filter when you wash your car.

Whenever you buy a car used you should assume that it wasn't maintained well.
Changing the fluids (engine, trans, diff, coolant, brake) along with the plugs is good so you have a peace-of-mind of knowing it was done.

i used to have the kn intake v2 and i love it . if you take the vfad out it will be the same as the aem and no water will soak the filter. also i never have idle problems . i sold it because it was to loud almost as loud as my exhaust if not more.

Even is you remove the VFAD your SRi intake will still get mostly hot air when you are idling.

I would definifly get the AEM over the K&N. I had the K&N first and traded it for the AEM when I saw how hot my IAT was when monitoring with the AP.

Don't worry about sucking up to much water. You would have to drive through a lot of water for this to happen.

If you change your fluids, ignition wires (if you are going to do this get the BHR ignition) and spark plugs you are off to a great start. Esspecially at 72K...

G/L

Get the Mazdaspeed CAI, I have it & I love it! Sounds great and no water problems what so ever, im in cali too.

did the previous owner say anything about having the motor replaces?

does the car feel slow?

the owner kinda screwed me over pretty bad. he said it needed a clutch plate i was fine with that. but it ended up needed a lot more (pedal, hydraulic system and i put in a stage 2 clutch cause it was 50 dollars more) and it doesn't feel slow at all stock i bet a 09 mustang gt from stop light to stop light and i hold my own i haven't really gotten blown out of the water from a stand still. but i RARELY race when i do its fine and it has power when i need it to.

so new motor?
hope you got if for a great price!!!!

I don't know if it has a new motor he didn't say. Is there a way I can tell? And I paid 8300 for it

8300 for a new motor installed at the dealership? You got ripped off if so.

no i paid 8300 for the car it self from the previous owner i dont know if it has a new engine is there a way to tell?

^yes, the engine will have a reman ID plate attached to it. You can see it when looking under the intake tube, it's silver and blue. If there is one then the engine been replaced, if not well there's your answer.

well i decided to order the AEM CAI because i saw both of them in real life for my self and i liked the way the AEM sounded. thanks for the help

Good on you! You won't regret it....

G/L with the install. :)

haha i heard its a pain in the ass. but i feel im up to it. it seem easy just a long process

your gonna take more then 2 hours lol if its by your self

nah one of my best friends is helping me. is that all i thought it was gonna be an all day thing

AEM FTW!

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g307/Easy_E1/RX-8/SevenStock8027.jpg

your gonna take more then 2 hours lol if its by your self

^:lol: 2 hours?

^:lol: 2 hours?

that's what I'm saying....
shouldn't take much longer than 30 - 45 mins

yup yup it took renesis less tha 20 cause hes god

haha well sounds like it should be a fun time. what are some other upgrades i should do now? like ground kits and exhaust??

what are some of both i should look at?

Not upgrades, but I'd clean the TB/maf while you're at it.
TB bypass if you're not in freezing climates

nope it gets 35 some times 32 rarely at coldest. whats a TB??? and i am garaging my 8 on cold/rainy days in the winter.

TB = Throttle Body

nope it gets 35 some times 32 rarely at coldest. whats a TB??? and i am garaging my 8 on cold/rainy days in the winter.

i still wouldnt do the tb bypass if your weather gets that cold

oh shit duhh haha. thanks.

well i installed it tonight took me and a friend a little over an hour. I took it on a ride and noticed the throttle response increased greatly and it sounds super sweet. glad i went AEM i no regrets about this choice. they sent me the wrong color but oh well same shit haha.

any other suggestions on mods and or maintenance? what oils do you guys use??

now you are pushing your luck, LOL!

It depends on what you want to achieve with your 8 as far as mods go....

Oil is a topic for debate as well. I use Castrol 5w-30.

Same here.

...
Oil is a topic for debate as well. I use Castrol 5w-30.

Haha it sounds amazing are grounding kits easy to put on in these cars?