blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

Here is my story in case it helps someone in the future.

I noticed one of my MAF screens was damaged when I recently put my stock intake back together. No idea how that happened, all I can say is it was not me. I figured this explained why I had struggled in the past to calibrate my MAF (part and full throttle never seemed to agree), but I put it back together anyway since it had been running fine for some time.

After that I had an occasional slight misfire. That, along with my earlier MAF calibration issues made me think it was time to do something about the MAF screen.

Discovered I could only get a new screen from Mazda along with the lower portion of the intake box at a cost of ~150. That was enough for me to justify spending the extra on the RB Revi intake.

I was a little disappointed to discover RB do not include a MAF screen, and you need to re-use one of the stock ones. At least I did have one in reasonable condition.

I also quickly discovered what I think was causing my ecu to detect a misfire. I had not properly tightened up the clip between the intake accordion and the throttle body when I had recently removed and re-installed the stock intake. Doh!

Overall, installing the RB intake went well. The instructions are very comprehensive, and I did not need any extra parts. Actually the instructions are almost too comprehensive :-) I did not read all the text and missed the part about blocking off the fresh air duct port at the time. Oops. Fortunately I did go back and find this before the install was complete, since I knew I had to block that off.

I did find it tricky to lower in the RB intake box. I think in part this is due to some interference from my koyo s2 radiator. I had to force the airbox into place a little, and could not get the included foam to fit nicely around the front of the intake. I abandoned using the supplied foam instead used some thick tape to seal the intake opening to the opening in the metal in the front of the engine bay in an attempt to avoid drawing in any hot air. This may or may not be a good idea - I'll have to check to see how it holds up over time.

So far MAF readings are good and appear to be very stable. I am pretty much within +/- 2% under 4500rpm for all throttle positions. I have yet to start tuning open loop or higher rpms.

Driving impressions are good too. There is almost no noticeable increase in noise over stock when cruising. It can be heard slightly if you listen for it, and when going up a grade, but is mostly drowned out by tire noise anyway. When accelerating, there is a small increase in noise in the form of a little more bass resonance. I actually quite like this. While a silent cruise is a good thing, one issue I had with the stock intake and exhaust was that you could not hear enough of the engine when you accelerate.

I expect intake temps will be equivalent to stock (i.e. close to ambient when moving/accelerating), but have not measured them (yet). I am also hoping I got a bit more power, it certainly feels responsive, but that is not an accurate enough measure.

I will get a dyno, probably next month, and will post that here, but it won't be a direct back to back comparison between this and the stock intake (I don't plan to re-install the stock intake just to do a baseline dyno).

Overall, I had some initial disappointment when I discovered that I could probably have fixed my issues with the stock intake without needing to spend any $$$, but very happy now that I have it installed an been driving around for a bit. I expect I will keep smiling when I get some air temp, flow and dyno results too :-)

djgiron

I have installed this recently as well as the RAM part, and there is little noise increase until 3/4 + throttle above ~6k rpms. I like the sound for sure.

bluetii

iTrader: (3)

Do you guys still like this intake? Is it better than stock?

UnknownJinX

The general consensus here is that the stock intake is excellent and the best bang for the buck(as it either come with the car or can be picked up from a junkyard for cheap). Even some racing teams use the stock setup.

AEM/Mazdaspeed and Revi mostly just add noise. They may add 2~3 HP, but you won't notice the tiny difference anyway.

Don't bother with anything else.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

Well discussed in the S1 forum area. Other than possibly some very minor fitment differences it’s the same overall whether S1 or S2.

gwilliams6

Only the AEM/Mazdaspeed and Racing Beat CAI add any small hp bump. The other CAIs will rob you of power.

I have had the Mazdapseed CAI on my 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 since 2009, with no issues and no downside for the way I drive.

UnknownJinX

I read that the AEM/Mazdaspeed and Revi may also have issues if you see a lot of water(rain, puddles, etc.). I DD my car and see rain every day in winter, so I am sticking with stock.

gwilliams6

That's ok, I never had a water issue, but yes you can be cautious if you drive through deep water., due to the low position of the intake on the AEM/Mazdaspeed CAI. (that is how it gets the cooler intake air). Rain is no issue. My Mazdaspeed CAI has the filter sock supplied on it.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

Nothing will protect against complete submersion, but splashes, rain drops, etc are easily replelled on the AEM or any end of tube style filter if you have a filter sock installed (Outerwears is who makes them for K&N and others). Another benefit is that it also acts as a pre-filter to keep out all but the finest dirt particles without impeding flow while extending service life.

Been making my own for years; both custom tubes and boxes, and you can get a few hp out of them on a strong engine. The AEM/MS has a few design flaws imo. The low filter position is an issue if you charge into a deep enough puddle to essentially flood the lower front center bumper opening and it also steps down below the factory 3.375” ID tube size in one section and the coupler that holds the MAF screen also does the same internally acting like an orifice, which coupled with the extended length, results in a slight restriction at high rpm on a healthy engine. The MS is just a rebadged AEM and it’s a street “marketing” product, not a competition race part.