Im at a crossroad for my cold air intake upgrade, should i go K&N typhoon or AEM?

 

Well that depends, do you want to lose power or gain it?
While I find it hard to justify the cost of an AEM, the K&N is a joke, it picks up warmer air than the stock intake.

Just so you understand, the stock intake gets air behind the bumper, it's already as cold as it's going to get.

 

If you want to lose power and gain a rough idle, go with the K&N. If you want to gain maybe 2HP, go with the AEM or Racing Beat. If you want a fatter wallet and to keep your intake air as clean as possible with no fuss, go with the stock airbox and OEM panel filters.

 

i plan on tuning it after the fact to maximize performance. ive owned the racing beat and the airbox for that unit is the real joke, im only looking at k&n or aem and i read the aem can suck up water

 

Just keep it stock and tune that then. The intake is not a part that needs upgrading on these cars.

 

But you didn't read about any issues with the K&N? I'll give the K&N one thing: it sounds obnoxious in a good way. Other than that, it is a suck salad relative to your stock intake.


I think you're missing the boat on this whole "mod" and "tuning" thing. If the car is MAXED OUT in some aspect, then you don't need to mod it - because that part is already the best it can be from the factory. You wouldn't replace perfectly good alloy wheels with steelies just to be "different" would you? No! Because alloys are decidedly better!


Same difference...

 

The K&N has problems you can't tune away. Essentially, they did not spend enough time on R&D when they designed it, and sends turbulent air to the MAF, which confuses the ECU. That causes a rough idle and fueling issues all along the spectrum. The only 3 viable intakes for NA RX-8s are OEM, AEM, and Racing Beat. Considering anything else is simply a waste of time and money.

 

op theres a lot of hate for the k&n here. when i got my car in 08 it had a k&n v1 which i swapped out for the v2 and i never had any issues with it. as far as power i made just under 200whp on the dyno with an older ignition but i had many more mods and it was tuned.

sadly a deer totaled my 8 in november but if you want the k&n ill sell you mine

 

I installed an AEM cold air intake last august i believe....cant say i noticed any gains except at high rpms....the stock intake is really very good....

I haven't had not one issue with my CAI yet (I live in Ontario, and it was fine through the fall, winter and no issues yet as the snow melts....) If you decide to go AEM, avoid auto car washes and major puddles and pooled water as water ingestion has been discussed before, i have not had any issues with it though....

Cant say i would definitively go one way or the other (AEM or OEM ) but i am happy with my AEM.....AEM gains are minimal (a couple hp at best) and personally i would stay away from K&N as i have heard and read about problems from that CAI (never had one so I'm speaking from what i have read)....

All in all, I like my CAI.....it sounds pretty mean and only took about an hour to install....i kept my original so i can swap my OEM back in anytime....

Hope this helps you and your decision....
Cheers,
Big Fella

https://www.rx8club.com/attachments/...diy-done-.jpeg

 

Just save you money for other quality parts. The K&N is a step backwards, with the AEM/Mazdaspeed a lot of people have had issues with the filter getting wet (even with the sock) and overall it is just a noise maker that allows more dirty into your engine because high flow filters suck at actually filtering. Yes many with AE have had no problems, I am just telling you what I have seen in the past. The OEM intake is as good as it gets.

But if you just want to spend money on "mods" then hey it's your money, you don't have to justify your purchase to us.

 

If you have to get an intake get the AEM. It is the same design as the Mazdaspeed intake and has the correct MAF tube sizing which is important for many reasons.

 

Speaking of AEM's getting wet.....

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...4/#post4672672

 

My plans so far are to combine a ram air and cold air intake.
I am still researching what kits I want to use. Also what filter I will use.
I know it will cost more and will take a bit of work but I think it will be worth it.

 

Highly doubtful. But worth is subjective.

 

Like a Revi with a duct?

 

Have you removed the stock intake to see how it all works? This ain't no Honda Civic. There aren't any reasonable gains to be had no matter how much you're willing to spend. The only reason to change is if you're installing a turbo and need plumbing to a different location.

We even see bosted guys talking about how to implement the OEM filter in their custom intake setup.

 

typhoon is not a CAI. It's a heat box.

 

mine ingested a little bit of water once... but it's hard to call it a true AEM... about the only part that is still AEM is the filter itself and maf housing.

I hit a big *** puddle, car bogged for a moment, then recovered. I had to clear the MAF code and then everything was back to normal. I call it my one time unplanned decarb.

I didn't point my air filter down either, I have it running laterally right under the hood hook.

 

If it was a Honda civic then it wouldn't be worth time and money to try. As for if it give any gain in power I doubt it will do much of anything. The difference is that I'm willing to try. If it doesn't work the it doesn't matter. I can reinstall the stock system and be happy knowing that I tryed. If we don't try things out then how can ever find any improvements. Nothing is a perfect design and every system can be improved on.

I would rather try and fail than not try and miss out on something that could be great

 

That concept is great. However, you're asking about intakes that have been tried by hundreds of people. I myself just replaced my Racing Beat intake with an OEM one. The only real difference I've noticed is the sound.

 

Whatever brand of CAI you choose, consider upgrading your exhaust for more hp gain.

 

Yeah like a 2WHP gain,

 

^ Counting both the intake and the exhaust...

 

Actually it is MORE "worth it" on a Honda Civic than an 8, the gains on the civic are more substantial, pretty much across the board whatever company you go with for the solution.

 

I have a Typhoon in hand. I just removed it from my new 8 'cause I don't like the sound. I prefer OEM. So I can sell it if you want it.