ShadowX

[Update 10/09/2004]
Today I just got some parts from Rishie over at AutoRnD in Milpitas. He runs a pretty trick shop over there with some nice cars and great people. Anyway, this article is about the K&N Typhoon Intake for the Mazda RX-8. In this article I'll do my best to cover the build quality and my response on how the part responds.
The instructions that came with the piece are actually very detailed, and there's little I could do to improve on them. I took pictures of the entire install since I intended to rewrite a more thorough install, but ended not needing to. Below is a list of tools you'll need for the install, the printed directions I recieved did not have the below list but the instructions on the website did include this list.

Tools Required:
10mm Wrench (I'd recommend a socket wrench with a long extension)
Phillips Screwdriver
Straight-Slot Screwdriver
3/4 Allen Wrench
(It comes with an allen wrench which works for most of the screws.)
4mm allen
5mm allen

Parts Quality

First, the quality of the parts. I haven't gotten any kits from K&N in a long time, so I was pretty surprised at some of the features of the parts. First first off, like all of K&N filters, this one is a cotton element that comes pre-oiled. There has been debate that the oil in the filter can cause damage to the MAF's sensor. I haven't personally had this problem and I don't of anyone personally who has had a MAF fail from being fouled by the oilOne thing that is a welcome upgrade is the actual "frame" is made of carbon fiber. And it looks just plain fantastic. I'm not sure if K&N is doing this with all of their Filter-Charger kits, but I'm glad to see they're still finding ways to improve an already impressive product.
(Check out the pictures)
Everything is pretty much stainles-steel. Check out this intake pipe, it doesn't get much better than this.
The hose clamps are especially nice, they definitely don't look like something that's going to fall apart anytime soon.
The heat shield is also a nice touch, it even has a place for the factory engine cover to snap in to.
It came with all the parts necessary to install, except one. It replaces most of the factory hardware with new pieces. The instructions that comes with it tells you where to use factory hardware (mounting bolts for the intake base)

Engine before install:
Engine after install:

Initial response: Right off the bat, a little improvement in throttle response. Nothing major, but it's noticeable. But the biggest difference is the sound, this is how the car should have sounded from the factory. I can't really describe it. It just sounds like an uncorked rotary; this is the sound that most people are trying to get with an exhaust. At idle you can't hear it from inside the car. Outside you can hear the suction through the filter, but nothing too major. Give the gas a blip and it sounds just pissed off. Rev the engine up to red, and the sound is incredible. Between 6500-9000 the sound just resonates in the cabin, it's just so smooth and ... rotary sounding. I'll post up some sound bites later.
Long term evaluation:
I've had the filter in for about a month and I love it every time I drive the car. K&N claims a 9.5hp increase over stock. They got the dyno to prove it, but it's way up in the revs, so it's not something you're really gonna feel. I wish I had a 1/4 mile track near by to test it out. It seems a little smoother in the lower end, and the throttle response is noticable still.
We noticed a 2MPG increase in our highway fuel efficiency since adding the filter. Nothing huge, but any improvement on this car is nice. Around, there's no difference, but that's probably because I keep revving the engine just to hear that sweet sound! =D
Since adding the filter, the car definitely gets more attention than it used to. Where the stock engine, is stealthy and polite, with the filter the car makes its presence known. All you have to do is push down the gas just a little and heads turn to investigate the sound.
Being that this is the wife's car for the most part (I usually drive my FC =D), her opinion is the one that mattered most. My wife is very discriminating when it comes to the changes an item makes to a car. She absolutely loves the filter. I even caught her revving the engine for the sound. She'd recommend the filter to anyone, which is really saying something.

[Update]
Here's a video /w sound [approx 4mb]: http://fcdrifter.org/images/reviews/knsound.mpeg

P.S.
I have full color images of pretty much every step I took, but they are basically just the same photos that are in the directions. If anyone wants them or wants me to actually do an install write up, just let me know.

RXE16T

Pretty comprehensive write up.

Good luck with it.

yushinrt

hay man i want to get a k&n filter like how is the they look so cool but i think you should clean your engin bay so it looks better sorry for saying that

i hope you have a nice day

mysql101

They actually don't have the dyno to prove it.

http://www.kandn.com/dynocharts/69-6030.jpg

They dynoed the car 30 times, and picked the lowest dyno compared to the highest performing dyno run, on completely different days, with a 10 degree change in climate.

I could perform the same exact test, and change only an air freshener in the cabin to produce 10 hp.

You're turning your cold air intake from factory into an aftermarket warm air intake

If you want sound, the exhaust is a better way about it.

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I think it has been pretty much agreed that the K & N is indeed nothing more than a noisemaker. Which is fine and all, but HP increases are laughable.

Omicron

ShadowX, that's a heckuva great contribution for someone with only 10 posts! Great Job! In fact, this post was good enough that I copied the first part of it into a DIY thread (here).

310Guy

Improved throttle response? Huh?

While I don't know if you have an auto (like I do), I thought the K&N robbed the car of low end power and throttle response. I had mine for 5k miles, just took it out last week. "Performance" wise my 8 is better without it. I do miss, though, the sound.

mysql101

Ask abbid about K&N, he recently removed it from his 6 speed only to say how much better his car ran without it.

IZoomZoomI

lol saying that won't help sales :p

ShadowX

I hate to be devil's advocate, but how do we know it robs HP? Mazda has said dynos can't be trusted, so unless anyone has posted 1/4 times showing a slower time there's no way we can really tell. I'm definitely not trying to say that this is making power for sure, I just wonder about the realism of any horsepower claim.

310Guy

I press on the gas pedal. That's how I know.

mysql101

A dyno may not test the car properly, but the same car will test about the same on the same dyno if all the conditions are the same. So while the actual HP may be in question, the addition or removal of the air filter can and will show a direct result.

rotarygod

Do you want a detailed technical response comparing the design variations between the stock airbox vs the typical cone intake? I've written it here before but I can do it again.

JeRKy 8 Owner

310Guy nottrying to insult youbut I thinkthat it was redundant for you to take it off (unless youre replacing it w/something else). We both know the car still doesnt have a lot of umph whether ornot the K&N intake is installed. Whyremove it whenyouve already paid for it and even statedthat you miss how it sounds?

Im sure itdidnt rob you of more than 2 - 3 horsepower anyway. Our caronly makes 197 stock. I couldunderstand if say --you took it off b/c it performs poorly AND it lowered your gas mileage for instance. Otherwise why be concerned w/the small decrease in performance whenour automatics dont have much performance to begin with?

Ellar

RX-8 owners are mostly sportscar enthusiasts, so you'll see a lot of this kind of unreasonable rejection of bling if you hang around a lot. You might want to take a look at the Civic forum just down the block. Rumor is, Vanilla Ice is going to make a surprise appearance...

ShadowX

RotaryGod -> do you have a link to your previous thread so I can take a look at it.

JasonHamilton -> Although not having personal experience with dyno'ing an 8, I've consistenty read about their inconsistency on the dyno. That's really what I was going for in my statement, not that they dyno too low.

And I'm with Jerky, like many of the products currently out for the 8, none of them make a significant difference in powers (at least in respect to intakes/exhausts). I just say but the one you like and just be happy about it. That is, until someone comes out with a real power maker.

On a side note, I've started to notice quite a bit of unneeded rudeness on this forum. If this keeps up, we'll quickly be on our way to looking like a Honda forum. It seems to me that bashing someone for their opinion is simply just not constructive.

mysql101

I think the fact that K&N had to dyno their car 30 times in order to get a 9.5 spread speaks for itself

310Guy

You're one of those ******** manual owners, aren't you? Performance = hp?

Anyway, all I know is that after driving my 8 with the K&N for 5,000 miles (this isn't based upon some weekend swap) and taking it out, my car responds much better (throttle response) and it "seems" a bit quicker. I know that powering through a turn now, my car is responding better with the stock intake than it did with the K&N. I'm not concerned with hp increases/decreases or whatever. My car responds better with the factory intake and not the K&N. Did I say I would whoop a manual? No, I didn't. BTW, this is my fourth car modifying (Mitsu, Nissan and Acura) and all had "improvements" with an intake except one - the RX-8.

(Actually, I don't even know why I responded to this post because you've got some chip on your shoulder about automatics. Get over it.)

JeRKy 8 Owner

If you readmy post closely I also own the automatic not manual when I wrote "OUR CAR" - regardless its pointless forme to try and argue w/your morals so good luck w/whatever youre doing.

abbid- my Rx8 has a rough idle as well that causesthe entire car to vibrate untilI start accelerating again - andI havent performed a single mod on this car for as long asIve owned it and allthe dealerships Ive takenit to give me the bullshit tagline 'its the natureof the beast.' Iguess putting on a k&n intake wouldonly amplify this ****.

ShadowX

You know, if I was having idle problems, I'd have gotten rid of it too. I wonder if the cars that are having problems with idle have something in common with the cars that don't take well to Canzoomer's module? I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

Mikelikes2drive

talk to Jim langer from Racingbeat he drew me diagrams and everything about how intakes who replace that one tube (sorry i fergot wat it was called but Rotarygod knows wat im talking about) changes the diameter and the maf sensor no longer sits in the middle thus breaking the air flow and changing it making the idling worse...

personally im waiting for the racingbeat intake cuz it looks top of the line and that company has never let me down... good luck shadowx with the rough idles

rotarygod

There are 2 very critical things about the RX-8 maf that need to be adressed with a new intake. The first one is that the maf needs to sit in the exact same position in the pipe as it did originally. It's got to be centered. It can't be off in any way or the car will idle rough. Also, the length of the intake pipe is very critial as well. If it is too long (hint, hint) the car will also idle rough. It runs fine though, the idle just sucks. This is why long arm intakes that have been tried before and the AEM intake that everyone is foolishly waiting for don't work very well. The maf is too damn sensitive. This sensitivity and inconsistency with their calibration is what causes inconsistencies with the Canzoomer unit and why people are having a hard time with forced induction. There are 2 solutions to this issue. Actually design and test a proper intake for the car rather than slap a cone filter on a tube, put a sticker on it and call it new, or you can find a new maf that works better. This has been looked into for a long time now and no solution has come of it yet.

wakeech

actually, this section will resemble a honda board less when we stop having people start new threads about rice "bolt on mods" of which there are already too many.

please search first next time. something like 'K&N' will describe about 20% of the threads in this section, so you can bet that it's been covered. nice on the install side, though. if you add other bits to your car that aren't so common please feel free to write up another thread in this style, it's a lot better than the ones where everyone asks which exhaust they should choose.