Pulleys or Intake
 

Hi all, I'm doing some work to my stock 2004 RX8 for Nasa AutoX.

I put a resonated midpipe on it, springs, struts, ect.

I'm currently in the stock NXD class and I would like to stay there but I have two options, to stay in the NXD class I can either get an aftermarket intake or pulleys.

I'm curious which one will see better power gains and a better feel from people who owns them.

I read on SR Motorsports website that their pulleys add up to 12hp and they have a dyno sheet on it to. That seems like alot of power out of pulleys but I want whatever will be best.

Thanks in advance

I will say the midpipe made a difference in the midrange feel of the car and the snappiness of the throttle in the 3-5k range

Neither. Both are a waste, put your money elsewhere. Oh and search.

Pulleys are pricey, but they do help faster rev, which means acceleration.
If you are going for intake, MS or AEM is your best bet, I wouldn't recommend others.

I wouldn't say they are useless, just don't expect too much out of them.
It's your money and your ride, not others.

just my .02

What happens when you add actual Load\ traction to the "faster acceleration" that the pulleys provide? That kills any possible benefit.

The AEM intake is fairly good for weight reduction though.

other then the typical forum response.

where else can i put the money? huh?

Points system with NASA, I can't do anything else

You can add any factor to any mods if you want to kill the benefit...weight, air flow, temperature, tire grip and etc.

It's how you take the benefit of each mods and make them work together to make ur 8 better.
One single mod would not make much difference.
If you are talking about weight reduction, yet the driver is 250+lb, don't think there is much weight reduction there from one single weight reduction.

Work on weight reduction (rims/tires, exhaust, etc)
You won't gain much from either of your choices.
Read posts of people who have installed both, and make a decision from there

I'm not sure on NASA regulations as I have no experience with NASA but Tires? Mazdaspeed goodies (they are OEM)? Weight reduction? Cobb AP? Fire Extinguisher? Racing Shoes? Helmet? Gloves?

Pulleys have been discussed to death. Intakes have been discussed to death. But personally, I believe the factory intake is pretty damn good and a good factory type paper filter protects your engine much better and flows almost as well as a aftermarket high flow does. Pulleys are good for bling, not much else.

thanks for the response. I've got all the gear I need, I used to track a couple cars but I'm stepping down to AutoX'ing an RX8 due to new financial constraints.

I put some lightweight wheels on the car, Hawk HPS pads, DBA Rotors, SS brake lines, Eibach racing Springs, Tokico D-Specs, Racing Beat Race Muffler, Resonated Midpipe, RB Swaybars, and GT Spec strut tower bars and underbracing.

I'm pretty much maxed out, your allowed 19 points in their classing system and I'm at 18pts. The pulleys and intake are +1 each. Haha I guess I don't really need either. I looked it up and the Cobb AP doesnt add anything, neither does relocation or downsizing of the battery.

As far as other weight reductions I did remove all the sound deadening tar and deadening mat under the carpet yesterday. I believe the minimum race weight is 3,085lb before penalty.

I'm trying to keep it in the stock class so have a reliable DD as well as a Weekend Warrior. I also went a little too far with my last project, a fully caged, gutted 400whp Evo 8 was a bit much to drive every day so I'm looking for something a little easier to handle every day

with your upgrades, I'd say go for a cobb. Having a good tune is the best bet for any car performance upgrade

+1. I would say if your car is running properly and your engine is strong you could get a 15WHP gain from a solid Cobb tune. Not to mention the Cobb will also help with reliability by being able to increase your oil injection rates and lower your coolant fan on trigger points, etc.