Question about cold air intake
 

today i tried to install a CAI it was one i put together with buying pipe, cone af, and the airflow sensor adapter and it installed fine i started it and reved and it was fine then i took it around my neighborhood and once i hit second gear it started to lose throttle response( couldnt get past 12 mph and wouldnt rev above 4000) then i took it home and turnd it off and then back on and it was idling pretty high then my check engine light came on and it died and wouldnt turn back over i reinstalled factory air filter and it was fine the check engine light stayed on for 15- 20 min though then turned off. anyone know why this happened?

The size of the intake pipe and the location of the MAF is critical.
Not to mention that you also need at least one screen before the MAF to smooth out the air flow (most of us have two screens).
Also, are you still using the VFAD?

we had 6" long 3" pipe from the throttle body( left the rubber shoe on) then the sensor pipe which was 6" long 3" diameter then the Cone Air Filter.

also is the K&N typhoon filter intake good because it looks sweet.

This rotary intake can't be replaced with a bunch of parts from an auto store. Simple as it may appear at first blush, it is highly engineered part of the wholistic intake system. Trust me, or instead just read through the myriad less-than-successful attempts in the forum.....although messing with it seems a fun no-brainer weekend mod, you WILL inevitably fail, losing driveability & performance in the process, save some very minor modifications like removing the VFAD. Even many 3rd party intakes have had problems and ultimately were withdrawn or modified several times just to get back to the same performance as the stock Mazda unit.

As a newbie and obviously unaware of the delicate interdependence of inner workings of the rotary....put your creative juices anywhere but the engine.

Also, you need to re-connect all the small hoses that connect after the MAF sensor, you can't just leave them hang....

S

Custom CAI?

Sounds like the MAF wasn't hooked back up properly and the car went into limp mode...it could also be because the car was cold..and was still on cold start protocol?

The MAF sensor on the RX8 is highly sensitive and as a result constructing your own CAI of any kind is most likely going to have more negative effects than positive.

First off, the MAF is calibrated from the factory for a specific diameter tubing which the stock intake uses. Changing the diameter of this intake effects how much air the MAF will see and causes it to trim your fuel delivery. The more the tube is off, the larger your trims and the worse your car will run until those trims are loaded.

As dannobre stated, MAF position and angle are critical. Also if there are no screens to even out the air flow and reduce turbulance the MAF will see incorrect readings.

Honestly, you're better off sticking with the stock intake. The stock intake is actually a CAI because it draws air from outside the engine bay. Anything you make at home isn't going to produce more power because of how the PCM works and will more than likely result in negative effects.

yeah like many have said this MAF is very sensitive..best bet is to do the custom airbox mod(I removed the walls and a screen)

alright. well do u think its still a bad idea if i were to buy the K&N typhoon which i have seen a lot installed on rx8's through this website?

Racing Beat and AEM appear to be the popular intakes for the RX8 (besides modding your stock intake box)

hmm alright. well what are some other ways i could increase my cars horse power, i am already looking into changing the pulleys, the grounds, and cold air, is there any other ways?

what Cold air intakes are recommended please leave link.

are you serious? look above you

...here's the deal...there is no way to increase the HP significantly... pullies, grounds, CAI and a whole lot of other mods are all fun things to do, but there's really nada from them, HP-wise. Alternatively, if you mod your ECU, get rid of the CAT, you could get a small boost. Turbo or SC it, sure, knock yourself out, it's a project.

...look ... after 6 yrs on the market....if there was an easy, quick, cheap, or even reasonably doable mod to get 10-20-30 HP, don't you think everyone and his brother would have done it? Enjoy the HP you've got...

no easy way to get HP most intake actually lose HP and if you gain any it's only about 2-3 HP....bet way to free some horses would be catless and Accessport(about $1000 between those 2) and of course FI will get the HP numbers up but can cause abnormal wear on ur engine especially if it's not tuned correctly

i dont by any means think its easy i just want my rx 8 to be unique and sound different then the others in my town. so far the only cars able to beat me stop light to stop light are ones that have turbo which i have no shame in losing to. i am just looking for a way to have some fun and upgrading the engine at the same time.

I recommend this...
Best intake in the world!

^ROFL
I remember that thread
HAHAHAHAHHAHA

I'm gonna bump it. lol

bwahahaha I remember it too... did you bump it?

Yeah, he bumped it. :lol:

linky? im blind

there is. depending on what you mean by "cheap," i'd say nitrous fits your requirements..

rofl !!!

that PVC intake was classic .... LMAO !!!

omg, pvc = epic fail,

I don't think I remember that thread but is damn funnyy now haha...spent more money on the damn filters than the pipe haha