If you're going to state your opinion, do it politely. If you're going to argue with someone, either do it politely or take it to pms. I cleaned up this thread, but next time I'll just start warning people.

 

$300 is about the going rate for an air intake. If you look at the K&N (please don't), Rotary Extreme, or HKS Suction kit they are all in this price range or above. No doubt for the hp gain it is a little rough, but for the RX8 there are very few power modifiers that add lots of power for little $.

 

That's true, and I wouldn't pay that much for any of them. I spent less than $100 making a true cold air intake with K&N filter for my rx7, so I just see justification (for me) to ever pay that much for an intake. For my old SUV I made a true cold air intake for it as well that cost barely $100.

I guess it's just a matter of priorities, and spending 300+ on an intake is not one of mine, but oh well.

 

Why thanks RG, I should've known it would be you.
Now if I were Gomez I'd say you were a "funny bloke"

Remind me so I can do the same for you.
But you could've waited awhile and posted it on my thread, so it wouldn't look so self serving. Or would that be worse?

What are you doing here anyway, you can't argue thermodynamics on this thread? You can't even get it on with someone about turbo sizing.

Say, Hymee is coming in May, why don't you get me some of your home brew for him to taste. He is going to be so far from his rum factory I worry about him.

 

Guys.
I dont know what all the fuss is about. 1st of all I like RB. i run their cat back and sway bars and I have nothing but good things to say about them, but what is all this about their intake?
Heck some of us have already modified the stock intake for less than $50 that does the same thing they are saying. It gives a true cold air intake and a small ram air affect. We have placed GOOD cone type filters in the stock box and even have a bling factor plexiglass top to the stock box. It does give you a little more power and definitly reduces airbox temp(big time in the south).
One thing we discovered. If you think this engine can use a better intake you are right. This is what we saw. When i replaced the top of the airbox with a commerical grade plexiglass I was showing it to someone and gunning the engine a little to demostate the sound differance of mine vs stock. Thats when we saw that the suction this engine was creating was strong enough to actually suck the plexiglass down! Thats air hunger . Since I have re-routed the air intake to the front, a 5"diam scoop thingy right behind the rotory symbol I believe I have eliminated that hunger once the car is moving. I do know that the airbox is sure cool to the touch now even after just driving in the city at speeds below 50 during the summer in Georgia. This spring /summer i am going to speak with a fabicator and work out a way to eliminate the vfad and to enlarge the stock airbox inlet a little bit. Shouldnt be that hard. Heck all you old time hot rodders out there---stop waiting--make your own!
zoom zoom
olddragger

 

Hey olddragger - do have any photos of your modification? And, what controls the VFAD valve? Is it RPM based? And if we eliminate the VFAD, what will happen to low RPM driveability and idle?

 

Remember I'm "old" heck I dont even know what button to push on a digital camera. But I do have a teenage son and I'll see what I can do. It will have to wait under after march 20th as I'm getting ready for track days at Road Atlanta. Last count I believe we are going to have 10 rx8's on the track at the same time!
I can tell you this. The entire mod doesnt take that long and the only tools you will need is a cordless drill, a jigsaw, screwdrivers and pliars. If I remember correctley I detailed this mod in an entry in the South Eastern. thread under HPDE Road ATlanta.
I really do have to post pictures.
olddragger

 

So your old ehh... Older than 2/18/58 ?

 

I'm sure you can make a cold air intake for the 8, but will it look good?

 

This one? https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...&postcount=267

 

Hey Nemesis
try 9/5/49---Who's youre daddy! And bingo thats the correct entry. Appreciate the help. The job does look good and if you like you can make it so no one can even tell its there unless they look very close.
I promise I will get pictures---after Road Atlanta.
olddragger
ps with this mod the vfad is unaffected

 

Only eight years older brother I'm all about Detroit pistons of old...

'69 Cutlass "S" Type 350 Rocket
'71 Skylark GS 455 (Smokin')
'71 Ranchero GT (It had the "q" code heads - remember? Those had to be the biggest intake valves I can recall)
Let's see 302 duration 515 lift crane fireball
Holley 850 double pumper
Edelbrock high rise...

I still do not understand the VFAD - what's is for? Low RPM drivability?

 

9/58 here.

Have done a fair amount of work on my (2) classics, which I still own. Have an Edelbrock aluminum intake w/ Holley 650 cfm 4 Bbl on the '66 Chevy Bel-Air Station Wagon.

The '64 Corvette Stingray Convertible came stock with 327-300 HP Small Block, using a Carter AFB Carb. The heads are the 'double-humpers'.

Do most of my own work myself, except for tranny rebuilds. Pulled the heads off the Vette to have the valve seals replaced & valve reground.

Does this qualify me to be part of this party?

 

Yes, as long as you provide the beer

 

74 grand am .

 

I remember the commercials for the Grand Am, how you could run into something at low speed from the front, and the plastic nose would deflect inward, than right back to shape.

Looks to be in fairly good shape.

 

Guys,
yea good old days of non fly by wire cars!
Ive owned over 30 cars so far my 1st was a 57 chevy convertable with a 327 my 2nd was a 55 2 door hardtop sedan with the big block 396 with the alumin heads,round ports etc with jardine hearder close ratio 2/20 munchie 4 speed etc, solid 11 sec car on stock tires but with stock 55 brakes! whoa boy! I remeber the old vacumn windshield wipers --damn things never did work!
my family has been in old time dirt track racking, dragging, micro midgets etc anything the back yard boys could get into.
old muscle cars are great but they never handled well for me . even the old pre pollution vettes had a lot of torque steer and those fiberglass bodies would crack the paint every year! Still there is nothing like the sound of a big block with open headers going through the gears at the strip.
The 8 so far has been very surprising to me. My 1st rotory and I think I am hooked.
sorry to hi jack the thread ! I stop now.
olddragger

 

Oh sorry Nemesis I got to rambling and I didnt answer your question.
Vfad is suppose to be for driveability making the engine more responsive at lower speeds. A part of the harmonic thingy. The 2nd port of the system is activated by engine vacumn at a certain rpm (i forget what it is maybe 5k or 7 k?). It can be eliminated without any difficulty in driveability. The aftermarket kits now selling all do that. The way I undertand it is that the difficulties some are having with some of the kits now is because of
1-kit replaces the maf sensor in the wrong position,
2-not enough turbulance in the airflow(replace the stock screens)
3-some air leaks in the systems themselves
Personnally I think this vfad is a big restictor in the stock system. Dont get me wrong I think it a good thing for a stock engine but once you start "opening things up a bit" you need more airflow. Amputate it and throw it on the ground!
olddragger

 

I wonder if there is a way to keep it open without removing it?

PS: The only reason we hijacked this thread was because we have no news from RB yet

 

Sure, all you have to do is plug off the vacumn line to it and prop it open. Its just a small plastic flap.
olddragger---youre daddy!

 

I have yet to see anyone prove that gains can be had by removing the VFAD, wiring it open, etc. What exactly are you "opening up" that causes you to think the VFAD is restricting your intake flow? Its a tuned system for the NA Renesis, and unless you're making drastic changes (i.e. forced induction of some kind) I see no evidence that this mod will provide any benefit whatsoever...it will probably make your power curve *worse* in the low-to-mid range. If I missed somebody's test that indicated otherwise please point me to it.

jds

 

That's pretty funny! No news from RB so hijack their thread!

Mu ha ha

 

I've played with brillo's car a few times. One time we decided to leave the VFAD open. Obviously nothing was gained but I am pretty sure we lost low end power. It felt slower.

 

rxeightr,

Thats actually a fiberglass replacement. The original bumper fell to pieces. The problem with the cool "deflection" bumper was they didn't realize in 15 yrs, all the rubber became brittle and lost its "bounce back" effect and slowly started falling apart piece by piece. So thus we had to duct tape and hotglue the whole thing back together, and make a fiberglass mold out of it. PITA .

 

Guys,
I am by far not an expect. Just sharing what I have seen and done. Maybe the vfad does something I dont know. I do know that some have also said that the baffles inside the box and the trumphet/double screens inside the stock box also serve a propose in tuning the box. Maybe they do but, when I removed them (i did keep one screen) it sure didnt hurt anything. I know the better filter and cooler air has to help some. I also have read that RB's box removes the vfad and a big part of their design is said to be an enlarged intake site to their box.
By "opening it up some" what I mean is when i am running 100mph down the track with a 5' air collector down by the front rotory symbol I think I am gathering up a good bit of air. I dont need a restricted box getting in that airs way. I wonder if a am getting maybe a 1-2 lb boost at 100mph? Ram Air anyone? Heck I dont know but it does make sense. ANd it has NOT hurt my idle, my low speed response or anything I can tell. If I do remove the vfad (which I probaly will as I have to be doing something to it all the dang time it seems) I will report back my experience.
Keep it between the ditches fellas!
Olddragger