I've found that the subjective performance increase after adding the REVi was significantly greater than what was gained after adding the RB catback. I don't think its a placebo thing, because I should have got more of a "it sounds faster so it must BE faster" feeling from the exhaust...both pieces increased volume, but the exhaust (IMO) was more noticeable as a sound mod. However, I'm having a hard time reconciling this with RB's claimed average +1.9 hp or whatever it was.

jds

I am getting a custom exhaust made, purely for the sound of it, and I dont want to spend 600 bucks on a sound mod. It never really adds much power. IMO the stock exhaust has no personality.

bureau13 --
Your conclusion is the same as mine. Smoother idle too.

Perplexing. Guess this proves RB is being too conservative with their numbers? I have no other explanation.....

This:
seems to directly contradict this:
yet they're both in the same sentence. :confused:
________
VAPORIZER WHOLESALER

I think he is doing it himself because it won't cost $600 that way. I personally have a welder. Some pipe, flanges, and a muffler would only cost around $150 or so. It's alot of effort though.

Well... He hasn't yet posted a dyno yet, but I suppose you've seen Polak's post where he says that he saw a 7+HP increase from the REVi. I think they installed it right there on the dyno after doing the control run. There is also a post somewhere from RB themselves alluding to dyno numbers that are much higher than +2HP, but they don't say much more than that.

I'd be willing to bet dollars-to-donuts on more than +2HP just from my own experiences.

Some on the forum have speculated that perhaps the +2HP that RB claims publically is the residual after the ECU learns the new intake and compensates for the new flow. I believe Canzoomer has a switch on his battery just to erase the ECU's learned behavior and take back his full gains from the piggyback.

-MD

I've been wondering about this.....I've had the intake on for a few weeks now and it's not as smooth or "punchy" as it was when I first installed it. The idle isn't as rough as it was before but it's gotten back to that odd, occasional "rumble" which I can feel in the shifter again. I was thinking the ECU must be "learning" about the increased flow of the REVi and "compensating" for it to get it back to the compromised performance it had before. I'm starting to realize the ECU must be the biggest obstacle to performance gains. I REALLY hope RB comes out with a good ECU programming upgrade to fix the strangled compromises we've gotten from Mazda. I realize they had to make some on short notice to meet emission requirements, but it's been 2 years; Mazda should have gotten this figured out by now and fixed the ECU maps. If Mazda engineers can't figure it out, contact RB...they can.

Do you have a CANscan or someone with one around you? I'd like to see what the Long Term Fuel Trim is at after driving with the REVi a week or two...

LTFT can be viewed w the WDS or any other scan tool w/ CAN capabilities but you would have to know the previous trims to see what's really going on. If the trims were really out of whack or different by too large a percentage, a code would be set. Don't expect to see much.

A door bell never sounded so good until 30 mins ago when I opened the door to accept the delivery of my REVi. I have been following this thread closely and after reading through the instructions I have one question that I did not notice anyone ask.

Has the filter been pre-oiled at RB or do I need to take the filter out and do that?

Sort of. I am not doing it myslef, and it will not cost 600 bucks. It does gain a little in HP, but I am doing it mostly for character.

It SAYS its pre-oiled, but its not that reddish pink stuff K&N sells...it seems to be tinged blue, and there's not much oil. Maybe I put too much on the K&Ns on my previous car...

jds

I was notorious for doing this...

So no additional oil need on the Revi, huh? That's GREAT news!

It does?! I read the instructions front to back and didn't see anything, looks like I should read them again , lol.

Thanks Bureau!

Ditto...I had a K&N FilterCharger on my previous vehicle ('99 SVT Contour) and had to periodically clean the MAF sensor wire with electronic parts cleaner (no residue) due to the oil being shed by the air filter. Contamination resulted in surging as the RPM's dropped to idle .

Regards, Art

how hard is it to install the intake yourself

It is not hard, most of us did it ourself, I did the install by myself. Read through the thread, there are a lot of good pointers on things to do, tools you need, and the tricky parts of the install.

I didn't see it at first either.

I also installed it myself... The hardest part is taking your time, because of the " I want it now" factor! :D

Reply Brillo and I did mine. It is definately easier if you have someone to help you with the bumper removal.

Not hard at all....the critical part of the process was/is removing the wiring harness of the fog lights if you have them on your car. Best way to do it from my own experience was to remove the bumper slightly so you can get your hand and arm in behind the fog lights, then squeeze the widest part of the back of the harness so the clips lift up and you can pull the harness plug off the back of the lights. The clips are levered so if you squeeze the back of them the front lifts up allowing you to pull the plug off. Just remember to reinstall them after you're done before you fully replace the bumper. :)

The bumper is surprisingly light so it wasn't hard at all to remove it or replace it.

thanks for the info mine gets here tomorrow

Mine gets here Friday. Now I need to sell my Green filter

installed the revi tonight 2 hours went better than i thought thanks for all the help guys

its sounds very sweet :D

My REVi results
 

I have had the REVi on for a few days, although have only driven it twice because I had to get the water pump replaced.

Anyway, I have not felt any power increase except that it does not drop off as much after 8500. So between 8500 and 9000 I can tell that the engine is still pulling. But every where else it feels the same. If there are increases, they are too small for me to feel. This reflects the HP numbers produced by Racing Beat.

As far as sound goes, the difference is subtle for me. Almost like the sound of my RB exhaust except coming from the front (and much quieter). Kind of balances where the sound is coming from (front to back). Can also hear a bit of sucking sound at higher rpms.

Bottom line for me: I was a bit underwelmed based on the initial feedback here. The combo of the RB exhaust and intake does improve the audible feedback but the HP difference is too small to notice.


-Dave

All I can say is "ditto"....sort of :o

At first, my thoughts toward the intake were less than enthusiastic. I thought, I'm sure it's a quality product, but why spend $300 for 2 HP.

I must say, I got caught up in the frenzy and purchased one. Did I make a mistake, well, yes and no.

If my goal was to gain to HP that I could "feel" then I made a mistake. I, like you, was expecting a significant difference in performance, and quite frankly, it's not there.

However, there are beneifts to this intake. The sound is great at WOT, and the upper RPM's feel less strained versus the stock intake, which is nice.

The best benefit for me is that my "marbles in a can" sound which I had with the stock intake is virtually non-existent. :D That alone to me was worth the price of admission.

So, to summarize, for me the product is EXACTLY as RB described it. It gives minor HP gains, and greatly increses the "sensory" satisfaction of the 8.

Would I do it again? Well, if I had $300 laying around without a home, then I'd say definately. If I were on a budget or saving for FI, then I'd say pass on it.

OK, feedback from the track.

At Mazfest I experienced no problems with the Revi intake.

Speeds in triple digits and Rev's to 9,500.

If anything, I had more control due to the increased torque.

On the way home no problems except I think I'm getting about .5 more mpg.

Am I the only one that seems to be getting worse gas mileage?

As far as I know. Mine is better around town by a little. Even after some very hard driving this weekend, I was at 115 miles on 1/2 tank of gas. Which is just a little better than what is was prior to installation. Try resetting the ECU again.

Mine has actually improved - and by a noticeable amount. It is most pronounced on the highway - and I almost always cruise above 4200 rpm in sixth - with plenty of 4th and 3rd gear 8500 rpm passes. Yesterday, while in the mountains I got 22 mpg Imperial - 18.3 US). If I keep it at the speed limit the milage is actually well in the 20’s (US) now.

A thought:

Our cars seem to have significant differences off the assembly line. Some cars run rich, others lean, some dyno 160 stock - one guy dynoed 200 stock. I think the only way a new intake could produce more power is by 1) fooling the MAF by changing the way air flows around it and effectively changing the calibration. or 2) eliminating a restrictor plate effect when the car really wants to breath. I don't think our stock air box is acting like a restrictor. So, that leaves the MAF calibration hypothesis.

Since our cars are so different in terms of AFR, maybe that's why RB claims 2HP, Polak got 10HP, some claim a noticible performance increase, others don't. Personally, I think that I got a lot leaner after installing the REVi. I had to change my CZ maps drastically. I went from +40% in some cells to a max of +17% after installing the intake to maintain a 13.5-ish AFR.

But, as we all know, if you are trying to use a piggyback, you have to tune it you YOUR car. I bet the same differences go for the REVi - not that you have to tune it ;) - but that some folks will see a lot more bang than others. just one of the joys of owning a car thats smarter than we are....

-MD

I took a road trip about a month ago (pre REVi and N flash) and got 23mpg. This weekend I did the same trip and got 20mpg. Around town I was just discounting the numbers because it could have just been the way I was driving. I just reset the ECU yesterday so we'll see...

I filled up the tank and installed the REVI intake this tuesday, 5-10-05. Had 241 miles on the car and filled up. 24.7 miles per gallon. Was getting 20 miles per gallon since the n flash. Even pushing the car more now to hear the sound of the intake with the borla exhaust and still did better. Borla was put on in December. Could just be coincidence, I guess.

Sorry to drift off topic, but I have a quick question. It might have been answered but I did not find it. I recently ordered the RB intake and didn't see a list of required tools anywhere. I don't want it to arrive and not have the means to instsall it :eek: Thanks to anyone who can help :)

If you ordered it from Racing Beat it should come with full instructions as well as a list of tools required. There aren't any specialty tools needed.

Pretty much need:
Short phillips screwdriver
Medium phillips screwdriver
Flathead screwdriver
10mm socket and wrench
Long nose pliers

Later if you go to clean/change out the filter it's recommended that you have a torque wrench when reinstalling.