Hey all, i just got the K&N short ram intake kit. I am wondering if Anyone has had any problems with this unit.

I am personally experiencing a LOT of sputtering noise above 8K RPM. No lag or reduction of power that i can tell. just sounds like crap.

I only have 750 miles on it so maybe thats it?

Let me know!

Rev on...

 

Check out this thread and see if it helps you at all. Not sure if it's the problem you are having, but well worth a try.

 

I have the short arm. Runs just fine and is loudest intake I have ever owned. But it's a noticable difference in power. They say almost 10hp but I think it's a but less. Check your install and make sure all your sensors are in correctly and you followed the steps.

 

From what I've heard and read, the stock intake on the Mazda is supposed to be exceptional and doesn't need modifying. I would wait some time before making any changes to the air intake system of the RX-8... wait until more companies do further testing.

 

Getting 10HP after changing out Mazda's factory tuned intake... no way. I would be astounded if K&N could show a 1HP increase on the RX8... and might even make less than stock. I'll admit I miss the growl of a good K&N setup, but Mazda spent too much time engineering and tuning the intake on the RX8 to have it bested by a short arm aftermarket setup by 10hp.

 

It's louder... for many people, louder will seem to be stronger as well.

 

good point guys. Looks like its going back to the store. Thanks for all the advice. The link to the previous thread was great !

Rev on

 

I always love how people think that throwing on an aftermarket intake is gonna make all the difference in the world and shave off a half second off 1/4 mile times or something.

Can you honestly tell me that you would be able to "feel" the difference of 5 measily horses? I doubt that. I think that if you HEAR it louder, you automatically THINK it's faster. Puhlease.

Like others have said - some of the intakes have been proven to actually LOSE horsepower, as Mazda did a pretty good job tuning the stock airbox. But go ahead, throw $200 away on the chance that you'll gain a couple horsepower. Woohoo!

 

[URL=http://www.kandn.com/dynocharts/69-6030TP.jpg]

Check it out guys. You think they are blatantly lying about a 9.5 hp gain? I don't know K&N has quite a rep. WHat ya think?

 

Guys sorry I stink at setting up links. Copy it from the http to the jpg, do not include the bracket.

 

blue is k&n and red is factory. this is straight from the k&n site.

 

I just installed one on my AT. I have not noticed any sputtering at high RPM. Actually I noticed a stronger pull under acceleration. Yes it is loud, but only if you really step on it. Under normal acceleration it isn't unreasonably loud. Since I bought the Automatic to share the driving duties with my girlfriend, I am looking for every kind of boost possible.

 

shooda taught her to drive a stick, or gotten a new girlfriend.

 

AFTERMARKET AIR INTAKE SYSTEM - ROUGH ENGINE IDLE
Applicable Models
Model Starting S/N Ending S/N
2004 RX8 00000000 ZZZZZZZZ

Some customers may complain of rough or poor idling condition. The RX8's airbox N intake system is specially designed to eliminate restriction N create a smooth airflow over the MAF. If the customer has installed an aftermarket air cleaner or intake system, the airflow stream to the MAF element may be disrupted N cause an improper MAF signal. This erratic signal results in a rough idle condition. Also, aftermarket air cleaner elements are sometimes coated in oil to better filter the incoming air. The oil from this type of elemnt may damage theMAF resulting in a poor idle or MIL related to the MAF. If a customer complains of a rough engine idle, see the repair instructions below. 1. Check for aftermarket air intake system or aftermarket air filter element. (Replace with factory system if necessary.) 2. If rough idle continues, check for additional bulletins / M-tips, workshop manual troubleshotting. 3. Confirm repair.

 

search my posts for MAF. i have been preaching intakes/filters causing MAF related problems for months!

 

Yes.
I can also draw nice dyno graphs about almost anything.
As it was said, the stock intake is pretty well designed. Finding almost 10 HP by slapping on just an intake is VERY unlikely.

 

Tamas,
The reason I sited the web page is because K&N has made living out of producing quality high performance aftermarket intakes for man y years. Maybe problems are caused by the system, however you can't deny that the system is functional and produces more hp. I have had in my car for 4 months now and acceleration has been better than facotry all along. Back to my original question. You actually think K&N's dyno's are lying?

 

Well, you said that even though they claim almost 10 HP, it seems to be less...
Also, yours is the short intake, correct? Does that have a heat shield or is it practically a hot air intake? The pictures I remember seeing about the short K&N seem to be unshielded thus they will almost certainly lose power with the hot air ingested by the engine. I seriously doubt the 9.5 HP but I'm not an expert. It just seems to be high, especially considering that according to other opinions of reputable vendors (was that Racing Beat?), there is not too much room for improvement with slapping an intake onto the RX-8 and do nothing otherwise. But what do I know :D

 

As an observer who has never 'dyno'ed' a car in his life, I followed that link to the K&N graph, and I have a question.....

Does that temp in the top left really mean that the ambient temperature for the 'stock' run was 12*F HIGHER?

Surely such a difference in conditions negates ANY significant comparisons?

If a company cannot produce results based on identical baselines, you are just comparing apples to orangutans.......
.
.
.
doc

 

I didn't even notice that- excellent point... that certainly makes their evidence questionable. I believe K&N makes some decent products for vehicles that /need/ to breath better, but the RX8 just isn't one of them.

Prior to anyone ripping out their stock intake, 8 owners should be required to read about the work that went into the VFAD+SDAIS variable tuned induction. It's not like we're driving around Civics here.

 

nice point doc. that definitely needs to be cleared up. I will say this since I am not a dyno and who cna really tell besides the speedo reving up that much faster. I really wish I had dynoed my car prior to intake and exhaust. I will say this the car noticabbly faster with both. who in the world would can actually know without a pre-post dyno. it feels good though.

 

right on G8rboy. which is exactly why i started the S-DAIS thread which is now a sticky at the top of this thread.