High flow air intake?

Mar 30th, 2003, 05:55 PM

I just bid on a high flow air intake for my nissan nx 2000. i wanted to put some better air into my engine and thought this may help. should i still look into a cold air intake, and is it possible to build it yourself?

toolapcfan · Mar 30th, 2003, 10:19 PM

Yeah, do a search lots of people have made their own CAI's. You'd want to use 3" diameter mandrel bent exhaust piping. And if you model your's after a manufactured one like the hotshot, they it should work just as well, if not better depending on your bends and lengths. A few people have made their own out of PVC pipe, but to get the right I.D. the pipe's O.D. would be so large that you'd have trouble getting around your battery and being able to get a hole big enough to run down behind your bumper. Not to mention PVC fittings aren't going to have smooth joints where the pipe connects to them. You could fillet the joints with bondo or something similar but you wouldn't want that shit popping loose and going into your intake. I'd try to find a used CAI cheap, like $100 shipped would be a really good deal. But you can make your own for about half that. The only thing that might be tough for you, making your own, is the fittings that are on the MAF to TB tube that would have to be welded in or in the case of PVC glued in.

Greg200SE-R · Apr 4th, 2003, 03:35 AM

I went from a simple generic cone filter on the end of the MAF to an AEM CAI. Significant improvements in sound, power and appearance. Just don't get a 'short ram' type of intake or put on a pipe between the throttle body and MAF and use it with your filter. From experience our SR20s need a certain amount of airflow resistance to work best. Normally this is provided by the stock, bending, convoluted rubber hose. However, the longer tube of a CAI is tuned by length and diameter to improve breathing in the lower RPM range, which is yet another of its advantages.

MontyCrabApple · Apr 5th, 2003, 06:52 AM

Yeah, I read about people going to Home Depot and buying 3 inch metal piping. They than went to a muffler shop to get a piece bent at 90 degrees and one at 21 degrees. It was cheap and worked. But a real pre-fabricated air intake is best for performance if your uncertain about your home made intake.

I like building home made ones because I think it's fun.

Apr 5th, 2003, 05:18 PM

hey monty can you tell me how exactly you made the home made intake for your sr20? really have no idea where to start, or what would be the best way to route it, any help would be appreciated.

91SR20DE · Apr 6th, 2003, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Just don't get a 'short ram' type of intake or put on a pipe between the throttle body and MAF and use it with your filter.

Well, actually, I got one from Ebay, its just a 3" midpipe from the t/b to the MAF. I noticed that my car was breathing a whole lot better up top then before, ALOT better. But keep in mind, I didn't use this with a generic filter and adapter, I was using a Stillen PopCharger. The Pop seemed to benifet from the midpipe. Although I agree that a AEM or Hot Shot might net a higher gain, I only paid like $40 shipped for the pipe.

Harris · Apr 7th, 2003, 02:50 PM

I have that ebay pipe thing too, and boy, is it awesome! I am using a generic filter on it though, and I am about to replace it with an HKS style mushroom air filter, due to problems of space. That pipe is very worth the money!

91SR20DE · Apr 8th, 2003, 03:16 AM

You'll love it even more when you put that mushroom filter on it...

MontyCrabApple · Apr 9th, 2003, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Zeus2k
hey monty can you tell me how exactly you made the home made intake for your sr20? really have no idea where to start, or what would be the best way to route it, any help would be appreciated.

O.K. First thing you might want to do is to find a shop that will mandrel bend your pipes for you. Tell them you are making a homemade intake. Show them on your car, if you can, where you want the tubes to be ran, so the guy can understand a bit better how the pipes should be bent and where holes need to be drilled for the various tubes.
You will need 2 or 3 pieces of piping depending on how you want
your setup. If you want 2 pieces, that means the first piece will run from the air filter near the bottom of the bumper, up along side the battery and around the battery connecting to the MAF. The second piece is connected to the MAF and than to the throttle body.
I used three pieces.
It came out to three because I had the first piece, the one I was just talking about, cut where the tube goes down into the bumper. I did this, so I wouldn't have one large awkward piece and it allowed me to adjust how low the air filter was to the ground. This way I was able to cut and adjust the piping near the filter easily without taking out the whole piece just to cut it.

Second, since I didn't have proper sleeves to connet all the pipes togeather, I went to Home Depot and bought 3 inch rubber water pipe sleaves. Should be in plumbing. Thewater pipe sleaves are bigger than 3 inches since there made for water pipes. I bought something else called "Grommet material" which you rap around the intake tube and slide the sleave on. This way is ghetto, but an effective substitute. Finding real sleaves is obviously better.

Finally, drill and tap the intake tube for your tubes. You may need to cut your MAF sensor wire if you place the MAF to far away from the throttle body. You will probably need to take your front bumper off to make the operation easier.

Any more questions, just ask.

Hawaii_SE-R · Apr 11th, 2003, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by harris81
I am about to replace it with an HKS style mushroom air filter

Oh no! Not the foam stuff. When the foam begins to deteriorate, where will it go? If you can, find a K&N filter that may fit.

Greg200SE-R · Apr 11th, 2003, 11:57 PM

Yeah, the HKS may really have 'super mega flow,' but at the expense of filtration - I've read this in multiple forums and multiple threads. In fact, it seems to be a pretty common tradeoff, any filter that is designed to allow more airflow than standard, quality, cone-type filters will give up some filtration. this includes all types of foam 'mushroom' or all-metal filters. Is it really worth the peace of mind you'd give up?

Hey Hawaii_SE-R, where you from? I grew up in windward oahu but living on the big Island temporarily. What do you drive and what kinda mods do yo have? shoots, aloha bro.

Hawaii_SE-R · Apr 14th, 2003, 06:06 PM

Hey Greg. I grew up in Pearl City/Aiea area. Currenly live in Kaneohe but will be moving into my new house in Royal Kunia in a few weeks. Maybe you might want to sign up for the local SE-R club at http://www.SERCA.org/Hawaii. There are a few Big Island guys already signed up.

As for my cars:

Apr 16th, 2003, 02:16 AM

MUHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHA

Is that a 2dr B13 sunny??????
Dont get those here in NZ
are panel parts/lights cheep there in the US as they are dirt cheep here,If ya need some frontal giz a PM and ill get a quote for ya

cheers keith

Hawaii_SE-R · Apr 16th, 2003, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by keeeeeef
[b]Is that a 2dr B13 sunny??????
Dont get those here in NZ[b]

Yes it is a 2dr B13, however, in the US they are called a Sentra, much like the Bluebird is called an Altima and the Z32 Fairlady is called a 300ZX. It is very possible only the US market got the 2dr B13 as they were built in Smyrna, TN but at least some got the SR20DE. As for the front ends (are you talking about headlights and bumber covers when you say frontal?), the hot items are the Mexican B13 Tsuru headlights and the B13 Sunny headlights and bumper covers.