Cool Air Intakes on Ebay???

DrFishbone

SCCoA Member
Has anyone here braved it and bought a CAI off ebay? I like the prices, but I don't like surprises when it comes to car parts. If not one of them, where would be the most economical place to purchase a CAI kit?

DrFeesh

here's a link, if you're lazy like me! :D

CAI on Ebay
 
I bought mine off Ebay but it's for a Ford focus. It's polished aluminum and mandrel bent and it was like 40 bucks. I don't see where some other guys get off charging $160 for a metal pipe :rolleyes: . The focus kit came with a cone filter and some couplings also. You may have to acquire another elbow pipe if you want to go into the fenderwell. There's plenty of elbows on Ebay too. :D
 
cOLD AIR INTAKE

I say GOOD DEAL

For that price I dont thing you could go wrong

Is doesnt look much different then the Mac intake
 
there is a draw back to the intake on that link... first of all they dont show it for the SC. second of all if the bend comes before the MAF then that will create problems with the airflow going through the sensor. trust me. i have been there. I did mine on my own. Mines has the bend after the MAF and it has a big *** 3.5 INCH CONE FILTER clamped onto the MAF. Oh yeah. Nice. It screams super loud when you smash on it.
 
Erhm...........!

darkstar_one said:
there is a draw back to the intake on that link... first of all they dont show it for the SC. second of all if the bend comes before the MAF then that will create problems with the airflow going through the sensor. trust me. i have been there. I did mine on my own. Mines has the bend after the MAF and it has a big *** 3.5 INCH CONE FILTER clamped onto the MAF. Oh yeah. Nice. It screams super loud when you smash on it.
Then what IS that thing on top of the motor in the picture, hmmmmm! Ahh! don't forget to scroll down to the proper unit! annnndd, I have the same basic one as in that picture and have had absolutely NO issues, runs better that the stock unit, oh, well! so much for another myth! cheers, W.L.
 
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White Lightning said:
Then what IS that thing on top of the motor in the picture, hmmmmm! annnndd, I have the same basic one as in that picture and have had absolutely NO issues, runs better that the stock unit, oh, well! so much for another myth! cheers, W.L.

look down some more it shows it on a SC
 
I bought mine off ebay. Yes, the bend is before the air meter, but it works fine on my car. The only thing that I really dont like is that it is made of aluminum. It scratches and oxidizes very easily. If I needed another CAI, I would by another one of ebay.
 
Intake myth

I myself also question

The whole bend before the MAF thing

I have had several different cold air intakes ZR , MAC

I have never seen a difference with any of them

Who knows maybe it creates an issue but ive never had one
 
I too have read about issues about a bend before the MAF,but XR-7 Dave had no issues with it while tuning my car.I have a MAC intake on my car. :rolleyes:
 
thats the same exact one that I bought. Only thing I would recommend is cutting a slit in a piece of quarter inch hose and using it to line the hole, where the intake tube drops through to the air filter. If you don't, I guarantee you will scratch the heck out of it while installing it.
 
NMxr7SC said:
I bought mine off Ebay but it's for a Ford focus. It's polished aluminum and mandrel bent and it was like 40 bucks. I don't see where some other guys get off charging $160 for a metal pipe :rolleyes: . The focus kit came with a cone filter and some couplings also. You may have to acquire another elbow pipe if you want to go into the fenderwell. There's plenty of elbows on Ebay too. :D

its hard to even get a cone filter for 40 bucks
 
CAI on eBay

I purchased the CAI from LiveOnSpeed from eBay and its a decent deal for what you get. Currently I have the upper pipe installed and the cone filter attached directly to the maf using a short 3" diameter tube (see my member page for pic). I have read posts where people have said the a bend in from of the MAF is bad. Thats why I haven't installed the front pipe yet. Now that the dog days of summer are here I plan on modifying the second tube and connect my maf in front of the bend going to the fender. Once I get it figured out I will post a pic. The only thing you will need to purchase other than the CAI kit is a K&N cleaner and oiling kit for the filter ($10 at Murray's).
Cheers!
Bill
 
Here is the way I understand the whole bend before the maf thing from mustangs. This is only as I understand it, and may not be totally correct, so please take it with a grain of salt.

The reason a bend before the maf can be bad is because you may not get proper air readings at the maf. I have seen some people have problem with them and some not.

Excuse the crude drawing but it basically explains the idea. The top is a intake tube with a bend. The bend can cause the maf not to read the total amount of air coming in, because the bend deflects some of the air away from the sampling tube. Where as the straight shot at the maf will get a better true air flow reading, and thus a more correct function from the maf. So what can happen is that your maf reads less air than is what is coming in, and therefore adjust the fuel accordingly. So you end up with a lean condition, which as we all know is really bad for a car.

maf.jpg


Now with that being said, both the degree of the bend, and it's distance from the actuall maf should have an effect as well. A maf right next to the bend would be more likely to read improperly than one that is 12 inches after the bend. Because the further the air travels after the bend, the more distance it has to correct the turbulence in the air flow.

The fix in the mustang world was to rotate the maf housing to the opposite side of the intake pipe as the bend, where the air had a more direct shot through the intake tube.
 
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Same idea

I had the same feeling on the effects of a MAF near a bend.
That's why I haven't put on the second tube.
It actually makes sense to me. I even wonder if there are any eddie currents in the tube from the bend.
The best system would be no bends at all. But engineers will be engineers. :)
 
Well, I was mostly concerned about the quality of them, and if they resembled the pictures given.....if the mafs has a problem with the bend, then that can be fixed. I just don't see why some people charge so much for a couple of tubes...that's why i won't buy any expensive parts for the cold air intake stuff. anyways, thanks for the input(s) :)

Dr Feesh
 
I have a ZR on my 92, I was going to order a MAC for my 90 since I don't know if you can even get a ZR anymore. I think I'll try the ebay kit and save the money. If it is a problem with the maf you can mount it before the bend and extend the wiring to the maf by removing the grommet on the fenderwell.

Good idea about cutting the hose to line the hole in the fender. My ZR rubs on that on bumpy roads and makes noise. I need to do that this weekend for that car.
 
What joker's diagram shows makes sense. But, if that is the case, why couldn't you just rotate the MAF 180 degrees to solve that problem? I have seen people do that on mustangs- now I know why
 
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