FabSpeed cold air kit

Just installed the cold air kit. Took about 45 mins bc I was a dumb *** and removed the entire waffle and housing instead of just the waffle It was very painful getting that sucker back into the slit/grove). Analysis: I don't hear or feel any difference well maybe slight difference in sound but its muffled by the wind noise i'm getting from the window I have a few questions for the experts. 1. Did you guys use the carbon fiber ring and how were you able to get it to sit firmly in place? Fabspeed said I didn't need it in but then why did they even send a part that isn't required? 2. The little c/f thumb looking thing that goes into the small hole, is it suppose to sit flush in the hole? Mines in pretty good but i'm sure air is leaking through it somewhere. I've tighten the two bolts as best I could. Could i use a rubber grommet or something or does it not matter? 3. What makes this unit a "cold air kit"? I don't see it being colder then it was before. By removing the stock tube with a small sublet pipe , I think its getting less air then before. With the cone style filter I had on the nsx, at least I heard a strong whistling/suction sound. It felt/sounded powerful, I really can't feel/hear any difference. Should I give it a few days to kick in? Any explanation, clarification or even a physics lesson would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I should have gone for the evo "cone" cold air kit.. Hard to believe this setup is suppose to add ~8hp sorry if I sound a little disappointed.. I just thought I would get more for 300 buxs..

Oops... I just ordered mine... So, do you think this only adds MHPs? (Mind Horse Power)

I still think it's a good buy. 300 buxs for a gofast (in your mind) part isn't not that expensive. I just spent 115 on a remote key that says "GT" even though the two I have a brand new. All things said, i'm glad I made the purchase. I wasn't about to put a 50cent piece in my airbox. Maybe I just didn't install it right or was expecting a little too much.. Some things ya just gotta do and see for yourself.. If 99% of the users swears by it, then who am I to question that..

I think I need to find a place to "dyno" it first so I can check the "before" and "after". Speaking of such... I wonder how well those "stuck-to-your-winshield" gadgets work... maybe I should order one of those...

I had it on mine, liked it, car pulled harder at the track.

Maybe I didn't install it right. Does it not matter that the carbon filber thumby thing is not sitting flush and completely sealed to the airbox? And did you guys use the c/f ring?

Mine sits flush, be careful those threads are easy to strip. I used the cf ring.

whoops. I hope I didn't torque it too much. I guess I need to head to home depot and look for a rubber grommet of some sort. Can someone tell me the purpose of the muffler? What is it actually doing? Why even have the "Y" shape hose if you're going to block the air off? Has anyone tried cutting the muffler in half and using the stock "Y" hose so that air can flow from the airbox into the small by-pass valve for more/faster air going into the throttle body. But then the MAF sensor wouldnt be able to monitor the extra air going into the engine. But would that realy matter?

I found that the 'c/f thumb' you mention fits better one way than the other. Hold it up to the light and see if any light is visible. Since fitting I've found the my C4S that little bit more eager. However I did replace the stock filter with a BMC panel for that little bit extra.

You should try the "orange plug" There have been a lot of threads on this in the past. It simply blocks off the airbox muffler, gives great intake sound, but no performance increase. Couple this with GHL extral loud exhuast and my car sounds perfect!

I was thinking about the orange cap but opted to do it the right way. Heck, why couldn't we have just duct tape the hell out of the top of the muffler or even remove the muffler and duct tape the hole???

True, IMO I really think that the cold air mods don't help anything other than a throatier sound. I doubt that you can see anything more than a 3 HP gain. As far as your question is that I think you need to take off the O ring from the original muffler and reuse it on the carbon fiber thumb. The carbon fiber ring thing is just suppose to smooth out the air flow over the ridge left by taking out the plastic screen, but it probably does nothing but just clean up the looks. As fair as cold air I don't see how it gets more when you are using the same factory inlet to the air box. The replacement red elbow is suppose to smooth out air and no volume is lost on the bend to the muffler. I have seen an article in excellence that actually lost HP when an cone filter air box was used. IMO they are just a marketing gimmick. The X51 does not use a new box so i doubt that using any of these device is gonna get you 10 HP.

I have had mine for over six months now - there really is no performance gain, just the slight change in exhaust note - As someone mentioned earlier, it is a good mod for the money. I like the look of the orange hose....

I've been running this kit for a year and here's my take on your Q's: 1. The little CF (let's try PLASTIC) ring is useless. It's meant to replace the stock black plastic screen that sits in front of the metal screen that sits in front of the MAF sensor. You don't need the CF ring. The stock black plastic screen apparently is designed to smooth out airflow but it is also restrictive. It does, however, provide added protection against items entering your engine. The CF ring is clumsy and doesn't fit perfectly due to the little notch at the base of the airbox. If you look closely at the stock black screen, you can see where the notch fits. Run without the stock screen and without the CF ring. 2. The "occluder" is designed to replace the stock airbox "muffler". Your intake is not airtight! You have drainage holes and loose fitting plastic within the system. If your occluder isn't perfect, then it probably won't matter anyway so long as there is not a huge gap allowing the entrainment of hot engine air. The occluder fits in only one direction. Don't strip the screws and crack your occluder piece! If your piece is defective, ask Joe to send you another one. 3. The kit is designed to reduce restriction of intake airflow. Thus, the red "smooth" tube sans muffler and the recommendation of the BMC filter. Your intake is not really any colder with the kit. Removing the muffler increases airbox volume and improves intake music. The little "Y" piece on the stock tube diverts air to the muffler (the little black silencer box) that has already passed the MAF sensor. Removing the muffler and Y-piece means that the air has only one choice... to go straight to the motor. The "cold air" label probably just refers to the fact that the mods don't increase the entrainment of hot engine air which might be a problem on some cone systems. I first ran the kit without the CF ring/screen and with the BMC filter. The throttle response definitely improved. I eventually had an MAF failure and switched back to the stock element and threw the screen back in. What I noticed was that the car felt sluggish! I took out the screen and things improved. So, I run with the stock element minus the screen. The induction sounds are noticeable, but they're not out of this world. It does sound terrific at high rpms under heavy throttle. To expect significant hp gains is probably unreasonable unless you're running the intake with a free flow exhaust and you're traveling at high speeds. Anyhow, my throttle response is definitely improved and the sound is great with PSE in my cab. My advice? Get a sport exhaust. Cheers

RJ, I agree, once i had the Fabspeed Exhaust installed the sound changed for the BEST! I haven't listened to my radio in a long time. I thought about going for the PSE, but considering the money and HP gains, I decided to go with Fabspeed - 12HP and a great sound.

rjfabcab, Thanks for the response and clarification... I think i'll open it back up and remove the ring.. I was going to try to super glue that sucker on but I think i'll just go without it. I wasn't trying to flame or slander Fabspeed, I was just giving you guys my opinion. I knew before purchasing the product that I wasn't going to get 8+hp and see huge differences. I just thought I would see or hear something.. Like someone said, maybe I just need to give it some time to allow it to re-program itself. I think i'll use the o-ring from the stock muffler to better seal off the gap in the hole. Has anyone tried modifying the stock hose/box so that air can travel through both sides of the box directly. In that I mean possibly using the stock "Y" hose and drilling a hole in the "occludder" BTW The setup only cost about 200 buxs, not alot for what its suppose to do.. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.. If for anything just to say that I have a "Cold Air Intake" -prentender

redduck996, The kit probably doesn't sound quite as loud since you have a coupe vs. a cabriolet. Do not drill a hole in your "occluder". All this will do is allow the entrainment of hot engine air into your intake system. If you hook up the stock "Y" hose without any muffler or occluder, you'll probably increase turbulent airflow. However, more importantly, the intake air will bypass the air filter and go straight to the engine. You don't want to do that... I ran the Fab sport mufflers for a long time and loved them. Nice construction, good quality, and good sound. Good pull on WOT from the seat of the pants-O-meter! I just liked the PSE sound better. Cheers

You said something about un-filtered air.. I thought if the air came from the airbox and thru the filter that it was filtered air. What I meant was drill a hole in the occludder, use the stock "Y" hose and place it over the occluder. That way clean filtered air from both left and right side of the airbox is getting channel thru to the throttle body. The only downside I see is that the air from the small by-pass pipe is not getting recorded from the MAF sensor. Or would the air just come in from the big hole and escape out of the small hole and never get to the throttle body? (just circulates within the box and hose) Maybe a physics scholar can help us out.. What do you think?

Air comes from the bottom of the box. As far as drilling an extra hole and getting more air in from the y pipe is not gonna work. The air pressure is constant and that you are more concern with air speed rather than volume for more performance. See given that the air pressure is the same opening another hole is gonna divide the air between the two and the speed of air is lost, also consider that the engine makes all of its fuel and timing based on the air going over the MAF. IMO dividing the air would lead to less performance.

cool thats kinda what I thought. I was just thinking aloud

Sorry, I misunderstood and had a temporary brain fart. As jetskied already mentioned, using the stock Y hose with no occluder/muffler, or an occluder with a hole in it would cause some of the intake air to bypass the MAF sensor. You are correct. It is filtered air. For some reason I thought your were thinking of drilling a hole in the occluder without the Y hose, thus allowing the entrainment of hot engine air to enter the airbox and head straight for the MAF and throttle body in an "unfiltered" state. Regardless, MAFs are sensitive and I wouldn't "redirect" air around the MAF. As I understand it, the stock airbox already provides an overabundance of intake air. To gain full advantage of a freer flow intake, you would probably need to invest in a set of free flow sport mufflers and consider remapping. When I ran the Fab muffs and intake, the car pulled nicely at speed and higher rpms, but there may have been a slight amount of flat spotting at low rpms. Nothing serious, though. Cheers

I think i'm feeling those blips or flat spots at around 2500-3500 rpms. But it doesn't feel like hesitation, it feels more like a sudden jolt or burst when I up shift or open up the throttle. Maybe i'm not shifting right.. ahhaa

What year is your car? You might be noticing the Variocam kicking in. My slight flat spotting was in the same range as you mention above, but I was running the Maxflo exhaust. So, my symptoms were probably related to the decreased amount of back pressure from the exhaust. I had this "issue" with the mufflers before any intake mods. With the sport muffs and intake changes the car sure did pull nicely at higher rpms and higher speeds. I have no data for this, it is simply my subjective impression. The sound was terrific.

MY03

Then it's probably the Variocam. You might be interested in this thread from Loren's site: Variocam

Which version of the Fabspeed exhaust did you use and like? Their videos are great and the straight pipe sounded WICKED!!!

I have a brand new kit that I had ordered for my 996 and never got to use... anyone interested?

How much and which kit?

Hey vyper, I have Fabspeed's 996 Performance Cold Air Airbox Upgrade/Enhancement Kit, including the BMC F1 airfilter. I do not think it will fit the Turbo though. PM me if you are interested...