Is there a consensus on the best intake modification out there?

I've just started entertaining the idea of doing some modification to my intake... I listened to Fabspeed's intake online. They offer the cold air enhancement kit for 225 and the BMC F1 filter for 120. Evo has the Quickflow kit for 279 (claimed 3-5 hp) and the Highflow kit for 399 (claimed 8-10 hp). First of all, I don't know much about what I'm looking at to start with. I wouldn't be buying the intake necessarily for the claimed hp gain since it ought not to be noticeable anyway. I like the sound of a nice aftermarket intake and if the throttle response improves, I'm happy. Are there others I should be looking at? If I were to go Fabspeed, do I need the F1 filter? If I were to go Evo, is there really that much difference between the two? Any help would be appreciated...

My $.02... not a worthwhile upgrade.

I bought my car last week and it had the AireTek intake. It is a beautiful piece to look, but at iddle I thought there was a problem with Air Conditioning, as when I turned it on, it produced a loud leaking noise. I thought it was some sort of leak, but then we found out it was the filter noise sucking more air due to a little increase on the rpm... But the noise it produces together with PSE, it is exciting!!! I don�t know about the power gain though... but another friend that owns a carrera was impressed with my car�s power, now we�re checking if it was chipped or not...

I dunno....this looks pretty good:

It looks like you are not tentative at all about that slippery slope of aftermarket mods. It's more like a flying leap with eyes open . If you are looking into performance enhancements, I would not be looking too hard at the engine. The 996 engine has been squeezed and wrung out pretty well by Porsche already. Any aftermarket twiddling sacrifices something, such as low-end torque and/or reliability. Even the power kit only adds 25HP and 0 addtional torque at $15000.00, with some loss of low and mid -range power. I'd concentrate on suspension changes. PSS9 adjustments should keep you busy for a while. Then there are interior changes for comfort efficiency and safety, such as the GT3 seats or equivalent, roll cage/bar, harness and what-not.

go with the bmc filter. $125. evo coldair intake unit that claims the most HP for 399 is actually true if it's really cold out side. the heat that your engine produces causes hot air to enter your engine, which probably actually decreases HP compared to your stock filter. the airbox that porsche designed is actually there for a good reason to keep the heat away, always sucking in cold airthrough your deck lid grills. hope this helps. btw if you do the airintake you should do the exhaust too, if you suck more air in you should probably push more air out so you don't have too much back pressure. i suggest gutting out your stock muffler for better air flow, sounds great and cost cheap. anyway that is what an after market muffler is, just allows free airflow, with throaty sound.

I am very satisfied with my Fabspeed air kit and the BMC filter. Nice sound and seemed to make accelleration a little brisker on the G-Tech. Nothing noticeable or to write home about, but the price is cheap. Someone said it tripped their light, but I have not had any problems and my dealer said it would not hurt anything. I recently added the Fabspeed exhaust and that coupled with the air kit does make a difference in feel.

My car came with the EVO Highflow kit. I have nothing else to compare it to power-wise, but those familiar with 996's immediately noticed the different sound it makes and really liked it. Whether or not it makes more power (or loses some) is a matter of intense debate. You might PM Todd @ EVO and ask him to discuss the hot air/cold air issue with his unit...

Best intake mod is the ORANGE CAP mod, free, and a guaranteed butt dyno of at least a gajillion hp! At least it sounds better...

Only a gajillion?

the airetek sucks in hot engine compartment air in city driving, but in highway driving the engine compartment stays cool because of the increased speed flushing out the hot air. but the best thing? i love the sound of it!!! i wouldn't go back on the one i bought. do i lose HP in city driving? i bet i do, but in the city i don't really have much use for 300HP anyway! i probably get a couple of HP in highway driving, but i think the 8-10 HP figure they claim is too high. i think it's probably just a couple HP gain. i've looked into this a ton and here's what i've found from hundreds (really!) of different people on the internet and in person: 18-20HP via the airetek kit (or fabspeed kit, doesn't make a huge difference), high flow exhaust, and an ECU upgrade is all you're going to get out of the NA 996 engine. most of this power is from 4-7K RPM. there's nothing else you can really do short of a SC or TC, or the X51 kit. this applies to the 3.4 or 3.6 engine.

I'm really not trying to mod mine out and I'm not in search of big power here. I just think increased growl (beyond my PSE) would be a nice addition. So far, I'm happy with the suspension so I think I'll leave that alone until I change my tune on that. Now that I've got PSE, I'm only really now thinking about intake, aluminum pedals, maybe a couple other small things.

If you have PSE, I am not sure if air kit would make any difference. The air kit, however, does let out a huge growl right at 5k RPM that extends to 5.3k RMP. I like to hit that band when passing people on the highway just to see their reaction. It is kind of like being passed by a screaming crotch rocket on the highway in that it gets people's attention.

Exactly! When I first drove the car on the hoghway, I noticed a very loud noise, I thought the car was going to take off!!!!! Very nice sound! Cheers, Conrado 996 C2 PSM Airetek

i 2nd ghost's opinion, and the price is right too. the downside is i now have niagara's salespeople leaving me voice mails every other week.

Yeap... love it! Best free mod I've ever done.

I'm glad you guys are getting nice "sound" ( ) results from the orange cap, but this mod makes me a bit nervous. The main reason is because the cap is not fixed in place. The position of the cap is past the stock metal grate and plastic protection screen which are located just before the MAF sensor. Ergo, if the cap comes loose... "Hello, throttle body!" It should make a difference in the induction sound, though, since the majority of the silencer is blocked off. The Fabspeed kit loses the silencer increasing airbox volume just before the air filter, and the plastic "plug" screws in using two of the three stock screws which are in place to secure the silencer. Also, the supplied hose is devoid of the diverter arm which should cause less turbulence and improve inflow. Combined with the BMC filter and sport exhaust, this airbox mod has made a pretty significant difference in engine music. As a bonus, the throttle feels a little more responsive. No ricin' here. Cheers.

I have PSE and after hearing about the orange caps, decided to get one (actually, 2--the price was right ). After I installed the cap, it seemed like there was a slight difference in sound when accelerating (I think the PSE music must have drowned out most any increase from the orange cap), the downside was that the orange cap eliminated the nice gurgle (sp?) when decelerating fast that PSE has, so I took the orange cap out. I love that gurgle!!

What the hell is the orange cap?

and it is actually made for this purpose?? if they're a plug, how did they improve anything?

Has anyone done the full boat HP upgrade, air box, headers, high flow cats and sport exhaust? Being told of true 25 to 30 hp at the wheels. Hype or truth, anyone know?

I was wondering since were talking mods here and by the way I like my hiflow evo intake-looks great and nice whirling sound at idle and high pitched whine going thru the gears which seems to work really well with the fabspeeds I have. I like to also add that is it possible to replace the cats with a resonator(without one be way too loud) and locate the o2 sensors(by the cat) on the muffler portion. Would you think it trigger the check engine lite? Regards. Mike

Dear dear me! Listen to yourselves guys, your driving Pcars here not Fords. You don't go modding it with freebie bits o' orange plastic. That's for ricers and wannabees. That plastic thing was "never" designed to fit on a Porsche engine. What happens if it melts, cracks, breaks up over time, becomes dislodged....I would hate to think what that thing would do if it got sucked into your engine as you slam the gas at 7000revs! Also, I hope you guys like your "check engine light" coming on, as there have been some posts with this problem popping up as a result of this mod. Be serious. If you want a sound and secure modification, put your hand in your pocket. Were not talking big money here........and as I said, it ain't no Ford. The Fabspeed cold airbox install will give you a simulated "mild" difference in exhaust sound. [I stress "mild"] For best results though you need to upgrade the Exhaust itself. Preferably both. Fabspeed have provided a good video that shows the differences in sound with their cold air intake kit and BMC F1 filter: http://www.fabspeed.com/996 Cold Air kit.wmv I know some of you use a K&N or Evo filter but I use the BMC F1 as it is the one Fabspeed suggest for their kit. Maybe they are matched. I Dunno. This video shows off the Maxflow mufflers: http://www.fabspeed.com/996 maxflow muffler.wmv This maxflow kit plus the above air kit and BMC F1 filter are what I have fitted. Incredible throttle response, deep growling exhaust which smacks of Ferrari when you throttle it at high revs but grumbles quietly when cruising. IMHO, this is the best sound and performance increase you can get for around $1500. Fabspeed boast 10 hp increase with this setup. If you go read this thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=105964 you'll see what it's capable of. Courtesy of rennlister Doug H who has dyno tested this setup. Orange cap indeed!

best intake mod for your car is the EVO supercharger which will produce 430 hp AT the wheels. the horsecrap intake kits like fabspeed "maybe" produce rounding error amonts of power increases.

All this could be yours for only $10k!

I agree you get what you pay for. You can use orange caps or you can drop your car at Ruf and get a real performance freak. I think we are all somewhere in between. For $ 225, I hope no-one expects the car to feel like a turbo. I think most people's expectations are pretty reasonable when it comes to the Fabspeed air kit. Just looking for more sound and perhaps a touch brisker accelleration. IMO, this is accomplished for $ 225 which is cheap in the world of Porsche engine modifications. Kind of fun to play around also. FWIW, I would not go supercharger because my car is leased and I think my dealer would laugh if I tried to warranty a supercharger failure. Hence my factory turbo. Dealer said no problem on air kit and exhaust. They are also chip friendly, so they say.

You filled out the form with your REAL phone #??? You are braver than I !

The $10K price of admission is a bit prohibitive and then there's the warranty issue for new rides. Having said that, Ben, you have one sweeeet cab! I wouldn't call the Fabspeed kit horsey poo, though. Sure, it's a hose and a couple of pieces of plastic... but it does eliminate the silencer improving the sound. I don't think the air kit alone would make that much difference in sound, but with sport mufflers, it has made a significant difference in the growl factor. I was not concerned about quoted power gains... heck, I really don't believe the hype much anyway. The Fabspeed kit allowed me to lose the silencer with a part that screws in for security, increase airbox volume, and improve flow with a less restrictive filter all for a couple of hundred bucks. All this without having to mess with the stock airbox = Happy Dealer.

Scouser, What happens if I inadvertently run into a deer crossing the road? The truth is the odds of hitting a deer where I live are probably greater than the orange cap disintegrating during the lifetime of my car and if it does, it is only plastic, if a metal piston can't smash a small piece of plastic and melt it during combustion and push it out the exhaust where it will get lodge in the catalytic convertor and vaporize due to high temps then Niagara must make one tough orange cap! I'm happy to install the Fabspeed airbox instead. Please buy one from Fabspeed and ship it to me to install and I'll even take some pretty pictures and post them here. For now, the Orange Cap is all I can afford due to my former employer being acquired and the acquiring company deeming that many of us were duplicates and not needed. In the alternative you could hire me and with my first paycheck I'll go buy a Fabspeed intake, that is right after I pay the uncovered hospital bills for my wife's pregnancy. I don't mean to be crass, but I don't make fun of whatever you do to your car, please don't make fun of what I do to mine or what I can or cannot afford. If push comes to shove the car is the first thing being let go, but they keep telling me the economy is getting better and companies are hiring. I'll believe it when I see it... BTW, if my Orange Cap does cause a problem for my car (and I've never heard of the Orange Cap causing a CE light) I'll gladly let you tell me "I told you so"...

I'm the one who first discovered the Niagara plug - had this old plug in a drawer and it fit perfectly . Posted this " mod" probably 2 1/2 years ago. Anyway, do it for the slightly " rortier" intake sound enhancement above 4500 rpm . Eventually switched to the Fabspeed kit which eliminates the resonator box completely and improved throttle response quite a bit. Still sitting in a box in my garage , incl the BMC filter if anyone wants it. Another thing - look at the bottom of the 996 air box after lifting off the air filter . On the lower right you will see about 40 little holes , which allows intake air directly from the hot exhaust below it. Look at your air filter- it is filthy in that same location, which means a significant amount of the intake air is hot air , despite the snorkel that connects through the lid to suck in outside air. They must be for allowing hot air for warm up emissions purpose , as far as I can figure, although the Turbo air box has no such thing. I blocked those holes with a thin sheet of ABS plastic screwed into four of those holes. Now you have true cold air intake. ( Don't worry, there is a separate drain hole for water that might go into the snorkel when washing or raining. )

without upgrading the ECU you're not going to get much out of this... i've read posts from people have done what you describe, including the ECU, and they pretty much all agree that you get about 20 HP at the rear wheels with these changes. most of this power comes above 4K RPM.

"but it does eliminate the silencer improving the sound." i believe i was the first one to take fabspeeds idea and improve upon it (ie: combine fabspeed and mkw ideas) - before i decided to get a real performance increase with the SC instead of a joke that produces rounding error amounts of power - if at all. i took out the ENTIRE muffler box whereas fabspeed just plugs the hole after "i think" removing the bottom half of the muffler box. if you remove top and bottom, you remove all obstruction of air left in place by the now unsmooth "walls" of the air box muffler after fabspeed removes the bottom only. i did the "fabspeed" kit for about $11 and it most definetely achieved everything fabs did (which ain't much - other than sound) but also added more air and less obstruction. that said, i think the airbox deal is pure horseschit. it does "sound" better though, but let's just make sure we don't confuse increased power with auditory enjoyment. many responses have been "but the SC is $10k vs. $225". sure, but the S2000 is $30k vs. $70k. why did you guys spend the extra $40k if $9775 is an issue?

Big difference between a $ 10k commitment and $ 225 also warranty issues on every day drivers. I think the supercharger idea is cool though. No reason to classify small modifications as a joke for those not willing to commit to a SC or for those just looking for small tweeks. You could also argue that if your willing to spend $ 10k, why not get a real TT or even send off to Ruf. I guess its all about compromises and budgets, but that does not make anything less than a full Ruf a joke. I think the entire inside piece is removed. True, there isn't a whole lot to it. Just need something to block the hole for silencer box, a spacer beside the screen, and a solid hose with no fork in it. For someone with some ingenuity, I don't doubt it could be done for very cheap.

"Big difference between a $ 10k commitment and $ 225" much bigger difference between an SC'd 996 and a stock 996 than there is between many other sports cars vs. a stock 996 yet we all decided to pay tens of thousands more for the smaller difference. "also warranty issues on every day drivers." that's certainly true. however, playing with the ECU and modifying air boxes isn't going to win friends and influence people at PCNA and porsche service depts when it comes to warranty claims either. "No reason to classify small modifications as a joke for those not willing to commit to a SC or for those just looking for small tweeks." it's not about the money. i did the piddly snake oil stuff like is being proposed here and THAT'S why i refer to it as a joke. i had three different intake/airbox combos on my car as well as an ECU change before i had the SC installed. the former solutions were a joke in all but the sound dept. "You could also argue that if your willing to spend $ 10k, why not get a real TT or even send off to Ruf. " a) a tt is AWD and the heavy yet overboosted more numb feel of the AWD (which has a computer which decides the power you need during hard cornering - 5 to 40% up front - instead of you and the throttle) is repugnant to many C2 drivers such as myself b) the tt is a porker compared to a C2 c) mine is a cab and there is no way in hell a 3850 lb car is a sports car to me (ie: the tt cab) d) ruf doesn't have anything for the C2 that compares with the SC unless you want to spend considerably more for a twin turbo modification which will come complete with turbo lag and more weight e) the difference between the tt and c2 is considerably more than $10k "but that does not make anything less than a full Ruf a joke." nope, a joke is a joke regardless of price. that is precisely how i view intake modifications based on my own experience.

Ben , as you did when we argued this 2 years ago , you are once again confusing the Airetek unit from Arizona with the Fabspeed from Pennsylvania . The former just puts an external cap over the resonator box neck and installs a new intake hose that eliminates the " T" junction sprouting out of the stock intake hose that connects the MAF to throttle body. The Fabspeed removes the entire resonator box and plugs the hole in the air box with custom formed dummy plug that screws into the resonator mounting points. Like I posted, do this mod for improved intake sound and improved part throttle response. NOTHING improves "seat of the pants" acceleration that you can really feel on the normally aspirated motor , short of supercharging or spending GT2 money for a RUF R-GT that is still slower than a stock 2004 GT3.

MKW, I wasn't aware that Fabspeed removes the entire box. Just the same, your $11 solution achieves 100% of what Fabspeeds does.

Cheaper than that ! Niagara stills ships the plugs as " free samples" for two of them , and the 4x3 " piece of plastic sheet and four screws and nylock nuts to block the hot air holes is a few bucks .

yeah, but i put something else in the hole to insure it was completely plugged and couldn't do the dreaded "suck down" (and then put the free piece over that) and i bought something else too but can't remember now. but, it was a whole $11 anyway so that shouldn't change too many lifestyles. you'd think niagra would catch on though, eh :

I don't think anyone is of the impression that the Febspeed air kit is going to comes close to supercharger specs, at leat I hope not. While we are on the subject . . . I saw the write-up on the SC in European car and thought it was interesting, but the torque figure of 271 seemed low. Out of curiosity, what kind of numbers does the supercharger produce 0 - 60 and 1/4 mile wise. I am thinking about buying a clean low mile 964 C2 and having Ruf work their magic in the form of a CTR (469 hp and 535 nm torque). I am interested in having a C2 hardtop in souped up form and think I lean to ward to older body style for this project. Love my TT and never feel that it is not enough for me, but I would like to have a C2 with forced induction to play with on the track. Open to ideas though.

"I don't think anyone is of the impression that the Febspeed air kit is going to comes close to supercharger specs, at leat I hope not." i'm not really comparing them. what i am saying is the fabspeed air kit is a joke even compared to stock! the difference is a smig under miniscule. "but the torque figure of 271 seemed low." 271 was "at the wheels" vs. 218 "at the wheels" for stock. my particular car dynoed at 291 "at the wheels" (mine is running slightly more boost than the one in the article which is the setup EVO sells). using the same powertrain loss from crank to wheels stock (ie: 15.5% to 218 from 258), mine is producing 345 lbs of torque. also, mine is only a 3.4 . the numbers evo is getting out of the 3.6 are SUBSTANTIALLY higher. ie: whereas my car dynoed at 367 "at the wheels" vs. the stock 248, they are getting 430 "at the wheels" out of the 3.6 - and that's not even an X51! not only that, the powercurve on these things is silky smooth straight up.

Hahaha, stuck on that word joke. No 0 - 60 times or 1/4 mile times. Are there any dyno charts around that can be viewed. Sounds good. I hit 239 torque at the wheels today on a 90 NA 964 dyno.

hi doug, sorry but i felt joke was better than scam. i've no 0-60 or 1/4 mile times, but dynos of my car can be found: http://www.986host.com/gallery/benkea?&page=11 just click each picture to make it large

Looks good.

yeah, it's as advertised. butt dyno reads "quite satisfied" too. also of note, you should see how fast the motor revs with the lightweight flywheel. watch the tach in the "996 C2 Cab2" video: http://www.986host.com/gallery/benkea?&page=12

I was just about to ask you about drainage! I didn't see any other areas for drainage except the perorated area in the right rear portion of the base of the stock airbox. I wonder about those little holes. How would warm air aid emissions? On startup, it's all cold air anyway. Perhaps the perfs are for drainage and act as an adjunct for intake at high speed (albeit, hot air). Maybe the snorkel can't keep up under extreme conditions due to airbox volume and length of tubing issues (especially with that silencer in there... I was amazed at how narrow the intake path was with that box in there). There's only so much room back there, plus you have to work around the fan unit. Who knows? Ben, no arguing here over your supercharged BEAST! I was after better sound and the Fabspeed kit allowed an easy way to achieve sound improvement with little alteration to the stock airbox configuration. As a bonus, the improved throttle response was a pleasant surprise...

"I was after better sound and the Fabspeed kit allowed an easy way to achieve sound improvement with little alteration to the stock airbox configuration." i understand completely. on mine, i even cut out bigger holes into my airbox on the bottom specifically for that reason - even if it reduced power! it was fairly obvious to me none of my airbox mods (or even the ECU change) was doing anything on the butt dyno but the sound that last box produced was fantastic. there is a picture of the molested box here: http://www.986host.com/gallery/benkea?&page=12

On my car, which was a '99 , the bottom of the air box was not flat , it tilted down from each side to a central low point where a large drain hole was located. Water entering the air snorkel and going into the box would have pass the drain hole , then to go " uphill " to the " hot air " perforations on the bottom right side

Hmmm. I must not have noticed the "funnel" area. However, in looking at Ben's Swiss Cheese Airbox Modificado Magnificado I do see a lower area in the floor of the airbox leading up to the filter. BTW, nice pics of the CGT!

I saw some dyno with various drilled air boxes and there was a loss. I will be happy to dyno the Fabspeed box. My guess is whopping 2 hp at the wheels. Drilled, my quess is that it would lose 2 hp.

MKW did you get that PM I sent you about the Fabspeed airbox?

Here's a link to a 4 minute video by Fabspeed showing the kit vs factory resonator box and before/after in car videos . Fabspeed site video on airbox mod kit. Like I posted earlier , I have a take off Fabspeed kit including a barely used BMC filter , filter cleaning/ reoiling kit , and my custom hot air perforation mod that I will install free ( saves you an additional $100 if you are not mechanically inclined ) on your car for $200 , only for Bay Area residents. Retail value $350 from Fabspeed plus shipping and install . If you don't like it, we'll switch it back. Pretty good deal if you ask me , as the BMC alone without cleaning kit is $120 everywhere. Ghostrider - check your PM.

Response sent, let me know since i'm not in the bay area...

i sent you a PM MKW

Anyone have pics of the Fabspeed system installed?

I've offered MKW that if he sells the Fabspeed he has to me (I'm not in Northern California) that I will do a photo-essay pictorial of the install procedure and host it on my website for anyone who might be interested. As of yet I haven't heard back from him with a definitive answer, but the offer is on the table. Since we have similar cars Andy the install pics will be directly relevant to you.

sorry GR , i picked it up from him yesterday and installed it last night (he's only 15 minutes away from me) the install is SUPER easy. the carbon ring (really faux carbon) is useless. i didn't end up using it. i did, however, cover the holes using MKW's plastic cover (not the drain holes but the array of holes to the right and front of the box. it does fill out the sound and enhances the GHL (still thinking it could be a tad louder). i noticed throttle response has improved, snappy. i made sure to disconnect the battery to reset the ECU. carlos

Well that's pretty gay IMHO. I mean geez I was the first to ask him about it before there was even a post about him intending to sell it. The least he could have done was responded to my PM (which he read) and told me that he already had a buyer. I don't know what the deal was about wanting it to go to someone in his area, sounds like place of residence discrimination to me, where's reverend Jackson when I need him? I would have paid shipping... sheesh... Oh well, I'll have to be happy knowing that my orange cap mod will have to suffice... so much for the photoshoot too I guess... It's time to trade my car in on a Pagani Zonda anyway...

Go to SplitSec.com They specialize in BMW's with aftermarket intake systems.

dude, i take offense to that "gay" remark. what the F is that supposed to mean! i know you weren't refering to me but still that is pretty lame. it was just easier for me to pick it up rather than him shipping it. did he commit to you? that i can't say. but he did post this,

gay as in "uncool" not as in homosexual or happy. I could say *** and be talking about a cigarette. It means BEFORE Milt offered the intake for sale I contacted him about buying it. After I contacted him he responded with a PM that he'd prefer to sell it to someone locally but if he couldn't he'd let me know. That was when he posted his message about $200 and for Bay Area residents. I immediately PM'd him again telling him I would PayPal him the $200 immediately if he would sell it to me and of course I'd pick up shipping. He read the PM but didn't respond. Then today I see that you've bought it and about the same time I got a PM from him stating that it was sold. Hey it was his intake and he can sell it to whomever he wants, I just thought it was uncool that when I offered immediate payment that he didn't message back with anything and it wasn't until after I sent him another PM today that he got back to me and said that it was sold. People are busy, maybe he meant to respond and didn't, whatever, doesn't matter it is yours now. I just found it odd that he's had this for some time and when I privately approached him about selling it he lists it for sale shortly thereafter but with the restriction that it is for someone locally only. If someone approached me about selling them something that I just had sitting around I'd probably say "sure here you go" instead of "hmmm now that you mention it that's a good idea, but I'm only going to sell it locally". As they say different strokes for different folks. I was just venting frustration that I missed out on an opportunity, and one that I felt like I played a part in spurring along, that's all. No need to take offense about anyting especially the gay remark, even if you do live in the Bay area...

GR the only reason i took offense to it was because i do have gay friends (not gay myself, at least my wife says so ). imagine how they would feel after that remark. there's no way in hell my gay friends would think they were uncool i knew what you meant by it and you know how it was really derived. used it all the time when i was a kid, until i became enlightened growing up on the east coast will do that to you, HA! i guess in the bay area "we are family.." ok, that was a bad one. on to more porsche talk!