z-tube, spacer or spacer and mrev plenum, exhaust, tune.. IMO

 

How much would each thing cost? Also how much would each modification add to the horsepower?

 

good stuff

 

The pricing varies due to the source. Google is your friend.

 

yeah google is your best friend but check out the vendors on the forum before you go order off a random website. I know there's a vendor on here selling the mrev2 for 450 shipped, you can pick up a z tube for less than 100, spacer would cost maybe 180 for the isothermal? exhaust.. depends on which one you go with.

 

Concept Z Performance has Stillen Z-tubes for like $65 shipped. I picked mine up from them early last month

 

if you get a ztube, get the aluminum one from Z1... its the same price if not cheaper than an oem one, and it isnt plastic like the oem, so there is no chance of breaking the vacuum elbow like mine did and a few others has

 

Aluminum seems like it'd get hot... I didn't break mine on my Stillen.

 

It doesn't get hot to the touch. Heat soak doesn't come into effect with tube material. The air is traveling too fast. Think about it, almost every aftermarket intake is aluminum. If heat soak was an issue, they would be plastic. AEM and Injen have years of research

 

Look up DIY heatshields on YouTube. The temperatures will rise within the tube. And air doesn't travel at the speed of light or anything. Yes it gets sucked in fast but that doesn't mean it isn't affected. There are many companies who don't use aluminum.

 

Yes, the heat shield is on the outside of the intake, which is keeping the ambient temp lower BEFORE it goes in the tube. The temp from when it goes into the filter til it gets to the TB won't change more than a couple degrees cuz of the velocity it's moving. Get what I'm saying? I mentioned AEM and Injen cuz they are the best in air intakes and if they use aluminum, that would mean that heat soak doesn't matter with the tube or they would use plastic instead cuz they do extensive research on EVERY application.

 

Anyway this has dragged on long enough. To the guy who asked: the material basically doesn't matter. The gains are primarily from the smoother flow of air inside of the tube. And if you go with a ztube while using the Rev-Up airbox as many people do you'll save yourself a bit of money while receiving the same gains because it's only an intake and the expected gains are minimal and it is primarily for sound.

 

If you want actual gains then look into the plenum spacers or forced induction since our motors are known to gain very little from basic bolt-ons. The intake is just for better sound and serves only to please your butt dyno.

 

Good intake systems such as Nismo and all factory intakes are plastic or carbon fiber because it matters. Aftermarket intakes will use aluminum because it is shiny and pretty, and it really add a to a quality feel to the product. True, you won't see much difference from a warm intake tube, but the difference is there.

Two words: heat soak. That pos heat shield most aftermarket intake systems come with will help keep heat from the hot metal of the motor from transferring directly to your intake, but unless the intake filter is completely sealed off from the engine bay, it will still be affected by heat soak, because it's still sucking in warm air. Having an intake located where it can bring in fresh, cool air matters much more than the tubing material, that's why the factory intake is completely encapsulated in plastic with ram air ducts bringing in fresh air from right under the hood.

Combining both flaws into one system makes a very horrible intake kit designed to sell to ricers who don't know any better since the stock intake will easily outperform it.

 

I have the enclosed Stillen intake bit changed the tube from the oem z tube that kept breaking tip the metal z1 tube. If I dunno my car more and then with a plastic z tube the dynos will be identical. That's all I'm saying