i like the sound and it's stealthy. i don't like the look of short ram intakes and i don't wanna deal with cold airs b/c i'm lazy.

some will argue "how often do you look under the hood?"

3-4 times a week for me...

+1. Never understood the whole $100 per 1hp ratio. And for the learning.... intakes and exhaust is nothing to "take your seats" over. When you start getting in to turbos and sc's. Thats when its time to take your seats. Not these basic bolt ons. I came from dsm's where intakes actually did make a difference. Sorry to sound like an ***, didnt mean to come off that way, but really this isnt a hard subject.

Does the AEM short ram for the 350z fit the G sedan (has a heat shield).

the on going battle....that never ends. I dont know when people will finally learn. It depends on what you want to do to the car in the future. A cold air intake is going to perform a hell of alotbetter than a regular air box, no questions asked. The hood is sealed so people that say its a the same as RAM air...its not. The cold air intake is designed to get air directly from the outside. Mine sits right behind the opening on the stock bumper. So air goes directly into it...your not getting that warmer air from inside the engine bay. If you plan on running a piggy back system of some type or a fuel controler then you will really notice a difference.

-sean

+1...I agree

Sorry man, I don't agree. The stock intake is indeed a CAI because it pulls in ambient air. Air comes through the grill and goes into the two intake ducts. The location of the ducts are fairly ideal and become pressurized at speeds over 60mph which causes a very slight ram air effect. The 07 setup is even better, obviously. I think you need to study the OEM setup a little better because it is not pulling in underhood air unless you remove the Power Duct cover or add a POP style intake. The aftermarket CAIs add an additional 12 to 16" of runner length which doesn't help these motors. Believe me, I've tried every intake setup imaginable on a prior VQ30 and tested it on the track. On average, the CAI was .1 and 1.5mph slower than just a modifed version of the stock intake. Too much runner length develops turbulance in the pipe at higher rpms. CAIs feel great around town because I always found them very responsive in the lower rpms; however, above 60mph, the car is slower.

The location of aftermarket CAIs isn't ideal either because there is very little pressure at the lower part of the bumper. Also, many of the CAIs place the filter dangerously close to the hot radiator.

This makes no sense at all, a "slight ram air effect"? Second, if you have ever noticed aftermarket short ram air intakes, or even the stillen box intakes they all suck in hot air from within the engine. Third, the air filter is to the left of the grille so air does not go directly into the filter...if anything its creating a spiral effect and moving hot air from the back of the engine to the front of the engine bay (where the intake and filter is).

A CAI sits right down behind the opening of the bumper so it is getting direct air from outside. You might loose a little bit of torque at the start since the piping is longer, but you have the upper hand advantage if you are at a roll and at upper RPM ranges.

Now if both cars are stock and DO NOT have a piggy back or air/fuel controler then yes you are right, the box or short ram will be better, but if you DO have a piggy back or air/fuel controler then the CAI is going to have the advantage over the short ram or box.

-sean

Yes, there is a slight ram air effect if you're using the stock airbox setup. When the car is at speed, a column of air is at the grille and it slightly pressurizes the airbox. Why do you think engineers at Nissan, BMW, Benz, Lexus, GM, etc use the exact same layout? It offers the coolest air, it's located in one the highest pressure areas of the car, and it delivers the best throttle response and power.

Never disagreed with that.

Not on the stock setup. The air coming in through the grille is forced up into the over radiator snorkel and the Power Duct.

Absolutely not. A longer intake runner creates more lowend power and response because the incoming air stacks up in the pipe makes for a laminar flow, but there comes a point in the induction of air where the long pipe cannot deliver the flow required at higher rpms because the air cloumn begins to cause turbulence. That CAI is choking your car whether you want to believe it or not. Short intake runners make good midrange/high rpm power and long intake runners make good lowend/midrange power, but choke at higher rpms. Why do you think some cars utlize variable capacity intake manifolds that manipulate runner length from long to short at around 4500-5000rpms?

its just a intake lol.....basically save your $$$ and dont spend over 150- or 200 with a full intake for only little gains.....get pulleys, a spacer, something more worth it....every thread on this always has a fight about intakes lol

Well, if anyone ever wants to contest whether or not the stock airbox is inferior to aftermarket intakes, just tell them to go find what lies underneath a whole lot Japanese Z/G tuner's hoods. You guessed it, the STOCK airbox.

Just get what makes you happy. If you want sound or looks, then get aftermarket, otherwise the stock setup is more than adequate.