had my 3 for a whopping 3 days. Been lurking around here for a while and still can't quite put my finger on the intake options.

I know cai based on other cars i have. I need clarification on the ztube and pop charger.

I know it's a total noob question. I did a search but the volume of posts makes it difficult to weed out the actual info I need.

Pity my ignorance but can anyone reply with a concise explanation?

 

Search more. It's probably the most discussed topic.

Pop charger is a short-ram intake system for the G35 that consists of a cone-filter & a "heat shield" (shouldn't even be called a heat shield).

Z-Tube is just the tube that connects the the intake to the throttle body. It's the same as the "G-Tube" except it has a larger diameter & is not resonated.

CAI just refers to long ram intakes.

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C A I = cold air intake....

popcharger and ztube is a popular combo...gives u a good roar to the engine but very lil hp gains.... cai are a lil more expensive...gives as loud or louder roar to the engine....and should give you more hp....

 

CAI [Long ram intakes] aren't shown to add more hp. If any, some actually have shown to lose hp. Just shows how good the design & efficiency of the stock intake system already is.

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I'm still a little confused. Stillen z-tube is a $62 piece of plastic tube with a $9.95 "handling" fee and 8.75% sales tax that is .5% higher than my actual sales tax and the pop charger is a $180 air filter with a bent sheet of aluminum "heat shield"?

Really?

What am i missing?

 

Seems like you got it right. I think the popcharger might come with a sticker or two as well.

FWIW, I got my Z-tube free off a 350z owner. I plan to go with the Stillen intake when I do.

 

$180 is mostly likely for the pop charger, heat shield, and Z-tube.