I was just wondering if the pop charger does a better job of dealing with heat soak than a regular, metal CAI. I currently have a k&n short ram intake, but have the extension to make it a CAI. I just noticed that the metal tube gets extremely hot and I was thinking a plastic intake would be better.

Do you guys think the pop charger/z-tube is worth getting because of the plastic intake tube and the heat shield?

 

I think the most important thing is temperature of the air at the intake, so the heat shield is probably worth something. It is true that a plastic intake tube will transfer less heat to the air, but people claim that the effect is minimal at WOT since the time air spends in the tube is relatively small. All in all, I don't think you will notice any difference with any air intake in the g35. The difference in temperature between morning and afternoon will probably have a greater effect on your hp than your intake choice.

That being said, I would be skeptical as to both the short ram and cold air intakes. The short ram because the engine bay air is probably hotter than the air in the stock air box. I never understood cold air intakes because when you drive on the road, the air near the asphalt is the hottest, not to mention the issues with dust and water. Sure you may gain some hp on a dyno since they are indoors with floors colder than the ambient air. But look at like f1 cars, they put their engine air intake as high as the regulations allow.

 

Z tube is good. Metal tube not so good. OEM G tube also not so good, depending on climate maybe better than metal tube? Dunno.

Pop charger is fine. Rev-up airbox with good drop in is probably better? Pretty close. Pop charger sounds better. Both work alright.

Sell 'short ram' piece, buy z tube, take yourself out for beers with leftover cash.

 

So you think its worth it to sell my current metal intake and get a pop charger? I'm looking for that "intake sound" but also trying to reduce heat soak.

 

Pop charger will likely "sound" better, it also experiences some noticeable heat soak vs oem on hot days. If you don't want heat soak, go with oem. If you want sound, you have to put that as a priority over heat soak resistance and performance.

 

Due to the longer piping, a true CAI is great when she's revved up, but as bad as heat soak in the low RPMs when you aren't moving too fast. It will get cooler air since the filter is not in the engine bay, but the long piping means you will get less air until you're moving. If my car was meant for track, this is what I'd go for since you don't need to worry about lots of low-end power for stop and go traffic like you would for daily driving. While plastic piping like the Nismo CAI would be better here, the metal piping will not negate performance enough as long as you're moving.

Metal vs plastic: plastic is a better insulator but metals can be treated with paint or other means to withstand or keep out heat as well, making it work against heat better than plastic alone ever can.

As for heat soak: you have to keep everything cool, as well as the intake temps at the filter. Having plastic piping is great, but having your intake in the hot engine bay negates all of that, and a metal divider which just absorbs heat and transfers it right next to the intake filter does not help at all.

All in all, if you are looking for street performance, the stock setup will be the best option here as the piping is all plastic, short tubing, and the filter is insulated in a plastic box with access to cool air from outside the engine bay.

 

hey guys im new to this forum so I apologize if I'm not on the correct thread but I've owned my g for a few months now and I want to purchase the stillen pop charger and z tube and I was wondering where would be the best priced/ reliability on ordering from. or if anyone knows if where I could buy it locally, I'm located in Orlando fl.

 

Welcome! I'm in Kissimmee. You should check out the FGC thread for our next meet. But to answer your question, I saw a Z tube on CL for cheap. I would suggest you take a look in the vendor section for a good CAI price. Any local store gonna cost $$$

 

Buy from vendors here, most of the time you'll not only find the best prices, but it's also probably the most reliable/safe method of buying things.

 

That's not necessarily true. A great example: Strafe, carbodykits, Baus Auto, and that whole group.

But a forum is a great place to do a little research on a vendor to make sure you are purchasing from a reliable and safe one.

 

vendor prices really arent that great sometimes

 

Which is why I stated probably, but even the majority of those companies did a large volume of legit sales before there were every any problems. I bought my old trunk from strafe and got it shipped to me without a single problem. Also the chance of a vendor scamming is so much lower than buying on random websites, not to mention that with vendors on here you have much better recourse getting refunds or replacements for products that don't meet expectations.

 

correct me if im wrong but the only real power the Internet Board has is really to provide the buyer with info regarding the vendor and their activities and the possibility of perma ban. they dont really have any power in terms of monetary refunds

 

I agree^^^^^

 

Air intake is a fine art. Too high and you get engine heat, too low and you get road heat. Plastic is certainly better than metal at keeping the heat out of the airflow. The best air is in front of the radiator but that isn't really that practical for most people. One solution, although unlikely to win any bling awards is to route the air from behind the grill into the airbox. Forum member SxExCx has done this mod for a bunch of us and it works really well. I did my best to document it when it was done on my car.
http://g35project.com/sxexcx-custom-intake-mod/