I've read a bunch of threads including the sticky about the intake dynos. But they have left me confused. If I drive my car in 20f-100f weather, both the cold air intake and short ram are bad ideas because they are too affected by extreme temps right? If so, should I just get a z tube? Which brand? I see that Stillen and z1 make one.

 

The z1 z tube is made out of aluminum and uses 2 silicone hoses.

The stillen tube is made out of plastic and uses the OEM intake couplers

The 350z tube is all one piece (doesnt require the couplers/hoses) and is plastic.

General consensus seems to be that you arent gaining much by getting a CAI or Short Ram unless you're going to get it tuned. People also mention heat soak a lot here so sticking with the plastic ones seem to be the way to go.

 

I am going to get it tuned eventually because I'm thinking catback+hfcs+mrev2+iso copper 5/16 plenum. However, I read about the heatsoak with the short ram during hot weather, and since it gets to be in the 90s in philadelphia I'm not sure that's a good idea. It also is in the 20s in the winter so a cold air intake seems bad.

Between the Stillen and the regular 350z tube which would you recommend? Just whichever can be picked up for less money?

There's also the Z1 OR Stillen high flow intake which doesn't seem to affect temperature, just to increase airflow which is good right?
https://www.z1motorsports.com/z1-pro...ge-p-3942.html

https://www.z1motorsports.com/air-in...it-p-4252.html

It seems like it might not have the biggest impact on HP but make a nice noise + improve throttle response

 

350z because it's a good for the price. Or you can just block off the sound diffuser port on the "G-tube" for the same effect.

 

From my understanding anything after the MAF sensor doesnt really do anything other than increase sound so I'd go with the cheapest. Unless you want the bling factor. I have a 350z tube in mine but only because I had a torn intake coupler and couldnt find that specific part. The stillen intake or anything "boxed in" would probably be your best bet... so the JWT Pop charger or the stillen setup though people are saying that a drop in high flow filter might be just as effective.

True story. $55 shipped on Ebay last month.

 

So, I could be misunderstanding, but with the aftermarket high flow intake kits, aren't they increasing the diameter of the intake tube as well, which would increase airflow into the engine? Or does that also depend on the throttle body? It seems like the stock throttle body bore is 70mm, so then with the stock throttle body having any intake tubing above 70mm (or 2.76 inches) is overkill because the throttle body is the bottleneck? It seems like you could significantly improve airflow into the engine by increasing the bore on the intake tubing and throttle body.

 

You can have as big of a water hose as you want, it all comes down to the nozzle. In other words, it doesn't really matter how big of diameter the intake is if the size is not matched by the throttle body, the gains will be negligible. It's not all about peak power either, area under the curve is what you should be worried about. With a larger diameter intake you WILL need a tune as the MAF won't know what to do.

 

And I looked at the thread on here about the NWP 75mm dyno results, and it seems like for everything under like 6,000 RPM, it actually lost a bit of power, so I guess I would have to consider the impact that would have on my daily driving experience.

 

The larger TB is an important upgrade for forced induction and also for track-only cars. A daily driver though it would be one of the last items you upgrade. I went with the 350Z tube because it was cheap.

 

Just my observations, most any high-flow intake is fine as long as you keep moving. Heat soak really only comes into play in traffic. Going from stock to a Z1 high-flow to a Stillen high-flow, it seems to be a trade between low end torque and high end power.

The Stillen intake is nice with the integrated heat-shield, although it will still get a bit of heat from the engine bay while idling. If you have other bolt-ons I'd think about getting tuned with an intake; with a spacer, HFC, catback, my car would throw P1273/1283 while cruising once I put the intake on (never had a problem even two hours straight on the freeway before).

I know BlueDream is partial to the RC2 intake, which I would have gotten if not for the fact that I can't find where it is sold anywhere.

If you want to be frugal, I'd get the 350 z-tube or the Z1 tube, heatwrap it, then drop in a K&N or Amsoil filter (if you have a rev-up engine, I believe you have a small velocity stack in your stock airbox). If you want more high-end and a MEAN sound, get a generic high-flow filter (Z1 kit is fairly good) and fab up a heat-shield (you can find a popcharger heat-shield by itself for about $40 on some sites). If you feel lazy, get the Stillen kit, it's pretty easy to put together. Even if I gained no power with it, the thing sound amazing after tuning.

 

R2c has a fat tube

 

Having done extensive research over the years and real world testing on my G I can offer my opinions on this long discussed/debated topic.

1. Any intake with an open filter WILL lose power, tuned or not. It's true that they suck in just hot air which we all know kills power. Engines love cold, dense air which is why I love to drive in winter. This is true with the car moving or stationary, yes while the car's moving the super hot air in the engine bay is somewhat dissipated but it's still being sucked in by the intake. The only open filter intake dyno proven to make any significant gain that I know of is the Furookie paired with a NWP 75mm TB and tuned. Mind you though, this is achieved sitting still on a dyno with the hood open and a big azz fan blowing air into the motor. I don't include the Stillen or R2C in this category because they both do a better job of having adequate shielding to keep hot air out. I love my R2C because it seals against the hood. However I run the 350Z version, the G35 version has a cut out on the left side for the snorkel that sits on the top of the radiator to fit in. I installed my catch can there and the 350Z version has both sides that extend to the core support. Also the R2C has IMHO the best filters on the market, they also make all air filters for government vehicles and have been proven reliable and efficient all over the world. My filter is washable and not oiled so that eliminates the potential of oil contaminating the MAF like the Stillen.

2. However unless you are tuned and have other supporting breather mods; HFC's, plenum spacer, exhaust etc. intakes really only produce more sound which is sexy but not enough of a power gain to really feel. They also give a cool look to the bay but IMHO not worth the money spent. However that's a personal choice, ymmv.

3. For low mod cars a stock airbox (revup if you can find one) with a quality drop in filter and a Z tube is your best choice for a compromise between power gain, sound and look.

Know too that this is a hotly debated topic on here and everyone has their opinions, but mine are rooted in facts and experience so take what you may from my feedback. Also I just searched for 20 minutes for either a G35 or 350Z R2C system for sale and came up with nothing. The R2C website still lists the G35 version but nothing about it's availability and the 350Z is listed as out of stock, very sad.

 

You posted you have a rev-up system, that filter section is one of the best when combined with a high flow drop in filter like one from AMSOIL! If you wish to change the sound buy a Z-TUBE from Stillen, they're made of plastic composite so they're not effected by under hood heat! Our VQ motors do love moist cool air! Right now SoCal is locked in with fog and it's 58 degrees, no better time to light up my 285's!
Gary

 

Yea it's going to be daily driven in the philly area heat, and my daily commute definitely features some slow moving traffic time when there's not much airflow. So it sounds like it's not worth it to change up the actual intake, just make get a stillen or 350z z-tube, and a high flow filter. I'm not good with fabbing so I'll stick to pre-made stuff I think.

Is this the amsoil you're referring to?

https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produ...?code=46116-EA

 

Update on the R2C. It seems that they are a dying breed, I hit up Import Parts Pro on here to ask if they still offer them and Kyle said no. Poor customer service and huge backorders are the reasons he cited for their decision. Sigh, another one bites the dust.

And phil, that's a Wix filter and yes, it's a good one.