I did all the searches for hours so please respond anyway. It seems most people say go with the JWT b/c "for the money" it is better over let's say a NISMO CAI. I mean neither one is that expensive, money not being an object, do you guys still think the JWT is better? I heard some people had stalling problems...I just wanna get whatever is better (money not being an object) between the JWT and a NISMO CAI....thanks for the help!

 

I think you are going to find that all intakes have "stalling problems". This could be due to a litany of factors:

1) Poor installation.
2) MAF Issue (Was dropped or damaged during install)
3) Leaks
4) Increased Volume of Air (Causes stalls at high speeds when car is put in neutral)

I had a stalling issue with my HKS Racing Suction kit and I went back took everything out, reinstalled everything nice and tight, made sure the MAF was positioned just as it was stock. I still had the issue so I disconnected the battery for 24hrs to let the ecu reset and voila! Also, the Technosquare reset instructions help as well. I would do all the resets (Throttle Opening, ECU Reset, etc) after the install. Finally, putting the car in neutral at high speeds isn't a smart thing to do anyways so I just dont do it anymore.

 

Oh and, I would go with a regular intake as the CAI doesn't have a big advantage and always has the risk of sucking in water if you are stuck in a heavy rain storm. Also a cold air is a B---- to clean as you haveta remove the inner fender lining. If you must have that extra 1-2hp I would suggest the Gruppe M Ram Air setup. It puts a intake opening right in the grill and this seems like it would actually have a positive affect at high speeds. But it is expensive, do some research.

 

Pop-chager is the best all around intake, it is easy to clean, sounds amazing, and makes just as much power as a CAI. Its just a bonus that its cheap as dirt!

 

Ahhhhh, the age old questions

IMO, popcharger (with the little extra cone in the cap) with some type of custom shield is best. Why not inject cold air similar to OEM, but using a much larger filter??? That was my question, and the conical cone and custom shield was the answer

short story...

I took my car by the Nissan dealership this past saturday and my buddy that I bought my car from said lets take it for a spin with your two new mods. I said, ok... We get in the Z after he says nice freakin wheels and I tell him it's just an intake and spacer, not that big of a deal. He says, let's just go, this guy is a bit of a car/Z enthusiast himself. So I pull out of the parking lot and we have traffic coming up on us. I'm creaping in 1st at about 5mph and then I punch it ripping through the gears up into 4th. He was like, whoa! You didn't do anything else to the car? I said no, just the intake, grnd.kit, and spacer along with having 295's hugging the ground. He said this is much faster than stock. I said, really, I can't compare anymore. It's been this way for over a month now. He said, I test drive Z's with costomers about 4 times a week, and one with the Nismo CAI and exhaust. It DOES NOT PULL like your Z! I said even with the NISMO stuff? He said it sounds different, but does not pull nearly has hard...your Z has to be about half second faster to 60 than all of our Z's. You must be pushing around 305-310hp. I just got a big grin on my face He also mentioned that it now sound like a small block V-8, very throaty, mmmwhahhahhaaaa!
Bottom line, I'm not 100% if the popcharger by itself is better than the other CAI? But combined with the spacer, it kicks major A$$ in the dealer's opinion

BBB...the JWT popcharger!

Zquicksilver
ps no stalling problems ever...just don't puch it until the engine warms up to regular temps!

 

i'm not real smart...what's a spacer?

 

Adds more volume to your intake maifold... cheap solution for about 10rwhp when combined with an CAI. Do a search, actually just look at a the titles in this thread. Lots of info

 

thanks Zquick.

 

My car stalled when I'd go 100+ then put it in nuetral with the popcharger right when I got it... but since I got a plenum it hasn't done it.. maybe the ecu just got used to it..? I have no clue....

 

ah the age-old debate continues. get what you want.

i recommend a CAI...Nismo specifically

 

Love my popcharger, have had it for over 2 years, never stalled once, have had +100mph quite a few times, no problems. Plus some after market bumpers have a cutout that makes it RAM air, sorta, but better than nothing. I personally have the Stillen one but I know there is a few others now.

 

Do some homework-Nissan is now recalling some crank angle wires-because some cars would stall at high speeds, some stock, some modded, this is not because of the pop-charger.

I had an AEM over a year back with a Crawford plenum and other mods. The long tube intakes dont work well with the Crawford plenum....I switched to a pop-charger and gained 10 whp over my previous AEM set-up. IMO the Nismo is the biggest POS-the water valves is nothing but a restriction, and if you need a valve to prevent water from entering your intake then you shouldnt be driving a Z.....people thinks its great cuz its Nismo.

 

Alberto,

I think the Nismo CAI is the best for several reasons. First, you have the optional water diverter. It is optional, as mentioned, and i do not have it installed on my my car. If I lived in an area that flooded often I would install it.

Second, I personally like the look of the intake. It's all black with a small Nismo logo (that can b removed). The fitment was 100% great, clear instructions.

Third, its a CAI and the popcharger sits in the engine bay. Now I am no rocket scientist, but the air in the bay is really hot. Much hotter than the air infront of the driver's wheel. Thats another thing, the location of the filter is the best place. The other CAIs put the filter in the mouth of the front bumper, not a good location when looking at turbulent air flow. Not to mention how dirty it will get being fully exposed to the wind, rain, and road debris.

Finally, i know Nismo rebadges other people's products, but at least they feel confident enough to put their name on it. That counts for something in my book.


Harv

 

i own both the JWT popcharger and the Injen CAI. I've raced my friend who is bone stock but has one of those fast-from-factory Zs.

Injen CAI: raced on the highway, kept up with him
Injen Short-ram: raced from 2nd gear, he pulls away from 4th gear.
JWT popcharger: raced from 2nd gear, he pulls away from 2nd gear.

I actually dynoed more with the popcharger (246hp and dynoed less with the CAI (234hp), baseline is 235hp.

The real way to test if you are making more horsepower than before is to run it against another person, since based on my dyno results i would have thought I could have beaten my friend.

 

Seems kinda tough to do that. Even if it is the same driver all the time, their is a still a great room for error. And has got to be very non-consitent. but i wasn't there and you might be right.
Just my .02


BTW if it helps any i am probably going ot buy the Popcharger

 

thanks for all the help and ur opinions guys! I am leaning towards the pop-charger myself..this forum is so much more informative then the tiburon forum i go to (i have an '04 tiburon too). There, all they talk about is how they race supras, 350zs, Evos, etc and always win lol

one last question kind of non-related..i'm thinking about getting the UR pulley set but i have an automatic (i know i am the devil, but i hate driving the manual Tib in traffic) I have heard that lighter pulleys in an automatic doesn't make any sense, if anything it will hurt the engine because an auto needs the mass to spin corectly or something (i'm no mechanic lol) anyone with an auto have the UR pulleys and notice any benefits..thanks again guys!

 

Harv,

You are a passionate NISMO man I don't have harsh words for the Nismo CAI, but I don't think it's the best position for the filter and it's why the engineers/designers included the option of the water diverter. Take a look down there in a few months of daily driving an let me know if it's clean down there or not? IMO, your best bet for an intake is to go with a OEM styled intake. Stillen, ARC's new metal box, Gruppe-S. The INJEN and NISMO long tube CAI are really meant for tack or driving in dry conditions. NISMO realized they could make more money and play it safe if they offered the water diverter as a solution to the water injestion problem.

I have a clear plastic shield around my popcharger and I still see small water spots in the inside of it, indicating that small amount of water get in there. So just imagine having the filter in the cavity just in front of your wheel well or directly in the grill.

Zquicksilver

 

thanks bro I heard people a few months back saying that the popcharger caused this.. good to know it isn't.. I'll have to have nissan check it out next time my car's in...

Popcharger = the best

 

Love my pop charger. JWT stated intake temps were lower than the stock box. So at least it's not breathing hotter air.

Dyno proven (haha) and great bang for buck.

Also the Z does not have a long intake tract stock. The JWT pop charger keeps the length exactly the same. Just breathes better up top.

20 min. install too.

 

The Nismo and AEM CAIs (Same thing basically) have shown over and over again that they decrease overall power!! The JWT will help low end power but not really help as much in the mid-high rpm range. The Injen CAI setup will hurt the low end a bit but yield nice gains in the mid-high rpm range (especially with other mods). The Injen filter should not be used in a short-ram setup due to the filter design blocking actual airflow. The test that JUN did yielded similar results to some testing I did on the 1/4 mile track. The JWT is cheap, easy to install, filter stays cleaner and sounds nice, but the Injen CAI will yield better gains for those looking for it. It does require a lot of filter cleaning though.