I finally got the Injen intake that I've wanted all along (polished tube w/black tubes and filter). Below is my opinion:

Aesthetics: Looks great, very happy with it.

Installation: The question everybody asks, do I need to take off the bumper to install? Not necessarily, but taking it off (or at least taking one side off which will give you room to work from the bottom) makes it much easier. If you do not want to take your bumper off, I would recommend lifting the car as this will allow you the room needed to reach in and remove the splash guard located right behind the grill. This splash guard is not easy to take off if you do not have any leverage. The most important thing to have is the right tools. For example, I was able to use a ratched with an extension to remove the left bolt from the manifold to install the heat shield but could not get the right bolt off with this tool. I used a hand wrench which has a flexible ratchet action on one end and this is what made it easy for me to remove this bolt. Also, in order to remove the bumper without taking off the wheels you will need a stubby philips screwdriver to remove the screw which holds the panel attached to the bumper. Lastly, in order to squeeze the silicone tube through the air vent and down the bumper I used a spray lubricant so that it would slide easily (I was struggling initially when I was trying to slide it without out any lubrication). Other than this, the install is straightforward. It took me about 4 hours to do it as I did it by myself but I believe I could do it now in 1-2 hours. It helps to have someone there even if it's just to hold a flashlight (if you do inside a garage).

Sound: At idle there isn't much of a difference from the stock sound. It does come to life when you get over 4K RPM. It is not loud but does sound more aggressive than stock and I can feel the air rushing in.

Performance: I can feel a little more power over the stock setup but only when over 4K RPM. It is not a dramatic difference but it does feel a bit more powerful. Obviously, a butt dyno is not as good as a true dyno but, again, this is just what I feel.

Overall Satisfaction: Very pleased. I love the look and the sound is what I was looking for. It's quiet when cruising but comes to life when I want to play and does seem to pull more than the stock setup.

Below are some pics.

 

Side View:

 

Other side view:

 

Top View:

 

Air filter behind grill view:

 

Great review. I just finished mine yesterday.

 

Welcome to the Family!

P.S. despues de 200 millas de corrido lo sentiras mas suelto!

 

I drove around some today and noticed actually that the sound seems to deepen around 3500 RPM. I can definitely feel a power difference.

 

looking at where u filter is... if it rains... aren't you goin to be in some deep dookie? or do you have the by pass valve thingy?

 

Injen does not offer a bypass valve. There have been other members that have posted driving their car with this system in pouring rain and did not have a problem. The only damage you can have is if the filter is submerged in water (ie. a large puddle). Hopefully this won't happen to me as my car only comes on weekends (if the weather is nice).

 

Ok, I keep seeing this chrome shield...where does it go? What is it for?

 

It's called a heat shield and bolts on to the engine manifold. The manifold has two bolts which you must remove. You then place the heat shield on top of the manifold and the holes on the heat shield will line up with the holes on the manifold and you bolt it on. It keeps the engine heat away from from the intake tube.

Below is a picture I hope helps. You can see a little bit of the edge of the heat shield. It's hard to see with the intake installed.

 

Hmm, my arrows didn't show up. Let me try again.

 

The kit with the black fittings looks as it came that way from the factory.

Nice job!

 

I don't know about you, but that heat shield was the most "fun" part of the install. Luckily, I have small hands, so I could get to everything a lot easier than my hubby.

 

Good point, 350zSpeedRacer. I was going to add in my write-up that if you have popeye forearms, forget it. You will never be able to squeeze in and get that rear bolt off of the manifold.

 

Victor, that's the first I've seen of the Blue color filter. They are usually reddish color. Does the blue automatically come with the black hose, and the red with the red hose?

 

I'm not sure about that. The polished system with the black tubes and blue filter is a new setup for Injen. I purchased from Paul at Avalon Racing. His website is: www.avalonracing.net. He will be able to better answer your question.

 

I just received and installed my Injen Intake last week- i got the exact same colors- black tubing and blue filter- I think Injen is shipping this color by default now as i did not specify the colors.
Must be nice to have such small hands, 350zSpeedRacer - This was the biggest pain in the rear for me- and once I go it in it wouldn't quite fit as the the edge was impeded- had to pull it back out and hit the edge with a hammer a couple of times- then it went in OK- but I still have cuts on my hands But it's in now

 

Yup yup. It's good to be a girl.