Installed my first performance mod today, a JWT pop charger. I know there are tons of posts about this product, but here is my first impression.

Quality: The quality of this product is very impressive. Heat shield is nice anodized aluminum, filter is pretty nice (seems to be about k&n quality), aluminum MAF bracket is huge and very nicely made. Trim pieces that seal off the engine bay are very nice. Instructions were fantastic. I can't believe this kit is so cheap given what you get... much better for the money than any of the DSM intakes I ever bought.

Install: Install was pretty easy... harder than most intakes I have installed due to the heat shield but anyone could do it. Took about 40 minutes including time searching around for tools.

Driving Impressions: Obviously I did not expect huge performance gains since it only gets 6.5 WHP more. I bought this for the sound. The car seems faster, but having done many performance mods to other cars, it is just the sound fooling me. This intake sounds great. I enjoy driving my car much more with this intake on. The engine sound under power I would describe as %40 louder. In addition there is this interesting chirp at about mid throttle when you start to step on it.

Side Note: I bought a cheap ebay intake that came with a polished aluminum Z-tube. I was planning to use the aluminum Z tube and toss the filter and MAF adapter. The Z-tube that came with it looked really nice, and the couplers that came with it were quality. Unfortunately, the polished tube was considerably smaller than the stock 2003 Z tube so I didn't use it. Just tossing this in there so others don't make the same mistake.

I would buy this intake again in a second... I don't care if it only gets 6.5 hp, it makes my car much more fun to drive.

 

OH god....

 

well, it was well written. Glad you're enjoying it.

 

I am aware that there is tons of info on this intake floating around... but when I was looking for options all I could find is "the 06 stock one is better" or "get the pop charger, it sounds good".

I thought I would post some actual content on this intake; I suspect potential buyers will find this much more useful than posts that contain an opinion but no actual information.

 

i prefer my nismo cai to the pop charger. the power differences are negligible, though the cai makes the engine sound great.

 

Nice write up. I know how you feel. I just installed the JWT this last thursday as well. I actually surpised with the new gains it gave. Nothing crazy but the sound is amazing. I think the car is more fun to drive around as well. I think it complimented my other mods nicely.

Congrats enjoy it!

 

same.

 

The great thing about the Popcharger is that when there's no humidity and the day is brisk, the car feels fantastic.

On the other hand, if it's hot and muggy, the car will feel notably slower.

 

lol......

 

I haven't noticed anything yet, its been pretty hot here too. Kansas gets nothing but tornadoes, heat, wind, and stupid hail sometimes.

 

Noob........lol...

 

Have fun and Enjoy...

 

So living in Georgia and having a Pop Charger don't go well together...

 

It will do the same thing with any intake

 

Well obviously, but the JWT is the subject at hand. The OEM airbox is a bit more resistant to it, as well.

 

I agree, except I have not felt anything that is noticable enough to say the JWT is junk and slows me down. In my old S2000, I had an AEM CAI. That car would have some horrible heat bog. The Z feels nothing like it. For the 03-05 they say the short ram is better. The JWT has gotten a bad name though because of heat bog and stalling. I have not had either so I am happy.

Also with the research they have shown, once the car gets moving it will clear out a lot of that hot air, from just sitting in traffic. Even the stock box will deal with a little heat.

I think people make too big of a deal over it. Its not like the JWT is going to break the bank. For the price you pay it is worth it.

 

I agree. It makes a great noise, and when the weather is nice, it makes the car feel just a tad better.

 

I bet having a duct cut-out in the front bumper helps that air circulation further, if you're into that look versus whatever advantage it may have.

And I agree, for the relatively cheap price you get a pretty complete kit that is easy to install and if nothing else may be more pleasing to your ear than the OEM intake setup. It's also fiscally low-risk because due to its overwhelming popularity on this forum you can be 99.9% sure that someone would take it off your hands for 70 to 80% of new price, if you decide to part with it.

 

I agree that may help out, using the air duct in the bumper. I just don't know if I'm sold on that look yet. You are right on about reselling the JWT as well. They go fast and they hold their value.

 

nice writeup! I'm very pleased with mine as well.