I shouldn't say this (because I'm selling one) but I wanted to be another worthless post about CAIs because it seems to be the trend of threads w/o search features . Nothing like adding yet more information to a DB that is too overloaded to do a search already! *yeah... I'm an idiot..."

AEM is a horrible, horrible CAI. Why? Because it goes down in your wheel well. What is in your wheel well folks? Dirt. Where's the dirt from? The road. What does a CAI do? Suck in air. What doesn't a dirty CAI do? Suck air.

After 1.5 years down in my wheel well I pulled this sucker out the other day and let me just say... it looks like the thing had been working in a coal mine. Pitch black and if I recall when I put it down there it was blue or red or something. Now that wouldn't be so bad if you could clean it w/o taking off the flippin wheel and wheel well cover every 15k!

Again, POP or TRUE Ram is best for non FI application. Stop Asking

 

The point of the design is to keep it away from your engine, protect it from heat soak, and give it more cold air to breathe. Thats why it gives out more hp than any pop charger ever will. Changing the filter is part of the game.. you have to change filters no matter what intake u have.

 

Yet another reason why the AEM blows - it is in the wheel well were water comes right into. Nice rainy day here in Seattle and I more then once remember my car sputtering under hard acceleration.

I know that changing filter is part of the game, however, with the amount of crap that comes up off the tires you honestly should be replacing this filter once every 5k miles in the winter when sand, gravel, and other crud splats around the wheel well.

I think the design is well intended, however, add the super DUPER long intake pipe (lose hp), possibilty of sucking water, crud and other debris, and location I think this one wins the trophy for worst intake over the long run.

 

Heh...and everyone used to b!tch at me because I had a short ram intake. This way way before the popcharger came out too. Everyone was all up on CAI's nuts. Now they are learning...

 

The length of the intake piping has little to do with the power. The point is to get cold air into your engine.. not hot air. Hence "CAI". If you are concerned about crap getting on your filter from your tire, you can always close up the holes on that side of your wheel well.. it worked great for me when I had a CAI on my Celica before this car. Believe me, its a proven fact that pop chargers start suckin up hot air and don't benefit your car as much as a CAI.. they are not as directly exposed to rapid airflow from your car moving forward as a CAI.. and thats the whole entire point of an intake system. But yes, they do allow for easier filter changing.. and still give u the cool sound.

 

Good post 3rdpower . . . I am convinced more than ever that the stock intake on the 350Z is the best, since going back to stock from even the JWT. I have noticed an improvement. I will however go back to the JWT because it sounds so good and does not lose power on the dyno like the AEM did.

Oh and the reason the Injen is better cause it is not stuffed inside the fender well. That is not a very good place for fresh cool air.

 

"Thats why it gives out more hp than any pop charger ever will."

That is a bunch of doo doo.

The Pop Charger has proven to have the best gains from members Dynos and reviews here on the forum.

Even so, I got my Pop Charger expecting NO increase in power, but Ialso got the PopCharger because I didnt want to LOOSE power with any other intake.

 

i think someone is just trying to quantify with himself the money and effort that was wasted in removing an AEM setup, and buying a pop charger. i took my injen out last night, and yes it was dirty, so i cleaned it. perhaps the G35 is different, but i was able to take my filter out from the top, without getting into the wheelwell. no big deal. the car feels slower without the extension piece...period. it's your fault you live in seattle. i live in san diego, and it rains about 5 times a year. boo hoo.

 

A year and a half without cleaning it? What did you expect? I have used washable filters on every vehicle I have owned for the past 10 years, cars and motorcycles. The longest I would ever go on a daily use vehicle is 6 months, but usually is was everytime I changed my oil. I removed my AEM just because it was too involved a process to get the filter off to clean. After 3 months there was a typical amount of gunk on it. I would think the injen would be dirter just because its in the air stream, but the difference shouldn't be that great.

 

be as it is... it does rain here a lot but we have more millionaire per capita then any area in the country (Money Magazine) ... nowww... if I was one of them?!%#@

Anyway, yes - 1.5 years is a long time not washing/changing/oiling the old filter. Part of the reason it didn't get serviced is because of the location. I don't like taking off my wheel well if I have too. Unlike the Injen which is in a fairly suitable location for a change the AEM is a pain in the rectum. When I first got the AEM I'd say I was satisfied with the setup. I thought it provided the best of all worlds and besides it was one of my first DIY on the Z... I felt so proud at the time.

Now just as a statement on performance... JWT is performing a LOT better. Now you could say this is due to the difference in actual SUCKING power (clean versus dirty but I am willing to bet location and tube length play some sort of a roll. Noticebly my modified exhaust sounds a LOT, LOT better. Strange the ting, ting sound I use to get often at WOT has gone bye bye upon the JWT pop install. Mind you, different setups will yield different results for different people. This works very well for me.

I think everyone when they first got their Z's a year or so ago played the gueine pig roll. We all tried different things to increase performance. If I had to choose the worst upgrade that I invested in the AEM would rank #1 ($279 at the time ). The stock box is very close to perfect IMHO (yeah... I'm swingin' from your sack o' rocks moog). JWT provides a smidgen of extra power to give you a very good setup that is easy to maintain, economical, and most of all practical.

 

removed my AEM as well....making a short ram now....

 

Obviously, you haven't seen my Popcharger. https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....&threadid=61178
The filter/intake opening IS located directly behind the front airduct where it IS "exposed to rapid airflow from your car moving forward."
Suckin' hot air is possible only when the car is not in motion. Why? duh, because there is no air movement.
I've driven my car hard between freeways and city streets. As soon as I got home, I opened the hood and the filter is cool to the touch. The heat shield is a little warmer but that is to be expected. The shield is doing it's job. I think everyone here with the Popcharger can agree to that.

 

The dirties the filter the better. An intake is an intake don't fight over 1 - 3 hp.

 

or clean it like the instructions say....now there's a novel idea

--wes

 

Unfortunately it does thanks to basic fluid dynamics. Longer pipes means more drag and less flow. Throw in a few bends and you make it even worse. The harder your engine works at getting that "cold" air, the more it cancels the benefit of it being "cold".

 

"Now just as a statement on performance... JWT is performing a LOT better. Now you could say this is due to the difference in actual SUCKING power (clean versus dirty but I am willing to bet location and tube length play some sort of a roll. Noticebly my modified exhaust sounds a LOT, LOT better. Strange the ting, ting sound I use to get often at WOT has gone bye bye upon the JWT pop install. Mind you, different setups will yield different results for different people. This works very well for me."

Also, the stock tube being plastic helps a lot. Metal heats up, meaning less power.

 

AEM sucks!!!! had it removed, installed JWT, a lot better

 

Guys, none of the "CAI's" will give you colder air than you will get stock. If you notice, the stock intake is pulling air from in front of the radiator. It doesn't get much colder than that. Having the intake closer to the road will probably be even worse, since you will be picking up hot air from the pavement when summer hits.

The only benefit for "CAI's" is that they typically have a cone filter with more area than the stock rectangular one. This will reduce the restriction of the filter and potentially allow the engine to more easily suck in air. Of course, once that filter gets covered in dirt and grime, chances are very high that it won't flow nearly as well as a stock one.

Personally, I think intakes are good only for looks and sound (which are perfectly acceptable reasons to get one), since the stock Z setup is already as CAI as it gets.

-D'oh!

 

Thank you again for your opinion and analysis. I just upgraded my exhaust and now was looking at simple intake mods, and this is very helpful.

 

this has turned out to be a very informative post. i'm keeping my injen, albeit, but informative nonethless. i think i will keep my intake in the short-ram configuration through the weekend to get some 0-60 times, and let the computer adjust. screw the dyno...i'm concerned with how my car actually performs. i'll let you all know.