3.5 a/c Intake questions

[blackteam02]

Im having trouble deciding on which intake to purchase, I seen all the vids on youtube, is it just me or does the INJEN intake seem to sound the best? although the AEM looks pretty cool, the FUJITA is the best priced intake.

For everyone with an intake installed on their 3.5a/c any notable difference in exhaust tone-underhood tone-fuel economy-Compliments. is it even worth it?

[RobPaulson]

i have an injen, i absolutely love it. it totally changes the sound of your car when you punch it.

i highly recommend it.

yes it is worth it.

[marlin29311]

The intakes out right now are pretty much all the same for the most part - just buy which one you like best. There is no real difference in power gains between any of them...

[Viper5000]

Yeah all are the same basic design, do yourself a favor and get the Fujita, its the cheapest:

http://www.ptuning.com/html/It...ltima

[Flypinoy457]

I just installed the Injen intake this past weekend, slightly noticeable gain, but definitely a big difference in sound. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive but its got my vote

[TameRacingDriver]

I have the AEM, and while the most expensive, I have no complaints. Great noticeable sound. I can't speak for the others.

However, keep in mind with our engines, there are numerous cases where an aftermarket intake actually reduced whp because of the factory ECU tune. Quick google search will back it up. Most of the articles are for the 350z and Infiniti G35. Nevertheless, I don't see how our's would be an exception. Now if you retune the ECU, you can get a noticeable gain. See this article for example: http://www.importtuner.com/tec....html

Now, where I have not had my ECU retuned as of yet, I didn't feel a difference when I added the AEM intake. But, I did noticed my RPM's jump up faster, which should also mean it added some ponies even if I can't feel it. Just keep in mind this is all anecdotal until someone reputable hits up a dyno with before and after. Other than the manufacturer's that is.

[Chuck2417]

Hey where did you guys buy your intakes from? I am in Canada so that does cause some issues with some websites only selling to the US. Anyone have any ideas of were to get one for a decent price. Any brand, injen, aem, Fujita....

08 altima coupe 3.5se; 6MT

[Chuck2417]

Also does the heat shield make a big difference with the intake? Any differences with hp, sound or system life? The injen and aem have heat shields but the fujita doesn't. Since the price difference is around 100$ between each brand is a heat shield that important?

[Viper5000]

Heat shields are a joke for short ram intakes such as the ones for ours cars......

It has no benefit.... other than looking pretty.......

On some cars (i don't know about ours), those little heat shields have been known to increase heat on the filter because it traps it in

[TameRacingDriver]

Here is the thing. Does the heat shield reduce heat and by how much? I don't know. The only thing I could think of is to take the temp in the engine compartment then within the heat shielded area and compare the differences. If the difference is 20+ degrees, I would say it is worth it. This is because I have heard (not confirmed) every 10 degree reduction in tempature correlates to a gain of 1 hp. I have also heard 5 degree reduction equals a 1 percent power gain. In the end, I don't know.

The thing is, like Viper said, there is no discernable difference in the dyno results between Fujita/Injen/AEM (heatshield vs. none) according to the manu's websites. So it is up to you if you think it is worth it.

I trust AEM and K&N as a manufacturer along with their word on results. I chose AEM because I preferred the design over K&N. I may run a little test over the weekend taking the temp in and out. I will post Monday and let you know the results (or if I even did it or not). Anyway, for me the extra $100 was worth it. Solid design, build, and reputation equals peice of mind for me.

[TameRacingDriver]

Found a decent article about intakes on import tuner:

http://www.importtuner.com/rev....html

One of the test involves an Injen short ram intake with heat shield. The test results were interesting. While with the heatshield, the overall engine compartment temperature increased. However, the air being taken in through the intake temperature decreased but not by much.

The one thing we need to know is does the tubing which runs to the front of the engine compartment make a difference. That I don't know.

Also, autoanything.com has good deals in my opinion. Watch for the coupons.

[Chuck2417]

That is what I was thinking. Because of the location of the intake it will be hard for the heat shield to stop the heat. But on other cars were the intake system is farther away from the engine and closer to the front of the hood it could make a difference I think. It would be great if someone would dyno test the aem vs the injen and fujita. I am curious if that tube to the front actually helps with hp gain on the aem.

[RicerX]

I found a couple things for quick reference, even though you guys may scoff at the fact it's from manufacturers sites, or may have already seen this.

Fujita SRI Dyno for 07-08 Altima 3.5SE:http://f5air.com/images/dyno/sr2828.gif

Injen SRT Dyno for 07-08 Altima 3.5SE:http://www.injen.com/galleries...o.jpg

HUGE difference in vehicles here with respect to stock power from Injen's to Fujita's test cars. ~30 horsepower. Leaves much to think about there.

I know AEM has an intake system for our cars, but they have no performance data listed.

[Chuck2417]

The difference in power is mainly for the baseline. I don't really trust those charts because the injen site says our cars put out 199 horsepower at the wheel. I find it hard to believe that 71 horsepower gets lost on the way to the wheels...

Fujita- gains of 12hp (base power- 233hp)Injen- gains of 10hp (base power- 199hp)

I'm not a mechanic by any means. I have been leaning towards getting the Injen because that is the brand I put on my last car. However I have been recently leaning towards the Fujita because it is cheaper. Can someone have a look at these results and let us know if one is better than the other?

[ojhendrix]

If you guys had to choose between injen and the K&N intake for an altima 3.5 which would you choose? I was getting ready to order the injen off of stillen and a buddy of mine told me i should fork out the extra cash and get a K& N. is it worth it? More HP gain?

[TameRacingDriver]

Depends on whether or not you trust the manufacturers claims. I trust K&N and AEM, and I have the AEM. The numbers these two claim (6-7whp) seem about right without having a ECU retune. But if I had to pick, it would be either of these two. Look at the above post and articles. The heat shield does reduce the temperature of the air being taken in by an intake (increases overall engine temp. also). Further (this is unsubstainiated), it is my assumption the tubing running to the front of the grill with the AEM intake brings cooler air in. Maybe I will get off my lazy (insert fat people slur here) and figure it out. As of yet, I haven't.

In the end, I have installed both of these and in both instances, they did not disappoint. Go with what you trust. My pick, AEM.

[blackteam02]

i decided on the injen, no damn diffrence at all soooo...<bump>