Post by
nametakennow »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/nametakennow-u713.html
Thu Mar 17, 2005 2:50 pm
An intake should improve the midrange and won't really go either way on the bottom. From my experience with one, I've found that only the extreme low end (just above idle, 800-1000rpm) didn't seem to gain from it. As long as the intake is pulling a little air, it can fill up the piping real quick. Also consider the fact that the stock intake has a long, twisted mess of piping, this means that it takes a second to fill up anyway, so a shorter, more direct, but bigger pipe isn't going to change anything throttle-response/torque wise.
If you got a small-piped exhaust, you'd be fine. The stock piping is about 1 3/4in, so a 2 or 2 1/4 will not harm low end. The info you hear about big exhausts killing power isn't true. Most cars benefit, even N/A til above 2.5in. I run a 2.5in (room for header, high-flow cat, cams, and pulleys later on) and still don't feel a loss on the bottom (thought I have an SR20DE).
The QG18DE guys all say a 2.25 is fine, and the 2.5 does create a loss in power. Don't be afraid to try it, and if you feel a loss, trust me, you can offload a good quality exhaust without loosing your shirt with ease.
I say CAI (or even a pop-charger, that'd have good throttle response everywhere, but not much in the way of gains, mostly just noise and better filtration) and 2.25in exhaust (the BRM is nice , also consider Stromung and VRS).