As the title says. I'm looking to buy pretty soon. After reading BlackBeard's thread I dunno wether to go with the RPW CAI now... Just wondering who has the RPW CAI and who has an EZBoy PODBox and can you tell me what sort of gains you've noticed? I'll be getting extractors + full 3" exhaust system soon to go with the CAI aswell.

Cheers.

I have a CAI KIT i bought from RPW it is the original K&N one including Pod Its made out of heat resisted plastic, cost around 600, im only looking for 300$

if interested

I have a CAI KIT i bought from RPW it is the original K&N one including Pod Its made out of heat resisted plastic, cost around 600, im only looking for 300$

if interested

That doesn't really help me atm. I'm trying to decide which one to buy, i'm not looking for an RPW CAI cheap.

Now going to a shorter air intake setup woudl certainly on the dyno and when racing woudl produce a higher hp especially on the dyno. BUt it woudl result in the traditional problem of hot air being sucked as well.

Going to a pod in teh engine bay, then enclosing it and re routing hoses to the front bumper essentially sets up the same scenario as the placing the air flow meter down the front of the car.

Comments made about the length being longer and effecting tuning is not correct. Yes it does increase the volume of air between the air flow meter and the engine and does alter teh response rate, but so saying that this is what the tuning is tehre to compensate for. We don't have any issue with this as it would only effect the "Accelerator Pump" settings Ie teh initial surge of air / fuel mixture until the air flow meter catches up.


I think dave's comments above (taken from his response to my queries in that thread) are pretty much spot on.

The difference between the two setups is the location of the MAF sensor in relation to the engine, as far as the volume of air in the intake is concerned....... if anything - the EZboy pod box setup would have a greater volume of air (due to the box).

No one has really been able to give me a good answer (or at least a good one I could understand) as to wether or not the issue is:
(a) Location of MAF in relation to Engine....... or......
(b) Volume of air intake

However as Dave has mentioned above - the location of the MAF in relation to the Engine is something that can be comphensated for by tuning (either thru FPR or Piggyback, of which I have both...), so based on this....... I'm thinking the volume of air and indirect path of air from lower front bumper to T/B is the main failing of both these designs.

I've been giving this some considerable thought (as you can probably imagine), and I'm almost convinced that the ideal setup is short and direct intake path. Ideally - a 45deg bend straight after the T/B, short straight 3" pipe into MAF & POD..... this should place the POD in the far right (when you're facing the engine bay) side of the engine bay, between the strut tower and fuse box. Looking at it....... I think the battery will need to be relocated, and the fuse box moved forward slightly to give more room. With the pod in this position, ideally a heat sheild should be fabricated which will seal with the bonnet closed - keeping hot air away from the filter. I feel a bonnet scoop type air intake would be the most effective way of delivering cold air to this setup, because as soon as you start piping air from behind the fog lamp mount, past all the obsacles into the engine bay - you create restrictions.

Having said all that...... it is purely theoretical, and yet to be proven, and doesn't really answer your question as to which of the two readily available kits would be better.......

Gives you something to think about though.

Gives me too much to think about. :confused: I just don't wanna spend $600 on an RPW CAI to discover it does little, if anything other than give a cool induction noise from the pod. So yeah, i'm still a bit up the air about it all. I guess I just want better power and responsiveness from my CAI. I know it's not going to be "a lot" i'm not delusional. But I would expect some gain, and coupled with a full exhaust + extractors I would hope for an even better gain.

dont waste your time

seriously, ive tried em now, no difference at all

save your $$$, put a pod on and use the front half of hte stock airbox

get the noise, and slightly better response for SFA$


get a bigger throttle body/ plenum, THEN do a CAI

until then, dont worry

What I can tell you about the RPW CAI:

I did notice an improvement in 'low down' power over just the POD mounted to the MAF in STD filter location
It looks fantastic (the new improved version with Stainless piping / h/duty silicone bends
It was a pig to install - and I'm not just talking about extending the MAF wiring..... very fidly, in restricted space
Have serious concerns about how long the POD will last in that location, not to mention how well the MAF sensor will go exposed to water

My missus wants to know if having an RPW CAI will make any difference to her Lancer. It's a 1.5 CE GLI, it's got a 2 1/4" straight through exhaust with extractors and high flow cat.

My missus wants to know if having an RPW CAI will make any difference to her Lancer. It's a 1.5 CE GLI, it's got a 2 1/4" straight through exhaust with extractors and high flow cat.
non evo lancers will not be quick, so save the money :D

She doesn't wanna make it quick, she just wants some better throttle response and a little more power.

I think i'll take your advise SEIRYU and just buy an oval K&N pod till I do more upgrades down the track. I'll get my extractors + exhaust quicker this way too. :D

I think i'll take your advise SEIRYU and just buy an oval K&N pod till I do more upgrades down the track. I'll get my extractors + exhaust quicker this way too. :D
good to hear mate, learn from my mistakes lol

now, who wants to buy me a plenum and bore out my TB lol

CAI is worth while on any car, be it a 1.5 or 5.7...


my advice take a look at all the CAI set ups around and then go make ur own for $10 its what most ppl around here have done wiht great success.

also remember its not gonna be the mod that wipes .5 off ur 1/4 time or beat a GTR skyline, it will how ever make the car more respnsive and rev a lil easier...

its a great cheap mod really when u look at how much ppl will spend sor say... a mandrel bent exhaust system and still get very little gains

i say u got nothing to lose have a go at making ur own tis very easy

1x EZ Boy Pod Box...check
1x Philcom Rally supplied K&N pod filter....check
1x Slightly hangover installer...check

I'll tell u how good a CAI is against the stock item in 2 hrs when its installed.

Personally I'd go for EZ Boys pod box. It looks almost stock and keeps things where they should be. $180 for the pod filter, $180 for box and hose, so it's relatively cheap.

CAI is worth while on any car, be it a 1.5 or 5.7...
not always so, you read my experience...

']put a pod on and use the front half of hte stock airbox


theres no point to that, as there is no sealed path for the suction from the engine to take advantage of the snorkel. and if ur thinkin about some sort of 'ram air' effect..... :bowrofl: :gtfo:

you may as well turf the whole entire snorkel unless ur gonna seal the pod in an enclosure eg, EZBOY pod box styles

jus get a K&N panel filter. the most easiest of all and no mods needed to install it and i think it does way better the pod. :D

K&N Panel filter does nothing. There is some gain to putting the pod on the one half of the standard air box as SEIRYU mentioned. I think that's what i'm gonna do... save myself a heap of money and get my exhaust + extractors done.

K&N Panel filter does nothing. There is some gain to putting the pod on the one half of the standard air box as SEIRYU mentioned. I think that's what i'm gonna do... save myself a heap of money and get my exhaust + extractors done.

Like some have already said, there's nothing stopping the pod from dragging all the air from the engine and from behind the radiator, you might get about 20% of the air thats colder but basically i think its a catch 22. Panel you get 40% of the airflow a pod will draw, put the pod ontop of the old panel box with the lid off (obviously) and you draw a lot of hot air and get about just the same performance of the panel.. (but with the AwEsOme NoIsE tHaT'S SOOooOoOo LiKE a SkoIlOine's BlOwOfF MaN!#!@)... i've got a cheapass pod on at the moment just seeing if there's any gain and there really isn't. then again, go RPW styles and i think it would eat the EZboy (no offence EZboy). NO DOUBT you could get your own produced from an exhaust shop from 3" stainless mandrel bent with having to use only one silocon bend (onto the T/B) and the other for the MAF onto the system, It's what I'm doing and will cost roughly $100-$150 for shiney big stainless piping. will be a bugger to install but easier for a 2nd gen, which i am.

not always so, you read my experience...

no the reason ur CAI wasnt the best was the MAF was so far away from the engine and the ppl tuning wanted it closer so they could get better readingd and tune it better ... had nothing to do with putting colder air intothe engine

hey disciple, i haven't seen either of the two actual options ur lookin at in operation, however i and mate of mine previously made out of other materials two pretty similar items, one being a pvc (used good stuff, no dali clocks on engines etc) design quite similar the rpw intake setup (piping from t/b to front guard where the pod was), the other being a pod box with flexible ducting to front guard (plastic box from ikea, needless to say neither did anything good to the pose value of the car).

we noticed the gain they gave over stock (or even over just the exposed pod in hot engine bay) but we couldn't pick any difference in power changing one model for the other.....

not in a position to judge which approach is absolutely better cos i don't have a dyno :cry: ......but really don't think there's much in it (in terms of different performance)

either way, the noise rocks

EZ boy's pod box and the K&N pod filter are in. The ducting to below the car isn't however ( still have to make the 100mm diameter piping fit into a 60mm diameter space past the battery box). So far the gains are what I expected. To me its money well spent.

The power deliver is much more constant. With the stock setup above 4500rpm you could fill the restriction and above 5000rpm you really wanted the auto to change gears because it was sliding down the other side of the power curve.

Now however the power delivery keeps going through to the higher rev range. This is doubley good for me because now the auto shifts at an optimal point. Kicking down gears at 90km/h and running up to 120km/h is a bit stronger (or if ur a manual, u'll feel the difference shifting down gears and stepping on it).

Running on long stints however it started to feel a but sluggish (like driving on a 40C day with the stock setup). I'm sure the CAI plumbing will fix this.

sounds great.... ill be looking for a pod box some time soon as i was at graham west yesterday and he explained to me why the RPW cai is bad.


i told him my car has been back firing between changing from 1-2 gear... he knew what it was before even looking under the bonnet.

yeah i have the rpw cai kit with the shiny metal piping and the silicone bends and i must say it made a noticeable improvement over my old hai (hot air intake) set-up .

Also, the new rpw kit isnt that expensive, i think it is around 300 ? , and it puts the pod filter behind the fog light, away from hot air from radiators etc.

very worthwhile to do if you plan on doing more mods to your car. however, if you r just changing the air filter and zorst, then u may want to just get a panel and save some money.

Also, if u get a pod, get a drysock with it, it will protect the filter from any dust, grime, and moisture


good luck !



later :cool:

theres no point to that, as there is no sealed path for the suction from the engine to take advantage of the snorkel. and if ur thinkin about some sort of 'ram air' effect..... :bowrofl: :gtfo:

you may as well turf the whole entire snorkel unless ur gonna seal the pod in an enclosure eg, EZBOY pod box styles

I have just installed the EZ Boy Pod Box without ducting as yet. When reving the engine with bonnet up you can actually see the lid of the pod box bow slightly as you rev. The box is sealed and when the ducting is in you will suck 100% cold air from the front bumper with slight ram air effect at speed (Depending on quality of ram air system this can be up to 2psi at 100ks). I see this as a benefit over the RPW system in the sense that with the pod in the front bumper unsealed the system is not pressurised at all ie no ram air effect. The other benefit with the box is less muck getting caught in the filter as it would have to travel lenght of duct first.

The box is sealed and when the ducting is in you will suck 100% cold air from the front bumper with slight ram air effect at speed (Depending on quality of ram air system this can be up to 2psi at 100ks). I see this as a benefit over the RPW system in the sense that with the pod in the front bumper unsealed the system is not pressurised at all ie no ram air effect. The other benefit with the box is less muck getting caught in the filter as it would have to travel lenght of duct first.

I seriously doubt that there will be any 'ram air effect' at all - given the path that the air must follow before it eventually reached the T/B. To get 2psi at 100km/h would require a large bell mouthed air 'catcher' funnelling air into a dead straight, perfectly tuned volume air intake pipe and no filter element in sight. It is fair to say though - that the RPW system will deliver no ram air effect whatsoever - because whatever air is flowing past the filter is doing so at a 90deg angle to the intake piping / MAF sensor.

yeah 2psi is alot, no way ull get the effect of 2 psi boost just from going fast with ur cai

It's more probable that there would be a negative pressure behind the bumper where the low mount filter/MAF is (or ducting).

If you have it in an exec (ducting) where the driving lights normally are, you will have some positive pressure. Just under the front bar however is a completely different matter.

Ill keep harping on about this.

I wouldnt buy either.. both wont make a licking difference to performance (perhaps hinder if anything).

All EZBoys box will do is allow you to have the sucking noise of your pod while getting a steady amount of cold air. Its also debatable whether the pod would be getting starved of air due to air coming in from 1 side only.

Buy a panel and stick a 2nd CAI in your original box or buy 1 other the others.. Dont expect anything to rave on about though.

seriously bain, i know you hate pod filters, but can't you see how an air filter, exposed to all the cold air in the world, will benefit over a panel filter which is retricted by various resonators, bends , and all types of induction nonsense?

i dont think ezboy would spend many months and dollars designing something that is " hindering performance" lol


i know you dont own a magna, but in my magna, i had access to a panel and a pod. And the pod makes the car faster , according to kwinanna motorplex , and most importantly, the terminal speed in which i crossed the line at.

So, if you want to advise people against freeing up there induction, maybe you should have a look at performance cars, shops, magazines, drag-cars, and see what type of filter they use, and where they get there air from. Then maybe you will finally realise the benefits of freeing up the induction in an engine. :nuts:

I can tell you now, the majority will be trying to get denser air , through a filter with greater flow ability. cough, pod filter +CAI, cough.

later :cool:

hey is it possible to just take out the ****ty panel filter throw in the pod joiner and pod filter whilst keeping it inside the box filling in the gap where the pannel was with something and then just removing the stock induction unit and running the normal cheapo sorta CAI to the bottom of the car??Iv had a good look at the original filter box but im not quite sure on the exact size of the pod filters but the shape of the original seems to be perfect for tunneling the air into the pod as long as youv got a well positioned CAI

could MAYBE be done, but would be more trouble than its worth

would need some custom shiz to do it.... and you would have to cut out the back half of the stock box anyhow

hey is it possible to just take out the ****ty panel filter throw in the pod joiner and pod filter whilst keeping it inside the box filling in the gap where the pannel was with something and then just removing the stock induction unit and running the normal cheapo sorta CAI to the bottom of the car??Iv had a good look at the original filter box but im not quite sure on the exact size of the pod filters but the shape of the original seems to be perfect for tunneling the air into the pod as long as youv got a well positioned CAI

It might just be possible to remove the filter element from a panel filter, leaving just the outer edge, which acts to seal the box...... then just look at modifying the rear section of the air box to accomodate the POD/MAF adaptor.

It might just be possible to remove the filter element from a panel filter, leaving just the outer edge, which acts to seal the box...... then just look at modifying the rear section of the air box to accomodate the POD/MAF adaptor.
heh heh

guess what im doing tonight now... lol

I think someone already did this once from memory

']heh heh

guess what im doing tonight now... lol

Cool!!! let us know how it gets on.

Cool!!! let us know how it gets on.
will do...

hopefully will work shibby.... the cable ties offa the strut brace look sh*tty lol

Remember that the stock airbox may be quite expensive to replace. Other than that happy hunting.

Remember that the stock airbox may be quite expensive to replace. Other than that happy hunting.
atm its sitting in my room, so no loss if i f**k it up

you may find it will be too small, as the oval filter is quite huge !

on a slightly related note, how good do pod filters sound also, freaks people out thats for sure

you may find it will be too small, as the oval filter is quite huge ! yeah thats whats stopped me so far...

ill have a look tonight, gives me something to do other than plot to burn things... lol

It might just be possible to remove the filter element from a panel filter, leaving just the outer edge, which acts to seal the box...... then just look at modifying the rear section of the air box to accomodate the POD/MAF adaptor.

Yeh thats pretty much what i ment and also thinking that the pod adapter could be joined into the box pretty simply in there ill have a closer look at it on the weekend when i get some spare time or see how seryu goes with his attempts

All EZBoys box will do is allow you to have the sucking noise of your pod while getting a steady amount of cold air. Its also debatable whether the pod would be getting starved of air due to air coming in from 1 side only.

:bowrofl: :nuts:

1. I can barely hear the pod sucking. Unless the bonnet's up and I'm standing next to it.

2. The air inlet aims the air straight at the side of the pod filter allowing it to pass over and under the filter's filaments. Different if it was aimed straight at the aluminium end cap on the filter. Check the photo. The prototype pb had 4 x 4kg rated magnets holding the lid down, but so much air was entering the pb that the lid kept getting blown off! So I'm pretty sure there's enuf air. So it actually achieves it's designed function quite well. In your own words my engine is "getting a steady amount of cold air" - just as God intended.

3. My performance has improved with a cai and pod box (and I'm still running my original one that DOES aim the air at the aluminium end cap!) - I've been running it since the start of the year. When I first installed my pod filter behind the front half of the stock air box, the inlet noise was sweet, but the car still felt like riding a dead horse. So I removed the 1st half of the air box and there was a little improvement due I believe to more air making it to the pod filter.

Interesting to note at this point was that my fuel economy was getting WORSE. Around town my car was a b!tch to drive and drank like the proverbial fish.

So I consulted my master tuner and walked away to devise a housing and cai which was fitted a few weeks later. Big improvement. The cars actually wants to rev around town and FUEL ECONOMY IMPROVED!!

Why does mounting the MAF further away from the throttle body/engine hurt performance? Because the air passing thru the MAF in stock location doesn't have far to travel and maintains more of it's velocity (and hence it's metered characteristics) as it enters the engine. Running a long large CAI between the MAF and the engine will slow the air velocity and the measured charge of air will not be what enters the engine. All this without considering the heating of the pretty stainless pipe while it roasts gently in the engine bay. The heating of the air causes it to expand, reduces air density and the amount of oxygen entering the engine. As it expands - it expands in 3D - bumping into air infront of and BEHIND IT, so air entering the pipe now runs straight up the ar5e or the expanding air already in the pipe further slowing velocity and interfering with the metered air charge. In severe cases esp at low rpm, air may bog done while it's trying to pass thru the MAF - this would be a big problem.


If the pod box and CAI didn't work for me I sure as sh!t wouldn't be putting my name on it and offering to my AMC brothers and sisters, esp with my home address on the box :doubt:


BTW, what you're planning with zorst and headers is a positive step. Consider the 3" to be too large unless you're really going to be working that motor. A 2.5" system with good headers and PROPER high flow cat will give maximum operational velocity and the best exhaust scavenging effect. Think volume of exhaust gas VS speed of exhaust gas.

EZ BOY,

i got a question... what in ur mind is more effective? 100mm piping or 90mm piping ... i know it disnt really matter but im just curious

with the 90mm tube it woild have more pressure and there for rushing the air inot the engine faster... but the 100mm would feed more air in but at a slower speed ... was there a reason u made 2 differend kits ? .. or was itthat some models can only fit the 90mm piping ?

ps no one post thatthe extra 10mm means dick all .. as im just talking " hypothetically"

EZ BOY,

i got a question... what in ur mind is more effective? 100mm piping or 90mm piping ... i know it disnt really matter but im just curious

with the 90mm tube it woild have more pressure and there for rushing the air inot the engine faster... but the 100mm would feed more air in but at a slower speed ... was there a reason u made 2 differend kits ? .. or was itthat some models can only fit the 90mm piping ?

ps no one post thatthe extra 10mm means dick all .. as im just talking " hypothetically"
Not 100% sure. Theoretically the smaller diameter will have higher velocity under stationary conditions with vacuum applied = better low rpm torque. Expect the larger inlet to provide better high speed high rpm performance. The 90mm was really done for space constraints and for 3L motors. Some people would take a 200mm inlet if I could make one - I'm sure you know what I mean ;) The 100mm would ideally serve a big cam, big sucking engine with high velocity inlet work done.

The extra 10mm in the diameter gives more effective volume for the 'squished' area of hose too.

I seriously doubt that there will be any 'ram air effect' at all - given the path that the air must follow before it eventually reached the T/B. To get 2psi at 100km/h would require a large bell mouthed air 'catcher' funnelling air into a dead straight, perfectly tuned volume air intake pipe and no filter element in sight. It is fair to say though - that the RPW system will deliver no ram air effect whatsoever - because whatever air is flowing past the filter is doing so at a 90deg angle to the intake piping / MAF sensor.

Incorrect to say there is no ram air effect at all....what have you based this on? How much do you know about gas flow???? I ride a kawasaki zx6r which has a ram air system with smaller overall intake area than that of a 90mm duct. It runs a sealed airbox with a k&n panel filter. Also the air actually has to turn aprox 45degrees from inlet into the throttle body. This system is proven to give approx 2psi at 100kms an hour and adds around 7 hp at the top of the rev range. If what i am saying is crap why would japanese manufacturers even bother with r&d on this sort of system???????

Quote from Autospeed (on measuring pressures at the front of a VR4 to mount a 'ram air' intake:

At a road speed of 100 km/h, we measured 2.1 inches of water (0.5 kPa) positive pressure in the cooling aperture and fog light area.

Thats about 0.07PSI.

And the next sentence:

In contrast, the area immediately below the bottom edge of the bumper had negative pressure.

You sure as hell don’t want to mount your air intake there!

This may make people think again with airfilters down in that area...

And the results:

With our new ram-air snorkel installed, we took to the bitumen with a couple of pressure gauges to check the results.

The first pressure tapping was in the new snorkel near the airbox. When cruising at 100 km/h, this showed a ram-air effect of 4 inches of water (1.0 kPa). This positive pressure build-up gave a noticeable improvement in throttle response.

And what about intake restriction at maximum power?

Well, the ram-air intake certainly gave an improvement – albeit not huge. Compared to standard, we saw a reduction from 27 inches of water (6.7 kPa) pressure drop to around 23 inches of water (5.7 kPa). Note that reduced restriction is from the combined effect of the ram-air pick-up and the oh-so slightly larger diameter snorkel.

Granted, these gains are relatively modest but they do highlight the effect that a ram-air induction system can create.

The most important lesson we’ve learnt is that a ram-air system can provide positive pressure inside the airbox at cruise. This gives a distinct advantage in terms of throttle response compared to a big diameter snorkel mounted in a low pressure area. But when it comes to making power, our old saying still applies – bigger really is better when it comes to snorkel diameter.

Incorrect to say there is no ram air effect at all....what have you based this on? How much do you know about gas flow???? I ride a kawasaki zx6r which has a ram air system with smaller overall intake area than that of a 90mm duct. It runs a sealed airbox with a k&n panel filter. Also the air actually has to turn aprox 45degrees from inlet into the throttle body. This system is proven to give approx 2psi at 100kms an hour and adds around 7 hp at the top of the rev range. If what i am saying is crap why would japanese manufacturers even bother with r&d on this sort of system???????

I'm not saying Ram air effect doesn't exist.......... you can't compare 1x 45degree bend into a sealed airbox into a throttle body on a motor bike (what are we talking about?? 18 inch long intake system) to ducting air in 90-100mm piping, which has to be squashed out of place to fit thru a 60mm gap from the front bar of a magna, up into the engine bay, into a box, thru a pod filter into a 60x150mm Mitsubishi MAF sensor, thru another section of piping before finally entering the throttle body. Count em!!! thats 5x 90 degree bends, and 3 changes of shape in an intake system nearly 1.5 meters long!!

Ask me "How much do you know about gas flow??" :rant:

How much do you know about comprehending the written english language???? because I was referring to the fact that you'll get **** all 'ram air effect' in a magna with such a setup....... not ya ****ing motorbike, jack ass.

I'm not saying Ram air effect doesn't exist.......... you can't compare 1x 45degree bend into a sealed airbox into a throttle body on a motor bike (what are we talking about?? 18 inch long intake system) to ducting air in 90-100mm piping, which has to be squashed out of place to fit thru a 60mm gap from the front bar of a magna, up into the engine bay, into a box, thru a pod filter into a 60x150mm Mitsubishi MAF sensor, thru another section of piping before finally entering the throttle body. Count em!!! thats 5x 90 degree bends, and 3 changes of shape in an intake system nearly 1.5 meters long!!

Ask me "How much do you know about gas flow??" :rant:

How much do you know about comprehending the written english language???? because I was referring to the fact that you'll get **** all 'ram air effect' in a magna with such a setup....... not ya ****ing motorbike, jack ass.

Its simple mate Motorcycle - Magna = COMPARISON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I seriously doubt that there will be any 'ram air effect' at all"
More simple yet.....
If you blow air into one end of a tube whatever shape bent squished whatever, you get air out the other end. This is a positive pressure causing a gas flow. Can you understand this?

Im not saying you will get 2psi or any specific pressure but you will get a positive pressure!

just a crazy idea for y'all

how about cutting a hole in the bonnet 10cm sq...ish

I installed a pod by itself keeping the front of the standard airbox intact....the top part of the pod pretty much rests against the bonnet

sooo...mounting some kind of venting arrangement in the said hole and well...cold air here we come.

anybody got a spare TH bonnet to "lend" me? :D

Bonnet vents are quite effetive and have the added effect of letting more cold air into your engine by.........suck it and see!!!

Shaker Kit for the Magna eh?

I like these pics: