Hey,
So I have about 15,300 miles on the car and I'm still on the original OEM air filter. As many of you know, this is a great time to replace the dirty old filter and I've been considering some possibly better alternatives (or additions) to just purchasing a new OEM filter. Since my engine (Nissan 3.5VQ - DE block) is used in several cars and is easy to tune, I actually have a lot of options but I'm not sure which way to go.
Here is a picture of the stock air intake setup. As you can see, the stock setup is smart and direct, as it takes in air through the grill and goes right to the engine.
There are several different aftermarket air intake options. We have the typical short (ram) air intake setup, which I'm not fond of because this setup draws air from the engine bay. There is also the typical cold air intake setup option. I usually prefer this method, but in the case of my car, I'm not so sure. Injen and Nismo have a cold air intake setup for the car, but since it is completely different from the stock setup, not everything fits comfortably. My main concern is the new location of the air filter for the Nismo or Injen cold air intake. The filter (and where the air intake begins) draws cold air from the left front spoiler/grill which is great, but checkout a picture of how things look on the inside:
That is the Injen CAI's filter and as you can tell, things look kinda crowded down there. It's almost as if the a good amount of the filter is being covered up by its surroundings, which could potentially block airflow. The Nismo cold air intake is VERY similar (if not identical) to the Injen pictured above, so no real benefits by going for the Nismo just because it's by Nissan.
I have been checking out what eBay has for my car and there are a lot of options there also. The direction I am personally leaning towards is by just replacing the OEM air filter with a new OEM air filter, or perhaps a K&N or HKS air filter, and replacing the stock intake tube with a Z-Tube. The Z-Tube is literally a 350Z stock air intake tube and replaces my vehicle's stock intake tube (look at the engine picture again at "Stock tube")...it's around $95 and is good for a couple more horsepower. I am thinking that the K&N or HKS air filter that lets more air in, should work well with the Z-Tube. Should I be concerned that perhaps the K&N/HKS air filter potentially lets more crap into my engine?
Does anybody have any suggestions, comments, or anything like that? I guess a new air intake setup is not really a big deal, but I am looking for a nice, effective setup with minimal BS. I am open to anything, and I am not worried about my lease or my warrantee, so feel free to chime in if you have an idea.
Thanks,
MrElussive
So I have about 15,300 miles on the car and I'm still on the original OEM air filter. As many of you know, this is a great time to replace the dirty old filter and I've been considering some possibly better alternatives (or additions) to just purchasing a new OEM filter. Since my engine (Nissan 3.5VQ - DE block) is used in several cars and is easy to tune, I actually have a lot of options but I'm not sure which way to go.
Here is a picture of the stock air intake setup. As you can see, the stock setup is smart and direct, as it takes in air through the grill and goes right to the engine.
There are several different aftermarket air intake options. We have the typical short (ram) air intake setup, which I'm not fond of because this setup draws air from the engine bay. There is also the typical cold air intake setup option. I usually prefer this method, but in the case of my car, I'm not so sure. Injen and Nismo have a cold air intake setup for the car, but since it is completely different from the stock setup, not everything fits comfortably. My main concern is the new location of the air filter for the Nismo or Injen cold air intake. The filter (and where the air intake begins) draws cold air from the left front spoiler/grill which is great, but checkout a picture of how things look on the inside:
That is the Injen CAI's filter and as you can tell, things look kinda crowded down there. It's almost as if the a good amount of the filter is being covered up by its surroundings, which could potentially block airflow. The Nismo cold air intake is VERY similar (if not identical) to the Injen pictured above, so no real benefits by going for the Nismo just because it's by Nissan.
I have been checking out what eBay has for my car and there are a lot of options there also. The direction I am personally leaning towards is by just replacing the OEM air filter with a new OEM air filter, or perhaps a K&N or HKS air filter, and replacing the stock intake tube with a Z-Tube. The Z-Tube is literally a 350Z stock air intake tube and replaces my vehicle's stock intake tube (look at the engine picture again at "Stock tube")...it's around $95 and is good for a couple more horsepower. I am thinking that the K&N or HKS air filter that lets more air in, should work well with the Z-Tube. Should I be concerned that perhaps the K&N/HKS air filter potentially lets more crap into my engine?
Does anybody have any suggestions, comments, or anything like that? I guess a new air intake setup is not really a big deal, but I am looking for a nice, effective setup with minimal BS. I am open to anything, and I am not worried about my lease or my warrantee, so feel free to chime in if you have an idea.
Thanks,
MrElussive
