Intricate's Mod Thread - A Detailed Journey
04-06-2015, 09:17 AM
#121
As some of you may already know, my father passed away last week so I was a bit busy with funeral arrangements and what not. I'll be back in the game this week, and since I'm pretty much out of "big" mods to do...you can expect some reviews on the products I have installed thus far.
I drove to Ohio and back twice this past week...so I have put a few highway miles on the car and feel like I have enough information now to put together my thoughts on what I feel the big differences are, and whether they are pros or cons based on my pre-existing requirements that I listed in the first post.
I drove to Ohio and back twice this past week...so I have put a few highway miles on the car and feel like I have enough information now to put together my thoughts on what I feel the big differences are, and whether they are pros or cons based on my pre-existing requirements that I listed in the first post.
04-06-2015, 09:29 AM
#122
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iTrader: (9)
04-26-2015, 07:54 PM
#124
Hey all, I know it's been a while. I have a couple of updates and some pictures of the recent installs, but I'm not going to go into any in depth reviews yet. My notes are still there and I'm taking new ones for each mod, but I just need to really take a weekend (yes, a weekend) and compile everything. I'm thinking about stealing John's method of reviewing mods, so I will probably steal it, assuming he doesn't mind.
For this short update, I have installed the front Tanabe NF210 (TNF130) lowering springs. The reason I installed only the fronts is that I'm getting the 9.6120G Universal Coil Spring Isolator (spacer) to put in the rears and those won't be here until Wednesday. The initial measurements were as follows.
Front: 28 1/4"
Rear: 28"
After:
Front: 27 3/4"
So the drop was 1/2" from the get go, and we'll see how much it actually settles over the next 7-10 days. I didn't really take any after measurements as I want to wait for it to settle to give people a better idea of what to expect. I did take a picture of the car itself after the install though. See below. This is a cell pic so forgive the poor quality. Side note, I will definitely take measurements of the front before we do the rear, just to give an idea of what to expect if you only wanted to drop the front for some reason, although I'm not sure why you would haha.
We also put my rear Hotchkis swaybar on. First things first....what in the??? That OEM X swaybar is tiny. Soooooo tiny. It's pitiful. I'm ashamed to even put this picture on here. The extremely tiny bar is mine. The bigger black bar is from an S, and the gray one is the Hotchkis. Unbelievable the level of fail on the X sedan. Even though I understand the reasoning behind it...still fail. >.< Lol
And here is a picture of the Tanabe springs installed. I have to say, they are very attractive.
Ok, the one thing I will say about the install of the springs. I know they haven't settled, so I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but the ride quality at the current moment feels better than OEM. I mean, I have always been a bit amused by the word "luxury" in the title of this car ever since I first drove it. I mean, I don't know about the '14 and older "x" model, but the "xS" is anything but luxury in terms of ride quality. It's a harsh ride, and that's being generous. But for some reason, my ride quality feels significantly improved with the Tanabe and I'm actually curious if my OEM springs aren't just crap or something.
I guess I never had something to compare it to until a few weeks ago when my car was in the shop for scheduled maintenance. I got a loaner because of my schedule, and left my car there overnight. The loaner was a '15 Q40 AWD, and maybe it was just due to being so new, but it felt like I was riding on air compared to my car. I haven't looked at the actual specs for the "xS" vs the "x" vs the "S", but I feel like the springs have to be less forgiving on the "xS" than the actual "x" or the "Journey". Maybe due to a different spring rate or something. Doesn't the "xS" actually sits a little lower than the "x"? Obviously that would make sense, but yea. I don't know...I could be crazy, but that's my first impression with the mod.
That being said, I'm not really going to say much about the rear swaybar because I have to baby the car for the next few days and so I haven't really gotten to "test it out" as much.
For this short update, I have installed the front Tanabe NF210 (TNF130) lowering springs. The reason I installed only the fronts is that I'm getting the 9.6120G Universal Coil Spring Isolator (spacer) to put in the rears and those won't be here until Wednesday. The initial measurements were as follows.
Front: 28 1/4"
Rear: 28"
After:
Front: 27 3/4"
So the drop was 1/2" from the get go, and we'll see how much it actually settles over the next 7-10 days. I didn't really take any after measurements as I want to wait for it to settle to give people a better idea of what to expect. I did take a picture of the car itself after the install though. See below. This is a cell pic so forgive the poor quality. Side note, I will definitely take measurements of the front before we do the rear, just to give an idea of what to expect if you only wanted to drop the front for some reason, although I'm not sure why you would haha.
We also put my rear Hotchkis swaybar on. First things first....what in the??? That OEM X swaybar is tiny. Soooooo tiny. It's pitiful. I'm ashamed to even put this picture on here. The extremely tiny bar is mine. The bigger black bar is from an S, and the gray one is the Hotchkis. Unbelievable the level of fail on the X sedan. Even though I understand the reasoning behind it...still fail. >.< Lol
And here is a picture of the Tanabe springs installed. I have to say, they are very attractive.
Ok, the one thing I will say about the install of the springs. I know they haven't settled, so I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but the ride quality at the current moment feels better than OEM. I mean, I have always been a bit amused by the word "luxury" in the title of this car ever since I first drove it. I mean, I don't know about the '14 and older "x" model, but the "xS" is anything but luxury in terms of ride quality. It's a harsh ride, and that's being generous. But for some reason, my ride quality feels significantly improved with the Tanabe and I'm actually curious if my OEM springs aren't just crap or something.
I guess I never had something to compare it to until a few weeks ago when my car was in the shop for scheduled maintenance. I got a loaner because of my schedule, and left my car there overnight. The loaner was a '15 Q40 AWD, and maybe it was just due to being so new, but it felt like I was riding on air compared to my car. I haven't looked at the actual specs for the "xS" vs the "x" vs the "S", but I feel like the springs have to be less forgiving on the "xS" than the actual "x" or the "Journey". Maybe due to a different spring rate or something. Doesn't the "xS" actually sits a little lower than the "x"? Obviously that would make sense, but yea. I don't know...I could be crazy, but that's my first impression with the mod.
That being said, I'm not really going to say much about the rear swaybar because I have to baby the car for the next few days and so I haven't really gotten to "test it out" as much.
04-26-2015, 08:45 PM
#125
Administrator
iTrader: (9)
Whatever you're doing, though, keep it up. Getting better and better.
By raising the rear 5/8", I'm concerned about adding poke to the rears. As it stands now, they're just a hair outside my preference, so anything that increases that poke won't make me happy. However, getting rid of that saggy bum look will make me happy, so IDK how to feel yet until after I do it. And even then.
Every mod is a compromise. Every. Single. One.
AFAIK, all RWD Sedans get that thicker sway bar, regardless of Sport Package.
Last edited by Rochester; 04-27-2015 at 08:59 AM.
04-26-2015, 11:23 PM
#126
Nice to see the build moving forward, and those springs should settle out at a bit over an inch drop from the ones I've seen. Glad that you've already been impressed w/ the ride, and that should also improve once you get the backs matched up and settled in.
Lol at the OEM X sway, don't be embarrassed by posting it, Infiniti should be the ones embarrassed
John, do you have pics of the modified spacers or have they been ground down yet?
Lol at the OEM X sway, don't be embarrassed by posting it, Infiniti should be the ones embarrassed
John, do you have pics of the modified spacers or have they been ground down yet?
04-27-2015, 08:05 AM
#127
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iTrader: (9)
Here are the before/after shots:
Last edited by Rochester; 04-27-2015 at 09:01 AM.
The following 2 users liked this post by Rochester:
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04-27-2015, 11:01 AM
#128
Looks like you're going to beat me to that by a few weeks. Did you pick up on my tip on how to mod those isolators? I bought an extra top seat to use as a guide when shaving the bushings. And for that, we fastened the power-drill in vise grips with a 1" heavy-grit barrel sander bit. Then just roll the inner edge of the bushing around the sander bit, and keep test-fitting until you get it right.
By raising the rear 5/8", I'm concerned about adding poke to the rears. As it stands now, they're just a hair outside my preference, so anything that increases that poke won't make me happy. However, getting rid of that saggy bum look will make me happy, so IDK how to feel yet until after I do it. And even then.
Every mod is a compromise. Every. Single. One.
AFAIK, all RWD Sedans get that thicker sway bar, regardless of Sport Package.
Every mod is a compromise. Every. Single. One.
AFAIK, all RWD Sedans get that thicker sway bar, regardless of Sport Package.
Not a measly 245 like me haha.As for mods being a compromise...I definitely have to agree with you there. For instance, to tune or not to tune? I look at my car and I ask myself...so if I was just going to mod...why did I get the very top model of the car (and that is very subjective, I know), instead of getting a base model? Why did I get every package only to mod the crud out of it? Why did I pay extra for a certified car with a nice warranty, if I was going to void it with a tune? Sooo...all those questions being what they are, I think I might actually hold off on the tune if I can...for a year or two. Not sure yet, but yea. From the little that I have heard about what does and doesn't void your warranty, it seems that a tune will pretty much void everything. So in the interest of being logical, why do that now? I don't know...a lot to think about. Of course, I did only pay $27,500 or whatever it was for the car, so it was a really good price.
04-27-2015, 11:02 AM
#129
Nice to see the build moving forward, and those springs should settle out at a bit over an inch drop from the ones I've seen. Glad that you've already been impressed w/ the ride, and that should also improve once you get the backs matched up and settled in.
Lol at the OEM X sway, don't be embarrassed by posting it, Infiniti should be the ones embarrassed
Lol at the OEM X sway, don't be embarrassed by posting it, Infiniti should be the ones embarrassed
I think I am going to be very happy with the drop when it's all said and done.
04-27-2015, 11:43 AM
#130
Administrator
iTrader: (9)
Tuck - wheels/tires inside the fender lip.
Flush - wheels/tires vertically aligned to the fender lip.
Gap - Space between the wheels/tires and the fender.
Stance - All the above
Depending on the tire size matched to your rims, being flush is a consideration assessed by looking down at the tire on a vertical plane. But if you're tire is stretched, then it's the lip of the rim you're probably concerned with. Either way, being flush can also be a trick of the eye fooled by introducing negative camber. Before the drop, my car looked ridiculous (to me) with the Vossens. After the drop, it looks perfect in the front (with 3mm spacers), and very close enough in the rear, with just a few mm of poke.
I really don't want to compromise that by raising the car 5/8", but like I said, I also want the tire-to-fender gap to be uniform front and back, so... compromise.
You're appreciative responses makes the effort in commenting here totally worthwhile. Made my day.
Rears are 275/35ZR19 on 19x10" Vossen CVT with a +42 offset. Needs moar offset, dammit.
Last edited by Rochester; 04-27-2015 at 12:08 PM.
04-28-2015, 04:16 PM
#131
Poke - wheels/tires outside the fender lip.
Tuck - wheels/tires inside the fender lip.
Flush - wheels/tires vertically aligned to the fender lip.
Gap - Space between the wheels/tires and the fender.
Stance - All the above
Depending on the tire size matched to your rims, being flush is a consideration assessed by looking down at the tire on a vertical plane. But if you're tire is stretched, then it's the lip of the rim you're probably concerned with. Either way, being flush can also be a trick of the eye fooled by introducing negative camber. Before the drop, my car looked ridiculous (to me) with the Vossens. After the drop, it looks perfect in the front (with 3mm spacers), and very close enough in the rear, with just a few mm of poke.
I really don't want to compromise that by raising the car 5/8", but like I said, I also want the tire-to-fender gap to be uniform front and back, so... compromise.
You're appreciative responses makes the effort in commenting here totally worthwhile. Made my day.
Rears are 275/35ZR19 on 19x10" Vossen CVT with a +42 offset. Needs moar offset, dammit.
Tuck - wheels/tires inside the fender lip.
Flush - wheels/tires vertically aligned to the fender lip.
Gap - Space between the wheels/tires and the fender.
Stance - All the above
Depending on the tire size matched to your rims, being flush is a consideration assessed by looking down at the tire on a vertical plane. But if you're tire is stretched, then it's the lip of the rim you're probably concerned with. Either way, being flush can also be a trick of the eye fooled by introducing negative camber. Before the drop, my car looked ridiculous (to me) with the Vossens. After the drop, it looks perfect in the front (with 3mm spacers), and very close enough in the rear, with just a few mm of poke.
I really don't want to compromise that by raising the car 5/8", but like I said, I also want the tire-to-fender gap to be uniform front and back, so... compromise.
You're appreciative responses makes the effort in commenting here totally worthwhile. Made my day.
Rears are 275/35ZR19 on 19x10" Vossen CVT with a +42 offset. Needs moar offset, dammit.
I can understand your desire to change things up a bit, and I hope that you get it looking exactly how you want it.
That being said, my front is sitting at 27 1/2" now....so a 1/4" lower than when we installed the springs. Little by little.
Your rear tires are epic. I wish I had gone with 265 in the rear. 245 in the front is fine...but the rears need MOAR RUBBERS! I will probably go with 265 for the rear in the future.
04-28-2015, 07:53 PM
#132
Haha, I just got "learnt" on the "stance" dictionary. I actually appreciate the info, as I am lost when it comes to that sort of thing.
I can understand your desire to change things up a bit, and I hope that you get it looking exactly how you want it.
That being said, my front is sitting at 27 1/2" now....so a 1/4" lower than when we installed the springs. Little by little.
Your rear tires are epic. I wish I had gone with 265 in the rear. 245 in the front is fine...but the rears need MOAR RUBBERS! I will probably go with 265 for the rear in the future.
I can understand your desire to change things up a bit, and I hope that you get it looking exactly how you want it.
That being said, my front is sitting at 27 1/2" now....so a 1/4" lower than when we installed the springs. Little by little.
Your rear tires are epic. I wish I had gone with 265 in the rear. 245 in the front is fine...but the rears need MOAR RUBBERS! I will probably go with 265 for the rear in the future.
And since you have an AWD you have only one option for a rear tire if you want to run a different size in back, and that would be a 275/40/18, this will keep your front to rear diameter within .07% of each other which is great
And it will fit pretty flush, similar to the front.IMO you'll be getting pretty good performance w/ that square 245 setup since you have an AWD, and being able to do true 4 wheel rotations w/ quicker wearing summer tires is a nice bonus.
Nice to hear your springs are settling well and look forward to pics when you get the back together.
04-29-2015, 06:38 AM
#133
There's a couple things you can do, if you want to flush it up in back~get spacers to bring the tire out the same as the front, probably won't need much spacing for that.
And since you have an AWD you have only one option for a rear tire if you want to run a different size in back, and that would be a 275/40/18, this will keep your front to rear diameter within .07% of each other which is great And it will fit pretty flush, similar to the front.
IMO you'll be getting pretty good performance w/ that square 245 setup since you have an AWD, and being able to do true 4 wheel rotations w/ quicker wearing summer tires is a nice bonus.
Nice to hear your springs are settling well and look forward to pics when you get the back together.
And since you have an AWD you have only one option for a rear tire if you want to run a different size in back, and that would be a 275/40/18, this will keep your front to rear diameter within .07% of each other which is great
And it will fit pretty flush, similar to the front.IMO you'll be getting pretty good performance w/ that square 245 setup since you have an AWD, and being able to do true 4 wheel rotations w/ quicker wearing summer tires is a nice bonus.
Nice to hear your springs are settling well and look forward to pics when you get the back together.
If 275 is my only option I might pass. Not sure if I really want to go that wide...of course, it's not that much of a difference from 265 but yea. I just don't know that it's necessary and it is only adding more weight where I don't need it at the moment. My overall goal was MOAR POWA anyway, so I guess I should stick to that and worry about the other stuff later on. I figure come next year, I may want a new set of tires/wheels anyway, so I might grab something different at that point. We'll see. I got the coil spacer things in yesterday so hopefully we can get those altered and slapped on soon.
I'll be sure to keep you updated on progress.
04-29-2015, 07:38 PM
#134
So after a lot of getting home tired and beat down, I came home today even more exhausted than normal. Then I jumped on the sedan chat thread to see some requests for my install info regarding the Takeda. So that being said, I figured no better time to do this then when I'm already mad at the world. Haha, I kid. It's not quite that bad. 
And since I said I was going to steal John's method, here goes nothing.
PLANS
I decided on the Takeda after I realized the Stillen Gen3 required excessive cutting and I wasn't into that. Funny thing though...and we'll talk about that in a bit.
PACKING
I purchased the splash guard with the intake, and that came in a separate box. I realized just now as I was combing through pictures to find some of the CAI in packaging to attach here, that I took a 10 minute video of the packaging and everything that came with it, but didn't take a lot of pictures. The ones I have are bad enough that I'm not going to post them. If anyone wants to see the video I will post it on youtube and send you a link via PM. Point is, packaging was very nice, I was very happy with the individual wrapping, and even shrink wrapping of some of the components.
The actual quality of the materials was pleasing to me. I had heard that the tubes are cheaply made and the welds didn't look that great, etc. I have to say, I saw none of that during my inspection of the items and "unboxing" video. I saw a LOT of effort that had been put into a quality product, and some very good quality control. Nothing was missing, broken, or otherwise out of place with either the package my splash guard came in, or the large box that all the other components came in.
As a side note, there are enough ninja, takeda, etc stickers to feed a multitude. Stickers must be a lot more popular and intense than I initially thought.
INSTALLATION
The install was fairly easy. See below post for the pictures.
https://www.myg37.com/forums/build-t...ml#post3888911
First things first, we dropped the bumper. It didn't take too long but there were a few tricky bolts in there.
After that, we took the OEM parts off. No issues there, which shouldn't really be surprising since I haven't read of that being the choke point.
Next, we installed the MAF sensor because it sits upside down on the bottom of the tube when you connect it to the throttle body, so you want to be sure to have it in there before you do that or you will never be able to get to it.
I put this on the other post that goes over the install, but Takeda gives you this little foam piece that you are supposed to put somewhere on or around the MAF sensor...but it didn't seem to fit where we thought it might be supposed to go...so we just put around the outside. You will see the picture on the other post in the link above.
The tricky part came next when it came time to actually fit the rubberish elbow through the hole. The trick is, on the inside of that weird shaped black plastic piece (core support) that most people end up cutting for the Gen3, there is actually another plastic piece (air box component of some kind?) that makes the hole even smaller. It's located behind the core support piece, and you just unscrew it and pop it out. That gives you the whole hole to use, and you don't get AS much squishing of the elbow. You still get some, and that's just a price you're going to have to weigh against cutting. Obviously you could cut the piece for the Takeda the same way you would for the Stillen, but I chose not to do that.
After putting the elbow in, it's as simple as attaching the tube on the other side, scuffing up the end a bit to keep the filter on, and then actually put the filter on the end.
The actual brackets to keep the CAI in place were a bit tricky as well. You will notice that one bracket sits on the inside of the connector (my brain isn't working guys, sorry), and the other sits on the outside. I think that's probably a way to keep it torqued and tight, but I could be psycho. While we were putting the brackets on, we noticed the foam bar and thought to ourselves, hmmm...the brackets will probably push the foam out, potentially causing the issues everyone talks about with having a hard time getting the bumper back on.
So we went ahead and cut little shallow sections out of the guard, approximately the width and depth of the brackets. Then we slid the guard back on and it was good to go.
After that came putting the splash guard on. That's about as self explanatory as it gets. No issue getting it on at all. I tilted it down a bit as I just felt like most water would be coming in from the bottom as opposed to the top. There is some protection after all from the top.
We then put the bumper back on and let me tell you, nothing to it. Not even a hint of forcing or not having enough room. You couldn't tell any difference from when it was on before we did the install.
All in all, I'd give the install about a 3 out of 10 in terms of difficulty, and that's only because we cut the foam and took the plastic housing out of the back of those holes where the rubber elbow goes.
SOUND
There was a lot of interest as to the sound these long tube CAI's make compared to SRI's, compared to OEM. Honestly, it's not that loud. It's nice, and I definitely can hear the difference, but it's nothing crazy. I will say this, just knowing it's there is more enjoyable than any discernible sound.
POWER
As far as HP increases go, you have already probably seen the dyno chart. I got 4WHP from the CAI, and I'm sure with HFC's and a good cat back or something, you can see a gain of 10-15HP, but not with it still being bottle-necked like it is now. Of course, more dyno days to come in the future, so we'll put my theory to the test.
WRAP-UP
All in all, for a CAI that's cheaper than the Gen3, is easier to install, and looks great, I think the Takeda is your best bet. You never know the exact number of horses you're going to gain at the wheels, because every car is different and every car has it's own pros/cons with its setup. That being said, if you're completely sold on 1-2HP gains, and you feel the Takeda comes up short, by all means get the Gen3. I don't want to stop or dissuade you from doing what you want with your car.
However, if you feel like you want something that is a little more unique then the Gen3 (I go to C&C here, and almost ever 350/370/G35/G37 has a Stillen CAI, I have been the only one with Takeda so far), gives arguably similar gains, and really does sound good, then I would go ahead and ****** one up. It also helps that there is one ginormous filter instead of two. Well, at least, I like that part. It's pretty freaking awesome. It looks highly aggressive, and at the end of the day, that's the look I want from something that is violating the front of my car.
If there is something else you want to know about the install and I didn't cover it, please just ask. I will be more than happy to assist/answer questions where I can.
And since I said I was going to steal John's method, here goes nothing. PLANS
I decided on the Takeda after I realized the Stillen Gen3 required excessive cutting and I wasn't into that. Funny thing though...and we'll talk about that in a bit.
PACKING
I purchased the splash guard with the intake, and that came in a separate box. I realized just now as I was combing through pictures to find some of the CAI in packaging to attach here, that I took a 10 minute video of the packaging and everything that came with it, but didn't take a lot of pictures. The ones I have are bad enough that I'm not going to post them. If anyone wants to see the video I will post it on youtube and send you a link via PM. Point is, packaging was very nice, I was very happy with the individual wrapping, and even shrink wrapping of some of the components.
The actual quality of the materials was pleasing to me. I had heard that the tubes are cheaply made and the welds didn't look that great, etc. I have to say, I saw none of that during my inspection of the items and "unboxing" video. I saw a LOT of effort that had been put into a quality product, and some very good quality control. Nothing was missing, broken, or otherwise out of place with either the package my splash guard came in, or the large box that all the other components came in.
As a side note, there are enough ninja, takeda, etc stickers to feed a multitude. Stickers must be a lot more popular and intense than I initially thought.
INSTALLATION
The install was fairly easy. See below post for the pictures.
https://www.myg37.com/forums/build-t...ml#post3888911
First things first, we dropped the bumper. It didn't take too long but there were a few tricky bolts in there.
After that, we took the OEM parts off. No issues there, which shouldn't really be surprising since I haven't read of that being the choke point.
Next, we installed the MAF sensor because it sits upside down on the bottom of the tube when you connect it to the throttle body, so you want to be sure to have it in there before you do that or you will never be able to get to it.
I put this on the other post that goes over the install, but Takeda gives you this little foam piece that you are supposed to put somewhere on or around the MAF sensor...but it didn't seem to fit where we thought it might be supposed to go...so we just put around the outside. You will see the picture on the other post in the link above.
The tricky part came next when it came time to actually fit the rubberish elbow through the hole. The trick is, on the inside of that weird shaped black plastic piece (core support) that most people end up cutting for the Gen3, there is actually another plastic piece (air box component of some kind?) that makes the hole even smaller. It's located behind the core support piece, and you just unscrew it and pop it out. That gives you the whole hole to use, and you don't get AS much squishing of the elbow. You still get some, and that's just a price you're going to have to weigh against cutting. Obviously you could cut the piece for the Takeda the same way you would for the Stillen, but I chose not to do that.
After putting the elbow in, it's as simple as attaching the tube on the other side, scuffing up the end a bit to keep the filter on, and then actually put the filter on the end.
The actual brackets to keep the CAI in place were a bit tricky as well. You will notice that one bracket sits on the inside of the connector (my brain isn't working guys, sorry), and the other sits on the outside. I think that's probably a way to keep it torqued and tight, but I could be psycho. While we were putting the brackets on, we noticed the foam bar and thought to ourselves, hmmm...the brackets will probably push the foam out, potentially causing the issues everyone talks about with having a hard time getting the bumper back on.
So we went ahead and cut little shallow sections out of the guard, approximately the width and depth of the brackets. Then we slid the guard back on and it was good to go.
After that came putting the splash guard on. That's about as self explanatory as it gets. No issue getting it on at all. I tilted it down a bit as I just felt like most water would be coming in from the bottom as opposed to the top. There is some protection after all from the top.
We then put the bumper back on and let me tell you, nothing to it. Not even a hint of forcing or not having enough room. You couldn't tell any difference from when it was on before we did the install.
All in all, I'd give the install about a 3 out of 10 in terms of difficulty, and that's only because we cut the foam and took the plastic housing out of the back of those holes where the rubber elbow goes.
SOUND
There was a lot of interest as to the sound these long tube CAI's make compared to SRI's, compared to OEM. Honestly, it's not that loud. It's nice, and I definitely can hear the difference, but it's nothing crazy. I will say this, just knowing it's there is more enjoyable than any discernible sound.
POWER
As far as HP increases go, you have already probably seen the dyno chart. I got 4WHP from the CAI, and I'm sure with HFC's and a good cat back or something, you can see a gain of 10-15HP, but not with it still being bottle-necked like it is now. Of course, more dyno days to come in the future, so we'll put my theory to the test.
WRAP-UP
All in all, for a CAI that's cheaper than the Gen3, is easier to install, and looks great, I think the Takeda is your best bet. You never know the exact number of horses you're going to gain at the wheels, because every car is different and every car has it's own pros/cons with its setup. That being said, if you're completely sold on 1-2HP gains, and you feel the Takeda comes up short, by all means get the Gen3.
I don't want to stop or dissuade you from doing what you want with your car.However, if you feel like you want something that is a little more unique then the Gen3 (I go to C&C here, and almost ever 350/370/G35/G37 has a Stillen CAI, I have been the only one with Takeda so far), gives arguably similar gains, and really does sound good, then I would go ahead and ****** one up. It also helps that there is one ginormous filter instead of two. Well, at least, I like that part. It's pretty freaking awesome. It looks highly aggressive, and at the end of the day, that's the look I want from something that is violating the front of my car.
If there is something else you want to know about the install and I didn't cover it, please just ask. I will be more than happy to assist/answer questions where I can.
Last edited by IntricateDetail; 04-29-2015 at 08:16 PM.
04-29-2015, 10:15 PM
#135
Administrator
iTrader: (9)
Nice write up. The tip about cutting channels into the bumper foam is a great one. I'll remember that.
Why didn't you dremel out the bend? I know you've got rubber couplers instead of a metal tube (Gen3), but still...
Why didn't you dremel out the bend? I know you've got rubber couplers instead of a metal tube (Gen3), but still...