Hey guys, Im new and was wondering what the best intake for my 97 LX automatic accord would be. I can get one from APC or an AEM one but as you all know the APC one is cheaper. Is APC really as bad of a brand as I've heard or would the AEM intake be superior? And also, if I get an intake whether it be a short ram or cold air, do I have to worry about driving in the rain? Thanks

Ah yea, one more question, sry! On Ebay I have seen an axleback muffler for my accord and wondered if you thought the sound quality would be ok. I dont want it super loud or annoying and it was about $120 w/ shipping.

 

AEM is supposed to be the best intake in the market, between short ram and cold air intake, I recommend short ram even though i have a cold air intake.

 

I have an AEM short ram and it sounds amazing. It's much deeper than stock and about 5 times louder once you take out the resonator and stock intake. If you go with short ram, you'll have virtually no chance of water ingestion, but with a cold air you run that risk. I've been told that a guy has run his cai in the rain without a bypass valve ($50) and never had problems, and then I've heard that a guy put a cai on his new car and 2weeks later he had to rebuild his engine. I'd recommend the short ram unless you really want that extra 5hp.

As far as APC vs. AEM goes, I know the AEM filter I have is pretty high quality and thats the biggest deal with short rams. Essentially, an intake is just a tube that air flows through with a filter on the end. K&N makes a great filter, and the new dryflow filter from AEM is treating me well too (Easy cleaning). Also, since that tube is the source of air for your engine, the bigger the tube the more HP gain. I think the APC was like 2" or something like that, and the AEM looked to be 2.75". (Keep in mind these are really rough estimants) If I were buying an intake i would probably stick with injen, AEM, and other name brands simply because it comes with a good filter and your only paying an extra $40 for some quality parts. I hope that helped and good luck on your choice.

 

CAI does not have a problem driving in the rain, if you hit a puddle....and the water builds up to a point right around the filter, yout motor will ingest water, and water does not compress like air does. you will most certainly bend valves. a cai does make more power when the air its sucking in is colder than the air under the hood. once you get moving, the air under the hood is within a few degrees of ambient. and if your intake a wrapped, the pipe wont get hot. i have a wrapped short ram intake in my car, and its rips you couldnt pay me to put a short ram in my car. it doesnt rain much here in az but in monsoon season hits, i can swamp through the fattest *** puddle i can find with no problems. as long as you get an intake its all good whichever one you do get. the short ram is just so much louder. I hate honda exhaust notes i think they sound like a big fart but the intake note is devilishly good.



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So you think a short ram intake would be fine? I just dont want water screwin my engine up (and would reg. driving in rain be ok and big puddles the only thing I have to worry about?). I live in Illinois so it rains every once and awhile. Anways, if I decide to get one I will proabaly go with the AEM.

 

I think your making a good choice on AEM products. They make some quality stuff. As far as cold vs short, if you get a bypass valve for your CAI water wont be a problem, but thats an extra 50 tacked on to the already $200-250 dollar cold air. What's most important to you: horsepower, sound, price? If you answer those questions I can help alot more.

 

To me most important would be price and sound...but I dont get on my Accord to much, I try to baby it! And where would I get a bypass valve?

 

You'll get a much louder sound on the shortram since it's right there in the engine bay, and it isn't loud while cruising, which is really nice. I can't tell you how the CAI will sound since I've never had one. I'd assume it will sound the same but alot quieter since its behind your front bumper. I can start to hear my shortram at 3k RPMs and then it really starts going at 4.5k. With the bypass valve an AEM CAI will be about $100-$150 more than a short ram. If horsepower doesn't matter too much to you then I definitely see shortram as the intake for you.

 

Alright, thanks for your help! Just a couple more questions, so if I get a short ram intake I wont have to worry about when it rains? Or is this just with Cold air intakes? or both? And will it decrease or increase my MPG?

Lastly, What do you guys think about an axleback muffler? I've seen them for about $120 on eBay w/ shipping.

 

The short ram there is like no way you can get water near it. The CAI is the one I would recommend the bypass valve for. Also, both will increase you mileage theoretically since your engine can "breathe easier" but, without headers and a catback you won't be seeing a big difference.

As far as the axleback muffler, if it was me I would just save up and go for the whole catback, though they are more expensive. I'm not too sure what an axleback alone would do for you or if the sound would be any good.