Intake pipe - Hard of Soft??


R

ronildo

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2008
Messages
170
Is an intake hard piper better than a stock rubber pipe?

If so, why?

Is it because the hard pipe has a smoother surface, so air can flow more freely?

Does the hard pipe alter the air flow in other way, eg resonance, less turbulance, reducing/keeping intake temperature lower, etc?

Excluding the actual intake design, does the hard pipe of the popular intakes perform that much better than a cheap ebay intake pipe?
 
hard intake pipe will always be better.

This is so when the car draws in air, it won't deform under vacuum. Response and actual gains are something very difficult to feel. The intake will also be louder with an aluminum pipe because the rubber dampens the intake noise.

Cheap eBay intakes are generally "good." What makes AEM better than them is their powdercoated finish and CARB certification (legal to for street use in America) They also normally have better filters in their kits. But if it's just the pipe alone, I wouldn't bother paying the premium for a brand name.
 
So would you say that coating a cheap ebay pipe with a heat resistant paint/exhaust heat wrap would be as effective as a powdercoated aem pipe?

Im going the DIY route, so Which do you think would perform better at keeping intake temperature down, aluminium pipe or hard plastic pipe? Or any other suggestions?

I know metals are generally good conductors, and plastics are better insulators, so by this theory would hard plastic pipe be better at "insulating" the colder air in the intake?
 
OEM rubber pipes don't deform much under suction, because they are round and fairly reinforced on the outside. The bad thing is they are a bit heavier than a thin metal or plastic pipe, and they have one or sometimes two wrinkled elbows that disrupt and slow down air flow.

A plastic pipe would be better at insulation than a metal pipe. They make a few kits with plastic pipe. A coated AEM pipe isn't bad as far as heat transfer goes, but with any cheap ebay pipe you can just wrap it in insulating material.

When you make your own intake try to copy what the Comptech Ice Box and the Mugen intake have done.
-Short ram intake for power and response
-Large filter (not panel)
-Filter is completely isolated inside of large box with a pipe that goes to a cold air source
-The pipe going to the filter should be much larger than the pipe after the filter, so you have the response of a short ram filter.
-There should be a velocity stack where the air comes in and another inside the filter.
 
Thanks for the advice,

Well my set up was going to be:
-Plastic/Metal intake pipe
-DC2 airbox with either Spoon drop in or K&N cone filter
-Resonator removed
-CAF to airbox (from space where stock resonator is)

Would the CAF made out of the DC2 resonator piping be large enough, or should I try and get larger piping? I think the resonator piping is slightly larger than the intake piping. Any recommendations?

Do you know of any premade plastic or metal pipe that would fit for my application (EK4)? Will I need to use an intake pipe designed for DC2 or EK9/4?

Is there some kind of heatproof coating that could be used/painted on the inside of airbox to help reduce heatsoak?
 
Last edited:
RagingAngel said:
ITR Air box / intake, modded for EG's w/ B Series motors (warning, lots of pics) - Honda-Tech

I recommend doing this.

If you intend to use the DC2 intake box, you should get a DC2 intake pipe. SAMCO makes one that is silicone. Any other ones will work on eBay. While radiant heat is an issue, it's not something to worry too much about. You can use heatwrap on the intake pipe and reflective tape/foil on the box itself.
Click to expand...


That´s what im gonna do with my EK4 stock airbox, with some other slight mods.
 
One of the best mods i have done is have a 3" intake pipe custom made from my throttle body to Mugen CAI, the car performed so much better!
 
Any pics?
I have mugen intake with stock itr pipe
would like to hard pipe it
 
kulo said:
Any pics?
I have mugen intake with stock itr pipe
would like to hard pipe it
Click to expand...

Here you go mate... Do it, you wont regret it!

null_zpsde74293b.jpg


null_zpseab39310.jpg


This was on my b16b, i was so happy with the setup i was running im doing the exact same on my b18c at the moment. A bit of reflective heat tape wrapped around it wouldn't go a miss either :)
 
I ran a breather filter off the cam cover, not sure about the sensor didnt think there was one on the intake pipe just the intake manifold?
 
Burny said:
One of the best mods i have done is have a 3" intake pipe custom made from my throttle body to Mugen CAI, the car performed so much better!
Click to expand...

Old post I know but I'm curious as to what improvements you noticed with the addition of the custom pipe... improved throttle response/drivability, change in the power band, power increase (dyno proven), etc.? I just purchased the Mugen CAI kit for my 9 and need to get a new intake pipe as mine only came with an off brand modified aluminum short ram that isn't even meant for the car. Trying to decide whether to go with a stock pipe or a custom hard pipe.
 
Same question.

I have a tegiwa mugen replica airbox with an oem pipe and was thinking to switch to a 3" metal pipe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top