Z1 smooth tubes worth it?

Scarlet370

I gave up on making mine fit also. Plus on my Nismo the breather tube on the driver side is different than the passenger side but on the tubes they are set up the passenger side way, if that makes sense. Just stuck my K&N drop-ins, in and called it good. I Get my Fast Intentions exhaust tomorrow tho

scottIN

I get my FI exhaust tomorrow, too!
I did finally get the tubes to fit - had to trim about an 1/8th of an inch off the passenger side. There is a noticeable difference in throttle response. A lot more than I would have ever though possible just going from the corrugated tubes to smooth tubes.

bat6wc

Ive had the tubes before and now I actually begin to question if the slinky/ribbed style tubes arent actually beneficial. if you look at several high performance vehicle engines (lamborghini, ferarri, vipers, corvettes) they all appear to have the slinky style intake tube. There must be a reason. I doubt its for sound, mpg or emissions. Maybe the ribs cause just the slight amount of turbulence actually needed for smooth air intake flow. I also wonder if maybe smooth tubes are beneficial on forced inductions vehicles? Ive had numerous intakes both CAI and SRI as well as silicone tubes on the VQ.

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tranceformer

I think they OEM tubes are there to allow for any engine movement.

Example, my old fox body mustang had an aftermarket cold air intake (drew air from the fender). It was old so the motormounts were a bit worn. Every now and then if I shift a gear hard enough the tubes would pop loose from the silicon couplers.

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Ray
2009 370Z Base Sport 6MT / 12.860 @ 109.09mph / 1.921 60ft / street tires
official 1/4 mile track times

MaDMaXX

The ribs tend not to be on the inside.

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'04.5 350Z - Very Motordyne.

anthonyy

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anthonyy

Hehe very true

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Felix 808

I think it's worth it. Makes it a little cleaner under the hood. Put the air box side on first. It's a bit of a wrestle, but they will fit. I did not have to cut them. For a little help, you can get some cheese & crackers & use the red plastic spreader to help get them onto the throttle body without marring them.

Hey Tony, I'll swing by in a couple of weeks & you can see mine if you want. A little busy right now, so it will be a couple of weeks.

Rob

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chops

you know..i didnt think about that.

note for those who install these (like i have), check the tubes every so often for loose fitment! i check my oil levels religiously every few weeks so i'll just add this as another thing to jiggle to make sure its tight

tranceformer

I wouldn't worry about these coming loose after hard driving.

There were a few reasons why it would happen on my old Mustang. There wasn't much of the piping for the couplers to attach to, combine that with the old motormounts and you got a problem if you're not careful. It was pretty easy to tell when it was loose, CEL would pop on and it would run kinda choppy... almost sounded like it had a really aggressive cam in the motor.

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Ray
2009 370Z Base Sport 6MT / 12.860 @ 109.09mph / 1.921 60ft / street tires
official 1/4 mile track times

R3drckt09

Put red Z1 tubes in this morning along with drop ins and the fang vent mod. I must've gotten a good set or something cause my tubes went on no problem (I did remove the strut brace and air boxes before installing, though). I've only had the car a week so idk if i could really distinguish a hp gain, but it definitely revs faster. Overall totally worth it imo

daisuke149

they arent that hard to install. People need to quite whining, These things are strong and not meant to bend alot, so yeah it might be a lil tough to get it on, but if i can do it (and im a weak mother fucker) all of you can also. Want to do it without much effort, pop the who intake off and do it that way.

Jdew72

Ya I know, way to dig up an old thread but was wondering about the oem intake tubes myself. Installed Z1 post maf tubes today and the oem ones ARE ribbed on the inside. For her pleasure. Made me feel better dropping a hundred bucks on these knowing they are smooth vs stock ribbed.