DIY cai?
 

Z1's installed


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All done. I ended up needing a 2 more couplings, 45* ones. If someone would have made 30* I think it'd be a little better. Because of the extra 15* I had to bend some tabs outs of the way where the bumper snaps to the support bar. I think you have to do this to the stillen anyways but its no big thing. The pipe isn't hitting anything and the couplings aren't kinked or will rub anything that will hurt them so I'm real happy with fitment. There is not much movement so no need for a bracket. Over all its a perfect fit, 2.5" pipe, lots of silicone so no heat soak! And even though I needed 2 more couplings, I didn't néed all the pipe so next time I could save money by not buying 36" of it.

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So to update this I have all the parts needed but the filters. I ended up getting what you see in the pics. I'm going to cut my MAF sensors off the stock air boxes as its the same ID as the Stillen's. the couplings provide the bends needed and it will sit just like them.

Now doing this I've spent about $110 on the 6 couplings and clamps. I could save more if I bought a lot of each item and I was thinking about eliminating the 90* couplings as people on eBay sell pipe in a 90* bend. I'd just give them the length I needed since the filter end is shorter than the MAF section. The k&N filters that Stillen uses are $70 shipped from the cheapest place I could find online. So people out there doing drop in's for around $70, or whatever the drop in's cost, for $110 more you now have a Stillen setup! Its the same size pipe, same MAF, the only difference is the post MAF tubes. Z1's post MAF tubes run about $112 but this way you don't have to drop $500+ cash right away for Stillen. You can spend $180 first, get the cold air like the Stillen's, and then buy the post tubes and only have $292 invested!!

Parts needed

2- 2.5" straight couplings
2- 90* bent couplings
2- 45* bent couplings
2- 2.5" to 3" couplings
2- 2.5" long, 2.5" piece of pipe for in between the 90* and the 2.5" to 3" coupling
2- 2.5" long, 3" piece of pipe for the K&N filter to bite onto the end
2- K&N RU-2820 filters
16- hose clamps
1- 36" long 2.5" pipe
Then later if you want, post MAF tubes.

Pipe, couplings, clamps all put together kinda.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...psca658e6d.jpg

More close up of everything.

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Anyone make there own intake? The stock MAF tube is 2.5" OD and nice and straight. A simple cut and you'd be done. Now if you didn't care about heat you'd just install a 2.5 ID K&N filter and call it a day.

But for those that care about heat and want to run the filters behind the bumper it doesn't seem that hard to do. Looking at the stillen gen 3, right before the MAF housing is about a 45* bend in the pipe. A simple 2.5" silicone coupling in a 45* bend would do nice. Same goes for the 90* bend around the core support. So 4 couplings, 2 filters, and a foot or two of 2.5" aluminium pipe off eBay and it seems pretty easy. I'm guessing around $100 or so. If you want to do the whole system pick up the post MAF tubes from Z1 or else where for $108-125 and you got what I'd say is a pretty simple, cheap, CAI.

Anyone do it because I didn't see it in the DIY section?

Megan made a 3" one, its in his build thread. Only one I can think of right now.

That would definitely need a tune since the MAF would be messed with going up in inside diameter. Plus the cost of a MAF flange to weld onto a 3" pipe. Ill check it out though, thanks.

i thought about making my own post MAF tube once, but then i realized it would be easier to buy them

honestly unless you were doing LTI, id stick to the stock airbox with drop in filters and post MAF tubes

I just hate the clutter. I did pull the boxes. It does have a nice open almost ram air effect from behind the bumper stock. I do think a few more hp can be picked up though because of a completely round k&n filter vs a flat panel filter.

Update

You need to figure out a way to keep the tubes from moving around from engine vibrations.

The MAF sensors are incredibly sensitive to airflow tumble effects, resulting in misreads and power loss.

Should be simple enough to make a bracket that attaches to the bolt hole where the airboxes were and attach it to the pipe with a hose clamp. Bend a piece of metal into a L shape and strap the short end to the pipe with a hose clamp. Twist the other end in a vice, drill a hole in it and bolt it to the old airboxes mounting hole.

I like this simply for using all silicone tubing. It will absorb far less heat than the metal tubes of G3s.

Can someone take pics of the stock airbox, removed from the car, from the front? What is the inlet size? They are pretty well hidden up in the core support.

Found good pics on e-bay. How about weights?

The stock air box is mounted on rubber and can move and the OEM accordion post tubes have a great deal of movement. The stillen also uses no bracket so I fail to see the issue. "If" and its a big one, if it causes issues the Z1 post tubes are stiff as **** and will make it just as hard and no different than the Stillen's.

Well from the 90* to the MAF will be aluminium. The bumper portion that's silicone with aluminium pipe inside to make the connection I don't see that getting to hot since its out of the engine bay. At least the MAF housing is staying plastic unlike the stillen that's metal. That might help things out a tad.

you could get halfway there and order an ebay SRI(K&N Typhoon knock off) with a proper size maf adapter(2.5in iirc) so all you would need are a way to connect the elbow pieces to the pipes and have the filters in the same location as stillen G3s

I did the exact same thing and found that the vibrations make a huge difference on the dyno.

The airboxes don't move around nearly as much as you think relative to having nothing clamping the intakes down.

Take it to the dyno and see for yourself... I've got no problem with being proven wrong...

On a related note: I have the MAF bases cut from the airbox (i.e., plastic tube with base) and would happily sell them to you if you don't want to cut your airbox up. PM me if you want them. I can provide pics if you want too.

That's going to increase price no? The stock MAF is free and the pipe I got was $23 shipped. Any links?