[eamon]

Hey guys, I know a guy who wants to sell his dci for only 100$.
I dont know much about intakes but he said its a 30hp gain. I dont know him very well, seen him maybe 4 times, so could there be anything I need to watch out for? He has had it for10k miles and claims he has new filters. He told me he wants to turn to stett. I took a look at the intake and it looked very exposed, is this normal to see both cones? Will I have to worry about rain? He said it has a heat shield.
Should I go for it? Are there any downsides? Also is this something I could install myself?
Any and all input welcome
Thanks

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Intakes are one of the easiest things to install on this car. On a stock car it will probably give you nothing but sound and no performance.

If your looking for power you should look into a tune. NO intake on this car will make 30 HP, ever.

The exposed filters are normal and you will not worry about rain as long as you drive with your hood closed

[rader1]

IDk about the AFE but i have the BMS and it is completely exposed. Theres no real downside either. You should have no problem changing the intakes out, i did mine without dropping the cowl and it took less than 25mins. If you decide not to get it, you can always pick up the BMS DCI for about $95. Hope this helped

[rader1]

Ohh yeah btw, ^jeff is THE man to see about getting intake/tune/anything

[TwinTurboXI]

If he only wants $100 buy it. See if you like it, if you don't, sell it for a profit.

[eamon]

Originally Posted by Jeff@topgearsolutions

Intakes are one of the easiest things to install on this car. On a stock car it will probably give you nothing but sound and no performance.

If your looking for power you should look into a tune. NO intake on this car will make 30 HP, ever.

The exposed filters are normal and you will not worry about rain as long as you drive with your hood closed

Wow quick response
I dont want to up my boost until warranty runs out
So besides noise, are there any pros to putting down 100 bucks? Increased responsiveness or anything? Basically would you reccomend it on a stock car. I may do some downpipes in a few months

[rader1]

Originally Posted by eamon

Wow quick response
I dont want to up my boost until warranty runs out
So besides noise, are there any pros to putting down 100 bucks? Increased responsiveness or anything? Basically would you reccomend it on a stock car. I may do some downpipes in a few months

Noise is the only benefit for a stock car.
The downpipes are a lot more of a headache than a tune is, as far as warranty is concerned. Just FYI, the cobb AP just plugs in and 20 minutes later you making 50hp/80tq more and you can uninstall it and the dealer will never know

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by rader1

Noise is the only benefit for a stock car.
The downpipes are a lot more of a headache than a tune is, as far as warranty is concerned. Just FYI, the cobb AP just plugs in and 20 minutes later you making 50hp/80tq more and you can uninstall it and the dealer will never know

This...

I would get a tune any day of the week before downpipes, especially if my concern is warranty.

OP you can get 60-80WHP (thats about 90-100HP) just from a tune and you can remove any of the ones I sell in a short time and go into a dealer worry free.

[rooringhusky]

Originally Posted by TwinTurboXI

If he only wants $100 buy it. See if you like it, if you don't, sell it for a profit.

This...

On stock boost levels (as Jeff and the others said above me) it wont make any performance difference...

It will definitely give you a different intake whistling noise..which a lot of people like...unfortunately in this car it sounds cool but wont help performance unless you have a tune to complement the intake..

And like the other dude TwinTurbo said...the AFE dual intakes sell in the private marketplace easily for more than $100...So my honest opinion would be to buy it...try it and see how you like it...worst case you can always sell it on the classifieds (and make more money than you bought it for lol)

[eamon]

So I bought it, but couldn't figure out how to take apart the stock airbox haha. I'm really new to this modding stuff.
Definitely want to go for a tune sometime soon, but I have mixed feelings about the reliability aspect. I'm still fairly young and this will be a car I take with me through college and past (maybe for 10 years total) and I need it to last me without too many headaches. I don't push the car very much, and take really good care of her, but do you think that these tunes will put a lot more strain on the car? I mean extracting almost 100hp to the crank sounds like real work on the engine.
COBB and JB4 sound very appealing, which ones better
jkjk

[rader1]

Originally Posted by eamon

So I bought it, but couldn't figure out how to take apart the stock airbox haha. I'm really new to this modding stuff.
Definitely want to go for a tune sometime soon, but I have mixed feelings about the reliability aspect. I'm still fairly young and this will be a car I take with me through college and past (maybe for 10 years total) and I need it to last me without too many headaches. I don't push the car very much, and take really good care of her, but do you think that these tunes will put a lot more strain on the car? I mean extracting almost 100hp to the crank sounds like real work on the engine.
COBB and JB4 sound very appealing, which ones better
jkjk

Do you mean remove? If so its just 4 T20(IIRC) bolts in front that joins the intake "scoops" to the metal fin just above the kidney grills, in the back you need to pull up on the grommets for the wiring harness, then use a short screw driver to loosen the intake clamps and then pull up on the box itself. Its SIMPLE once you do it once. A lot of people recommend removing the cowl, but i had no problem doing it with it on.

[eamon]

Originally Posted by rader1

Do you mean remove? If so its just 4 T20(IIRC) bolts in front that joins the intake "scoops" to the metal fin just above the kidney grills, in the back you need to pull up on the grommets for the wiring harness, then use a short screw driver to loosen the intake clamps and then pull up on the box itself. Its SIMPLE once you do it once. A lot of people recommend removing the cowl, but i had no problem doing it with it on.

This is what I was using, http://afepower.com/catalog/54-11473/is.pdf
couldn't figure out step 2,4, or 5 lol.
Like I said really new to this.. May just got pay 25$ and get it installed.

EDIT: Forgot to post link

[rader1]

Originally Posted by eamon

This is what I was using, couldn't figure out step 2,4, or 5 lol.
Like I said really new to this.. May just got pay 25$ and get it installed.

Take your time and just work on it, the rear hose clamp is the worst part and its not too bad. once you get it done it'll probably boost your confidence lol . If you're really not confidant doing it you may be able to find a local member to help walk you throught it, trust me you'll feel better if you do it yourself

[Brey335i]

I don't usually do this, but of you have problems installing the intake then you might want to consider choosing COBB as your tune. Either that or find someone local to help you install the tune you pick.

I had a tune and never had warranty issues. It's worth it. Takes no more than 15 min to remove max.

The tunes I would recommend are Procede, JB4, or COBB.

Send Jeff ^ a private message and he'll help you out on picking the right one for you.

[rader1]

Originally Posted by Brey335i

I don't usually do this, but of you have problems installing the intake then you might want to consider choosing COBB as your tune. Either that or find someone local to help you install the tune you pick.

I had a tune and never had warranty issues. It's worth it. Takes no more than 15 min to remove max.

The tunes I would recommend are Procede, JB4, or COBB.

Send Jeff ^ a private message and he'll help you out on picking the right one for you.

+100% on this

[tscdennab]

For $100, the AFE is worth it. There are simpler DCI intakes for the same price. So just get it...you don't have anything to lose.

[FastBimmerN54]

Get the Cobb. You just plug it into the OBD II port, follow the prompts and you got another 60 or more HP to the wheels. If the intake is a little hard to install for the OP I would not recommend a piggyback tune.

[eamon]

Does anyone have better instructions than this PDF?
http://afepower.com/catalog/54-11473/is.pdf
How do I disconnect the vacuum line in step 2? Is it necessary? And which on is the battery cable in step 4? The one with the red tape? I thought if you disconnected the battery it would throw codes?
Thanks

[cn555ic]

Here is a PDF that's pretty easy. Try this
http://www.forgemotorsport.com/media/FMDVN54.pdf

[eamon]

Originally Posted by rader1

Take your time and just work on it, the rear hose clamp is the worst part and its not too bad. once you get it done it'll probably boost your confidence lol . If you're really not confidant doing it you may be able to find a local member to help walk you throught it, trust me you'll feel better if you do it yourself

Took your word for it and wow does it feel good!
I know its just a simple mod, but being a noob it feels like an accomplishment
The only thing is I broke the ring from the vacuum hose and it fell into the engine bay (Just a small plastic piece), but it still clips into place.

Originally Posted by cn555ic

Here is a PDF that's pretty easy. Try this
http://www.forgemotorsport.com/media/FMDVN54.pdf

Really appreciate it.
Helped make things a little clearer.
The hardest part was loosening the clamp behind the stock box.



I have a couple more questions

First, I don't notice any change in noise, maybe just a small bit with the hood open, what was the point lol

Secondly, does the install in the pics look right? I'm afraid that the plastic ring that broke off the vacuum line and fell into the engine bay might mean that it is not properly secured. Should I be worried?

Finally, what's next? Intakes are usually just supporting mods of bigger larger upgrades like tunes right? How does the intake actually help?

I know it's a lot of questions, but you guys have been nothing but help and I'm just trying to learn all I can about starting on modding.
Thanks

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by eamon

Took your word for it and wow does it feel good!
I know its just a simple mod, but being a noob it feels like an accomplishment
The only thing is I broke the ring from the vacuum hose and it fell into the engine bay (Just a small plastic piece), but it still clips into place.



Really appreciate it.
Helped make things a little clearer.
The hardest part was loosening the clamp behind the stock box.



I have a couple more questions

First, I don't notice any change in noise, maybe just a small bit with the hood open, what was the point lol

Secondly, does the install in the pics look right? I'm afraid that the plastic ring that broke off the vacuum line and fell into the engine bay might mean that it is not properly secured. Should I be worried?

Finally, what's next? Intakes are usually just supporting mods of bigger larger upgrades like tunes right? How does the intake actually help?

I know it's a lot of questions, but you guys have been nothing but help and I'm just trying to learn all I can about starting on modding.
Thanks

It's not loud now cause you are on stock boost.

Everything appears ok....

As others said, tune is next. Can't get any real power without a proper tune.

[rader1]

Congrats on the install, if you ever have to do it again im sure it'll be no problem
Im not sure about the vaccuum line but i'd keep an eye on it, i think it'll be OK though as long as it feels secure.
1) The sound isn't as loud/clear as some people make it sound. You need to have the windows down and a tune to hear it in my experience.
2) I'm running the BMS DCI so i cant say for sue about the install pics, but if everything looks/feels right than it probably is. But someone may chime in with a little more experience with the AFE
3) The intake lets the car breathe better with upped boost. Also, with a tune you'll be able to hear the difference better. I'd suggest getting in touch with jeff@topgear solutions for a tune i recommend the Cobb just because of the ease of install(no tuner war guys, not the time or place.) However, if you're really not wanting big gains or you just want to be conservative you can search the forsale section for a JB+ or SSTT just to get a mild bump for less than a hundred bucks. Hell, i think i've got an SSTT setting around ill sell you for $75+shipping. But honestly, i'd skip it and just get a real tune.