Inlet Tube Impressions? #Worth?
 

For $120-200 the inlet tube + Drop in filter combo looks like a good bang for the buck. My question is looking at several dynos of drop in filter and inlet tubes it looks like the inlet tubes hardly make any improvements at all on N/A cars, most of the gains coming from the drop in filter.

Anybody notice any change in engine response/torque/hp when installing just the inlet tube? Was it worth the purchase?

I've heard the supertek heat soaking the engine, as well as mishimoto claiming the resonator adds horsepower.... Is this with all inlet tubes?

I think it cleans up the engine bay alot and adds a few hp. I would recommended it. Less than $100 total. Pm Genome Tuning and you can get a resonator plug from him for around $10.

Intake Tube
http://www.deporacing.us/shop/fr-s-b...s-intake-hose/

K&N Filter
http://www.ebay.com/itm/K-N-K-N-Air-...157080&vxp=mtr

Take the HP gains with a grain of salt. It's theoretically smoother airflow, which should translate to better performance. The GrimmSpeed intake thread actually has some good info on inlet tubes from their initial testing.

I think its worth doing just to get rid of all the sound generator junk in the engine bay. It takes up a surprising amount of space. So even if HP gains are negligible, you get space to work around the engine, plus a bit of weight savings as well (granted, also negligible).

It adds a bit to the sound. I didn't notice any power difference. There are a couple for sale used in the classified section. Go that way if you're not sure.

It makes ~one hp, and a little more noise. $70 shipped isn't so bad. I'd do it if I wanted to remove the sound tube. Too bad it's gloss black, I don't think it matches too well.

it cleans the engine bay a lot. as far as performance gains there isn't much. I'm at work so i don't have the pictures available to post.

http://blog.perrinperformance.com/fr-sbrz-inlet-hose/

Anybody know anything about the Supertek heat soak issue? Is that something that's universal with these inlet tubes?http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...t=54710&page=3

I am not surprised, seeing as metal retains heat better than plastic. However I am not overly worried as many companies have used aluminum in their intake design. Grimmspeed, for example. If you are concerned, you could go with a silicon inlet instead, but they don't have the bling factor.

FWIW I bought the supertek intake over the weekend, so I'll see if I can do some controlled testing vs. stock.

Ahh didn't realize they were cast aluminum. What do you think about the resonator adding more HP theory? Lol

I think it's worth it. Of course, I only got one for looks. I didn't really care about the potential performance gains.

In winter it's great. It pulls harder & a slight more induction noise. Should be a bit more flow than stock. But in summer, I think the metal generates more heat especially when idle. However if you are constantly moving & getting air, not too bad. For the money, its quite good value.

Although more power can be obtained from other modifications, adding an inlet tube can certainly net a few HP and cleans up the engine bay quite a bit. We performed a ton of testing on our inlet tube to evaluate just how much power is gained when using this component with the resonator, without the resonator, as well as with an aftermarket drop-in filter.

We saw around 3whp/2wtq gains with our induction hose installed and the resonator connected. Tossing in an aftermarket filter brought gains to 6whp/3wtq. Our full report is linked below.

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/yhst-...ing-Report.pdf

If you are looking to improve the appearance of your engine bay and add a few ponies, the inlet tube is a nice upgrade.

If you are looking for greater gains from the intake system, a full replacement system is probably a better option for you.

Thanks!
-John

Normally this is something we'd be a little skeptical about, but on any of our tunes, adding this silicone inlet hose nets a solid and repeatable ~2whp and smooths out the curve ever so slightly. Not a bad bang for your buck, and combined with a high flow filter in the stock airbox, makes for one of the best intake options on an NA car we've tested. If it were me, I'd get the inlet tube and a high flow filter and call it a day for intake mods.

Sincerely,

Zach
Delicious Tuning

i did it just to clean up the engine bay and get rid of the sound tube.