Generic Cold Air Intake (AEM replica) Review      Page 1 | 2 | 3 for 2001-2003 Honda Civic EX manual transmission

After excessive driving, I pop open the hood and the CAI tubes are pretty cool to the touch, compared to the stock air box, which gets relatively hot. It is also much cooler to the touch than the previous InJen SRI that I had. A CAI would be a good selection overall a SRI if you don't want to lose horsepower when you drive from stoplight to stoplight during a hot day.

The generic CAI performed pretty well for the dollar amount. I would recommend it if someone ask for a cheap alternative to the brand name CAI or SRI. Would I choose it over an AEM CAI? Yes, simply because its cheaper, and it works good enough for me. This is just my opinion though, and preference in how my car performs. In my honest opinion, the AEM CAI probably doesn't give much more than 1-3 wheel horsepower of an increase, and that's not much of a reason to spend $200. Of course AEM's dyno graph on their website give a different number, but I specifically remember InJen's dyno graph of the CAI for a 2001 Civic, in that particular dyno graph, there was no more than 3-4 hp gain, and that was only at some points in the powerband. The AEM CAI couldn't do any better, in my opinion. Still, it's your decision to spend the money on a brand name or not. If you have the money to spend, and want an overall better quality product, by all means, get the AEM or InJen. But if you're on a tight budget, and just want an intake for fun, you should definitely consider this particular CAI. There's no wrong decision here, it's simply about getting what you feel you want.

Most of us probably know that slapping on an aftermarket intake or exhaust doesn't turn our economy Civic into a sports car. I believe most of us is doing this for fun, so horsepower/torque increase is pretty subjective and irrelevant (in my opinion). This particular generic CAI accomplished that, increasing the overall fun factor in my daily commuting of point A to point B; and I think that's a pretty good reason to overall recommend this product.

- Cap
March 21, 2003

Generic Cold Air Intake (AEM replica) Review      Page 1 | 2 | 3 for 2001-2003 Honda Civic EX manual transmission