CAI's: Need some advice.
 

I have an AEM CAI on my civic. A friend of mine is looking to buy a CAI. Here's the question. Is there a big difference in the "no name" brands CAI's compared to AEM, or Injen ect?

I've found 2 rather cheap ones on the net. Cyclone, and Arospeed. Anyone have any opinions on these?

stay AEM

between those choices I'd take aem, even though I don't particularly like aem that much anymore. You get what you pay for in essence. With aem you are paying for advertisement, employee salaries, dyno testing and r&d. With arospeed you are paying for advertisement, a couple of employee salaries, and a lot less dyno testing and r&d. I prefer injen or k&n when it comes to intakes though, their dyno graphs are not as doctored as aem's it seems.

if 1-3 horsepower means that much to you... stay aem... if not, go no name...

what were the prices on the intakes you saw?
i can do a bomz cai for $120 if you decide to go budget.

when your doing basic bolt ons you have to go top quality if you want results, 1-3hp from an intake.. 5 hp from an exaust.. and maybe 2 or 3 from a header(going with cheap ones over a quality peice) will cost you almost .3 or .4 seconds on your 1/4 if you really drive the car to its potential. but if you just wana say i have i/h/e yada yada and be quicker than the stock version of your car... buy parts off ebay

AEM

is injen good?

:yes:

My friend has an Injen on his 240sx...he likes it

Personally, I love my AEM. Dyno results typically show AEM with a 10-15% hp edge over competitor's CAIs, and generally a 50-100% hp edge over short rams.

What you pay for: Superior engineering, including: a "tuned" pipe diameter (bigger is not always better), powdercoated finish (looks, longevity, and heat resistance), and a better fit.

IMO, simply a superior product.