Air Intake Comparison Test - 8th Gen Civic Si - K20Z3

[@GhadSpeed]

It don’t matter how old this Si, it’s a beautiful masterpiece

[@rojastojas]

Amen. Praise to the Honda Gods. 🙏

[@enhancedphysique6452]

Glad YOU think that brother😂

[@solidhatch]

Love 8th gen z3 contents....keep them coming!!! Comparison between aftermarket (3)pulley to oem be nice.

[@newbwheeler9777]

I traded in my 2004 Mazda RX8 for an 06 Si. I’ve owned a Lexus ISF, a 08 EVO MR, and a 17 BMW 340i mperformance, not to mention my first car a 98 integra GSR and a 2000 Prelude that I put a Jackson Racing supercharger on. The Civic Si was my favourite of them all. I’m now returning to my roots and I’m looking into a new Civic Type R.

[@lindaover9764]

What made the civic a better car to drive for you?

[@newbwheeler9777]

@@lindaover9764 unless your absolutely reckless the car won’t kill you. I enjoy the feeling of being able to drive a car to its full potential and limits. Now that I’m older and have had my share of cars I’ve finally realized what it is that turns me on with cars. It’s all the cliche things you here by good reviewers. The sound, the way it shifts gears the brakes, how the steering wheel feels in your hands. The Civic checked all the boxes for me. Luxury cars are great but knowing that there is a superior driving experience available at a regular person price is super appealing to me.

[@StephenBrewer89]

I’ve had 2 06 evos. Lexus. 4 Mercedes 4 EFs. Plenty of cars. And my 2011 FG2 was my favorite. I recently bought a 07 FA5 cause I was wanting another 8th gen and I’m convinced that is the best gen civic ever.

[@MrDelsoleg11]

Funny how I did the same testing years ago on my 8th gen and the results were pretty much the exact same. Did the same when I swapped it to k24 and was almost identical results except it lost about 10hp with the 3 inch. Overall the best combination that I found was 4 inch cold air with a transition to 3.5 about 6 from the throttle body, with that setup it gained 13hp over just the straight 3.5 inch Cai. That was with the 2.4 though on a 2 liter the gains were marginal. I'm sure with cams and a bigger throttle body that intake would have worked better. Also on the throttle body side I found that the j35 made the same hp as the zdx throttle body with stock cams made 220, once I swapped in some drag cartel 2.2 that's when the zdx had the advantage made 242. On the 2.4 however the zdx along with the port matched rbc was the ideal setup for max power totally stock it made 230 with 188tq with drag cartel elite pro cams stock block it made 257 on pump, 267 on e85 and 303 on m5.

[@tuningbynick]

Nice results - Thanks for sharing

[@lindaover9764]

Awesome read.

[@kevinkim9620]

used to have this exact car, no one can tell me its not one of the best sounding cars ever, even with the standard exhaust

[@callthedohc8th]

My z3 has been terrorizing my city for years. Best sounding Honda hands down

[@dillonjames4474]

I prefer my old 8th gen but my dad's 9th gen growls and is way faster than mine with the intake. Mine was stock, lost it in a wreck 2 weeks ago. I think the interior of the 8th gen is way better.

[@BunnyBUNGALO]

Picking one up tomorrow. First time back into the Honda game in a long while. Can't wait

[@vtecbanger3180]

Subbed for the 8th gen dyno stuff!!!

[@FG2-K24A]

Finally some good 8th Gen content! Great comparison video Nick. Looking forward to the throttle body comparison

[@JeLifeCoach]

Hondata says otherwise.

[@robertmatthews1897]

Great video. Thx for showing intake temp and difference in pipe size...

[@chelek20godoy93]

Thanks Nick 10/10 👍🏻👍🏻

[@king0684]

Thanks for taking the time to test!

[@XANTXS]

Yes !! Continue this series !!!

[@PRZJ91]

Saw that velocity stack style filter. Would have loved to see that vs the filter.

[@chhantheman9553]

Im with this! 💯

[@napsterninja]

I agree as well.

[@aydan1266]

this should definitely be in the next video.

[@mattf2535]

Awesome, in-depth video showing some real test results and not just talk. Just wish you had tested the K&N one

[@wav3yr520]

Another great video Nick! You've answered questions that I've been trying to find the answers to for years. I found it interesting that when you paired your car with the ktuned 3.5 short ram it made the exact same power as mine considering we have the exact same bolt ons except my car has the fullrace exhaust, invidia header, rick specd intensity 3.5 short ram, and running your tune. Let me know if you want me to bring the hybrid racing cold air intake to compare with the ktuned cold air. I know a lot of Honda guys wanted to know if there is actually a difference.

[@JasonMcMullen]

Interesting to see how the length of the runner affects the mid range

[@darcygoesfast]

science based information. good stuff!

[@RDtestaaa]

Please make experiments with heat shielding coats for intake. Shield as many elements as you can to achieve the longest possible "cold channel" for air. Results are great!

[@WilliamMUGEN]

Excellent video! i can't wait for the tb comparison. Thank you Nick.

[@dstavs]

So what you’re saying is.... I should turn my short-ram back into a CAI when I see you for a fresh time this spring... Got it! 👍 Great video, Nick!

[@napsterninja]

Wasn't the K&N intake suppose to be used in conjunction with the stock snorkel? Would think that's better than the aem one.

[@vtecbanger3180]

I left the stock snorkel on my mugen with afe intake (k&n) style.

[@IsaacPoopsAlot]

new videos shows ur right poggers

[@GoldoBuilt]

@@IsaacPoopsAlot ayoo i follow you on tiktok

[@Pharaoh_The_Great]

I’m glad you’re rocking with the fg2 instead of the 4 door.

[@brianjewell4139]

Love to finally see REAL results on this. I lost my K20Z1 in approx 2 mins of a Florida rainstorm out of nowhere to Hydrolock with a Injen Threw Bumper CAI(with a AEM Dryflow filter cover...)on my DC5. Now I run a Short ram for basically safety and my IAT's are now +50° delta whereas with the true cold air intake id be somewhere in the +10° to +20° ambient range and it is surprisingly noticeable

[@paxsi2gdsm]

Sorry to hear, you must have been submerge your cold air intake into the water to hydrolock otherwise if water just pour into your filter then you should be fine especially you have the AEM dryflow filter cover. Take precaution and drive slow when it's heavy rain and avoid big puddle or flooded area. or best if carry an extra cone filter and when it's heavy rain remove the coupler connection from the throttle body and put the filter in there for temporarily driving. Anyways best of luck.

[@brianjewell4139]

@@paxsi2gdsm yep it was within 3 minutes. Driving on a beachfront highway in Delray Beach Florida, skies went from Clear to Gail force winds and rains and visibility was maybe 5 feet. I tried to pull off the road asap and the entire road was covered in a few inches of water, I shut the car off and coasted into a hotel parking lot, dropped the oil pan, pulled plugs, etc. Then new oil and it actually drove another 500 miles before blowing the rod out of the block and upper pan housing area. Honda makes a great product haha

[@tigerrider6711]

I think you should have ran the AEM with a clean filter, that looks filthy. Also the K&N has the heat shield and the air duct to blow some cooler air.

[@AZ-hf9ow]

Cool experiment. Great to know 👍

[@SGSRepairs]

Really well explained which one is which not many dynos do that in details ! Good job

[@tuningbynick]

Thanks!

[@badbaddolemike]

Wasnt the test car tuned using the K-tuned 3.5" cold air set-up? Wouldnt that automatically give that intake the advantage in this comparison? In order for the test to be accurate, wouldnt the car have to be retuned after each intake change? I really dont know; Im just asking. Im not saying that I think that the other intakes would outperform the 3.5" cold air setup, but if the car was tuned using a short ram intake, then you switched to the 3.5" cold air setup without retuning, would the gains be as great?

[@emrvrnl]

I'm wondering too.Vtc tune can change the results.

[@Ksw-wg8nx]

Yes you could clearly see his datalog went rich in the areas he lost power and if it had been tuned out it probably would have picked back up some but the fact that it went rich in those areas indicates a loss of power because of less air

[@yukonstriker1703]

Stock airbox with K&N drop in filter as a 'baseline' would have been interesting to see, if only in comparison..

[@khangdo9242]

This is a really informative videos and base on your testing result, we should all ditch our short ram intake for a cold air intake. However, i find that installing a catless header will make more noticeable difference at mid range power when you driving the car. The power increase from going short ram to cold air intake is not justifying for the price difference for a Naturally aspirated engine like the k20z3. Regardless, for daily driving, i would rarely accelerate to 5k rpm and if you want to really accelerate fast with this car you have to go pass 6k rpm for the second stage vtec to kick in order to feel something. With the k20 engine, you either go all out or you just coast with the traffic. Installing a cold air intake instead of short ram while give you a noticeable gain from 4km rpm to 5k rpm will not matter if you are up against a turbo car in the same class like GTI or WRX.

[@Slvr2k]

It's not just about power the car will drive better and use less fuel with the lower intake air temps.

[@rick15666]

Most excellent video, very helpful for me shopping for whatever the best CAI is these days

[@mattf2535]

I wouldn't completely throw aside the K&N intake. Each Si owner chooses an intake according to his or her setup. The K&N is convenient and good enough for a reflash "tune" if you don't track or street race or want to custom tune beyond a 2.5in. intake.

[@Stretch416]

Why didn’t you test the K&N?

[@jayaskoo]

Nice comparison but disappointed that you couldn't do the 3.5 inch straight cai versus the 3inch to 3.5 cai. Would have like to see the comparison since ktuned sell both intakes in that configuration.

[@SkyBlue-uh4pi]

you can expect a 3" CAI will be making a little bit less power when compared to the 3.5" version, right?

[@jayaskoo]

@@SkyBlue-uh4pi yeah but it would awesome to see it on the dyno.

[@Tonyk24]

loving the 8th gen vids! keep em up

[@CrackedDylMil]

Go test the K&N. It has a heat shield and uses the stock snorkel. I bet it outperforms the ktuned 3.5in short ram

[@arvinjami3992]

Was gonna say the same. The k&n intake is solid and I wish he tested

[@beatzzc1t]

No just no lol. Heat shield doesn’t actually deflect heat lol it traps it. And ktuned short ram faces our headlight so it gets “cooler” air. K&N legit faces our header, and other components that put out way to much heat.

[@arvinjami3992]

@@beatzzc1t so you check out his follow up vid? for a SRI the K&N wasn't as bad as everyone made it sound.

[@Jay-xg3pt]

Awesome vid man!

[@robertespinoza2740]

Did you leave it on stock tune when testing ?

[@WelshyAutomotive]

Looks like I'm now in the market for a 3.5 CAI for my car!

[@SkyBlue-uh4pi]

Hybrid Racing CAI is the best 3.5"

[@beatzzc1t]

@@SkyBlue-uh4pi no it isn’t lmao. Same shit as a Ktuned. IMO ktuned is better because I can switch it to a Short ram when need be in rain. That bypass shit that hybrid advertises doesn’t help a thing. Performance wise, they all make the SAME power as long as the CAI is 3.5”

[@SkyBlue-uh4pi]

@@beatzzc1t still the best 3.5" available on market in many people's opinion : )

[@vtecbanger3180]

@@SkyBlue-uh4pi so I’m in the market. Is there any solid info on best for power? I don’t daily my car and I’m in the mood to modify it

[@SkyBlue-uh4pi]

@@vtecbanger3180 check out hardmotion.com they have information of how to mod the 8th gen Civic Si : )

[@bonjouravecuns]

Love those comparision!

[@mecpello787]

Nice video. I have the stock airbox with a drop kn and the Mishimoto Intake hose.

[@yukonstriker1703]

@mecpello787 notice and difference with the Mishimoto induction hose?

[@blackterryknight]

I'm looking forward for the throttle body one. I want to up mine to a 72 or 74mm.

[@SkyBlue-uh4pi]

Nick, thank you for this informative video! I would like to ask you couple questions. 1. Does the valve cover breather filter works well with a boosted 8th gen? 2. What size is that black cap you used on the K-Tuned intake pipe and where did you get it? Thank you

[@BushWookie603]

That last test was wild haha

[@barron1122]

Could of made a cheap "ebay intake" with the spare piping as a comparison, good videos man keep it up! 💯

[@jeffjones6811]

Wonder would putting a velocity stack change anything?

[@leonidas7843]

Very interesting, new subscriber !

[@trevorthomas6043]

I would like to see if water-meth would make a difference,on a stock engine with intake

[@smtyson1650]

What I would like to see is how much difference it makes on a turbo car,that's running a upgraded intercooler

[@BunnyBUNGALO]

How does the stock box compare with a drop in intake

[@jp2246]

Love the content 👍

[@jvm5229]

Was the length of the long 3in intake similar to the k-tuned 3.5in? If they are no the same, then it would be interesting to see what effect that would make to have the 3.5in be longer. I would love to see a 80mm throttle from Maxbore in you next video comparison if you could get your hands on one. Thanks for the video comparisons!

[@gprime70]

not gonna lie the intake sticking outside the engine bay don't look that bad 🤣 Nice comparison video Nick

[@yukonstriker1703]

So basically, stock airbox is best, other than a dedicated CAI..

[@andrewdero6271]

Cold air intake is a way to go but it will fuck that motor once water gets in in it

[@03kwam65]

what would you recommend after an intake and exhaust ?

[@lindaover9764]

Kpro

[@randylee9267]

@@lindaover9764 LOL

[@Slvr2k]

Def the kpro and a race header

[@RDtestaaa]

Great job, thank you! 👍👍👍💪💪💪🙂🙂🙂

[@alfredoventura4727]

You didn't test the hybrid cold air intake

[@KaziImadRashid]

How did the k&n typhoon intake do?

[@chhantheman9553]

They say the less bend on the intake piping the better 🤔

[@shawnmarques7117]

U shuda did the knn instead of the aem for sure the knn is good for short ram has velocity stack. Good vid

[@MajorDeadline]

I wish I could have you tune my car. I’ve taken advantage of in the past. I have the hybrid intake for two years . Still in the box . Afraid to install it with out tune.

[@tuningbynick]

I can remotely tune your car for you so that you can finally get the benefits of that intake - If youre interested in that - Shoot me an email - [e-mail]

[@thegreatgabe5980]

Did you ever consider to swap the k24 in that car, that would be awesome to see, but I know the header clearance is the issue.

[@lindaover9764]

You just use a header for a k24 on civic rsx motor swaps. Problem solved

[@4EverSuzuki]

I would be interested to see if when you open up the intake plenum opening more if this messes with the resonance. Would you be willing to repeat the Ktuned 3.5 cold air and SRI test at this time?

[@kenny6186]

I'm using a K&N SRI in my FA5 SI...now I'm just wondering if the stock air box with K&N filter would perform better. Do you think the Stock one with K&N filter would perform like CAI?

[@tuningbynick]

I think the K&N would perform better then the stock box even with a drop in filter

[@Biturbo47]

Je comprends jamais pourquoi il y a 2 courbes ensuite 4 courbes etc. On ne sait pas quelle courbe correspond à l'admission installée

[@jesman1988]

Damn, I used to run an AEM SRI on my old fg2 :(

[@jaysontracybellamy1512]

yes I agree

[@harrycanes1]

Where are you located Nick?

[@tsx-itimjustlivinglife366]

Toronto best tuner in the city

[@jmendezgarage6787]

This was great info thanks I jus got a AEM intake for free and now I jus wanna throw it away 🤣🤣🤣 I knew it was bad but I didn’t think it was that bad

[@vladimirflores5570]

Do you know if i can use the hydrid racing cold air intake without hondata tune? Basically i want to know if i can use that hybrid racing CAI with the stock tune on a 8th gen civic si

[@hecks_k20_fa5]

Love my FA5

[@eddyjr0767]

which intake is better for a k24z7 with muffler skunk2 3 inch donwpipe skun2 hondata rbc and thother zdx

[@athaothao2880]

civic 8 gens air intake dyno tuned tuneup i-vtec

[@Meech1998]

are u going to do a 2 step setup

[@tuningbynick]

Yep - Definitely doing a 2 step video

[@thump3r]

i dont understand why people don't have shops make them custom cold air intakes for their cars.... seems like the cheapest way to make power.

[@chhantheman9553]

Vstack vs filter next please!

[@pepeshopping]

Nah, for the less than 10% gain with any of them, compare against stock!

[@AndresGarcia-wk8fp]

You should do a pop tune

[@tuningbynick]

If you want it i can definitely do a pop tune video as well

[@AndresGarcia-wk8fp]

@@tuningbynick yea man would be nice ktuned exhaust is always good with pop tune

[@totallynotfunny3579]

Nick where are you located at? City wise..

[@tuningbynick]

I’m in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

[@4bangermafia]

A little more knowledge on intake systems would of been better. My short ram setup will beat cold air setups. You live in Ontario canada with lower temperatures than me here in Dallas, TX. I just ran a datalog myself. With the car warmed up from being parked it was at 80 F. When I did just a mere 2nd to 3rd pull. It cooled itself back down to 77 F. And the ambient temps are in the mid 60's on that day. It's best to get the benefits of short ram and cold air. So I have ram induction that goes to my short ram but I still keep the filter in an open high pressure zone so it doesn't get seen as a "Cold air" by the engine. That's why mod for mod my K20 has beaten others and built more mid range torque than others.

[@paxsi2gdsm]

Hi, can you show me how you do your cold air intake version. I would like to know so I can do for mine too thanks.

[@tomroethke]

That’s awesome! Im out in colorado so i get worst of both worlds temp wise

[@Jaysdc5]

Do you have any base maps for fbo rsx type s?

[@tuningbynick]

I do - Shoot me an email and we can discuss - [e-mail]

[@vtecbanger3180]

Could you tell me is the j35 throttle body worth it for only bolt ons?

[@tuningbynick]

I will be making a video about that very soon

[@BruceLee-xp5fc]

I like the hybrid silicone intake , no fan boy

[@tuningbynick]

The silicone is a good material for preventing heat transfer

[@TshuajCL9]

are the AFRs affected at all?

[@tuningbynick]

They were slightly affected - On the least performing intakes the AFs went a bit richer because the engine isnt running as efficiently and cant use all the fuel that the better intakes allowed it to use - I can going to go into more depth on the AFs in one of the next videos

[@TshuajCL9]

I just been hearing alot of no u don't want that long 3inch cold air intake with velocity stack filter, short 3inch 45 degree with a velocity stack filter yield most hp. Gonna be finishing my car in spring and gonna get her tuned. Maybe I can have my tuner compare it too

[@ahs9583]

How much power would I be making with exhaust, intake and flash pro? My car is a civic si 2007 with k24a2 engine.

[@tuningbynick]

Honestly, there is no way to know exactly - If you havent already, you should really have it dyno tuned, it will make a huge difference and you'll know how much it makes. Let us know if you do

[@willmoua1]

Can you also do this for a b18c?

[@SkyBlue-uh4pi]

i think the theory will be the same for any engine. a 3.5" CAI will outperform any other types of intake.

[@willmoua1]

@@SkyBlue-uh4pi not necessarily. Being that the k series heads flow so well due to its architecture and larger valves and vtc give it huge gains with small little modifications. But some of us old skool guys would still like to see a comprehensive test shown for the older b series.

[@michaeltimmer3839]

Theory is big dense air and big fuel. That equals a massive bang inside the combustion chamber. The colder the air. The more potent of an afr you have

[@athaothao2880]

civic 8 gen air intake dyno tuned

[@eze8024]

All that scientific data about power is cool and all, but what about the most important thing? Which intake makes the the vtec crossover most audible? 🤣

[@straightupgutta]

hybrid racing has the best intake

[@williamlien8105]

I have theirs but I'm curious, what makes theirs the best?

[@beatzzc1t]

It’s the same thing lmao. If the CAI is 3.5” they all do the same shit.

[@alexmartinez3348]

@@beatzzc1tthat’s wat I was thinking, they all have very similar intake systems

[@alittlebitofdom]

Dang. Came here to see specifically the k&n 🥲🥹