Opinions over the intake & exh. systems?

[Kakkyo]

As far as intakes go... What is the best recommendation out there for aftermarket intakes? I know about the RB, FM, Monster Flow, AEM, and the K&N units. Which intake is the best bang for the buck?

I have been seriously looking in to getting a Racing Beat Power Pulse system for a while, is the exhaust pretty good? I know that there are other choices out there, but I am looking to keep my car as close to stock looking as possible. Opinions on other exhaust systems are more than welcome!

I'm not going to be buying anytime soon, so there's no rush for me in my decision. Is it a good system or should I wait and hobble up money & look into the RB Dual Tip system?

[Billy Blaze]

I just swapped out a generic cone styled intake for a Monstaer Flow and can tell a marked difference in performance, but a small one.
The Roadster Sport 3 Muffler is what I am using and I looked at many units but really liked the sound of it...it's got a deep growl, however since I have bought mine I have a seen a few instances where people have bought the Roadster Sport 3 and claim the welds have given in places.
Might wanna look at long term reviews.
Also there are places where you can listen to the exhaust note of different mufflers but I forgot where I found it on the net, a search might yeild that info.
Happy Hunting!!

[Kakkyo]

The Monster Flow one looks like a solid unit though, I can say that much.

A set of sound clips would be very helpful, I'll probably Google around or something.

In regards to the Roadster Sport 3, I have heard the same about the welds giving on some places. I am some fears about getting one from that one reason.

[altiain]

I just swapped out a generic cone styled intake for a Monstaer Flow and can tell a marked difference in performance, but a small one.

You must have a pretty finely tuned butt-dyno.

FWIW kakkyo, most of the aftermarket intakes have, by themself, been shown to have little impact on rwhp.

As for butt dynos - they are notoriously inaccurate. FWIW, when I pulled my axle-back exhaust section entirely, the car sure "felt" faster (due entirely to the fact that it sounded a lot louder and more aggressive)... but back-to-back dyno runs showed that in reality I'd lost over 5whp and 5 ft-lbs of torque.

In other words, don't believe anyone when they tell you they felt a noticeable improvement on these cars from any one single bolt-on part... unless they've got some dyno graphs to back it up. It's not that they're trying to deceive you - it's just that most people aren't calibrated to notice a 2, 3, or even 10whp difference. They just aren't that sensitive. However, they will notice a 5 decibel gain in intake volume, and they'll usually associate that additional noise with more power... even though the dyno typically won't agree with them.

My experience with these cars is that an intake, exhaust and header combined on the '99+ cars might yield 10-15whp. On the '99+ cars, the real restriction is the exhaust manifold. Unfortunately, typical bolt-ons really don't add much to the '99+ cars in terms of power, especially when you factor in the cost.

[BAM!]

- it's just that most people aren't calibrated to notice a 2, 3, or even 10whp difference.

i think i can... as 10% increase for my car- WATCH OUT!

[Kakkyo]

altiain: Very good points on the arguements, I am pretty much trying to weed out unnecessary spending as much as possible. On a side note, I wouldn't know if that qualifies me as being a Team Cheap Bastard apprentice... LOL! I basically want the cheapest solutions in addition to being reliable solutions for that measly 10 - 15 HP.

Keep the insights rolling, the more I learn... the more things that are dispelled from the pool of rumors and butt dynos.

[POS Racing]

I's skip the intake for now and just get the exhaust, the exhaust note has to be worth 10 butt dyno horse power!

I have the Enthusa Exhaust on both our NB's although I'm thinking about getting a RoadsterSport3 for my '99.

[Billy Blaze]

Just to Clarify, when I said I could tell a marked difference in performance, from the generic cone filter to the Monster Flow ...I meant in throttle response.
I have a little over 10K on my Roadster Sport 3 and it's not broken any welds yet, so I am hoping for the best.
As far as horsepower, from what In have read and been told....the real horsepower comes from forced induction either Super Charged or Turbo.
Most people I have talked to recomended making the suspension better first.

[riverracer]

I have the RoadsterSport3...The sound is great and my "Butt Dyno" rated it high.
Jerry

[Miatamoto]

Since you've got a '99 you may want to look into a header. I just installed a X-tune header that I bought off of Ebay for $75. It's stainless steel and would definitely be an improvement over the stock manifold.

Check out my CSP buildup, there are some pics there:
http://forums.dfwmiata.com/showthrea...1575#post51575

[Kakkyo]

Yeah, suspension comes first for me, there's pretty much no disputing on that. I am just curious on the basic I/H/E stuff as that's after the suspension mods.

Billy Blaze: Yeah, FI is really the big power maker. That won't be until much later for me... Once bill begin to shrink, that is.

[Majik]

You might hang on for a little while. I have a fealing I am going to have a racing beat 4-2-1 header for sale sometime this winter...

[blackzx3_13]

You might hang on for a little while. I have a fealing I am going to have a racing beat 4-2-1 header for sale sometime this winter...

Would the possible for sale list also include a CSP spec suspension?

[altiain]

Would the possible for sale list also include a CSP spec suspension?

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have a car to install it on first?

[Treibenschnell]

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have a car to install it on first?

Ouch...


But then again, mine's in pieces...

[Kakkyo]

I think I'll agree with Bean... ouch...