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Don't get too jealous folks. This post is written by the new owner of a beautiful 01 EM2 Auto in INCA PEARL! It was a one owner (middle aged woman non smoker) who took it too the dealer for EVERYTHING. Typical Honda owner, Mitsu owners could learn a thing or a million from them

I could care less about the color because the payment is less than the money it would have cost me to drive my Cobra instead of it. Plus Since im the IT manager at my dealer I purchased it for a great price. Seriously though. I think on just about any other car this color would be ridiculous but on this car it actually fits and I like that I will likely never pull up to a stoplight and be sitting there next to another Inca Civic.

Now to my questions. I will apologize right off for posting this but after searching for nearly an hour (maybe I was just not looking in the right spot) I couldn't find all the info I needed. Hopefully I can get them all answered here.

This car is bone stock down to the Honda oil/paper air filter and im looking for a good intake. I have seen the offerings from Injen, AEM, K&N and even the weapon R (decent looking part except the hideous filter facade). They look basically the same as the eBay specials so unless there is something im missing, I cant see why they would be worth their 4x's as much price. Please enlighten me if there is any sound reasoning behind incurring the extra cost for the name brands.

Also it seems as if all of the intakes are aluminum. This doesn't make sense because of the heat soak a metal intake tube would experience over a plastic tube. Does anyone make a quality plastic intake or are there any DIY options out there?

Are there any DIY mods that one could/should make to their virgin EM2 that would increase power/mileage/drive ability/anything Honda messed up on?

Any other priceless bits of wisdom would be very appreciated and the Honda spirits would certainly shine down on you!

PS-Ill try to take some pics of this beauty tomorrow to convey what gem it really is.

Thanks!

 
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Welcome to the site. Aside from the AEM V2 intake, which supposedly uses a special design to force more air down it than any other SRI or CAI, there's no difference between a $300 Injen intake and a $30 ebay intake aside from the filter and a sticker on the pipe. Your right about the heat conductivity and they make heat sheilds to help correct that problem, although I would just wrap it in heat tape. One person on this site made his intake our of ABS plumbing pipe if your looking for a plastic option..

 
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I believe the K&N FIPK 2 and Iceman are plastic short ram options.

 
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Thanks for the quick response MB. Does the member related to the ABS intake make them or do they have a DIY on making one and do yo have a link for it?

Thanks.

 
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Sorry I didn't see your post. I think you are right about the K&N. I think all their (most of them anyway) are plastic. I'm not familiar with an Iceman. I will check it out.

Side note question. Is there any place I can find production numbers? Google was no help. I have to think that a EM2 optioned out like mine in this color would have to be a pretty rare combo. Relatively speaking since they sold a ton of civics this year im sure.

 
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You don't really need to worry about heat from the metal. You won't see any hp gains from a new plastic or metal intake. What is important however is the filter. The best option for a new intake is a cheap ebay intake (30$). Throw the ebay filter away and buy an AEM dryflow filter (40$, ebay) and for 70 dollars you basically have a brand name intake that breathes just as good.

Welcome to the forum! PICS!

 
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While I do agree that an intake will produce minimal gains on the D17, heatsoak and higher intake temps are detrimental to performance for all engines. HP and torque decreases significantly as the IAT sensor detects a dramatic rise in ambient air temperature caused by heatsoak. The car's on-board computer will lean out the A/F ratio, which in turn, adversely affects performance. Ever notice how your car tends to perform better on a cold night, as compared to a warm sunny day? A simplistic analogy, but you get the point. Anything you can do to reduce air temps will be beneficial to keeping what little performance D17s have ( i.e. heat wrap, shields, better construction materials, etc). I've even seen guys go as far as extending the wires of the IAT and relocating the sensor toward the front of their intake. This tricks the computer into sensing cooler ambient temperatures, which helps to maintain performance levels. Food for thought...

 
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Where in st.louis are you from? I'm from Lake St.Louis. Should have gotten a 5spd...

 
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I think my car runs better on warm days, and like crap in cold days personally... (Not intake related lol) I understand what your saying... I don't even understand why people put intakes on these cars to be honest.

 
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Other people will answer your question, i just wanted to say congrats on the car. And i think you're right on the inca pearl thing. But let's say it looks good on honda's.




mmm....

 
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where do i order?^

 
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Love the Incas. Congrats on the purchase.