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example:::Generic $50.00 Intake or $250 AEM intake

-Generic is made to fit your car with a no name filter

-AEM is Researched and Tested by REAL engineers that get paid to do the research and comes with a K&N filter"

AND YES..sometimes there are exceptions!

but at the end... your paying the BIG BUCKS for a product that is researched ,tested and standard Quality....

put it this way... Are you gonna buy RACTIVE seats for $600 a pair just so you can say
"I have seats!!!"

or

BRIDE seats for $2500.00 that the REAL DRIFTERS in the D1 series that has been engineered for real comfort and stability..



So is cheap really the way to go???

 
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if the quality of the product is worth it to u then yes get the real thing..if its something that the result is the same as u got a real thing then go ahead and get a replica.

engine stuff u should most likely use name brand stuff..for othjer stuff if the replica is good neough might as well get that

 
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that is a good question. IMO for anything having to do with your engine, cheap is definitly not the way to go. $30 generic intake will look ok but make your car starve for air. i once heard that for every gallon of gas the engine needs somthing like 5 pounds of air, (correct me if i am wrong). to me performance parts are ment to perform better than stock, "Performance"

As for styling, cheap way is ok. but i dont understand why people swap out bumpers for a non painted kit that looks worse than stock.

either way, expensive parts always have resell value, even a few years from now.

 
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CF hoods--I've seen cheap CF hoods not fit right so it has to have hood pins and a guy to install it... with all that money spent on those things it's more worth it to go name brand hoods that FIT properly and reliable

Molded Body Kits-- I've seen some bad ones out there even my girlfriend can tell if its a MOLD or the real thing

I have a generic intake, I'll admit but thats cause when i got it there were'nt many if NONE out there... but for next season Im switching

I also assume it depends on HOW SERIOUS you are in the scene ...

 
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Well I know if I had the money to buy everything that had a brand name stamped on it, then I would but sometimes you just can't afford it.

I had a couple of no named stuff on my car ie. front upper strut bar, and muffler but that's only because I couldn't afford the Neuspeed Strut and HKS exhaust at the time. I now have the HKS Hi Power but if I could do it again, I would still buy the "Generic Brand". I still have my Generic Upper Strut and I love it. I think it works great.

Sometimes you're just paying for the name but other times you're not. I say get what you can afford.

 
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true $$$$ is a factor

 
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Money is usually a factor, true.. But I think when it comes to ENGINE modifications, I'd personally rather go with the name brand stuff. Simply because it's tested for one thing, and because in my opinion, you're not paying for the name, but you're paying for the design and creation. Stuff that will benefit engine performance to me should be name brand.. For our cars, exhausts have been tested and stuff and there arren't really any beneficial exhausts out there where you really get the 'bang for the buck'. I was biased towards cat-backs only before, but like I said, for our cars, you might as well just get the muffler because the cat-backs are SO much more expencive.

As for suspension stuff, I'm sure a generic upper strut bar will be pretty close to going all out for a name brand one. I think if you were to redo your entire suspension, it'd be best to go with name brand stuff. Like Big has the Progress stuff and LOVES it. I'm sure if you were to go no-name on that stuff, you wouldn't benefit from it as much.

Sorry, that was alot of talking! Not sure if it made sense either.

 
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Performance/engine/suspension - I buy brand name
Styling/lighting (by this i mean my neons, etc) - cheap, cos no one knows the diff.

 
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FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TELLY!!!! NICE AVATAR...


hmm....
a question directed to you guys who've seen my car....
the bodykit on my car... real or replica? lol


dont forget to mention, the people that work on your cars... (pay for labour?)
some do crappy jobs, some do great jobs.... i've yet to see a car w/ a good lambo hinge work.
ie. nitehawk does the sweetest jobs on graphics!!! (very recommended)

maxmotorsport: ... satisfactory job.
speedtech: ... slightly better than maxmotorsport.


flippedout's final thoughts:
always do your research.

 
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I have had 3 different intakes...
1.Stock
2.AEM CAI
3 K & N FIPK II

The K & N is not as pretty as AEM, but it consistantly dropped my 1/4 mile times .2 - .3
seconds.

So you have to factor in looks as well....I got because of performance

 
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Looks definately a factor... but when it comes to the decision on look vs. performance... i'd go with Performance

 
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Thanks for the compliment - I like that avatar very much myself....

If I had gotten a REAL C-West lip for my car I wouldn't have been able to mod it on without some SERIOUS work....polyurethane is where it's at baby!
I agree - do research and get references on any shop workin on your car! I myself do MOST of my work, mostly cause I'm cheap, but also because I want to be a part of every little detail in my baby, and know what went into and (more importantly) what came OUT of the car.
I'm SO goin to nitehawk for my grafx next season! After seeing his car up close, I'm all over his work like vicLX on bomba movies!

 
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Ehhhh...I guess it depends on what is important to you. Is an AEM intake better than a generic one? Yes it is. But I don't think it's worth the extra money to get .001 more HP. If money was no object then lets face it....we probably wouldn't have bought a civic in the first place. I'm looking for bang for the buck. A generic tie bar will perform the same as a DC. Your paying for the research. If you wish to spend extra money for something that works just as good as the cheaper one..then go ahead.
Do your homework and get whats best for your needs. Remember that those expensive Tommy Hilfigger jeans are sold to JC pennys with out the tag for much much less. Brand name doesnt always = better quality.

 
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Flipped out's a horny guy. lol

And Max Motorsports has some high prices. Speedtech has some better prices.
If you're going to do it.. do it RIGHT with name brand stuff...

I went to Altech Performance on Weston Rd to get some stuff installed.. they do a really good job..
I was there when Toronto had the big blackout... The blackout hit and they had no electricity and lights to install my stuff.. but they still did a really good job. They fired up one of those diesel Honda generators

 
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y not do everything yourself and save that money for better mods?

 
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Oh vicLX, I meant to comment on your original statement but I passed out on my keyboard again last night...
With regards to
What about reverse-engineered knock-offs? Sure some of them are crap, but maybe some people out there have bought a $100 AEM-knock-off and added a K&N filter, and who's to say that it's not as good? At this point cost is less because you're not paying someone to do the physics and the CAD and the blah blah blah....you're just paying someone to match each measurement and detail, right? Just a thought, I don't think this is CORRECT per se, but it COULD be, right?

 
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^ absolutely, if the dimeter and bends on the pipe are the same, with the same filter, there wouldn't be any difference. But most people just need the name, they don't really know anything about performance anyway.

 
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Doing it "RIGHT" means doing your research and buying whats best..regardless of what name is on it. People who ONLY buy name brand stuff are throwing thier money away.

 
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no difference with brand name to generic for some things. ie. an intake is and intake...same size tubing...same basic bends...same basic position in the engine bay...same type of filter. Same with struts and mufflers/cat-backs. Custom tubing is just as good if you use the same materials and the same bends.

I've raced identical cars with my generic CAI and had similiar E/T's everytime. The extra 200 bucks you spend on a "brand" is all to waste...its just another sticker.

 
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some metals conduct more heat than others.... some struts use weakr metals.... you cant say just cause it looks the same ..doesnt mean it gonna werk the same .... a member here bought generic rear struts that BENDED the next day he installed it...

if there all the same i dont see guys in D1 or in the "SCENE" using cheap generic stuff.....

wouldnt you think HONDA wouldnt bother with MUGEN if they can copy the bends of the piping and get the same filter!!!

and if there all the same how come AEM and INJEN produde different HP number increase' ... so technically an INTAKE is NOT JUST another intake


and ALSO a 13 Lbs 16 inch Spoon Rims for $2000 (No Rubber) is equal to a HEAVY IMMITATIONS for $750 ...

METAL is not just metal!!!!!!

 
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Doing it right does not include buying a generic air filter that was not working properly and having the intake take air from the breather hose

Didn't somebody have a problem like that because he bought a generic filter and it wasn't taking ANY air in?

Would you trust Home Depot brand springs or Eibach brand springs?

 
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hahaha.. yeah.. u pay the extra cash to get the very best... hehe...
i for one am a name brand HOG!!......
as for the intake... i pretty much got a generic short ram.. cuz it was a cheap ..and basically a gift... if u think about it.. but the K&N filter on it..that i got for it.. is HUGE haha...

 
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If I researched an found that Home depot spring were the same as Eibach springs…then yes I would buy them. The key here is RESEARCHING and by that I don't mean posting a thread and asking " what’s the best spring or intake for my car" I mean seriously researching. If you want to only buy name brand…that’s fine...your choice. But name brand and expensive is not always better...case in point...AEM V2. Do your research…and buy the best…not what advertising has told you is the best.

 
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so your telling me that your gonna get the same spring as Home Depot cause its the same .....

theres more to it than hving the same material... theres compression rate... fitment for different car applications and more...

if your gonna buy springs from home Depot... why dont you just save your money and CUT your springs

 
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struts are a bit different than intakes. intakes are just friggen metal tubes with filters on them. the bends between different models cause the difference in performance. And BTW how much horsepower do you expect would be lost due to "some metals conduct more heat than others"??? The difference would be neglegable unless your pushing 300 hp and every bit counts.

and "why do you see D1 guys with Brand names".....simple...cause they're payed to use them. APC is a brand....APC has its parts on Drag Imports...does that mean that it's production line parts are any better??? Honda bothers with Mugen cuase some people will buy anything with a name attached. Ohhh its Sparco...it must be good. Not the case. I buy names.....i have no problems with brands...but for intakes and exhausts you can mimic their product for half the cost. same bends....same materials...same lenght and basic location. same difference.

AEM and INJEN are NOT the same...they have different bends and locate the filter to different spots in the engine bay. But my redline intake is a copy of AEM and i'd bet a 100 bucks its within .2 horse and torque of the AEM model. And my intake cost me 100 bucks.....the 200 + i saved went to my momo shift **** and some interior paint. I think for the cost of 1 brand intake and instead i picked up a generic, a momo ****, and interior paint..i did pretty good.
Bolt-ons dont make a big difference on our cars at all...whats a I/H/E gunna gain you...maybe 5 or 6 horse. So with your brand names you're 1000+ in the whole.

So now I ask YOU......Is it worth it???

 
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does the shifter and interior paint help your time too? ask yourself that...

hey I made my decision so dont ask me..... I put the post up to see other ppls opinions...

yeah all those sick a$$ JDM cars dont promote companies like R*****E and A*C pruducts....

why??

those cars use those products like MUGEN, Spoon and JUN cause there the best at what they do...

bottom line...

someone from this site bought a $10 dollar filter... due to this cheap filter he had problems with his car and had to have it fixed...
if a person would've shelled out the EXTRA $$$ for a reliable intake this would've never happend!

ASK YOURSELF
20 LBS Spoon IMMITATION rims for $700

0r

13 LBS REAL SPOON rims fro $2000??

 
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vicLX is right... don't forget also.. that 7 pound difference x 4 wheels == 28 pounds.. 28 pounds spinning is a lot of added weight.. I don't know the exact physics equation for it.. but you're looking at a lot more than 28 pounds

 
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all are right, brand name have it's benefits, but NOT always the best, just woke up, cant think, one example is dc headers compare any other headers for our car, another example is strut bars, generic strut bar SUCK, name brand is the way to go unless u can custom make, and i think unsprung weight is X 4

 
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no my shifter and paint dont help my performance..but they make it look better. You have your opinion i have mine. I'll i can say is if you are ok with spending 300+ on an AEM instead of 100 on a copy of it..same bends and same lenght..than thats your own choice. Buy your name brands and enjoy them. I'll just spend my money more wisely with a mix of the both. Anyways..i did some research and my intake is made of the exact same stuff that AEM's is.

BTW.....those "sick *** JDM cars" dont use APC and Ractive because those brands arent as big over there.....people go where the money is...if the best D1 driver was approached by Vibrant with a massive contract...he'd accept. Lisa Kuba drives for APC...does that mean her cars sucks. No....does that mean that APC's production stuff is good......NO......just be wise and spend your money as you see fit. Even if some of it is going to just a NAME. If you feel comfortable getting suckered out of your money thats fine with me.

BTW again....the spoon knockoffs would be fine if you arent going for performance...cause not everyone does....

 
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I myself bought name brand spoon sports 15" mags at almost 2g, I like and I trust the spoon name for all there R&D my friend bought 15" rota slipstreams and even though they look identical you can tell the difference in quality. I have yet to dent them yet and my friend already has a couple dents in them is that because of the manufacturer (sp?) or the driver? I think name brand just puts more ppl to ease and also the fact that most brand names come with warranties and knock off don't. Also there's the fact that imo you get more respect with brand names but to some who gives a s*** about what others think. I just go by the saying you get what you pay for, and I also agree research is a big part in all your mods.