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Aight, so i finally got a car that i want to mod, and i need some advice and help

First thing i want to do is put in a cold air intake (pretty basic).

Does it really matter which brand i buy, cause i was looking on ebay at some stuff and they range from like 40 bucks to like 400, a lot of my buddies have an AEM and that is what i was looking at but they are expensive, will i get the same preformace out of a lesser brand or not.

Help me out......

 
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First of all, welcome.

There's quite a few members here running an eBay intake with a good filter. You'll no doubt see a large debate shortly after this post about the money saved vs. quality vs. just buying the brand-name to start with.

In my opinion only:
Generally speaking, piping is piping, and won't differ too much between brands. The eBay intakes will likely be thinner material and will cause your intake temperatures to be a little higher than with a big-brand - but even the off-brands have gotten better. On the really cheap end of things, you might have fitment problems as well - but again, off-brands have improved since 2001.

Don't expect the world from an intake either - you'll get a nice sound, but maybe 1-2hp increase at the top end. You definitely won't get the "5-10hp increase!!!!1!11!" that eBay sellers will claim.

And to throw in an edit - if you live in an area with a lot of water, consider getting a CAI that can convert to a short-ram for winter or the rainy season.

 
Rep Power: 246

its all in the filter, pipe is pipe. And like he said you will get 1-2hp max at the top end but it sounds cool.