Well, after having the cheap Ractive intake installed on my '99 Protege for just over a year I recently removed it and replaced the factory intake system to see if there was any torque difference.

Wow!

Anyone want a used Ractive intake custom fit for a 3rd Gen sedan?

 

The Ractive intake usually yields a benefit at high rpms. Low rpm torque suffers alot since the flow of air through the large diameter piping is too slow.

I went back to the stock intake one year ago, and since then, the car has been nice and smooth.

 

It didn't make much sense for me since this is a daily driver - it does not spend a lot of time at high RPMs...

The throttle reponse was quick, but I was tired of having to bring the RPMs so high just to get going.

 

A KN drop in may also yield higher throttle response without sacrificing low end torque.

 

That's what I did. After I put the exhaust on I found it was loud enough. Put k&n filter in and it definitely has more power above 4k. Still has some pull of the line too.

-Sp

 

Most aftermarket intake will only benefit at the high end but not low end, in fact it kills the low end a little bit. Since I added my AEM SRI i did feel a little loss at low end but at 4000rpm and up I can feel it much smoother and maybe a little bit of power. Too bad w/ cant advance our timing manually ( instead of MP3 chip) a bit just like in my Miatas....

 

When I had my stock intake on with a K&N, during heavy acceleration, I noticed a flat spot around 5K. It disappeared when I replaced it with a K&N Typhoon full length system. When I did so, I also noticed a drop in torque. Now this may sound gimmicky to some of you, but it has worked on 3 of my other vehicles (my 99 pro, a 99 neon, and a 2001 tribute). I purchased a Tornado Air Management System, and my torque is back with even better throttle response. Some people think they are useless, but I record my gas mileage tank by tank (I even know which gas station's gas works the best) and getting one is worth the gas mileage increase alone.

Just my 2 cents, but 460mi+ a tank speaks for itself...

 

My factory airbox does have a K&N in it. It's pretty rare that I would ever get to 5K though... 4K is about tops.

 

I am seriously considering the purchase of a tornado air saver and was wondering where and how much? Ive seen them online for $50-$60 but on ebay ive seen them for quite a bit cheaper. i had a civic that averaged 44 mpg and i want to get back to that number. anyway, any info on the subject is greatly appreciated.

 

No no no, don't waste your money. If you want better gas mileage, shift earlier, don't get on the gas as hard, and watch your driving habits. the Tornadoe won't help at all. Its a gimmick. Modding your car isn't the best way to get better gas mileage either.

 

i kind of gave up on that tornado deal. and i also decided that i dont really care about gas mileage either. i will just drive normal, no racing, and enjoy the mazda how it is. then i might hit it with an intake and exhaust. thanx

 

Remember that the full intake track length of the that Mr. Mazda designed is about 44" roughly which is how your torque curve is built up if you screw with that in anyway it will affect the car

Short intake means you will lose low end torque etc..

the injen intake is great because of (yes cold air) and the length of the intake aswell

The noise that people keep on about is mainly due to you removing the old air box etc.. sound deadening blah blah not from the actual filter itself

Sorry if this has already come up but im new here and just wanna help out

Ill get my coat

 

I've got an idea for the P5.

Cut off everything in front of the filter box, and using PVC piping fabricate and a tube that goes down into that hole beside the engine coolant overflow tank, into the fenderwell for cool air.

That way you keep the stock filter box but have a CAI. You think it might work?

 

master,

Providing cold air to the stock air box is a good idea but removing the tube that hangs down in front of the air box is not. This tube acts as a Helmholtz resonator whose function is to increase and maintain low-speed torque. It's primarily the removal of this resonator that causes the loss of low-speed torque often reported by those who switch to SRI or CAI systems.

 

OK, I know what a Helmholtz resonator is, but how exactly does it increase low-end torque?

For an intake tube, the air velocity going through does affect the torque curve but this can be changed by varying the length and diameter of the tube and not need a resonator at all. The reason why aftermarket CAI don't work well is because they use piping that is too large in diameter and the intake air is going too slow.

My Oldsmobile Alero does not have a resonator and there's an abundance of torque available (granted it is a 3400 V6). For that car, I installed a 2.5" CAI and I get MORE low-end torque.