I am a first time Mazda buyer. I am interested in adding a intake and exchange mod systems to my 2.0l mazda protege 5. Was trying to see if anyone has any recommendations. I am looking at the
AEM Short Ram Intake
http://www.autosportz.com/airintake_...m_shortram.htm
or the
Injen Air Intake
http://www.autosportz.com/airintake_...ivic_injen.htm

Has anyone out here installed either of these? I've never installed one and wasn't sure how hard a task it is.

Anyone regret buying these mods? My concern is spending around $500 and not seeing a difference.

Thanks in advance.

Sandman5

 

I have heard through autox circles that the Injen provides slightly better gains, at the expense of "pain in the ***" filter install/cleaning due to location. I do know that you DO NOT have to remove the front bumper fascia to install the filter like it says in the directions, you can drop the plastic inner fender liner to gain access. I have the Injen system, it gave me better mid-range throttle response, and of course more noise. It's about a 1/2 hour install, and cheapest i've seen is about $230.00 new. Anyone else have the AEM?Hope this helps out.

 

i just installed the AEM intake on my P5. it was very easy. throttle response has greatly improved makin it more fun to drive.. Technically it almost is a cold air cause the location of the air filter is down and away from the engine taking in air from the lower grills and underneath the car. ram airs are usually closer up near the engine takin in the warmer engine air...... for exhaust what kind of sound u looking for and do u want cat-back or axle-back???

 

You will not notice any huge gains from just an intake and exhuast..you will notice throttle response..

If you want to make some real hp..get a header into that mix..that should give you atleast 10hp!

G/Luck

Chas

P.S. i had an intake, exhuast & header..and the car was very fun to drive..but at the expense of it being louder than any civic on the road!

 

Thanks for the info guys.

In response to pr5guy :
I'm afraid I don't know the difference between a cat-back or axle-back system. Do you have a recommendation? I would prefer to have less noise if possible, I would prefer not to wake everyone up.

In response to acidbbg1:
Once again I'm going to show my ignorance and ask what is a header and most imporatantly can a "dummy" install this or does a professional need to.

I large my Mazda (don't we all) however I'm trying to "fix" the slow pickup of the car and at the same time try and gain some fuel miles. But of course, I still have a factory warranty that I would like not to void.

Once again guys, thanks for your time and input. It makes learning about this stuff fun and I can't wait to get my hands dirty.

 

the axle back exhaust is from the rear axle section to the muffler, the cat-back is the is the cat-converter back to the muffler. the catback is the best way to go if you want performance. if ur looking for and affordable one thats not loud at all just has a deep tone to it i would check out MEGANRACING.com i just installed there catback exhaust system on my car and its not loud at all just a really great deep tone and very easy to install only took an hour to bolt it right on! there are also other brands like greddy, racing beat, mazdaspeed, tanabe, JIC, and thermal

 

As already mentioned...axel back..is the from the rear axel back!
(I have one of these...just went to an exhuast shop w/ the an exhaust..they didn't charge much to install!)

The header wasn't easy...But can be done if you have patience..I had to install the header twice..once on my ride..and the 2nd on my boys ford probe 2.0L!

Any other questions..feel free to ask...i really didn't do much work on engines..until i purchased my protege5!

I have done everything..from nitrous to header and finally turbo!

Chas

 

acidbbg- what kind of headers do u have in ur Pr5??? who makes a good one i wanna do that next i think so i got full exhaust??

 

i no longer had a header on my car..i have a turbo manifold!

I used an obx header purhcased off of ebay!

It's worked ok..but had to fab a test pipe..to get it to mount past 2nd cat..also..had to weld a pieced of pipe so it would reach the egr valve!

Chas

 

sandaman:
as you can see, we all have our preferences, so i'll throw mine into the mix as well...i have the mazdaspeed axle-back, made by racing beat. the gains are minimal, but after modding the stock intake, there is a noticable difference in the throttle response. the exhaust itself isn't very loud, it's more of a mellow, deeper tone. i will be adding the aem sri hopefully sooner than later, because there really is not much difference in performance from the injen and the maintenance is easier.

 

If you are concerned about the warranty of your vehicle, be careful of the modifications you make. There are way too many stories about warranty issues not honored by the dealership because of modifications made, even though the mods may not have been a contributing factor. Even though the Magnuson-Moss Act is supposed to protect consumers who have made modifications, there is no real way to make it enforceable without a court of law.

For example, Mazda offers a Mazdaspeed aftermarket exhaust that you can purchase at the dealership. It is my understanding that if you have the dealer install the exhaust, the warranty will remain intact. If, however, you decide to install yourself or possibly elsewhere, the warranty on the exhaust is now null and void.

I think most dealerships are reasonable enough to accomodate certain modifications made; they may not raise a big stink if they see an CAI or an SRI and an aftermarket exhaust. It all depends on how big of a jerk they want to be. But if they start seeing bolt-ons, like a header, they may not honor the warranty if you start having problems with your mechanicals.

Just my .02.