rhannahs19

hey guys

i want to start modding my 2008 tsx a/t navi. i would really love the engine to have a deeper growl i guess is best to describe it. but i'd also like to see some performance gains, even if they are very small.

so here's the deal, i am stuck between the ct ice box, or an injen short ram. the reason i perfer the sri is because i live in virginia beach, and we have a problem with the roads severely flooding occasionally. that is why i think a sri is better than a cai.

i know i will see more gains in the lower rpms with the sri, but isnt that where most people do their driving?

let me know your suggestions, or other ideas. thanks guys

rhannahs19

currently i am undecided between the two

i perfer/think sri is better than cai for my case

sorry i cant edit posts yet

renedcruz

iTrader: (8)

I have a SRI and I absolutely love it! It makes the engine sound more aggressive and it definitely gives the car a bit more of a punch. I had it installed with my Magnaflow exhaust setup and my car sounds killer. I would definitely recommend the SRI.

rhannahs19

awesome thanks, what sri do you have?

renedcruz

iTrader: (8)

I bought a 'HPS' SRI. IMO, it's not worth buying an intake made by AEM or Injen because you're really paying for their name. I bought the 'HPS' SRI on Ebay for $190 shipped and it's been great so far. Those other intake companies are asking close to $300! That's asking a bit to much when I can just get one for considerably less and it performs the same function! Just my ....

GWEEDOspeedo

If you're willing to spend around $200, go for the CAI, but you can spend under $60 on a SRI if you want to do it yourself.

curls

I'd go for the Icebox over a SRI any day of the week.

rhannahs19

there is always a lot of water on the road in virginia beach unfortunately. until they fix the roads, i think a sri would be a better option than a cai.

that being said, i am undecided between a sri and the ice box. i have been hearing that the ice box provides better performance throughout all rpms.

does the ice box sound nice?

would i need to remove the resonator if i installed a sri?

thanks guys

rhannahs19

also, will either modification void my warrenty? my car just went over 30k, and i still have 20k miles/3 years left i believe

CarbonGray Earl

I think about it this way....is it going to be your one and only mod? Then get an SRI. You get sound, value, etc.

It is going to be the first of many mods that specifically help breathing (I/H/C/E or reflash)? Then do the icebox (or the DIY icebox if you want to save money), because your engine can utilize the added air.

I don't think gains difference between an SRI or CAI are enough to make them a deciding factor, IMHO ...if the intake mod is your only thing, I'd worry more about how it sounds and pay less attention to any slight power increase.

rhannahs19

an intake will like be my only performance mod.

i really would just like to get a decent sound from my engine, nothing to intense, but a nice growl would be great.

will the icebox produce that?

thanks everyone for all your help

CarbonGray Earl

Its a little more subdued to be honest. Its louder than stock, but the SRI is much more so.

What the SRI gives you is choice, IMO. You can drive it slowly and not hear a thing. However, if you jump on it, you can scare women and children in tunnels if that's your thing.

The Icebox doesn't really do that. Its like stock, albeit with some more bassy undertones, but it doesn't jump up in sound like an open filter element. I just took mine out for a spirited drive, and its definitely more 'contained' in sound than an open filter like an SRI or a CAI with a cone filter. Its loud relative to stock, but it isn't loud really. IMO, its more refined, yet aggressive.

rhannahs19

thanks, so the ice box will give better all around gains?

and will either void my warrenty? thanks again

CarbonGray Earl

Best I could do for you:

no dynos, but sorta the same discussion:

http://www.jdmlove.org/reviews/intak...sp1431-intake/

dynos showing injen vs. comptech vs. stock (scroll down the page)

http://www./forums/showthread.php?t=35087

I don't vouch for the dynos since I don't know the situational aspects of it, but its the best you're probably gonna get in terms of a gains comparison.

FWIW, I love the Icebox. Its a good compromise between an outright CAI and the stock airbox. Its a nice subtle change in sound, more air volume, opened my car up for other breathing mods, and is as easy to maintain as a drop in K&N filter. There's value in a well made product like that, IMO.

EuRTSX

I just purchased my icebox. Can't wait to put mine in.

renedcruz

iTrader: (8)

I was also considering buying a CT Icebox but a friend told me that a SRI would sound better so I took his word for it and I'm not disappointed. The TSX sounds wimpy stock so I decided to get an intake and replace my exhaust like I said before, and it sounds AMAZING. Like 'CarbonGray Earl' said, when you're driving normal you can't even tell but when you step on it, it sounds like a man's car! LOL... As for getting a CAI, around where I live, we get some pretty strong rain and suffer from some flooding so I'm not willing to take the chance of getting water in my engine. Regardless of what you get though, it will be a great mod.

CarbonGray Earl

That second link was filtered, but its a dyno that was originally posted on AZ by a guy named Asahi. I can't find it on here anymore, the pics are gone.

The AZ version is here: https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-performance-parts-modifications-126/dyno-tests-projects-660754/ The discussion is still present.

The dynos were reposted at the second link I posted at drive accord dot net if you'd like to look.

rhannahs19

thanks guys, i think for the time being, i'm going to get a sri, possibly even just build my own. im taking my car to the dealership tmrw and i will ask them if that will void my warranty

curls

It can only void your warranty if the failure can be DIRECTLY attributed to the non-OEM part. Look up Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuso...s_Warranty_Act

StealthTSX

An aftermarket air intake system would definitely void any engine or powertrain warranty. That's the chance we take.

If you do a DIY CAI & swap out the K&N air filter for a stock filter before you take it to a dealer. They wouldn't notice the missing resonator unless they went looking for it.

IMO, if you can't afford to be without an engine warranty or you are worried about your warranty, you should not be modifying your car in any way at all.

curls

Sorry, but you're wrong.

I had my engine replaced, under warranty here in Canada where we don't even have the Act that protects consumers like the Americans do. I had the Injen CAI on my car then, and a short shifter (both of which they noticed but paid no attention to them once I said "how did a CAI cause my car to burn oil?". Since they had no logical answer (and there isn't an answer that points to the CAI causing oil burning), I had no problems with the warranty work.

Now had I went in for a faulty throttle plate or something like that... I could see them denying the warranty because of the CAI. Or if I tried getting the right-rear lower control arm replaced under the TSB under warranty, but I was lowered. I'd have no problem if they denied that warranty as it can be attributed to the aftermarket parts.

StealthTSX

Wow Curls,

IMO, you were incredibly lucky to get warranty coverage with an aftermarket air filter.

In the Mustang & light truck diesel, a simple K&N drop in filter can void your engine warranty. It's a common story in those platforms.
In the early 2000's, Dodge even released a TSB that any Fram oil filter found on a Dodge Cummins diesel would immediately void the engine warranty.
Even simple gauges installed in a diesel truck can void the engine warranty.
There are numerous factory Tech bulletins released to Ford, GM & Chrysler techs, advising how to look for after-market programming in the ECM when the customer is looking for engine warranty.


An aftermarket air filter can filter dirt less than a factory paper filter. K & N for example. This extra dirt can cause wear on the valve seats & the piston rings which can certainly cause the engine to burn oil after many miles. It's called "dusting" the engine. Dust/dirt is getting in the cylinders.

Perhaps Acura is much more generous with warranty than the American manufacturers but I still stand by my statement that any mods can void your warranty.


Not meaning to sound argumentative, just my experiences & thoughts.

CarbonGray Earl

^^I think its a manufacturer/company specific thing, as you've alluded to. I've haven't heard of many instances in the honda/acura world where a K&N filter will void a powertrain warranty.

With regards to anything CT-Engineering or Comptech, Comptech was once tied to Acura enough that a component from them would not void a warranty.

I got my Comptech Icebox and Header from an Acura dealership....doesn't mean much now, but it gave me some peace of mind that it wouldn't void my warranty.

curls

StealthTSX... I agree that with a halfway competent lawyer, any company can get out of honouring a warranty for reasons of aftermarket parts. Sure, it's happened before!

But in my experience all it took was a little professionalism when dealing with them, some technical knowledge to present my case to them, and a built-up decent amount of mutual respect between me and the service/parts department at my dealership.

I could see them denying someone else with the exact problem I had if that person had just showed up one day and demanded a new engine, started acting rude, or started putting up a fuss in the showroom.

Yes, mods can void the warranty. But a smart company will be able to tell what battles are worth fighting. IE: If they were to have denied my warranty, they know there would be know way in hell that I would buy another Acura or Honda product, let alone one from them! But having honoured my warranty within reasonable expectations, they won me as a customer, and I think they knew that going into the warranty discussions with the service manager and the operations manager, as well as the regional manager. Just this past year I bought another Honda product as I was treated well by Honda/Acura in the past. My wife's 3-year old Odyssey (new to us) had some rust on the B-pillar, and a Honda dealership owned by the same person as my Acura dealer, had NO PROBLEM fixing that under the 8-year rust perforation warranty (even though it wasn't really perforated as it was underneath the black 3M vinyl sticker that covers our B-pillars as well as the B-pillars on the Ody).

Warranties keep customers!

rhannahs19

dealership said an intake would not void the warranty, but something like replacing the headers likely would

Adrian3360

just bought a used AEM SRI for 160 works great!

petertuna

An SRI is definitely louder, and it is probably the easiest mod to increase sound. Another think you will notice after installing a SRI is the throttle response, it is much quicker since there is a open air element allowing your engine to breath freely. If you want it even louder, take out the intake resonator. It is annoying to take out, but the intake will sound even louder since there is more space for sound to travel. A CAI/IceBox would definitely show more gains, since colder air is more dense and allows for better performance, but a CAI will not be as loud as an SRI since the filter is right out in the open of the engine bay.

SeaJay

Removing the resonator and putting in a high flow filter is basically the poor mans Icebox.
The SRI totally bypasses the resonator, which is located by the wheel

blksi02

That is a good Point