Hey guys im in the market for a CAI and not sure which one to buy...? What do you guys rock and how do you like it? would you stay away from a certain one?

1. Alta CAI

2. DDM works CAI

3. M7 Super-AGS

4. DIY

5 K&N or Cone (foam) filter

Thanks alot guys !!!!

 

First off I would post up what car you have.. Non s, S.. There is a difference .

For me, I have an '03 r50 (base non s) and I went with the Injen Intake from Moss Mini and I am currently in the development of a box to make it a CAI.. I guess itll be a "Hybrid"

Injen CAI + Custom box... hmmm...

Personal pref, I would stay away from K&N. My buddy had a K&N on his truck and there intake was designed poorly and a bolt got sucked into his head and destroyed his engine (they paid for a new one, but I would still be Leary) plus I like to stay with companies that pertain to a small amount of cars.

I think there designed better if the company only deals wit 5 or so cars. Unlike K&N who has to have an intake on every car.

 

Alta since you posted this in the correct forum

 

I have a MCS can't decide which CAI to go with!!!

 

I've heard a lot of good things about the DDM Works CAI but I have a JCW CAI on my R52 so I can't give you
any personal advice other than what others in our group have said about their R56's with the DDM Works CAI.

 

mnimule,
I'd go with either the Alta or the DDMWorks. The Alta replaces the whole OEM box and costs about $90 more. The DDMWorks uses the bottom portion of the OEM intake with a bracket to hold the filter and hoses. Take a look at both, figure out which one you like better, and buy it.

 

Hi there,

I have the DDM Works street intake, the one that cost 189.00.
Honestly, I love it, and it accomplishes the very same thing as all the others.
To be further honest, I really do love the design and looks of the Alta, the Red color and also the little bit more established name add to it, but, I'm a college student, and I really saw ZERO point in paying extra money for the exact same thing, in essence, opening up the air box. Both give the same wonderful access to turbine sound, and some performance (though I really don't notice the performance, of course, it IS only an intake..)

My suggestion, go with the DDM, it's really fine quality, fits perfectly, and sounds unbelievable. You won't be disappointed.

 

I've sold and installed several DDMworks R56 intakes and been very happy with them. They fit great, sound great and even make some power.

DDM intakes HERE

 

would it make sense to get the DDM street intake and combine that with the DDM ram air scoop that attaches to the hood?

it seems that anything that directs more cold air to the filter cant hurt.

although the gains might be minimal and i wonder whether the gains would outweigh the cost of the ram air scoop.

any thoughts?



also, does the street intake have an opening on the bottom of the box that uses the stock intake port? i cant really tell from the picture but it seems like there might be something under the DDM box...

 

Yes the DDM Race intake has an inclosed box and the ram air duct. You could add the ram air duct to the Street intake, but it would seal up like the race does. We are running the Full Race intake on our test car and it's been working great.
It's hard to say what the gains are with and without the ram air duct since you can't get REAL world airflow on the dyno. I would say it is going to be the best way to get more cold air to the filter. But otherwise it's up to your pocket to decide if you need it or not.

All the DDM intakes for the R56 are open on the bottom to still get air from the stock air intake.

Also FYI the DDM intakes all come with K&N filters now. That is one of the old pictures.

 

diy? cept ive found a problem with diy that if people have solutions for... please do tell...

the only problem with diy cai is if you are planning on using a strut bar... the maf might bounce up and down and tap on the strut bar... just something to consider

 

DIY FTW. Save the money and spend it one something diffrent, Your not going to see HUGE gains, and the sound itself will be good enough in itself.

Jack

 

I just received my DDM Race Intake (w/o ram scoop) from Way and will be installing this evening, so I'll let you know how I like it. I ended going with the Race instead of the Street because of the finish (looks OEM vs. aftermarket). It costs a bit more. but it will depend on your pocket book.

 

cant wait to see the pics!

can you also take some pics of the intake itself BEFORE you install it? i just want to see what is included with the intake kit.

it looks like it is box that bolts on TOP of the lower half of the oem airbox.

 

ram air thing would be pretty cool with a m7 scoop. jst thought of that =]
ive been teetering back and forth with intakes.. so i chose a random card and it was m7. should be here friday. I heard its pretty quiet =[ but i wont know til it gets here.

good luck on yours!

 

Sure, I'll take some pics of what's included in the kit, but it looks exactly like what you have except for the foam piece that surrounds the opening on the top. I believe you get that only if you get the RAM scoop too.

 

I am very happy with the DDM. It installs nice using oem bottom and sounds good too. I would think it is very simular in results to the Alta.

Being an open CAI I do wonder if it would benefit from the turbo wrap with the under bonnet temps being so high. The pros and risks of a wrap are in antother thread and I dont want to hijack this one.

 

I have attached some before and after photos.

The installation did not take too long, but I did run into a problem with attaching the MAF to the DDM intake. The opening was sized a bit small , so I called Dave at DDM and he told me that it is probably due to the thickness of the powder coating and try and sand and/or file down a bit . In order for me to finally get it to fit, I had to expand the opening by filing approx. 1 mm all the way around (more than just removing the powder coating), and it was still pretty snug to get in - definitely not going anywhere once you get it in the opening. Get one of those files that are rounded on one side and flat on the other if you don't already have one. It makes it a lot easier and cleaner if you have to file. Unfortunately I only had a flat file . Also, the air tube connecting the MAF to the engine shifted over a tad, making things a bit more snug. This includes the line that goes up and over the air hose - hopefully it's not putting too much stress on the connection end.

Anyhow, took it out for a test drive last night and it sounded great when shifting with the turbo engaged psssssttttttt. Seems like there is better throttle response too, or it could be my imagination . I'm very pleased with how it looks.

As far as maintenance of the filter, it probably won't be any more difficult to access than if you had the OEM filter, but if you have the DDM Street Intake it will definitely be easier to access. I'll post some other pictures of the CAI in my gallery.

 

You may want to double check the location of the MAF on your install.

 

I'd definitely say ALTA....I've had the ALTA intake for thousands of miles with no issues. Is a very clean setup under the hood, adds awesome sound and some power.

 

but doesnt it seem like you are paying a LOT for something that looks and functions very similar to the DIY intakes?

 

They all function similar. Your not going to see whopping gains between a DIY and an Alta, DDM or whatever else you may choose. Its basically down to looks and how much money your willing to spend.


Jack

 

Thanks. But that's how the directions tell you to install the intake.

 

thats true... fair enough!

the alta and the ddm do look a lot more legit compared to any DIY setups ive seen...

 

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