Cheap Ebay Cold Air Intakes?

[thejobman]

Are these worth trying? Has anyone tried them?

Sorry if the answers are obvious, I am a newbie

Ebay Intake 1

Ebay Intake 2

Ebay Intake 3

One thing that I like about these applications are that they don't require cutting... In addition, I am looking to add more of a grunt to the engine note, rather than just adding hp...

Thanks for the info!

[Teh Prof]

None of those look long enough to grab air that's far enough away from your engine. Otherwise you get heat soak...and no cold air for your cold air intake.

[triggrhaapi]

I disagree, the third one and the second one look ok, but they're cheaply made so I doubt they're 50 state legal. Check to see what NJ says about intake legality before you buy.

[Eric S.]

CAI's are tricky for the 540. In my research I've not run across any cases where someone thought they added any HP by adding the intake. On the contrary, most findings were neutral or in the negative about performance. To make matters worse, your Mass Airflow (MAF) sensor is very sensitive (and expensive) and doesn't like ANY excess filter oil flowing onto it.

I hate to be a buzzkill, and I used to put a tube intake on anything with an internal combustion engine, but I'd advise caution on this one.

Dinan is always a sure thing, but if Dinan is too expensive for you (and who isn't he too expensive for?), I recommend you try some other well-known vendors before resorting to no-name e-Bay stuff. RevHigh Motorsports is located near DC and is owned and operated by a 540 guy and I think he markets a nice intake I've considered from time to time. Try him (do a search via google or on the Roadfly E39 forum).

[thejobman]

But I dont understand... I looked at the dinan one... its just a longer plastic pipe with a filter.

They claim that thier engine management software is required...[+$500]...? Sorry, but I think paying $500 for a pipe and filter is total crap!

[Eric S.]

Originally Posted by thejobman

But I dont understand... I looked at the dinan one... its just a longer plastic pipe with a filter.

They claim that thier engine management software is required...[+$500]...? Sorry, but I think paying $500 for a pipe and filter is total crap!

Exactly, Dinan is no doubt overpriced. To me his stuff is only a solution if you are still covered under a warranty and want to keep it that way.

As far as what the tubes look like, your observations match mine, so what can I say? Just keep in mind there may be more than meets the eye!