On my last 2 vehicles, I've replaced the stock paper filter with K&N filters keeping the original airbox. With that, I've have seen a little bit of increase in low end torque. I know that because there is a little knoll on the way to my house and when I drive 30 miles an hour, I had to downshift my civic from 4th to 3rd (well, didn't really need to but I could feel a little bit of hesitation). With the K&N in place I don't need to downshift anymore at that spot. I haven't seen any improvements on gas mileage. On my Jeep YJ that I had, I did the same thing and I noticed I didn't have to downshift as much as well. So I know they do make a little bit of improvement. Now it`s debatable if the price is worth it.

My question is to those who have run both a K&N filter in the original airbox and also replaced the airbox with an intake kit (obviously not at the same time). Did you feel the difference was greater with the intake than with just the filter?

The reason I ask is that in Canada, the filter sells for 100$CDN and the intake for $300. I would not think it's 3 times better.

Opinions?

I have had both the filter replacement and I now have the FIPK II cold air intake by K&N. There is a difference in throttle response and a bit of power between the two. Only thing is is that if you plan to get the FIPK II for more power it works better with an aftermarket exhuast as well. The FIPK II alone isn't as great as everyone says it is. But it $300 sounds liek a lot. Have you tried 4x4parts.com or summitracing.com? These site have it for less expensive and I believe that summit racing ships to Canada as well. Good luck with that.

$300 Canadian dollars = appx. $250 USD. Try Ebay though, can get them for about $189 USD.

David

From what I have been told, if you have already purchased the flat filter, save your money on the aftermarket intake. Most people say that it is not worth the money without the exhaust.

There is no sense in getting an intake if your not going to get an exhaust also. All the added airflow that an intake will add won't have any way to move through the system freely w/o a high flow exhaust also. If you don't want to invest the $$$ just stick with the stock box and a enhanced filter.

Thanks all for the advice. Since I'm not ready to fork out the cash on an exhaust at the moment. I'll just stick with the filter replacement. I'll worry about an intake if I upgrade the exhaust. Considering the price, I've been happy with the minimal improvement the replacement filter offers.

I was running the flat K&N in the stock airbox since about week 2 of owning my X, and put 12,000 miles on it that way. Believe me, I got used to it and knowing how my X ran with it. However, I upgraded to the GEN II FIPK at about 12,500, and noticed a slight boost over the flat filter. It felt like I was getting a boost in low-end torque, but not horsepower. I ran my rig about 2,000 miles with the FIPK and no other engine upgrades, and was noticing a 1-2 mpg gain in fuel economy. This could have been attributed to other factors, but since I am doing more city driving now than before I think that I am getting an actual increase. Its up to you and how you drive. :p Talking to other Xers, if you have a 5-spd, you will probably notice a slight gain if you usually drive "economically" (hehe at least on paved road ). I just put on the Calmini cat-back (should have read the threads on XOC...the Gibson in stainless would probably have been a better investment), and talk about a difference. I haven't had it on there long enough to give any numbers on mileage, but there is a definitely improvement in acceleration, especially uphill/upgrade. I might even put the stock air box back on there to get a feel for how much of an improvement I am getting.

As for price, if you are even considering getting the FIPK, go to eBay. Can't beat that price. For exhausts, CALIMINI's is relatively cheap compared to some other options, or just get a FlowMaster. For $130 (US), its a noticeable improvement. Or, if you want to order in Canada, try looking up Nissan dealers in Kingston (Ontario). They have given me good prices before, even on some aftermarket parts. Can't remember the name of the dealer...it's been a while. Gotta give a shout out to my Canadian neighbors!

Cone Filter in place of the Stock Unit is better than the K&N drop in. Reason being, is once you elimate all the factory tubing and bring cold air to the Cone Filter you will see a much bigger gain than any drop in can provide.