Question:

Intakes and Mufflers Questions:?

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I'm still trying to learn more about cars and things I can do to enhance/customize my 1995 Nissan 200sx. So I have a few questions about air intakes and mufflers.

1. What is the difference between a short ram intake and a cold air intake. And which is one is better.

2. How do I choose the right muffler for my car. (I want something that will make a little noise, but nothing too obnoxious).

3. What brands are the best? I don't really know of any brands, so a brief rundown would be nice.

4. I was just lookin around on ebay and found this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Parts-Accessories___Bomz-95-96-97-98-99-Nissan-Sentra-200SX-Air-Intake-Kit_W0QQitemZ160264682260QQddnZPartsQ20Q26Q20AccessoriesQQddiZ2811QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item160264682260&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

Is this a good deal? (This also goes back to me not knowing th difference between a short ram intake and a cold air intake.)

Thanks for all the help.

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  1. A Short Ram Intake is well obviously shorter than a CAI (cold air intake) which in theory allows for air to flow quicker because of the fact that the Short Ram Intake has less tubing and therefore needs less suction to take in the air.

    However, the Short Ram is closer to the engine and therefore over heats much easier than the CAI. Hot Air=Bad for Engine, Cold Air is better because it runs cleaner and ignites better and quicker when mixed with fuel.

    The CAI (Cold Air Intake) is longer and has more tubing, however the filter is not located close to the engine and the air is therefore much colder and much "better" for the engine. The downside is the CAI sets closer to the front end and near the vents in the car and fender wall therefore when it rains the CAI is more likely to accidentally take in water. Water in your engine is very bad it can cause it to Hydrolock, but the speculations of CAI's taking in water to me are very unlikely and it would take a vast amount of water to Hydrolock an engine.

    The best CAI brand is AEM in my opinion, because they show the most resistance to heat in independent studies. I would choose a CAI over a Short Ram Intake.

    Mufflers...

    Personally I think it is stupid to just switch out your muffler for sound. If you want the sound than at least get a full exhaust and not just a muffler (aka "f**t Can"). Flowmaster in my personal opinion are of "Cheap" quality. They make their tubing out of stainless steel but their Mufflers are made of Galvanized Steel which will rust through in 2-4 years.

    Magnaflow is 100% stainless steel and guaranteed to never rust and last for the life of the car. Personally I would choose Magnaflow Cat-Back Exhaust which would run you $260, Flowmaster costs $10 less ($250) and isn't even rust-proof, I think the stainless steel muffler is worth the extra $10. Magnaflow is loud but not annoying loud, I have a Magnaflow Exhaust and I love it everytime I turn on my car.

    CAI Best Brand = AEM

    Exhuast Best Brand = Magnaflow (Cat-Back)

    To explain, there are three types of exhausts Turbo-Back (tubing from the turbocharger back). Cat-Back which is tubing from the cat converter to the end of the car. And Axle-Back which includes only minimal piping (enough to connect it to the stock exhaust) and a muffler...Axle-Back is the cheap way to go but is also the "Ricer" way.

    That deal on eBay would be risky, you can see the picture but you don't know the actual quality of the product. A CAI from a dealer would run about $200 and a short ram would be slightly less. Although it is very cheap so it's not like you have much to lose, I would replace the filter with a K&N or AEM filter (K&N is the best for filter they make them out of fibers instead of paper for better flow rate and they never need to be replaced you can just take them off and clean them and pop it back on).


  2. Cold air has a box to sheild the filter from engine heat. The colder the air, the faster the fuel ignites.

    I would buy a flowmaster muffler. They sound and work good.

    That is a cheap intake on e-bay. (I have bought them before)

    It will work just fine. If you buy it, change the filter to a K&N (you can order them from almost any auto parts store) filter and you will have a nice intake system. That is a good deal for all the tubing and brackets, but the filter is junk.

  3. first off let me sugjest write down my web page www.mycarandineedhelp.com  now lets talk performance and cars

    mufflers, newer custom mufflers come in a huge confusing bunch of designs. custom fit is supposed to fit your car perfectly, lenghth and diameter, universal is a muffler that can be addapted to fit with mild to wild modifactions to your car. Flow master comes in several versions (stages) from all out racing (1 stage) to a 3 stage pretty quiet street model. many people dont understand the trade offs when doing muffler changes to performance but its not really all gain. when you change your original stock muffler for a 2 stage muffler you gain some better flow and minute horse power but you loose back presure and this causes the engine to not assist in down hill slowing. this could be mitigated by choosing a 3 stage and the smallest inner diameter available to the size your original pipe was. brand wise most are great quality, the sound emmitted is different and is a personal choice. air intake now the colder the air in the engine the more the power produced. the trade off? the emissions system wasn't designed for fresh cold air all the time and your likely to not run as clean as it should short ram is the small filter clamped on the intake throttle body the cold air long is routted to the front of the engine or fender well to get no engine heat in the intake.

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