Is it worth buying a cold air intake for my 2006 Honda Civic EX?

Question

I have a 2006 Honda Civic EX Sedan. It has a SOHC VTEC 4-cylinder. I was thinking on buying this AEM cold air intake. http://www.autoanything.com/air-intakes/61A2052A0A0A3042627.aspx

Maybe not from that site, but from another. Like it matters.

Is it worth it? How much efficiency could I get from it as far as power/mpg goes?

Would this be kind of hard to install for someone that not too car savy?

Answer 1

They are pretty easy to install even for the novice.  It should take less than 1 hour and require only simple hand tools.

Is it worth it?  I'd say no.  You will probably only gain 1-3 hp which isn't enough to notice.  Your mileage might increase by about 1 mpg if you stay off the gas but most likely it wont change at all.

Answer 2

It should be easy for anyone. The gains will be minimal except noise. I spent about $200 less on my intake and I wouldn't put one on a newer Civic, maybe a 92-95 would be worth the investment but current Civics are worth too much and suck too much to really spend money modifying which in turn reduces the resale value.

Answer 3

yes it would be easy it would be cheaper to just put a k and n replacement filter on but their are cold air intakes that increase over 1 hp you just gottta find em aem is a good one so is injen and k and n there are some other sites you could look at too like horsepowerfreaks and andysautosports

Answer 4

I have owned a CAI and a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust for three years on my Mazda3. These two upgrades work hand in hand. As I understand the benefit of a CAI, a 4 cylinder has peak horsepower and torque beginning at 5,000 rpm. In the upper rev limits the car can inhale or breath in deeper. It's as if the car is given greater lung capacity in the upper rev range. Supposedly the fuel air mixture is enhanced particularly with a car that has variable valve timing which improves the odds of fuel burning more efficiently for the purpose of efficient power.  The cat back exhaust allows a better release of exhaust in a less restricted manner from the stock set up.  So, both upgrades allow the car to inhale and exhale easier.  These additions better come into play with lighter rims, which lessens unsprung weight of the wheels rotating to move the car forward. So all of these incremental alterations work together and adds up to reducing the power consumption or the work that the vehicle must do to get up to speed and stay at speed for a distance run, not necessarily a 0-60 mph sprint. If you add a synthetic oil, the lubrication of the motor reduces internal friction providing again, noticeable incremental gains that can be observed as an eager free revving vehicle that takes on a different persona on the road, an attitude. Get a degreaser or "Simply Green" and spray it on the radiator coils, keep them clean and the car will run cooler.  I would say that the net gain with these few suggestions should be 8-15 horsepower increase.  The beauty of this approach is that it is simple and straight forward, no tinkering with a ECU, NOS just straight naturally aspirated performance that enhances what is already baked into the car's performance. Cheers.

Answer 5

No. Manufacturer's tend to advertise hp increases that are unrealistic. I read an aticle that talked about this. A group of people took a car and drove it around until the engine was warm and immediately put it on the dyno. The recorded the hp and torque. Then using the cold air kit, the group of gearheads put the car on the car and it netted 1 horsepower. So is it worth it, well it's up to you.

You would be better off opening up the exhaust a little, and placing a high flow air filter in the stock set-up.  

Answer 6

okay well alone (just the cold air) i don't know if its worth it but you need to change your exhaust out with it. that makes more of a difference. its good for the engine as well. i have cold air on mine. id say do it. and also maybe get a high performance tuner

Answer 7

Yes. It is toatally worth it. not only does it make your engine look cool  but it also raises mph. torqe and adds around 10 to 15 hp..so yea i would totally go for it.