Hey new to the forum but I figured there's a lot of discussion on intakes and which is best . For the money it seems like your giving your left arm for a simple pipe and filter element . Understandably the k&n intake at somewhere around 200-300$ has the intake box which adds to it's worth. Right? Or does it. Well for under 60$ I made a comparable substitute. Some of you I'm sure will jump on the band wagon of eBay is crap I don't trust it blah blah blah... But for those of you who wanna try it be my guest! But by no account am I garenteeing anything to be safe and if you descide to follow you do so on your own.

35$ ebay intake kit for 92-95 civic (make sure its straight pipe into about 35 degree angle)
10$ sheet of 2x2 plexi glass from home depot
0.97$ walmart flat black spray paint
free card board
and some high grit sand paper could be about 5$


first ebay intake shortened by about two inches eye it up to be precise mark then cut be sure to clean spare pieces of metal. then sand and paint.


second test fit relativly simple if you have half a brain.. take old out put new in... since honda stayed with map sensors no needs for any fancy hookup for and maf sensors so hook up vacuum line and go

third.... get the cardboard test and trim test and trim keep goin till you have a shape that blocks most of the air from the engine bay. a hole in the center for the charge pipe worked well for me.. once you have a decent fitting piece of card board... time for step four

fourth take the plexi trace your cardboard for a basic shape then cut.. i used an angle grinder but you can use a razor blade but trust me its difficult... any way you can to get the cardboard shape cut from the plexi....

fifth fit it all together if you make it tight enough you wont need any supports but i made a few anyway (not pictured) the mount on the strut tower will work wonders just screw in a small piece from the ebay intake kit and secure it to the hole for the original airbox...


honestly if you need more instructions i dont think you should attempt this but im willing to answer questions...ive been working on cars for sometime now and have a good hand in custom fabricating some things so this may not be for the newb section of ridgeline owners...

Hmmm....$200-300 vs. $51? I think i'd go your route...good job

I might opt for a black divider over the clear plexiglas

Nice first post newbie

Thanks i originally wanted to do that too but home depot didnt have the supplies and i didnt feel like buying a 6x8 sheet of aluminum from the metal shop....

Do you notice any difference over the stock?

Its still no rocket ship but definatly an increase... About as much as an intake should give.. Engine sounds better tho, the thng roars to life at vtec now, before i could barely hear it im excited for the colder weather to it should really have a differnce then....

I though the stock system was considered a CAI, as it was.

But hey, for around $50, if it sounds better, great! :act035:

It probably is but i know that k&n refers to there boxed in filter to be a cold air intake... So i did the same , its the same basic idea

I suspect the opening under the hood just in front of the radiator, would be cooler that an area inside the engine compartment, even with the divider.
At least you don't have to work hard to sell us on a $50 mod as hard as K&N does to sell something for 3 to 5x that.

I doubt this is the most effective way. But i will say its an easy settup no headache....i did see that area and it did look like i could get one in there. But i would need more piping and not in the mood lol...this only took about an hour total with the plexi being the biggest pain.....but like you said its only 50$

I doubt this is the most effective way. But i will say its an easy settup no headache....i did see that area and it did look like i could get one in there. But i would need more piping and not in the mood lol...this only took about an hour total with the plexi being the biggest pain.....but like you said its only 50$

Now see if you can work a mod for those with '09 + models that have the MAF sensor mounted on the stock air cleaner housing.
Actually, I think K&N was working on one, but I doubt there are a sufficient number of those RLs around to make it worth their time.

I'm wondering a few things.

1) I wonder how much "cold air" this will suck in vs. hot engine compartment air?.

2) The amount of dirt the gauze style filter (like the K&N style) allows to pass vs. the paper type?

3) is there a whistling noise now from the air suction?

4) how does this compare with something like a K&N drop in filter?

5) This is very similar to the AEM intake mod (i.e. not in an enclosure), only $200 cheaper. Does any one have an AEM that has been on for a longtime as opposed to a recent instal?


I know these questions could undoubtedly be found via a search of the forums. But I thought the questions here may direct others that might think of doing this mod to do a search and see if there are any issues that have come up.

Nice upgrade, but like RollinHonda said, the space in front of the radiator would probably be better. The space where the K&N filter is, would really be cold air.

I'm wondering a few things.

1) I wonder how much "cold air" this will suck in vs. hot engine compartment air?.

2) The amount of dirt the gauze style filter (like the K&N style) allows to pass vs. the paper type?

3) is there a whistling noise now from the air suction?

4) how does this compare with something like a K&N drop in filter?

5) This is very similar to the AEM intake mod (i.e. not in an enclosure), only $200 cheaper. Does any one have an AEM that has been on for a longtime as opposed to a recent instal?


I know these questions could undoubtedly be found via a search of the forums. But I thought the questions here may direct others that might think of doing this mod to do a search and see if there are any issues that have come up.

Well the whistling is there but very faint .. Also the location is shielded pretty well from dirt and grim also theplexi allows the intake charge from the existing tubing to be contained in and around the filter. I wouldnt say its the coldest air possible but now we are just splitting hairs..

Also i had no idea honda went maf on 09+ if i could get a weekend with one i could figure something out maybe not in the 60$ dollar range but close im sure. And just to be clear i left the redirecting piping from just under the hood so air is still forced to the filter during forward motion.

I was also thinking about getting the k&n drop in ... But when i did some searching i came across a couple pstes of people selling them after they had em for a bit... That kinda turned me off on the idea...especially when this costs about the same...

This is awesome! I have an 07 RTS. Is there any sensors that needed to be tapped, and installed? Or is it only a line going from the pipe to the crank case?

Now that you've had it for about 6 weeks or so, what are your observations? Any drops in fuel mileage?

Make sure to collect an oil analysis and send it off to Blackstone (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/) to make sure that filter is truly filtering the air the motor is ingesting... taking regular oil samples during oil changes with any aftermarket air intake system is always a good rule of thumb to catch any abnormal wear.

Can't do this in Cali. Intakes have to be certified for the biannual inspections. Pretty much eliminates homemade versions

Can't do this in Cali. Intakes have to be certified for the biannual inspections. Pretty much eliminates homemade versions

Not saying you should do this, but it would take about 30 min. to swap them in and out. You could put in the stocker for the inspection and then put the homemade version back in after the inspection. Then again, as has been said several times on here before, simply doing a different intake doesn't do much, if anything, in the way of performance or efficiency gains.

Thanks for posting your combo, I registered so I could give you some props. I have a 2006 MDX but most of my background is with GM V8 vehicles, I put CAI's on everything. I'll try your idea after the holidays. I have a pretty good buttometer and we've put 47K on the MDX so I'll be able to tell pretty easily if it's faster from a dead stop.

I have a CAI on my 2006 Trailblazer SS and I dropped a tenth in ET and picked up two mph in the 1/4.

Nice mod! Kudos for taking the time to experiment and post your findings with pictures to boot. Keep us updated as to your experience with it.