Bought an AEM Air Induction System

[vman71]

First real-world impressions after a few days of normal everyday driving:

1. Under normal acceleration, I don't hear any "noticable" loudness in sound
2. When I get on the pedal, yes, definite "throaty" noticable loudness in sound
3. Feels like there's a very slight improvement in acceleration/throttle response (honestly, it's so slight that it's not noticable unless you were trying very hard to compare the before and after installation)

I've yet to determine if there's any mpg improvement.

Lovin' the sound though...

[nester]

$125 is a hella deal. That's below my cost, as a MWD for AEM.

One should expect to pay ~$285 for one, that's AEM MAP.

[vman71]

Yeah, that's why I couldn't pass it up. $125 to my door = no-brainer.

My truck sounds more like a truck when I get on the pedal and not like Toyota Prius!

It shouldn't take long to recover what I paid for it.

[csimo]

Originally Posted by vman71

Yeah, that's why I couldn't pass it up. $125 to my door = no-brainer.

We agree on that one.

[rdharper]

The idea that Honda would not have an optimum design is ludicrous. That is what they DO.

If there was a mpg improvement, or a few more HP available for what would amount to no more than a simple design change, they would have done it already. The cost at the design/manufacturing level would be zero.

I think the aftermarket market is based on hype, combined with a certain need to mod your own vehicle. It is truly a compulsion. Look what I did to MY truck/car/motorcycle. I've seen it over and over.

Most mods will not only not deliver what is advertised, but often WILL shorten the life of your vehicle, violate smog laws in many states, and reduce your chances of having any warranty work paid for by Honda.

But my opinion won't change the compulsion. Mod away y'all. Its your truck.

(feeling a little cynical this evening... sorry. )

[C25A1guy]

Originally Posted by rdharper

The idea that Honda would not have an optimum design is ludicrous. That is what they DO.

If there was a mpg improvement, or a few more HP available for what would amount to no more than a simple design change, they would have done it already. The cost at the design/manufacturing level would be zero.

I think the aftermarket market is based on hype, combined with a certain need to mod your own vehicle. It is truly a compulsion. Look what I did to MY truck/car/motorcycle. I've seen it over and over.

Most mods will not only not deliver what is advertised, but often WILL shorten the life of your vehicle, violate smog laws in many states, and reduce your chances of having any warranty work paid for by Honda.

But my opinion won't change the compulsion. Mod away y'all. Its your truck.

(feeling a little cynical this evening... sorry. )

I would like to rebut a few of your statements with my own.

If all autos were sold in the as-is state from the mechanical engineers, then definetly, there would be very little to change. If that were the case, we'd all be getting 30 mpg in our trucks and be able to drive it on forever and ever. Unfortunetly, there are always compromises from what would be the best design possible due to many reasons including but not limited to packaging, NVH, broadening market scope, and so on. So, yes, while the OEM setup made quite well, it is not always optimal for these reasons.

Not all items in the aftermarket high-performance sector is all hype. A lot of these items do have a lot of R&D time behind them. The nice thing in regards to this is that it allows for personalization of an individual's vehicle. While there is never a need to modify, the want to A car into MY car is well and alive in many gear-heads. Just the same as you turn a house into a home.

Its true that most products won't perform to 100% as stated in their marketing... but guess what? That's how marketing works. It lures you in, a lot of times on half-truths and figures that are only acheavable in a control type enviorment.

As for the emmissions, by the book of the law, many of the cheaply made intakes from china will do exactly as you stated because of the utlization of materials in the filter or design flaws or what-not. Many of the well designed intakes on the market (AEM, Injen, K&N, etc) will in fact better your emmissions. How do you ask? Physics. A lower restrictive material will allow more air to enter a vaccume. With the same given amount of fuel, the combustion process burns more effecently as there is more oxygen in the combustion chamber to catalyze the fuel. No matter the type of logic used, you cannot escape the laws of science.

I have yet to keep any vehicle I've owned since I was 16 years old stock and they all ran great... even after getting to a ripe old automotive age as well. My current Ridge is the 7th vehicle I've ever owned. Have I modified it? You betcha. What about my other vehicles? Oh yea. 86 MB 190E modified, 87 Acura Legend modified, 88 Acura Integra modified, 2002 Acura RSX is now a race car, 2005 Honda Civic LX modified, and 2 ridgelines modified. Some vehicles may have been done more then others, but they have all been tinkered with.

[csimo]

The OEM system is nearly ideal for normal operating conditions. By this I mean a combination of low, mid, and high RPM use. The OEM system is designed to provide the best overall performance.

The aftermarket uses a different definition of performance. They interpret it to mean peak performance... high RPM.

Yes, it's possible to build an intake that outperforms the OEM system at peak RPM, but due to reduced air mass velocity they suffer at low and mid RPM ranges. In other words you give up normal driving performance for peak performance. This is where you'll see terms like "tuned" intake system because they design it for a single purpose (racing) rather that normal driving performance. That's fine if your only intention is racing, but if that's the case I question the decision to buy a Ridgeline to start with.

As stated earlier the throttle body is one of the limiting factors, but there's no need to introduce too many facts. Too many google engineers running around to deal with truth on message boards.

[dk miller]

Horsepower has sold millions of cars over the years but it is not the best measure of motor performance for most drivers. I would be willing to trade a few top end HP for a bit more low end torque. I won't be changing anything though because I think Honda did a great job as is.

Joe's post got me to idly considering the subject, and the old Buicks came to mind as one example of "tuning" the motor to the intended use. Some of us remember the old Buick Nailhead V8's of the fifties and early sixties. These motors were built with rather smallish valves and mild cams that delivered gobs of low and midrange torque but not huge peak HP.
Buick did this because they knew that the owners were not likely to take their Roadmasters to the track but did appreciate the smooth delivery of power on the streets and highways where these cars would be driven. This type of power curve matched up nicely with the Dynaflow transmissions they used at the time.
Remember the dual and triple turbine torque converters with variable pitch stators! This motor/tranny combo gave an incredibly smooth and capable driving experience perfectly suited to the intended target customer.

Sometimes I think owners lose sight of the overall picture in search of that last bit of horsepower. It is the owners time and money though so if it improves his appreciation of the rig it's probably money well spent.

Sorry about the rambling, just thinking out loud I guess.

[vman71]

Originally Posted by vman71

First real-world impressions after a few days of normal everyday driving:

1. Under normal acceleration, I don't hear any "noticable" loudness in sound
2. When I get on the pedal, yes, definite "throaty" noticable loudness in sound
3. Feels like there's a very slight improvement in acceleration/throttle response (honestly, it's so slight that it's not noticable unless you were trying very hard to compare the before and after installation)

I've yet to determine if there's any mpg improvement.

Real-World Update:

Okay, I finished the 3/4 of a tank after the AEM CAI installation and then did a complete gas fill up. So these are my impressions following the first full tank of gas.

1. I still feel, under normal driving, I don't hear any "noticable" loudness in sound
2. I do love the added "throaty" sound when I do get on it
3. I do think that there's a very slight improvement in acceleration/throttle response, again it's very slight

Now, was there an mpg improvement.....YES. It was only 1mpg but I did get another 25 miles from my tank (under the same driving that I nornmally do).

So, even it's just 1mpg, it's still beneficial and a no brainer in my case at $125. Would I buy it for $332, no way.

[csimo]

Originally Posted by vman71

So, even it's just 1mpg, it's still beneficial and a no brainer in my case at $125. Would I buy it for $332, no way.

You're probably seeing a 1MPG increase because you're comparing a new clean AEM filter to a dirty OEM. If you compare clean to clean you would not see any increase.