Hey I've heard all about the Carbonio and what not, but what is a good intake that won't break a college guys bank account? I'm talking around 100 bucks or so... Anyone know of anything less than 200? Something that is worth the money in gains as well??

 

I'd really look into a custom intake with the headsheild...it will def fit in that price range and will actually give you gains...there should be a write up on this in the DIY section of this site

 

Darintake read about it in audiworld.com or just search google, it shows great results, something like 7-10hp and it makes your car sound mean. Audi makes GREAT intakes, some people here have stage 3+ turbos and are still using the stock box with the darintake mod.

Oh yeah I forgot to say, its free.

 

Agreed, I saw NO (okay, placebo effect and sweet sound aside) gains with my Carbonio. I have not measured air temperatures and aide from the intake I am stock, so YMMV, but that's my impression. I still would buy it again though, I like it that much. It gives the engine bay a bit of class...

 

From what knowledge I've gained from reading numerous posts, intakes really don't do much for our cars. I made a custom intake from a piece of sheet metal, 12000 degree high heat paint, some rubber moulding, zip ties, and a cone filter. Cost me 40-50 bucks and you get the sound of the turbo spooling/diverting soooo much louder. That and it sounds nice with the zaust I have too =) If your trying to not go broke, have something that will make that pscchhh a bit louder when you get on it, do this. If you're looking for something that LOOKS nice, but is still an aftermarket intake, go with teh carbonio or however its spelled, but that thing is like 200+ bucks.

 

I think cone filters look pretty sharp in the engine bay, plus I want to hear my turbo. How does your custom intake look, teamdaraptor? any pics? Would any cone filter work if you find a way to connect it to your intake?

I've also seen people mount their cone filters near the side of their fmic, very close to the ground. Is this a practical place to have them? Wouldn't more dust and water get sucked into it that way?

 

I have a BPI velocity stack w/ AEM Dry Flow filter, and 3.5 Silicone tubing from Y-pipe to MAF.

It's super loud, can really hear the Turbos and great acceleration!!!

 

Here's a few pics of what mine looks like. Simple, yet efficient enough for me until i get a chance to remap everything the way I want it. Please excuse the dirt and the grime, its been raining for a week here. The actual labor part was about an hour because of the painting. I took my time with it so it looked sleek. I did use rattle paint, but thats cuz there's nothing else that I know of that will reflect the heat better. The paint is like I said, like 12000 degree high heat paint. I chose black cuz the engine bay is black, but they have multiple colors. Next up, was pulling off the maf and all that jazz and putting the cone on. I took off the old airbox first obviously, disconnected all that junk. Pretty much anything that you can pull off, it will let you without having to get too technical with it. It's self explanatory for the most part. If you think you're going to mess something up, don't pull it off. Chances are, if you think it'll go wrong, it WILL. The pictures should be a high enough quality to where you can see what I left on, and what I took off.

 

Nice CAI! Beyond anything I'm capable of I'm afraid lol.

If your on a budget, definitely go homemade. Buy a talented friend a case of beer or something (it is advisable to wait until completion to release said beer into friend's custody). Beer + Materials < Carbonio, cost wise. The downside to the Carbonio is that I now want my upper engine cover (battery section) and main engine cover in CF. Its so freaking expensive though, that's not coming for a long time. I still have $500 for new wiper motor and linkages, that way I can get the new Bosch Aero-Twin wipers I'm ordering to work. Then the new windshield to replace the one that my wipers cracked when the linkage went haywire. Just when I was finally like $800 away from being chipped. Ugh, it never fails, that big guy in the sky looks down and says "Hey, that Andrew guy has a little too much money in his wallet, hmm... *snaps finger* that oughta do it" meanwhile I get to play the what's broken now game. I always lose at that one...

 

Nah man, God is never against you. NEVER. He walks by your side EVERYWHERE. Older cars have parts that go bad. It's just destined on some cars more than others. Believe me, you're capable of doing it. It took me about an hour to do, and a little reading. If you can read, and put some effort into it, you can do just about anything you've ever wanted to your car. Half the guys on this site DIY because they can pick up a manual, or read on here, and try it out. Don't be afraid to try new things. Worst that can happen is you **** up. Learn more, and fix it.