I recently test drove an 08 Gt - it has 4500 miles on it...it was a dealer demo. they put on the MS intake/exhaust. all else was stock.

then i test drove a 2006 GT, 6 speed. identical setup, options etc. this car had 19k on it.

i've test driven about 3 other GT cars that were also stock manuals.

the ONE with the MS intake/exhasut definitely had a bit more top end punch. i've read some threads here on this board claiming the MS bolt ons make no real power. while the sound might subjectively make it seem faster - my butt dyno clearly said it was faster. not gobs faster, but maybe 10hp... something you could feel.

is this right. does the MS intake/exhasut make SOME power or is it truly NOTHING BUT SOUND???

 

it will add a little power, but not enough to tell.. the sound is what you feel!


beers

 

Yeah, it is a true cold air intake though. I would say probably with the exhaust & intake, maybe 6-8 hp. All of it is on the top end though. Much louder, so it could very well be your mind playing tricks on you. It's louder, so it must be faster, or have more power.

 

It is impossible to feel 10hp difference, its al the sound but who cares? a sportcar should sound good so the MS kit does what it suppose to do.

 

Your butt is not a dyno.

 

look - i know that the sound is great and it sounds faster. but i test ddrove them w/in one day of each other. i've test driven numerous rx8s now. no question this one had more power.

it's only "power" mods were the MS cold air intake and the MS exhaust.

i used to own a mazda miata - i installed a cold air intake - good for *maybe* 5-10 hp, i could feel the gains in power. i later installed a header/cat back exhaust - good for maybe anohter 10hp MAX - i felt that. it was minimal, but i felt it.

i used to own a 99 prelude SH. i installed an AEM cold air intake - i'll bet that was good for maybe 5hp all at the top end. i could feel it - very minor - but it added power in the upper upper revs.

i used to own a volvo s60R. i added an ECU upgrade - adding probably 30 wheel hp - THAT I FELT BIG TIME...

my point is - is that IF the pats truly ad NOT ONE SINGLE HP - then it must be subjective. but i would bet $100 that it was faster. not by a lot, but just enough that i coudl tell and it was ONLY in the upper upper revs... it revved up smoother, harder, and pulled a bit better way up top.

my question is do those two mods add even 10hp?

is there a reason why an 06 would feel noticeably slower than an 08 - assuming those mods added no power?

 

I dyno'd a different car with stock intake, stock exhaust... then installed new exhaust and cold air intake... got 18hp and 12tq.

 

see! i believe that.

i have test driven about 5-6 rx8s.

this one i test drove with the intake/exhaust CLEARLY had more power. look - i'm not saying it shoved me in my seat - and made me think it had 50- more hp.. but it definitely had more top end. when you were really ripping it to redine, it felt more willing to pull.

the others i have driven smoothly revved to 9k, but the one with intake/exhaust seemed SMOOTHER - and pulled a bit harder at hte very upper rpm limit.

i was thinking it was maybe a 10 hp difference..something in that area.
18 might be possible. it was enough to notice. not enough to make me think the car was a dragster..but it was MUCH more fun to drive.

 

you can't judge it based on driving different cars.

the natural variation between vehicles will have more horse power differences than the intake and exhaust combo!

You'd need to do a baseline of your car, do the upgrade, and do a comparison run with similar temps on the same dyno machine. Even then it's not going to be a 100% accurate way of doing it since even back to back runs of the same car will have variations.

End result, +/- 10 hp is so small that it doesn't really matter. So you better like the sound if you get an aftermarket exhaust, and your engine can enjoy fresh air with a CAI.

 

its adding predominantly sound.

 

if the exhaust and intake are adding mostly only sound, why did the car feel so much faster?

i'm not such a car noob to be fooled by sound. I've owned numerous cars, done the step by step mods with most of them - and know the difference between a cat back that does nothing and an ECU mod ona turbo car that adds gobs of power.

i swear the newer car was faster. unless it's just a result of th car being newer - better condition and the used car being worn, bad plugs, clogged cat, or something else??

so if I test drive the used 06 - i should ASSUME that if I add an intake/exhaust it wil be NO FASTER after the install?!?!?

that sucks.

what does MAzdaspeed claim in terms of power gains from either the exhaust and/or the intake?

why is another guy saying on his same car, with the addedmods he got 18hp...

is that some dyno fluke? i know dynos can vary...same car same dyno, but different day can produce diff results...

is there a large variation in wheel hp numbers among rx8s? i just dind't htink a used car with ONLY 19k miles would have a substantially different power level than a new one... and having driven several other rx8s...the 06 w/OUT the mods, felt prety much exactly like the other 8s i've driven.

the one with intake/exhaust felt quicker. and i can't believe it's in my head. i'm not a newbie car modder. i've owned 5+ cars and modded them all...i would NOT be fooled just by the sound ... it had more top rpm pull.

but it also handled better too. clearly handled tighter than the 06. both my wife and I noticed that. i took it up some very twisty turns on the test drive and w/out question the 08 was the better car. i just found it hard to believe that a very clean used car that is an 06 with only 19k miles degraded so much over new...

do they loosen up that much that quick and lose pwoer too?

 

will MS intake and exhaust make your car put out more power? probably

will you actually *feel* it in day-to-day driving? maybe

would the ~$800 in upgrade cost be worth it to you, regardless of how much power it puts out based on how much you can *feel* it? that's totally up to you

 

Stock cars in normal running condition can dyno from 170 to 190 whp with similar mods. So there is a wide variation there alone. Now worn spark plugs, bad coils, etc. can increase it significantly.

That's why I said you cannot compare directly the way you did.

 

Well from personal experience, we had a little fun with 3 rx8s before and all of us are very good drivers. 2 of the Rx8s were neck to neck while the rx8 with the mazdaspeed exhaust and intake creeps on us slightly but very noticeable. We did quite a few runs and all of which the modded 8 will creep us. So ya the ms exhaust and intake does do something and not just sounds and placebo affects

 

Wow... no one grilled this guy.

 

maybe you're feeling smoother throttle response + sound. Which would make it seem faster

 

you will feel more power from colder air temps...

back up you butt dyno with a real one. then get back to us..

beers

 

sounds like its its all in your mind

 

Do a search on intakes and exhaust. You will learn alot in two threads.