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Originally Posted by shiftnslide
exactly.. mine is designed around having a power enterprise intake, z32 maf, and greddy type rs recirculated.
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Okay, overall I'm reasonably happy, tho the actual install effort and time spent vs. the work to be done was INSANE. This was a tougher install than custom doing up my S15 front end
Mainly because of this thing... doesn't everyone else have this too? My plastic intake has a flat spot on the bottom where it rubbed on this thing all day long... .I'm wondering how the silicon connector and pipe will hold up, as any adjustment you have can only be done thru muscling around the way the pipe fits in the connector. Here's a pic of what I"m talking about
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Build quality seems pretty good. It is an intake after all, so there's not so much worry about working pressure etc. Here is a pic of my pipe next to the stock pipe:
After hr 3 of what should have been a 10min install, it occurred to me that the vast majority of my issues were Pic 1, above; coupled with the fact that I had to REALLY shove around to find a fitment that was:
A) not going to make the filter element stick up higher than the hood
B) making the BOV recirc tube fit, w/o pinching it
C) making the blow-by tube fit w/o pinching it
Hindsite is 20-20, I realized that the pic below would've been the best weld points for making it fit better... currently I'm not very confident in the joints.
The main joint connecting to the intake ports is holding hte metal from both the port, and the tube, at the very edges, barely held by the clamps. This was a requirement for me, or it wouldn't have fit at all. Both my BOV and blow-by hoses are at least 50% crimped to make the fitment work at all... both attachments on the pipe itself were probably in the worst possible places... but Aure said he test fitted it, so maybe my car is a little different that everyone elses? I encountered a variation on the same these on the filter side, again having to go to the very edges of the joint in order to make the filter fit inside the engine bay... as it was when i started (and when it was attached in the most secure way possible), the fiter acutally stuck up above the hood a good 6 inches... almost so that the entire filter was above the level of hte hood (think 18 wheeler exhaust stacks). Modded pic below of a better placement solution:
Finished installation
So lots of cussing and many band-aids later (the pipe actually got hurled full force into my front lawn at one point)... I finally got the setup installed securely enough, that I thought i'd be safe for now, as long as I check the clamps fairly often.
disregard my messy engine bay, after I got the sucker in there, I was DONE. I didnt even want to look at my car LOL.
Final Thoughts:
Build Quality - build quality for me seemed good. Quality connectors, decent clamps. Fairly good polish on my pipe despite Aure's warning that there were some scratches from test fitting (thx btw, that was very professional to note that). I scratched that absolute shit out of that pipe by the time I got it to fit decently. Everything came nicely bagged, and even had a couple brackets (albeit thin ones) to help you support your filter. I'd say B+ here.
Fitment - for me, this was a nightmare, but at least a nightmare with a happy ending. When all was said and done, it does what it's supposed to. It's not going to get crazy hot or be under extreme pressure, so fit&finish doesn't need be as good as say, IC piping. HOWEVER, I would suggest that if you go this way, have Aure weld the bungs as shown in my 3rd image, this should alleviate most of the issues I had... tho a fitting to size down the large blow-by port (near the valve cover, I dunno it's real name), to the corresponding bung on the intake pipe would've saved a lot of head scratching
Personally for me, I'd say fitment was a C-, but don't take that as an overall rating; it's not. Like all custom things, there is a TON of trial and error. Aure said it fit correctly on his test vehicle, and I believe him. I just think that maybe the lengths, placements and other "margin-of-error" type parts/measurements are not exactly the same. It could easily have been a B or B+.... just not for me personally, especially since I was one of the first to receive mine, I knew that gamble going in tho, so I'm dissapionted, but not terribly.
So it wasn't a great fit.
But let me be Perfectly Clear.
THIS DOES NOT MAKE THIS A BAD PRODUCT
Aure was a great guy to work with. Very fast construction and shipment both, on a very simple item. It's a custom piece, and like all custom things, there's some definite margin for error. In addition, a lot of ppl have different setups. I have a feeling that as Aure does more and more of these, he'll start to get "setup types" memorized, and be able to crank out perfectly fitting versions in the not too distant future. Yes mine was a significant PITA, but your mileage may vary, and as customers provide feedback, Aure is only giong to grow more skilled. He has all the ingredients for making a really professional product, mine just didn't happen to be it.
Personal Experience Rating: B-
OVERALL RATING: B