TRD CAI - Quick Question

[Gascan]

Just quickly.

I'm about to purchase a TRD CAI through Bruce at TRDsales for AU$495.

Is this a good price?

and did anyone go through online purchase?

Rather then get it through a dealer in Australia which has to go through TRD sales I might as well go direct through them.

any help appreciated.

thanks

Andy

[CHA54]

The dealers in Australia dont have to go through Bruce.

Castle Hill Toyota is also a "Distributor" as listed on TRD Japan's website: http://trdparts.jp/english/distributor.html

CASTLE HILL TOYOTA

2Victoria Ave

Castle Hill NSW2154

AUSTRALIA

Tel: (+61) 2 8831-8831

Fax: (+61) 2 8831-8820

Contact : Mr. James Sloane / Mr. Tim Granger

E-mail: parts@chtoyota.com.au

Home page : http://www.chtoyota.com.au/

You might aswell shop around for the best price. The TRD intake is overpriced for what it is.

[Gascan]

Cool thanks I'll give them a call

[LTS60]

i got my from bruce last week, its a good price and u get it in like 4 working days.

[mx83toy]

i got my from bruce last week, its a good price and u get it in like 4 working days.

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i just dove down to Penrith Toyota got it for $500. but eah they are pretty close to where i live.... i took the trd filter to a Performance shop and swapped em for the short K&N and presto oneof the loudest induction noises i've ever heard!!! :)

[Gascan]

Does anyone know if the Corolla Ascent OEM air filter is identical to the Corolla Sporitvo one? straight swap?

cant wait to get mine :D

[AE92WA]

i dunno bout u guys but i find that pretty steep for a CAI. I mean ur spending $500bucks for an increase in a few horses. i mean dont get me wrong, i havent got a >$25,000 sportivo like the rest of u's (who may/may not have the money to throw around) but i think u could get the same hp increase by doing the work urself.

a k&n filter will set u back about 120 bucks

some black ducted piping ~$30

Hose clamps ~$10bucks

= ~$160

alright u mite not get the 'genuine' look but hey, if it still does the same job then why not, i mean ur saving urself about 450 bucks which could be spent on exhaust work.

But anyhow, each to their own, im not to familiar with the engine bay layout of the late model corollas, so it could cost a bit more for uneasy access i dunno, but yeah thats my input

Cheers

Jayden

[justin_es]

lol i actually agree with you there i almost bought a TRD CAI but then i decided to design my own CAI wich i think may give me better gains as the current CAI's dont really give many people any HP gains i herd of some people losing HP so it can't be that good the extra noise for less HP or just stay with what you got i know i would rather keep what i got

anyways i know somone who designed there own CAI and they got 12KW where there mate bought a proper CAI and lost 1 KW (keep in mind that this wasnt a corolla but i still think it will work the same)

so ill get it started and hopefully finished and let you all know how i went hopefully im not wasting my money LOL but i guess somone has to give it a go hey

but hey ive herd the TRD CAI's and i think they sound AWESOME but thats about it i didnt think the car went any faster than mine without one

[Gascan]

I think research and development with TRD products is an important factor.

You get what you pay for, not saying you can't get the same by spending $250 on a CAI.

Its also about brand.......

[justin_es]

yeah but if you really think about it

your NOT getting what you pay for half the cost is all import cost so technically its only worth $250-$300 not $495+

thats the way i look at it why pay for import cost and brand name when one made here will do the same but be alot cheaper not that there are many made here but there slowly on there way out i know a place currently doing trials at the moment and should be releasing it in the next week or 2

but i dont know how much there charging but

[melvinlau]

yeh fair enuf it prolly takes TRD a few bucks to make a CAI but its the hundreds of thousands of dollars that they put into research and development that produces a finely tuned candy red pipe :P and you have to keep in mind the CAI isn't designed to work by itself

[SILVABULLIT]

i dunno bout u guys but i find that pretty steep for a CAI. I mean ur spending $500bucks for an increase in a few horses. i mean dont get me wrong, i havent got a >$25,000 sportivo like the rest of u's (who may/may not have the money to throw around) but i think u could get the same hp increase by doing the work urself.

a k&n filter will set u back about 120 bucks

some black ducted piping ~$30

Hose clamps ~$10bucks

= ~$160

alright u mite not get the 'genuine' look but hey, if it still does the same job then why not, i mean ur saving urself about 450 bucks which could be spent on exhaust work.

But anyhow, each to their own, im not to familiar with the engine bay layout of the late model corollas, so it could cost a bit more for uneasy access i dunno, but yeah thats my input

Cheers

Jayden

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The newer model corolla's have the air flow meter moulded into the lid of the airbox so you'll have to make a mount in your ducted piping to accomodate it. Everybody has already looked at your way(including myself) and I know of some people who have made their own intake pipe with the air flow meter mount and it just wouldn't work.

I've been told that Toyota's are very sensitive when it comes to these hence why I just bought A TRD CAI(albeit 2nd hand!!) and when combined with an exhaust system it works great. My car gained nearly 10kw with CAI installed over my last dyno with just exhaust installed. So yes they do work but you have to do your mods in the right order :D

[LTS60]

I felt the big difference in my corolla when i got my Trd Cai. I combined my with just a rear muffler. Didnt dyno test it yet but huge difference after 3500rpm and upwards car just pulls so much better. Also what I noticed is makes my engine to run smoother and I get lower revs now when I drive 100kph.

[CHA54]

the TRD intake is nothing special at all. You can have it copied in stainless or alloy for $120 with the same AFM mount, and brackets that actually fit the Aus corolla.

All it consists of is three bends, which are all the same radius, one 90deg, one 45deg, and one which is around 30 and doesn't line up with the throttle body as well as it could. You will actually get a better quality product from a custom made one as the TRD pipes do not have a perfect mandrel bend in them due to the thin wall pipe used.

By getting a custom pipe made, you can also get the end near the throttle body angled in correctly so you dont have to use the very low quality rubber hose that comes with the TRD intake. A decent fabricator can also bead the two ends of the pipe for a tighter fit with silicon hose, the TRD intake is not beaded at all. The Simota intake fits the Aus corolla's a lot better than the TRD item FWIW.

Edited August 21, 2005 by rollamods

[MR22ZZ]

IMO the AEM CAI fits best of all. Aligns to the trottle body perfectly and there was no need to adjust any brackets at all. it only issue was the pod up against the spot light but all CAIs will have this issue, but can be rectifies easilly by adding another (~30degree) silicon between the pipe and the pod.

Edited August 21, 2005 by Blue_Stivo

[ZEEROLLA]

lol i actually agree with you there i almost bought a TRD CAI but then i decided to design my own CAI wich i think may give me better gains as the current CAI's dont really give many people any HP gains i herd of some people losing HP so it can't be that good the extra noise for less HP or just stay with what you got i know i would rather keep what i got

anyways i know somone who designed there own CAI and they got 12KW where there mate bought a proper CAI and lost 1 KW (keep in mind that this wasnt a corolla but i still think it will work the same)

so ill get it started and hopefully finished and let you all know how i went hopefully im not wasting my money LOL but i guess somone has to give it a go hey

but hey ive herd the TRD CAI's and i think they sound AWESOME but thats about it i didnt think the car went any faster than mine without one

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What Justin said here could be true, i got 114.1kw atw with CAI and another owner here got 113kw with CAI while someone's stock (no-longer) Blue Stivo got 115kw (i put it down to fuel quality) :P BUT note this is only PEAK POWER, not midrange power or TORQUE and says nothing about throttle response etc.

In Japan, C-One's 2zzge powered Celica and RunX (Stivo) stuck to their stock intakes, Why? Could it be because C-One refuses to use TRD's CAI :P or they are in the process of making a C-One CAI. Or maybe their R&D has shown no advantage from using a CAI?

But in all honesty i don't think a CAI will give noticeable power increases. The "BEST THING" (Japan/local tuners' reccomendations) you can do to highly strung NA engines like the 2zzge or Honda's TypeR engines is tune the ECU with either a full replacement ECU or piggy back. Exhaust, CAI, throttle body bolt-on mods will not give you what you desire, more noise than go. The induction noise from the CAI is something out of this world and if i had a choice i would still have gone for a TRD CAI just because its genuine TRD and Toyota has never said a word about the TRD CAI for the 12months i have had it installed. It also runs without a hiccup.

If i had an older vehicle, sure i would probably go for a custom setup. But my closing statement is still the same, the 2zzge is a finely tuned engine and it will be difficult to tap power from it unless you spend some serious money. If anyone here wants to get big hp gains, go buy a turbocharged vehicle where an exhaust mod can get you 20kw atw. What the heck, a boost controller worth $50 can get you an instant 20-50kw atw depending on how long you want your turbo or engine to last.

So spend your money wisely, it would be smarter to spend it on suspension because that is where the Stivo can surely improve on. Spend wisely and you can get more enjoyment out of the car on the road and on the track, and still be a very user friendly day to day vehicle.

I think by the time we all figured out this topic, most of us here that has owned the Stivo for while will be thinking of getting new cars ;)

Z

[Gascan]

I think everyone has put in some valid points.

At the end of the day each to their own, however you want to

spend your money is up to you.

I'm definately going Trd CAI..just called up castle hill toyota and they sold their last one for $365 but I will most likely be getting a used one.

[lucio_libre]

I dont get you guys, anything over $350 is just a huge ripoff, even $350 is expensive, but $500 :o for an aluminium pipe and a pod?

[justin_es]

I dont get you guys, anything over $350 is just a huge ripoff, even $350 is expensive, but $500  :o for an aluminium pipe and a pod?

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exactly and i agree with rollamods go get one custom made but to an exact copy from an australian store that you trust and you will get the exact same gains

also by making my own one all im gonna do is copy the TRD intake but its gonne be alot shorter

ill have the airpod sitting where the box sits with some stainless steel piping or whatever needs to be used with the sensor holder bracket thing and ill get a cover made up so i dont get into trouble with the cops it doesnt seem to far out of this world to try out besides i have exhaust so i guess a CAI will work in my case but i beleive the air has shorter distance to travel from POD to THROTTLE so it will have less restriction there for better response

i will have piping leading the air upto the pod ofcourse im not that stupid LOL

[Gascan]

I dont get you guys, anything over $350 is just a huge ripoff, even $350 is expensive, but $500  :o for an aluminium pipe and a pod?

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exactly and i agree with rollamods go get one custom made but to an exact copy from an australian store that you trust and you will get the exact same gains

also by making my own one all im gonna do is copy the TRD intake but its gonne be alot shorter

ill have the airpod sitting where the box sits with some stainless steel piping or whatever needs to be used with the sensor holder bracket thing and ill get a cover made up so i dont get into trouble with the cops it doesnt seem to far out of this world to try out besides i have exhaust so i guess a CAI will work in my case but i beleive the air has shorter distance to travel from POD to THROTTLE so it will have less restriction there for better response

i will have piping leading the air upto the pod ofcourse im not that stupid LOL

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less restriction and better throttle response, why didn't TRD think of that? <_<

[CHA54]

...because they didn't want to go to the expense of shielding the pod off from the rest of the bay, so took the easy route of sticking the filter in the guard like all the other companies that already were making the "CAI" for other models. I've actually done some testing with different lengths to the throttle body and there is a significant amount more response with the shorter intake as long as you can keep the air going in cool. Most people dont bother shielding the pod off properly from the bay so loose most gains the shorter intake provides.

If you get a custom intake, you may aswell get it HPC coated as this will also help with the intake temperature, and at the end of the day it will still be cheaper than the TRD intake.

[justin_es]

...because they didn't want to go to the expense of shielding the pod off from the rest of the bay, so took the easy route of sticking the filter in the guard like all the other companies that already were making the "CAI" for other models.  I've actually done some testing with different lengths to the throttle body and there is a significant amount more response with the shorter intake as long as you can keep the air going in cool.  Most people dont bother shielding the pod off properly from the bay so loose most gains the shorter intake provides.

If you get a custom intake, you may aswell get it HPC coated as this will also help with the intake temperature, and at the end of the day it will still be cheaper than the TRD intake.

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:D see i may be a HOLDEN man but is still know a LITTLE bit about what im raving on about hehe :P

so im gonna go the cheaper and BETTER way and i will let you gouys know what kinda gains i get

it may only be a few kw but it will still have slightly better throttle response and that little bit more power for cheaper cant lose

and to tell you the truth a good looking custom pod and box setup will look alot better than just having 1 single pipe running through the engine bay then disappearing

well thats my taste anyways

cheers rollamods

[CAP]

:D Good to see more people having a go at custom work, keep us posted how on how you go.

[Woody]

I dont get you guys, anything over $350 is just a huge ripoff, even $350 is expensive, but $500  :o for an aluminium pipe and a pod?

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I just purchased an Injen CAI for AU$213 inc. shipping. There's some great deals out there if your willing to shop around. :)

[MotoMan]

I dont get you guys, anything over $350 is just a huge ripoff, even $350 is expensive, but $500  :o for an aluminium pipe and a pod?

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I just purchased an Injen CAI for AU$213 inc. shipping. There's some great deals out there if your willing to shop around. :)

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Where the fudge did you get it for $213AU Including shipping...??

just bought mine for $250US aka $339 AU shipped