Just bought a '02 Protege 5. I was thinking of putting on an AEM cold air intake. It's not to expensive, I think around 210.00, and says to add 5-15 horses. Wondering if I could get advice? Is it worth it? Did you install on yours? Do you feel an increase in performance?....and any other performnce tips would be nice. Thanks everyone

 

it probably wont give you that much more horsepower, but you will get a nice sound out of it.. lol, a nice whooshing sound....
and you will get a slight increase in fuel economy too, because your engine is getting colder air....

but i plan on getting a CAI for my 3 sometime next year, i think mostly everyone starts off with a CAI as their first mod....

the install wouldnt be that hard, you'd just have to remove your factory air box and intake, and replace it with the aftermarket one...
so at most you'd only need a few tools, like a wrench and screwdriver.....
i plan on installing my intake whenever i get it....

 

aem is a good brand. if you have an exhaust tip, you might be able to hear the intake echo through the exhaust, but yeah when you step on the gas you can hear the air whoosh into the intake.

 

If i were you i would go with K&N or Injen.. I've heard a lot of really good things about them...

The install wasnt too hard, just took some time... I have three subs in the hatch, so i didnt feel that much of an increase.. you wont see a big increase, but you might feel a little.. especially since your car sounds a lot "meaner", you mentality with think that you had a BIG increase.. Once i took out the subs tho, i really liked it..

Way better than stock, that's for sure.. then again, anything is better than stock to me.. lol

An intake is for better airflow for your engine, and to cool it down if you get a cold air intake.. If you do that, you might as well (when you get enough money) get the rest of the puzzle pieces for the air flow.. Header and exhaust.. maybe even a ported and polished head and intake manifold...It all dependswhat you are fixing up for, boost or just NA..

Hope this helps!

Peace,
RJ

 

aem cold air intake is a good choice, my brother had a aem air cold intake installed to his ride. it works good. I've also been hearing good feedbacks about K&N. I guess it would really depends on your personal preference. as to performance upgrades, there are lots of things that you can do.. a good exhaust system and muffler would be great.