I'm looking at installing a cold air intake which I know requires taking the left front wheel off and part of the splash gaurd to remove the stock air box.I also noticed thatthe aftermarket cold air intake filteris positioned down near the wheel well when installed. Does anyone know ifI need to go through this same process when removing theair filter for cleaningor can it be reached without removing the wheel and splash guard? This will utlimately help me decide whether to go with the short ram or full cold air intake.

 

you can take the bumper off.

trust me, its WAY easier.

11 screws along the underside of the bumper, 1 screw on each side of the bumper(on the inside, where the bumper meets the fender), and 2 screws where you grill is.

its not as hard as it looks. i can take my bumper off in about 10 minutes now.

 

Do you put the front end on jack stands or do you just crawl under and unscrew the bumper? Let me get this right. You have to take off the front bumper everytime you want to get to the air filter?

 

No. But like the man said, it's easier that way.And, you'll get more from aCAI than anSRI.

 

I put the K&N short ram intake on my mazda3 recently but i havent had to clean it yet.
you could potentially take the short ram intake out from the top, just remove the intake from the throttle body. Do you know how often you should clean your intake???

 

also how much more will you get out of CAI than SRI?

 

MS recommends 20K for my CAI between cleanings, but an SRI lives in the engine compartment so it may be more often. I'm not sure about that one though.
According to the dyno sheets I've seen, usually 2-3hp, but w/o any other mods (i.e. header and/or exhaust system) the gain would be reduced anyway. If the engine can't exhale, it can't inhale as much either.