Short ram intake questions, for 88 929

[pomes131]

Alright I've been trying to do my homework on this, and I'm on a budget. I know this issue has been beat to death, I did search the forum. I wanna order everything I need soon. I know I need a cone filter, round-tapered with a 3" flange inside diameter, does anybody have a good model #? As for as the intake tube, I was gonna get some 3" aluminum tubing....should I get something with a 45 degree bend or 90??(Mazda has my car again to repair/replace a hose going to the vapor cannister, so I can't just look!) If I go with 45 would I end up making it real short?? Maybe that's a good thing, don't know...I'm gonna cut the tube to size, file the edges, and attach it to a 3" adapter on the VAF with an intake coupler and clamps. And then I'll attach the filter with another coupler and a some clamps, sound about right?? Oh and I guess I have to drill a hole in the tube and put a grommet in that to attach the hose that goes to that solenoid. I was also thinking about a heat shield if I can find one cheap. I thought about painting the tube with heat resistant paint too, maybe, but like I said I'm on a budget!! I'm also going to be getting a free-er flowing muffler like a Dynomax super turbo...not enough money to get custom exhaust..So, and guidance or advice??? Thanks

[9ine Deuce]

now ive tried many variations of the intake and exhaust set ups on the HC 929 with the stock N/A motor. i suggest cold air and a straight pipe from cat convertor to a chambered muffler and out.

doing the intake is the cheapest HP for the $$$ especially if you do a cold air set up which is slightly harder but not by much.

this is what youll need:

MAF adapter plate (~$25) goes in place of the stock air box. bolts to the MAF sensor & has an adapter for a 3" pipe/filter on the other end.

clamps about 2 or 4 for cold air.

rubber sleeve for pipe if u use one.

a good cone filter, get a K&N (~$25-35) they are good & reusable, lots others even $$$ ones but not necessary. i used a huge k&n filter, 3" and about 10" long. sounds real nice.

3" piping (optional) you can go without it but if you decide to go wid it, youd wanna clamp it right on to the adapter plate. its gonna be better than the stock set up but it will be around warm air especially in those hot Georgia summers. thats why i think its better to get a 3" pipe about a foot or more in length but with a 90 degree (i think) bend, bascially enough bend to reach into the lower fender after youve drilled a 3" hole. i borrowed my piping form a Accord short ram intake. look at my pic and look under the area where the stock air box sits, you will see where intercooler piping would have run if this car where in Japan with the 2L turbo option, and thats where i drilled my hole for the intake pipe. basically you are putting the cone filter in the area where the intercooler was ment to be if our car was in Japan with the turbo engine.

see how i have the stock ducting and how i drilled a small hole for the vacuum line to run into the pipe. you will have to attach the metal bracket with the other vacuum lines and wiring like i have did to the stock support of the air box


u can see where the intake pipe bolts to the MAF or watever and its connected with a sleeve, i borrowed a AEM one from a friend. u can also see the small vacuum line run into the red pipe, and the it disappears into the fender. i later ripped out my intake duct.


going with a custom set up is the next best bang for the buck, its easy on the 929. I suggest spend the extra $50 on piping a get it straight through from the cat, deleting the stock resonator and RV sized muffler. thats what i have but i finish mine off with a N1 style muffler. a Dynomax with a nice tip will work fine.

use no bigger than 2.5" piping, see how mine goes way back to the cat. its straight through and using a chamber styled muffler (Dynomax) will be alot quieter than my straight through muffler


at the time 2 years ago, this is the style i liked, the muffler also sits angled and slanted upwards/outwards. i would like to change it if i could afford too wid something more classy and VIP stlye.


im never doin this again it will be archived for ever now !!!

[pomes131]

Thanks for the write up 9ine. You've got me thinking. I wanna take a look at my car and plan all this out. The only question I can think of now is: As far as the straight pipe from the cat back, is this a diy-er...I'm pretty sure I don't have the funds for having anything done at a shop! Also, I'm weary of the chance of getting water in the cone...so yours sticks out 10" out from the fender??(Am I misunderstanding your set up?) Like I said, I'm gonna take a peak at the situation once I get my car back...maybe I can get an open cap cone running down to the fender, drill the hole and run a drain pipe elbow out to suck up air....hhmmm, can't wait till Mazda gets it together gives me my car back so I can look at everything!!

[9ine Deuce]

the exhaust isnt really a DIY, the intake is. its better to pay ~$100 to get the pipe made & have everything mounted properly. for the cold air, there is really no chance of water getting in the filter, ive had my cold air for 3 years and im from vancouver where it rains half the year. the intake pipe runs into the fender well and the cone filter is about 10" long. nothing sticks outta the car, its protected by the plastic splash shields from underneath. i also mounted a small metal splash shield on the side of the filter where it could possibly get wet from inside the fender. take a look in the driverside fender well and you will see vent holes for where the intercooler should be, thats the only place where you have a chance of getting the filter wet. just dont drive the 929 into huge puddle that you think might be deep...

[dmeetro]

just dont drive the 929 into huge puddle that you think might be deep...
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Yeah the last thing you wanna do is hydrolock the engine that you prolly paid mazda up the ass to install.

The intake is really a DIY and so is exhaust ..... as long as you have certain skills, but exhaust is really a more expensive project. I just got my SHO started that i converted from an ATX to an MTX and i gotta build an exhaust system, cost me a 100$ in piping and mufflers and i still gotta spend like 150$ or something on other misc crap, like flanges, after that'll come in i'll get to cutting and welding everything together.

BTW the exhaust i built for the 929 is holding up great, i fixed the hangers and the flanges dont pinch the gasket, i also learned of a new flange called ball flange, and that doesnt require gaskets so its more reliable. I'll be using those in my sho.

[Sickwilly]

mine has dual cats then dual pipes that enter and exit a front muffler, with dual pipes then entering a final muffler, but with only one pipe coming out of it. If I ever do anything, their will be dual pipes coming off the back of mine.

http://oem.thepartsbin.com/parts/thepartsb...Muffler&dp=true

[9ine Deuce]

its different for the 929S though cause in stock form most of it almost comes like a true dual set up (gotta get the DOCH heads on the SOHC block !). for SOHC engines the 2 exhaust headers join up right away and having a dual set up is useless. on the DOHC if you were to do a custom set up it, you should keep it dual right up to a twin inlet muffler or watever.

[dmeetro]

uh duals are virtually useless acept for bragging right, you can get as mutch airflow as you need and more with a single setup if you just go with a big enough pipe. At some point there will be too mutch flow and you will loose backpressure resulting in a powerloss. IE if you go with a 3" single exhaust you will not have ANY b/p and it'll suck balls, anyhoo thats on a DOHC engine i dunno about the sohc, but i would guess its the same.

[pomes131]

That's a good looking setup dmeetro! Oh and 9ine, I finally got to look at my car and saw what you were saying about the CIA....looks promising! As far as the exhaust, doesn't look as easy as I thought it might be. According to my files, the people who owned the car before me had gotten new front and rear mufflers put on by midas in 96...but I assume its extremely similar to the oem setup because the muffler is a **** tank!! Almost 22" long!! I thought I'd be able to chop off the pipe before the muffler and clamp a new one on...but I wasn't thinking right. First I can't weld! So I can't weld any of the rods that connect the muffler to the hangers(I don't know what they're called) Also there's a bend immediately before the muffler, I was hoping it would be nice and straight...after that the flange is only 3-4" away and its on an angle..so I can't get a break! Anyway I think I'll inquire at a couple different places how much to run a pipe straight off the cat to the new muffler and also ask about just putting the muffler on....either way I probably don't have the money for that right now...I'm backed up for a while after the engine thing....and the CIA's gonna end up being about $100 it looks like. ****, I really wanted to give that extra air somewhere to go!! Thanks for all the insight guys...

[pomes131]

I was just reading something and wanted to ask...if I removed everything from that first flange back, bought a muffler and took it to a muffler shop..would they just bend a pipe, put a flange on and weld those "hanger rods" in the proper places for me?? Am I saving any money that way?? I know I'd go get a flange gasket and some new hangers, but in the long run I wonder if I'd save...hhmmm