Well i been testing this so much im getting dizzy... back and forth every day or two.. really zoning in to the differences.
in power.. i don't feel a huge difference. of course there is some difference, but its not as big as it seemed. I hypothesize 5 actual wheel hp. and if you have to ask, yes I can feel a 5whp difference. The response is what you are really gaining with a mod like this, but it isn't all roses across the bandwidth. I gain response with this intake everywhere EXCEPT from a stop. I have reproduced this countless times. Once you are rolling, as long as you keep the rpm's up above 3500rpm, the intake works well. But from a dead stop, it has a second delay (in power building, but not launch) in response over the stock intake box.
I can really feel a degradation in power on this mild 60F day. Warm air intake. It is fantastic at 4:30AM when i drive to work, when its about 45-50F. It feels so strong I can barely keep the tires in traction. But as soon as it warms up I do feel a drop in performance.
One of the most important things in my modding rules, is keeping the feel as stock as possible. (Mostly meaning the pedal "feel" and "tightness" and "tip-in" as people say.) The stock intake box provides a tighter pedal for sure, and quicker launch from a dead stop. It also shows me stronger torque between 1500-2500rpms. Right after that is when an aftermarket intake could come into play.
The other thing I dislike about any intake is that damn SAI injection at startup. I read the SAI delete thread and I have no intention of massacre-ing my car like that. All part of my "change your car from stock behavior as little as possible while gaining the most modification gains" philosophy. The downpipe sort of goes against that rule, but it is such a slight noise with such nice gains, I bend the rule on that one.
I won't sell this Apexi, I have way too much invested in it. Its a real nice complete kit, and occassionally when I want something different I can install it for a weekend or something. I do still have that pflo kit in storage too, but I have no reason to install it.