:iagree:

Stillens cost $50 more brand new. I obviously bought AEM's and found them for $379 shipped brand new. This isn't the deal of the century, but its not bad either. I personally dislike intake systems that reduce in size at the MaF sensor. its only effective at preventing a tune. If we are running exhaust and TP/ HFC/ headers with a CAI, it will need tuned anyways. More power will be produced with a straight through system vs one that necks down when tuning is considered. I'm glad Akuma didn't compromise and included a tune to help with the MAF issue. if your really chasing the mystical 2-3whp, you probably have more than just a CAI, and you most likely have a tune or its on your list.

Wrong side of the bed today and yesterday? All we are looking for a comparison to the highest power intake out there (Stillens) so we have a reason to buy another set. By your logic, if the 2-3 mystical horsepower doesnt matter, then everyone who has intakes is now off of Akuma's market unless a one-piece design (Nismo, AEM, etc) is desired. I assume they would still want people with intakes to be candidate customers though so the comparison would likely benefit sales. That mystical 2-3hp (which is just your guess anyways) being useless would also negate the reasoning for them making an intake and a corresponding fuel adjustment tune, since it apparently is not worthwhile to go for. I disagree with your logic all around actually. Some people have the funds to buy better parts but we want proof first. Other non-intake owners want to know what the best intake is before the buy, yet another reason to have the comparison.

Aside from horsepower, what I am actually curious about is how the power band changes, not the top end 2-3 hp you speak of. For us bench racers, power under the curve is the most important. Given that we know porting the throttle bodies out added more power (5-6hp at the wheels) I am curious to see how much more flow this engine wants.

Have some coffee, life is good, relax. :tiphat:

Indeed, I imagine the lack of a neckdown will open up lower end torques.

I'm kind of hoping that there is another 10-15rwhp locked up in the throttle bodies and these new intakes. I wouldnt mind have closer to 330whp SAE with a retune. Would be worth spending a few bucks for sure.

I apologize for coming off as brash. I do agree that power under the curve is important. The trend with intakes though is that all the gains are over 6500 rpm. I also understand people wanting to see more results. What I disagree with is people giving Akuma a hard time because they didn't do a direct comparison with a competitor. I understand the excitement and interest with new intakes, I think we just need to see other members post their results to get a better idea of what kind of performance they bring.

I think TT or SC would settle all your HP woes. :stirthepot:

I still say Akuma is doing 100 times better as a vendor than most.

Thanks! we are actually trying to guage interest in doing a custom TT or STS on the 370z tough part is finding someone interested in leaving there car with us to do the fab work on and such

ME :p

I'll be leaving for Afghanistan for a year on contract, but I live in Vegas :rolleyes:

Are you guys still going offer this "bundle" option? I'm interested in a bundling option with an osiris tuner license.

I'm not sure if this has been addressed, but were the dyno pulls with the akuma intakes done with the front bumper on or off? Another thread showed that the gen 3's results varied depending on whether or not the bumper was on or off in order to simulate more "real world" scenarios.

No worries dude, its all good. I dont think we mean to give them a hard time, just want to see the good news their intakes bring vs the Stillens. I am rooting for them!

Thanks for the interest guys. Let me clarify a few things. The group buy will be up for a while no worries. The Akuma Intake is a 2.75" 6061 Aluminum design. The initial install requires the bumper to be removed and the filters placed in the bumper area. Once it is installed, the body of the intake can be removed as one piece. The intakes have a symmetry by design, for performance and aesthetics. We are going with K/N filters at this time. If we can find a suitable replacement, I will entertain that option. The K/N filter media is very effective and the filters do not leave oil residue in the intake after 1000miles.

So why Akuma over the competition? The basic answer would be design(open radius bends, larger diameter piping, MAF placement), materials and customer service. We use USA made Aluminum and K/N filters. The engine bay couplers are Nomex, which is a better material than the silicone counterpart(higher heat tolerance, and a bit stiffer which aids in support). We will also offer a base calibration for Up Rev or Cobb(should there be any) users. Finally, we are easily accessible. If you have a question, you can speak with the designer or a technician that has helped on the design. So you know you will get any help you need.

The MAF is placed in the straightest section of airflow, therefore tunes very easily. The Z is nice in that you do not have to mod the MAF table, as I believe there should be 2 banks as the GTR has, but the tuning software provides for one table. However, this may be a function of the UpRev Tuning suite and be 100% correct(one table). You only have to modify one value in the tuning software, that provides a global effect to the fuel trims. You then modify the fuel target table to a desired fuel curve. The Fuel comp table(on the cars we have tested) does not need to be modified.

We have been a little slow on the release, and that is 100% my fault. I wanted to get 1000miles on the first set and take them off and see if there was any areas of concern...excessive wear, etc. I will have those off on Tuesday(possibly Monday if my wife lets me go into the shop...lol).
The next few sets will be finished up and shipped out. I want to try and get the first few sets to guys here and if they have access to a dyno that is really helpful. The other delay was the MAF sensor flanges. We got a few sets of the wrong size, so I needed to have that corrected before final welding. All of this will be sorted out and kits shipping this upcoming week.

I wanted to thank the community for the continued support. This truly helps us design a better product and keeps us in touch with the pulse of the community.

Regards,

John

Since Stillen is the industry standard(they have a good product) it makes sense to use it as a benchmark test... If someone has access to a dyno and has the Stillen G3, but does not want to buy a set, I can potentially send a test set out for 3rd party comparison, but they must be sent back after testing(assuming they do not want to buy them). We could go over the details off the thread...give the shop a call Tuesday or send me a PM during the week.

Dynos cost money as does the time to adjust the tune, how are you going to cover that cost for someone who has them both dyno'd back to back plus install time and tune time?

Aaaahh, yes. I reread how I wrote the offer. What we would do is give the intakes to the person doing the comparo at a very heavily discounted rate to offset the cost of the dyno runs and time invested. The intake install can be done by the end user, so there should be no shop cost to offset. If they chose not to keep the intakes, we could work together on a solution with the shop the dyno pulls would be done at to cover costs etc..

Hope that helps a bit.

Cheers,

John

That sounds very reasonable. I am interested as are a few others if you want to let us know what rates you are thinking about.

Again we are back to work on these intakes in order to ensure we have the BEST intakes on the market.

We realize the release of these intake have been long awaited and anticipated. But when it comes to engineering a product like this you can't just throw some metals together and call it a day.
We are now on our 3rd revision in order to squeeze everything we can out of these intakes. It is very important to keep improving the product you have and just as important for you guys to see the progress along the way.
We not only started this thread to gain some interest but also to show how the engineering of a product so simple looking can take so long. It requires a lot of testing and seeing what does an does not work. Its the small things that matter ;)

We made some new revisions to these intakes which include the following
-More open radius bends
-2 inches shorter in overall length
-Longer straight tubing before the MAF's
-They will be offered mandrel bent with no welds!

In the picture below is all of the Rev Models..
Top-Rev1 (2.5")
Middle-Rev2 (2.75")
Bottom-Rev3 (2.75", with thicker walls for added durability)

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/9be77343.jpg

LONGER TUBING BEFORE THE MAFS

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/d603c0df.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/b4a02c63.jpg

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/97cafc29.jpg

glad to see the tweaks being worked out. what do these revisions improve?

All the improvements would most improve air flow. Zero welds means less turbulence, because the entire inside of the tube is smooth at a macromolecular level. Longer straight tubing reduces misreading at the MAF, and will deliver more accurate, precise voltage output, which prevents the ECU from tripping balls because the airflow changes. Straighter, longer tubing, again, reduces turbulence. Shorter overall length means less travel from filter to throttle body, lowering the resistance of the air to movement. It's easier to suck from a straw that's a foot long than 10 feet long (fun experiment, btw). I know what a bend radius is, but I'm not sure what "open radius bends" are. What I'm guessing is that the bends are less extreme, again smoothing airflow and reducing turbulence.

Basically speaking, smoother, more laminar airflow = faster moving, smoother, more consistent airflow. This means the MAF reads better and more accurately, and also provides a good intake charge into the plenum. All this means more horsepower across the band, although I'd imagine the biggest gains are at mid to high RPMs where faster moving air normally causes more problems especially with the stock intake tubing.

Of course, I'm only an engineering student, so these are the most likely improvements, but the actual engineer developing the intakes probably has more reasons which might also be more complicated.

I can't remember if welding or mandrel bending is cheaper overall.

Makes sense to me. :tup:
Please define 'tripping balls' at the engineering level.

They do look better than Stillen G3's that's for sure.

Welding is cheaper, this is why Stillen is doing that. Mandrel bending is expensive, like you said: ░░░░░░░░░░░░▄▄
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Also Kevin are your or John ever going to respond back to me?

Engineers are often said to be like this:


It is commonly joked about (and also proven to be true, to a degree) that engineers who produce something that is not perfect are tortured.

According to urbandictionary, this video is an accurate representation of "tripping balls" (not gonna lie this is pretty freaky):


So, I guess if you tried to define "tripping balls" at an engineering level, you'd arrive to the conclusion that it is some kind of painful, mindboggling experience. In other words, the MAF is confused and is subjected to watching that video over and over. It then produces something which doesn't make sense, which makes the ECU also trip balls, like watching that video while on shrooms or something. Would be a lot worse if it were a bad trip. lol

I just wanna know 3 things:

1. They will require NO cutting to the front dam correct?
2. What kind of filters will they use, Oiled/Dry?
3. When can I order the final revision! :icon17:

Will these intakes have the AC line rub like the g3 does?

nope

370z purist..... That video freaks me the f*** out. But i'm very fond of your explanation on how the MAF sensors "trip balls" hahah

They will be K&N Oiled filters
The only modification needed will be to the front bumper beam where the piping goes through you will just need to open those holes up a little
I will post up as soon as we are taking payments

370Z Purist explained the changes quite well. :) The overall aesthetic is improved as well.

Mandrel bending is nice because it eliminates any seams, smooths the path of the airflow(with the aluminum, the seams are so tight that this is only a mild improvement, if any), and makes for a more appealing product to some. Actually, it will be a little cheaper for me to have them mandrel bent in quantity, then fab each kit on my own. For now I will be getting a few sets done here then I will have a place mandrel bend a run for me. I like to have a few sets out there before they become a stocking item. That way if there is any issues or revisions required, they can be addressed before final run. The quality will be there for both.

We are using a K/N filter at this time, and they have a small amount of oil in the filter, but it does not go into the piping and I do not suggest oiling the filter any more after purchase.

The intake does require trimming the front plastic area. It will require the same install as the Stillen unit. We will have instructions up very soon. the trimming is minor, and does not have a negative effect on the front end. Our car is tracked very hard and daily driven, and there has been no cause for concern.

The piping will go over the AC lines, however there is a fair amount of play in the fitment, and we will provide a piece of silicone to protect the AC lines. After 1500miles, the first set has shown no signs of wear.

I hope this helps a bit. I will get you final pics in an hour or two, I have to finish welding. Pics to follow.

Cheers,
John

I don't know if this is something that you guys would want to do, but I have Stillen intakes right now with a full exhaust. I'm gonna be tuning the car soon, and I would be willing to put your intakes on and do another dyno run after everything is tuned up to get a comparison with full exhaust. If the numbers are good I would keep them and sell my stillens. You guys can pm me if you're interested!

I like the use of the word "trimming" to describe what has to be done to install these intakes as well as the G3's. Using the word cutting is a bit extreme and scares people. All it really requires is shaving a few millimeters of plastic and is done in about 10 seconds.

The intake is looking mighty good guys, real nice work :tup: Def like the non welded look:icon17:

:icon18:

The Final Product (minus the welds)

http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/0fa39ef3.jpg

Those are some tall filters!

I'm assuming you'll be offering polished aluminum. All your photos (to me) make it appear that the piping/tubing is a satin/brushed finish. Then again these are mostly development photos, and greasy automotive-working hands don't exactly lend to a clean, shiny finish!

Thats just brushed aluminum which is what we'll offer them in

-Kevin@Akuma

When will they be available for purchase?

Dare I say we need dynos to compare to the Rev 2? Curious if they are smoother in the lower RPMs.

dynos would be nice (as always)...

I wish these manufactures would post everything at once....pictures, dyno, available date and cost. Saves from all the BS. SORRY for the rant. :p. intakes. Look great

they wanna build HYPE.

Hype? I'll go buy another intake :D