Who would honestly pay $2000 for an Intake?
 

So I'm just browsing through a random performance parts site I found and happen to check out intakes that they have. My eye dotted Top Secret Z34. I check it out and see that it's a mind blowing $1973. It's just a pretty fabbed up short ram system with probably titanium piping and pretty burnt colors, and carbon fiber covers. Yes it's made by the awesome Top Secret company but who the hell is going to pay $2000 for a simple intake system that probably does not beat out the ~$500 Stillen Gen3 CAIs. Also being mindful of the pricing of the car. $2000 for an intake for something like a Ferrari/Lambo/Supercar may be justified because what's $2000 when your car is $200k-400k. I see the $2000 for the intake and think to myself how that's about 1/4 of a GTM TT kit. How do they expect to actually see buyers with such outrageous prices?

Top Secret - Z34 Super Induction Kit - Nengun Performance

The same guys who buy their strut bar for $2k, the Amuse exhaust for $5k, and the rear chassis stiffener for $2k...

The people who want to show off

people who are insecure and NEED to have the best name brand parts reguardelss of whp gains will....

Funny you mention they would lose....because they actually beat the Stillen Gen 3.
http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...e-intakes.html

Remember, just because a system is a CAI does not mean it is optimized for the car, they are just attempting to feed the car better/colder air to improve it.

Has anyone actually measured the pressure drop on the factory system? I am willing to bet it is less than 10 kPa. And what does the new intake achieve? Nobody talks about the numbers that matter!!

Aftermarket annoys me with lack of relevant info.

I wouldn't say insecure. Maybe they are willing to pay a premium for aesthetics. Some people just like things to be pretty. And that intake is really really pretty. Not worth it in my opinion, but I'm not building a show car.

Or someone who swings on Smokey's nut sack :nutswinger:

There's your answer.

i would couple this with nitrogen filled tires and a gtr start button for best bang for the buck performance

2k for intakes is a joke. I bet these are in boxes collecting dust.

Don't lump people who buy some of the JDM brands into one group.

For example - everybody knows I hate taking my car out lol

Same as people used to spend crazy money on Paris Hilton sex tape when it's just came out while regular porns are free.:tup:

The same people that would pay $2000 for a catalytic converter. See post below.

http://www.the370z.com/2058521-post6.html

yeah but you are a rare example. so JDM you swapped your german DD for a subaru.

no amount of JDM can turn phelan into true JDM...

I rather see all JDM than all replica BS.

you talking about phelan himself? :icon17:

I'd pay $2000 if the intake could do other things :yum:

you questioning its suction power?

Lol, sorry, my issue is more with things like the $2k strut bars and such... I think the Top Speed Strut bar is REALLY ugly too...

If someone really needs a titanium rear chassis brace and is willing to pay $2-3k, they have more money than brains, I can came the same thing with titanium for MUCH less

People think Ti costs as much as gold, yeah, it's difficult to weld


At the same time, Phelan, I have met you personally, and your car looks awesome to say the LEAST, I'm not saying because you have a full authentic Amuse kit that you're insecure about Johnson or anything, lol, and having the 5k exhaust completes the total package as well, and I think it's more functional than the intake or the other pieces I talked about

And the article that compares them to the G3's has to be wrong... I know the stock intake boxes are really efficient, and those look like they use the same inlets, but I still don't buy Baker's dyno runs (if they are correct it would seem that Stillen's G2 would be as good as the G3, but why does everyone buy/recommend the G3's???)

Well Baker just supplied the Stillen and the Top Secret, it was Secret Services here in houston that did the dyno runs. I have yet to go dyno my car after adding the Top Sercret Intakes. But I will at the same place when it reaches the same temperature as my previous run.

Also the dyno run was with the exact intakes I have on my car, bought them from Brad Baker. These are not titanium and do not have the carbon fiber shield, just the HKS filter.

Not me

But for some being able to say you are one of a limited few to have something makes it worth it...

Problem is, you can't stop there, if you have a 2K intake then you have to go all out on everything else! lol

Free market baby! If there's some shmoe who's got the cash to pay for the real deal then go baby go! On the other hand, if there's a shmoe who can make a product cheaper and look the same, feel the same, and made the same or even better, hell go for it and sell a bunch as long as you don't violate patents and copyrights. If your a manufacturer who can't find a way to make the same product cheaper, or even better then you've taken yourself out of the open market.

My sensible bottom line mentality......I'd rather see sensible spending than high horse spending. Just do not make sense spending big $ in ANY economy when you can get the same results and look. If you feel better and more secure because you spent more for the real thing, then bless your heart. I love and relate to the masses.

This is partly why I have JDM tail lights, but I REALLY do like them... And there is no real supplement... But intakes, there are 10-20 different types, exhausts, more than I can count... Also, what's really fúcking the price is the exchange rate and the cost of labor in Japan... I bet if someone made that here or in China, it would be $300-500

I would pay 2k for an intake....if you know what i mean :drool:

Only if my car was a show-only car. $2K is just too much. I'm using my Z as a DD though and I won't go over $450 for intake. $1K for exhaust. Etc, etc, etc.

How I see it:
DD - budget for minror dress parts, budget for minor performance parts, budget for DD maint.
Show - budget for dress parts, budget for performance parts, budget for detailing supplies
Race - budget for performance parts/builds

I'd do it if my Z was a show car, since the piece would probably make people Ooooh and Aaaah a lot more than the Gen 3 or other CAI's on the market right now.

If you track, then the $1500 difference between the TS and Stillen intakes would be better spent elsewhere.

this rules applies to daily life.
the expensive shoes, wallet, clothes you are wearing could have been bought from elsewhere

Welllll, you pay for quality and you'd be surprised how many other people oooooh and aaaah at shoes, clothes, and wallets too, lol

$2K, NO, but Hell NO!

lol. rip off. for 2k i can get a set of piping, throttle bodies, intercoolers, dual intake set up for a Z32 TT. RIPPP OFFFF

He has a point...see signature below.

Yup, you got bitten by it...but because of that fact I'm also a big fan of your Z :tiphat:

coolest story ever bro.

They'll sell at the price the market will bear. If there were no buyers, there would be no business.

I'd rather chew off my own arm than buy a 2000 buck intake, but they're not marketing to me.

mr.tgo- but why are there people with $6K wheels and $800 shitook tires?

Because they value show over go?

What's wrong with that? Car show competitors are people too! :roflpuke2:

jesus christ this sounds like a subaru forum...

I wonder if the intake filter covers are real carbon fiber. I certainly doubt they are but if they are then it takes some time to make and material/time cost is actually quite high. I think alot of people forget how much carbon-fiber really cost since there are so many low grade fakes on the market for so many applications. The only thing that makes me think its real carbon is the ends of the intakes are not perfect as many have pointed out makes me think this is real carbon but without seeing the part in person almost impossible to tell without an inside picture.

Buy yours now, only 2 left!

http://www.the370z.com/exhaust-intak...ml#post2079676