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HPS Short Ram Intake REVIEW

56K views 83 replies 37 participants last post by  groundon000 
#1 ·
So after HOURS and HOURS of research I finally bought myself a SRI, and I decided to go with the HPS. Ive done my research and asked everyone I could find who have owned one or had experience with them and they had nothing but GOOD to say about them! I chose wrinkle black, because I wanted it to some what look like it was factory, but you can clearly see that it is not. Below are the details and pictures of the intake! (i got a SRI because I do NOT even want to risk the chance of getting hydro lock because of a CAI, where I live the streets flood like CRAZY! So it is very very possible to submerge the filter on a CAI)

Packaging: The packaging was very very nice! It was all packed and wrapped really well so there was absolutely no way of stuff smacking together. Besides the intake they also included a HPS license plate frame, a couple stickers, business card, and very detailed instructions (with pictures) that was a big help!

Build/Quality: Wonderful! The welds are great looking, very solid and clean! It comes with very nice and sturdy T-Bolt Clamps (i dont believe ive seen any intakes thats came with them), as well as hose clamps and mounting brackets for an automatic transmission as well as a five speed. (they fit and hold great, definitely a great support for the intake)

Sound: This intake sounds freakin incredible! In the mid/high RPM's the engine now has a deep roar to it! Its sounds almost as if I had installed an exhaust or something (which will be coming soon, hehe)! Under low acceleration the intake makes this intoxicating whistle noise, that almost sounds like a mini turbo spooling! I LOVE the sound!

Performance: Definitely pulls harder in the MID/HIGH RPM's! Throttle response is also a lot better because of the increased air flow through the K&N cone filter that comes with it! Also this SRI sits a lot lower than most SRI's allowing for more airflow but not down far enough to ingest water! (i would recommend keeping your stock splash shield tho, mine is currently off but a new one should be in the mail tomorrow) :p

Overall: I would DEFINITELY reccomend this product to anyone in search of an intake, it comes in about 5 different colors and you can buy the HPS CAI which can be converted in to the SRI! The sound/quality/performance is wonderful! Great product! I could NOT be happier! (to all those who say, oh thats just a crappy ebay intake, dont get it blah blah blah, thats a load of crap, this is a great product!) :)















 
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#54 ·
has anyone had experience with the simota CBII and this HPS?
 
#55 ·
The HP-S SRI/CAI was my first mod and my only mod for about 2 months this winter. I did noticed slightly more pull, but to be honest, my 3 didn't really come alive until I put the Vibrant CBE on it. Now my car is noticeably faster and sounds amazing. The sucking whine of the SRI under acceleration with the roar of the exhaust is simply fantastic. It's not a 10 second car, but it sure does make me smile.
 
#61 ·
as a sri imo this isnt the best option. everybody knows heat rises but the difference of about 6'' or so wont have a significant difference in temp. this sri does sit pretty low in the engine bay compared to others but judging by the picture no more 6''. most sri's are designed to take in air away from the engine, so they extend left rather then curving down. that makes more sense to me, getting away from the heat source instead of going to a lower point of it
 
#62 ·
i personally did not have issues with heat soak during the summer and i did not use the heat shield. I would recommend the sri as apposed to the cold air version just because i had alot of issues with breaking the anti-vibration mounts. I wanted the ability to switch and that would nice but personally i would have gotten the Simota if i would have known that i was going to be running it as a sri all the time
 
#63 ·
well i have and f2 cai that comes in two parts so it is interchangeable between an sri and a cai. i recently converted it to an sri for the winter to avoid the snowy wet season, and the filter sits pretty much exactly where the one in this thread does. maybe 1/2 to an 1" lower. however, i def. noticed a loss in power, not much but the car always feels a little sluggish now.
 
#64 ·
f2 cai sucks, i ran that thing for a year and never ran right. Either a cel or bogging. And it wasnt meant to be run as an sri, which is most likely why you are feeling your car sluggish.

from experience using three different intakes. The f2 is complete garbage and awful engineering, 3 inches is entirely useless untill you got up to 4-4500 rpm. The KN typhoon which you can use, and was engineered to be run as a cai or sri is nice but very quiet,expensive, and I think the pipes are way too thin(i bent one tightening the clamps). The HPS has bee my favorite. The position of the sri is placed in my opinion in an ideal spot. It gets flow right through the grill, I run it without the heatshield and it has never bogged or acted up on me once. Perfect price, great in all weather, performs great.

I would really like to compare the hps to a simota duoof. I just dont like how small and weird the filter is, otherwise ive never seen a bad review on it.
 
#65 ·
sorry you couldnt figure out how to make the f2 work but it most def. is not awful engineering. the 3" piping is meant to provide high end power as well as low end (i have yet to see a dyno of another brand intake producing more power) but you need to reduce the diameter arounf the MAF sensor to fool the computure to get low end torque as well. (f2 provides the housing needed for this with the intake) for the first month of me running this thing i couldnt agree with you more though, it ran like crap. then i went in and realized the MAF sensore housing is very lose, and it slipped down the piping, easy fix though. after that it was amazing. that sounds exactly like what happend to you because untill i figured that out, my car ran the same way bogged cels and no power untill high rpms. just because you couldnt figure it out doesnt make it complete garbage though. just unfortunate.

but i would like to know what basis you formed that statement off of, that it wasnt meant to run as an sri because i converted it and it runs great, i just noticed the loss in power from a cold air to a short ram. and i know its because of heat soak due to where the filter sits because i dont notice the loss untill my engine heats up. but it is still very smooth and sounds the same
 
#66 ·
maybe I had an earlier generation one but there was nothing provided or available that could fix that intake, they sent me a new rubber oring to fix the maf issue and it did nothing. And because it wasnt engineered to be a sri, it was made to be a cai. I just think it is an impractical daily driver intake even if it does work, because you lose torque down low and gains are way up top. I guess its preference but I think gains from low to midrange are more logical. As for the sri vs cai statement power wise, Im just going to say the power difference between the two is so minimal you cant tell the difference. Theres a difference in where it starts to pull harder though. which is all part of my point about the f2 as an sri, you wouldnt be able to tell the difference in "power" if it was meant to run both ways. I ran the KN typhoon both ways, car felt exactly the same. The HPS i liked better, power was the same, just more peppy at lower rpms. I assure you theres no heat soak issues with the hps, ive ran it in hummid 100 degrees and its been normal.

I wasnt really trying to argue, just expressing my personal experiences from using these two intakes. I know other locals that have had the same problems with the f2's, but this was years ago. I think HPS or Simota are the best dd options for the 3's. I wish SURE would come out with an sri, they make nice stuff.
 
#67 ·
no arguments, just simple intake talk.

as for difference in cai and sri, idk why i would imagine a loss when converting, unless i wanted to lose power, which i most def. dont. and it is only noticable when the car heats up, its much more responsive when it is cold. and it my not be meant to be an sri but as long as it runs smooth, and the power loss is barley noticable idk why it shouldnt be ran as one. but i asked the basis of that statmeant, meaning what source provided you with legit. info. explaining that the f2 intake is an inaffective sri.

but what makes you think it loses low end torque, have you ever seen any dynos on an f2 intake? gains throught the entire rpm band, just greater gains up top :)

and just so we dont get off topic, my personalized f2 sri conversion seems to be pretty identicle to this hps sri. so i would imagine the performance is relatively similar
 
#69 ·
Few HPS Questions

I just installed this intake today and it is awesome! It whistles like a little turbo! I have 3 questions though concerning my install.

1.) I couldn't get the mount in place as the bolt has fused with the transmission. But is it really necessary to mount the SRI? If so, what is a good alternative to mount it?

2.) How far should I have placed the actual tube into the silicone hose? As far as it can go?

3.) How the bloody hell do I put the heat shield on?! Lmao.

Thanks all.
 
#70 ·
Re: Few HPS Questions

[quote author=Bohnsta link=topic=176255.msg4265624#msg4265624 date=1346293707]
I just installed this intake today and it is awesome! It whistles like a little turbo! I have 3 questions though concerning my install.

1.) I couldn't get the mount in place as the bolt has fused with the transmission. But is it really necessary to mount the SRI? If so, what is a good alternative to mount it?

2.) How far should I have placed the actual tube into the silicone hose? As far as it can go?

3.) How the bloody hell do I put the heat shield on?! Lmao.

Thanks all.
[/quote]

1- I had mine on for a minute but after I had adjusted it so it would fit better the mount did not line up.. doesnt matter .
2- enough so that it won't fall out. :lol:
3- You kinda have to look at it and figure it out.. It took me a minute but you should have an extra fasten that you put those black pieces on then you tighten it and then attach the heat shield to it. Then you put the whole sri on.... Mine rattled against parts in my car so I took it off. I figured it wasn't really doing much anyway.

Hope that helps. I love the sound of mine.
 
#73 ·
Sorry to bump an old post (I seem to do that a lot), but has anyone recorded intake temps using this SRI? I removed my resonator in hopes it could improve response, and although it sounds really good, my low-end torque is basically gone, because it is drawing in 95-105F air in 65F ambient temperature. I am interested in getting an SRI, but I am really looking into which draws the coolest air, because the Corksport SRI, for example, goes across instead of down.
 
#74 · (Edited)
For the 2 short rams I had, Corksport was 8-12 degrees above ambient while moving, the simota CBII was 3-5 while moving, so this shows it heat-shield does work to a small extent. The HPS has filter placement closest to the Corksport.

My current Fujita CAI is 0 to 3 above ambient while moving.

And of course all the SRI's heat soak very quick while stopped, and the CAI barely does.
 
#76 ·
Thanks for the info. Seems the Corksport is not too much hotter than stock, and the increased airflow would more than compensate for that. I wonder if anyone has HPS temps?

potatoofdoom said:
I often look at my intake temps on my completely stock car. Moving is usually about 8-10 over ambient, it starts getting closer when it gets colder outside, like under 70. So use that as a baseline I suppose. Sitting still at a light, it usually shoots to 20 over within 20 or 30 seconds. At 65F, 30-35 degrees over is ridiculous.
My temps were the same as yours before I took the resonator off. Now there is no airflow, so the temps are way too high. The reason I'm worried about getting the HPS is because it sits in about the same location as the bottom of the stock airbox, but according to someone else earlier in the thread it gets airflow through the front grille. The reason I like the HPS though is that it does not require me to remove the battery vent, and it has a good filter on it.
 
#75 ·
I often look at my intake temps on my completely stock car. Moving is usually about 8-10 over ambient, it starts getting closer when it gets colder outside, like under 70. So use that as a baseline I suppose. Sitting still at a light, it usually shoots to 20 over within 20 or 30 seconds. At 65F, 30-35 degrees over is ridiculous.
 
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