Mashimoto vs PRL vs K&N Typhoon CAI

qkquannguyen · Aug 13, 2019

I am currently on the market for a CAI and was deciding between these three. Price wise theyre all pretty much similar with K&N being probably about 75 bucks cheaper.

Which of these three would you guys recommend, if any. I am not really looking for performance boost but I simply love that whoosh sound. I read mix reviews about everything except maybe PRL but thats still pretty early too. I haven't seen much of the K&N Intake except for one post.

Any advice is appreciated!

VinRRR · Aug 13, 2019

I went with PRL and very satisfied with it. It sounds awesome. I had AFE Takeda before and it was too quiet like stock. Also, the silicon hose that go the turbo inlet feels cheap. I wouldn't even consider any open element intake (K&N, Injen, AEM) because they'll heat soak. Mishimoto has a metal airbox which will attract heat and result in heat soak on hotter days as well.

123sillyboy123 · Aug 14, 2019

i go with PRL because they took a long time R&D before actually pushing / rushing theit intake out to the market.
some intake out there not only no performance gain but also hurt performance. Heat soak is real, such as all earlier injen intake, you will lose 10-15 hps simply due to heat soak. I will never buy injen product anymore, they simply dont put time and effort develop optimal product for this generation civic.
Mishimoto is metal box as said above, it will turn into a easy bake oven on a hot day or track day.

Akuto · Aug 14, 2019

I've been looking into this as well. PRL seems to be the best bet due to multiple reasons over other intakes: non-metallic box for deter heat, closed system to keep in box air cool and separate from engine bay heated air, etc. I, myself may gold wrap the engine side of the box, and the MAF tubing, and get a blanket for turbo and "over turbo" intake pipe to further reduce heat soak. I'll also be looking into a inlet cut out in the top "separate" bumper piece to help air flow and get a more open grill like the j's racing grill, evs tuning grill, or the seibon carbon cv style grill, and larger intercooler and wrap the intercooler exit piping too and get some louvers in the hood to pull out engine bay air. PRL is the best option for all that IMO. The ultimate cooling build

FK8_K20c1 · Aug 14, 2019

I had the mishimoto intake for almost 7 months. I prefer the PRL intake. Why? Because of sound and lower intake temps.

02SilverSiHB · Aug 14, 2019

I had the AEM intake, also the aFe intake.

AEM is the same essentially as K&N. I had the AEM for a good amount of time, and loved the sound.

I decided to try just the PRL intake tube and filter. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I realized I had become accustomed to the AEM's heat soak and didn't realize the power I was losing at lower rpms...at least that's how it felt. So with PRL I felt like I had more throttle response.

So if I did it over, I'd just go PRL

qkquannguyen · Aug 14, 2019

Thanks guys! Guess it is PRL! Im glad i canceled my order on amazon of the K&N. Got hella cold feet the day it was suppose to ship.

Seems like ill be in the 3rd batch of the PRL ): hopefully it comes soon!

FK8_K20c1 · Aug 14, 2019

02SilverSiHB said:
I had the AEM intake, also the aFe intake.

AEM is the same essentially as K&N. I had the AEM for a good amount of time, and loved the sound.

I decided to try just the PRL intake tube and filter. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I realized I had become accustomed to the AEM's heat soak and didn't realize the power I was losing at lower rpms...at least that's how it felt. So with PRL I felt like I had more throttle response.

So if I did it over, I'd just go PRL

When I sold the Mishimoto Intake I went with the same setup you have. PRL hose and a high flow filter on the factory airbox. Then recently I installed the new PRL intake and the difference was huge! Still lower intake temps than the stock airbox and way more throttle response.

qkquannguyen · Aug 14, 2019

Just pulled the trigger and ordered the PRL HV Intake!! Thanks guys

i feel much better now. Super glad i held off

Caestus · Aug 15, 2019

VinRRR said:
I went with PRL and very satisfied with it. It sounds awesome. I had AFE Takeda before and it was too quiet like stock. Also, the silicon hose that go the turbo inlet feels cheap. I wouldn't even consider any open element intake (K&N, Injen, AEM) because they'll heat soak. Mishimoto has a metal airbox which will attract heat and result in heat soak on hotter days as well.

I recently installed the aFe Takeda intake on my car. I am quite pleased with it and according to a video I watched... it gave actual HP gains over the PRL. (I think it was around 6 or 7 more HP over PRL) I also feel quite a bit better throttle response over stock and the sound for me is perfect.

I think the construction of the aFe is really good and I think the silicone hose they use is fine and I will keep an eye on it for sure.

That being said, I think the PRL is a great setup based on the research I performed on intakes and is probably very comparable to the aFe

VinRRR · Aug 15, 2019

Caestus said:
I recently installed the aFe Takeda intake on my car. I am quite pleased with it and according to a video I watched... it gave actual HP gains over the PRL. (I think it was around 6 or 7 more HP over PRL) I also feel quite a bit better throttle response over stock and the sound for me is perfect.

I think the construction of the aFe is really good and I think the silicone hose they use is fine and I will keep an eye on it for sure.

That being said, I think the PRL is a great setup based on the research I performed on intakes and is probably very comparable to the aFe

Don't get me wrong. I think AFE is a good exhaust. Sound wise PRL is definitely louder than AFE. I think it's due to the filter shape. The silicone hose on the AFE was so flexible and thin, and that was one of the things I didn't like about it. Another thing is the front air inlet leaves a gap that allow hot engine air to creep into the box directly. In term of fitment, AFE was a perfect fit, no rubbing and was every easy to install. It's because the hose has 2 pieces, and the flexibility of the silicone hose makes it very easy to install. I like that the filter just twists and locks into the box so it's easier to maintain. On PRL, I'll have to remove the entire box. Performance wise, I don't notice a difference between the two. But then again, intake is more for sound than performance so I go with the one that produces louder sound and fulfills that 2 things that I didn't like on the AFE.

Caestus · Aug 15, 2019

VinRRR said:
Don't get me wrong. I think AFE is a good exhaust. Sound wise PRL is definitely louder than AFE. I think it's due to the filter shape. The silicone hose on the AFE was so flexible and thin, and that was one of the things I didn't like about it. Another thing is the front air inlet leaves a gap that allow hot engine air to creep into the box directly. In term of fitment, AFE was a perfect fit, no rubbing and was every easy to install. It's because the hose has 2 pieces, and the flexibility of the silicone hose makes it very easy to install. I like that the filter just twists and locks into the box so it's easier to maintain. On PRL, I'll have to remove the entire box. Performance wise, I don't notice a difference between the two. But then again, intake is more for sound than performance so I go with the one that produces louder sound and fulfills that 2 things that I didn't like on the AFE.

Yes I also do not like the small gap.... I am contemplating "fixes" for it with heat tape... If there is black heat tape I may just use that.

as for the silicone.... The way I see it is they make silicone oven mitts rated for over 500 degrees F and if they hold up without issues I see no reason why this cannot in the engine bay. I also liked that it was super flexible which will allow for easier filter cleaning in the future. HOWEVER, I can see how this is a put off for some.

Either way, it sounds like both are SOLID choices and if one wants a louder intake... PRL is the way to go.

pauljimags14 · Aug 15, 2019

stock is always the best. aftermarket intakes are just for sounds. glad they didnt test eventuri, hks, gruppe m or any intakes that cost $1k+

Caestus · Aug 15, 2019

pauljimags14 said:
stock is always the best. aftermarket intakes are just for sounds. glad they didnt test eventuri, hks, gruppe m or any intakes that cost $1k+

This is how I selected my intake:

flixman · Aug 21, 2019

they should dyno the new PRL stage 2 kit

Mashimoto vs PRL vs K&N Typhoon CAI

qkquannguyen

Member

VinRRR

Senior Member

123sillyboy123

Senior Member

Akuto

Senior Member

FK8_K20c1

HONDA The Power of Earth Dreams Technology!

02SilverSiHB

Senior Member

qkquannguyen

Member

FK8_K20c1

HONDA The Power of Earth Dreams Technology!

qkquannguyen

Member

Caestus

Senior Member

VinRRR

Senior Member

Caestus

Senior Member

pauljimags14

Senior Member

Caestus

Senior Member

flixman

Senior Member

Similar threads