Engine Decisions, decisions...

Decisions, decisions...

i'm a 18 year old, just graduated high school kid, who needs some advice on my 2003 Corolla S. i was thinking about getting a Short Ram/CAI, but before i do, i read on one of the other posts that it sounds like a vacuum cleaner. i haven't heard a car run with a Short Ram/CAI before...what kind of sound should i expect? i also have an aftermarket muffler installed. would this affect the sound? i dont think i want to install something that reminds me of cleaning my house...hit me back with any comments/suggestions. thnx

i think the vacuum sound people are describing is the sound of air being sucked in..hence the vacuum description..it dont really sound like a vacuum but you can hear the air being sucked in.

in the future, please choose a topic title relevant to the topic..thank you

either that, or when you start the car up when its cold and it runs at hight idle (like 2000 RPM) for a few minutes to warm up... its kinda loud (in an annoying way) but the sound of air being sucked in sounds cool to me... kinda like a turbo in a way.

You are the first person to ever say they dont like the intake sound... other than my wife. :roll:

it doesn't sound like a vaccum
it sounds more like the sound you get when you suck air through a straw, but louder...

its not an actual vacuum cleaner sound, but to someone who can hear it on the outside of the car and don't know anything about intakes, it sounds like a vacuum leak which is not. That's just the noise the CAI make. It is sucking in large amount of air so it is natural to have that shhhh sound.

replying to polo708, i didn't say i didn't like the sound...i've just never heard a modified intake before (or at least never noticed it). and thank you to all who responded.

Yeah, but only when it's cold. As soon as it's warm, it goes away for me.

I have the AEM CAI but not the short ram so i don't know what that sounds like. Cold starts it is loud and the straw example was a great one. After it warms up it's gone though. When shifting depending on the way you shift you may here a lil suction from the intake. I love the sound of my intake. You actually get a little more aggressive sound from the engine bay as well. I say it's a good investment.

Go for it dude......I have a AEM SRI and it just sounds great....you wont regret it