Smokehouse
12-27-2008, 06:14 PM
Just finished installing the CPE X-CEL Nano on my ’08 MS3…
Right off the bat the quality of this SRI was evident. Of all the SRI/CAIs I’ve installed over the years, this unit was by far the best I’ve seen. The fit and finish was near flawless. I know that many will say, “Hey man, it’s only a SRI…what’s there to go wrong?”
Plenty.
So many SRI/CAIs I’ve installed fit like shit, most require some rigging to get them to fit without rubbing, some really don’t work with the supplied hardware and require some ingenuity to get them to fit properly. Some also throw codes immediately after install. Not the Nano, this thing fits like a glove and required zero rigging on my part to get it to install properly. It lined up perfectly with all the supplied hardware on the first attempt.
That covers the fit…how about the finish?
Just as nice, in a market filled with shitty plastic, sub par rubber and garbage painted cold steel tubing, the Nano is machine aluminum and high quality rubber…top notch stuff that looked like it was designed/made by someone who actually gives a shit about quality over quantity. They even used machine socket-head cap screws to hold the MAF sensor in place…something hardly anyone does…again, nothing huge but definite attention to detail and stuff like that is highly appreciated in my book.
Lastly is the performance. I’m not going to bullshit you and tell you my Speed transformed into a rocket after install. Nope, like any other good SRI/CAI, the Nano gave instantly improved throttle response. In short it is instantly apparent when driving that when you hit the gas, the engine responds much quicker. As for the butt-dyno results…the answer isn’t in just yet.
Noise is not a big factor. There is more engine noise and you finally hear that wonderful turbo spool (F-you Mazda for robbing stock cars of that) but it’s nothing insane for those worried about it.
All-in-all it’s an easy install (even for beginners), worth the admission price and is a nice safe “white toast” mod that more than likely won’t cause any problems or throw any codes with a proper install.
Vids:
Stock intake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9buuXjG8-WY&feature=channel_page
With the Nano:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mi_XIhmRsg&feature=channel_page
Right off the bat the quality of this SRI was evident. Of all the SRI/CAIs I’ve installed over the years, this unit was by far the best I’ve seen. The fit and finish was near flawless. I know that many will say, “Hey man, it’s only a SRI…what’s there to go wrong?”
Plenty.
So many SRI/CAIs I’ve installed fit like shit, most require some rigging to get them to fit without rubbing, some really don’t work with the supplied hardware and require some ingenuity to get them to fit properly. Some also throw codes immediately after install. Not the Nano, this thing fits like a glove and required zero rigging on my part to get it to install properly. It lined up perfectly with all the supplied hardware on the first attempt.
That covers the fit…how about the finish?
Just as nice, in a market filled with shitty plastic, sub par rubber and garbage painted cold steel tubing, the Nano is machine aluminum and high quality rubber…top notch stuff that looked like it was designed/made by someone who actually gives a shit about quality over quantity. They even used machine socket-head cap screws to hold the MAF sensor in place…something hardly anyone does…again, nothing huge but definite attention to detail and stuff like that is highly appreciated in my book.
Lastly is the performance. I’m not going to bullshit you and tell you my Speed transformed into a rocket after install. Nope, like any other good SRI/CAI, the Nano gave instantly improved throttle response. In short it is instantly apparent when driving that when you hit the gas, the engine responds much quicker. As for the butt-dyno results…the answer isn’t in just yet.
Noise is not a big factor. There is more engine noise and you finally hear that wonderful turbo spool (F-you Mazda for robbing stock cars of that) but it’s nothing insane for those worried about it.
All-in-all it’s an easy install (even for beginners), worth the admission price and is a nice safe “white toast” mod that more than likely won’t cause any problems or throw any codes with a proper install.
Vids:
Stock intake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9buuXjG8-WY&feature=channel_page
With the Nano:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mi_XIhmRsg&feature=channel_page