A Few Thoughts on the aFe Stage 2 intake

I installed this kit last night with a friend. Overall I was impressed with the quality of the parts, and the directions were semi-clear. One thing I noticed was the holes in the cover did not line up exactly with the holes in the rim of the airbox. It was a PITA to get the button head screws in. Another thing I noticed was that the seal that goes around the "in" side of the airbox was too long and had to be trimmed. This port also did not fit flush with the hole in the fender well:



Because the box is mounted with rubber isolation mounts, you can rock it side to side a little bit even after it's torqued down. Doing this I could make the gap go away, but as soon as I let go it goes back how it's pictured above.

Now, for the results. This kit has been talked up a lot on this site, especially on boosted trucks. I could not tell any difference in performance, and I also could not hear the intake at all. It made the supercharger whine quieter, and I was disappointed as I expected to hear a whoosh of air the first time I stepped on the throttle. I really don't think there's a way you can screw up this install. I used every part that came with the kit. Could something be wrong?

 

I doubt you installed it wrong....strange though. My intake is loud as shit and makes a whistle sound

 

I recently installed one and it had the same fitment issues you described. I shimmed the box up on the bolt next to the new rubber mount and this solved the lid issue. You'll find that the box is out of square without the shims and the lid won't fit properly as you describe. I shimmed it as high as you can with the bolt still threading in a full nuts worth, hope this helps you.

 

For the lid bolts...... Use a punch or awl. Use it to move the lid around and place the corner bolts first. Get a Allen head socket, and a socket drill bit adapter..... Makes it much faster...... That's very strange it made ur blower quieter..... Mine got much louder. And NO u WILL NOT hear the intake now...... If u were N/a u would hear the intake more.... And NOT in a good way, at Approx 3K while n/a, this intake makes the inside of the cabin sou d like the glove box is going to explode..... It is a shitty intake N/a in my experience if u wanna converse with ppl while getting g in highways, or passing.... It's just a rattle trap of hellacious shitstorms waiting to explode.

 

Agreed my SC went from minimal sound to very loud when I get on the throttle.

 

Did you leave the rubber plug in the front out or in?

 

If your talking about the one close to the bottom I left that in

 

Mine didn't seal to the fender either. Luckily, I had a K&N intake that I decided not to use sitting on the work bench.

The seal was much thicker, and softer, for the K&N. So, I switched the seals. I had to cut it shorter, but it did the trick.

Anyway, I'm sure you can find a different rubber seal somewhere and swap it out like I did.

 

Here is a before video:


And here is after:


Any thoughts on why this would happen? I'm not convinced it was because of the intake, either. I also thought noticed a change around the time I developed a coolant leak. It's hard to remember because I stayed out of the throttle until I could get it in the shop to be fixed. The leak was coming from this hose which was supposed to have been trimmed during S/C install (fan rubbed a hole in it over time). However this hose goes in at the bottom of the oil filter and has nothing to do with the supercharger coolant system (I had another thread on this issue last week).

 

Peeked at the reservoir just to make sure:



Wasn't expecting it to be orange. Level looks good though? Couldn't really see an indicator line.

 

I had mine in a few years now. One thing i did notice is that the rubber couples have deteriorated to the point (just plain disintegrated) both needed replaced. In the meantime i've reinstalled the old stock intake.
I had the same problem every time i took the top off, its a PITA to get back on.
It's LOUD when i step on the gas! One last thing, you might think about putting antiseze on the mounting bolts in the bottom of the box as they will rust in the holes and break off if you want to remove the box some time. (mine did)