i'm very curious about this.

a lot of cliche's get thrown about talking about "you get what you pay for" and what not. specifically when people are warned off of buying knockoff components on ebay and stuff from no-name companies for a lower price.

i want to know, what's the basis for warning them off? people jump in and throw in all kinds of suppositions like "injen has done X number of hours of research..." or "would a company that has a reputation like aem put out a bad product?".

my question is, what's to stop x-brand generic company from taking an big name company cai or crank pulley and copying it? in effect exploiting the "hours of research" done by bigger name companies?

basically a pipe is a pipe is a pipe. if i were to take a branded cold air intake and spend a few hours measuring the dimensions what would stop me from manufacturing a comparable product at a lower price? it's not like you can patent those kinds of car components.

 

fyi a pipe is a pipe is a pipe is not true. There are different thicknesses, quality etc. Also Maf placement, MAf flange, and maf pipe thickness is also very crucial. The stock maf is use to x" pipe and if you bolt the maf up to a 3" pipe it will read different. I do not know the pipe diameter but if you look at the injen intake, the pipe itself tapers to a stock dia where the maf is mounted and then tapers back to its original size.

 

Yes, the pipes differ in thickness and what not, but not to an extent that you should go from the ebay $50 intake to a injen $300 intake for example. As long as the maf sensor can mount properly and securely, there really isn't much of a difference. Yes, the injen pipe will keep the air a bit cooler, but what does it matter when the only gains coming from these intakes are sound and looks, both of which you can get from an ebay intake.

I think it is very possible that they can copy the technology and rip off the hours of research and development that has been done. Some people are just very anti-ebay when in reality it really can be a great resource if done right. If done incorrectly, you can easily get ripped off.

There are some things that I would buy on ebay if I were going to buy it, like a sri or cai pipe. However, I wouldn't buy something more fragile and risky like a navigation system or a transmission. For that matter, I probably wouldn't even buy a seat cover because it will probably not fit well and tear within 3 hours. But even if the cai/sri pipe that you buy off ebay is a different material or not as thick, it would still serve the same basic purpose.

 

well the intake is a different story but a lot of people are questionable about "ebay products" because they promote stupid **** like a super chip for example that will advertise that you'll get an extra 30 hp for like 30 bucks?!?!?! no way....

 

hey ebay isn't bad, and if your able to sort thru the ____ from the shine then go for it.
But frankly, i'd rather stay with what i know is shine, and avoid having to spend the money after the fact to clean up the mess some ____ can leave behind.

 

ebay is a very very difficult mess to wade through.
you get what you pay for is true, and even more so in the long run.
In a recent post someone described his ebay exhaust he used and how he actually lost power with it in a dyno test... then he put the stock one back on with an hks axleback and the problem was solved, and he made more power than stock.
but hey, its your money, your car. me, I wouldnt buy a new cupholder off ebay

 

Put it this way, you can find a chip on ebay that claims to add 20hp - obvious BS.

On the other hand, you can find 3 bottles of redline mt-90 on ebay for a great price and save a heck of a lot of money (like I did).

You have to be careful, but there are some wonderful opportunities through ebay.

 

The MAF is calibrated to the diameter of pipe it is placed in. So a larger pipe without an area that matches what the MAF is made for will cause a minor lean condition I believe. Too tired to look into the technical aspects of it. But the diameter of the pipe where the MAF is located is important. But stuff like intakes and crap are noise makers anyway, I say save for something that actually makes power.

 

that is very true, i look to ebay for things you can get in stores anymore. However, what you said about the 3 bottles of redline mt-90 for a great price doesn't apply to the topic. It's not a "Ebay Brand" type of item.

 

the ebay sri that i bought the 2nd time was good. the pipe was a good thickness and the mounting point for the maf sensor was the correct size and it bolted on no prob. now the 1st one on the other hand was garbage. i broke a maf sensor trying to squeeze it into the mounting point. stay away from bomz racing intakes.

 

This is my post from another similar thread:
You don't want to go cheap on something like that. An air intake (especially a CAI) is more than just elaborate tubbing. The length, diameter, bends, and the location of the MAF all play a role. Good companies put a lot of R&D into it. Sure you pay more for an Injen for instance, but besides their logo you are also paying for their R&D, not just some tubing thrown together. If you want tubbing, can do even cheaper than $50 + shipping on ebay. If that intake completely throws of your A/F ratio then you will be paying for a lot more than $250 in the long run.

Now to add to that, TCboob is correct in the aspect of having not going too big of a diameter where the MAF sits. A lot of cheap intakes just increase the diameter at that point to trick your MAF into thinking you have more air going in while in reality you are not and end up running overly rich. There are a lot of variables when it comes to your intake. To answer your question whether an ebay item can correctly duplicate a reputable intake, it is a possibility, but I would not risk my car.

And for

 

Here is some great generic advice..............

I have been modding cars for 20 years.........I say that with a bit of vomit in my mouth.........God 20 years..........i am now old.............am I basld yet.......

Rule #1...........just buy the proven equipment that may cost 10x the amount of the cheap stuff..................it works..........and will keep working.....

Rule #2.........if too broke to buy nice part........keep saving as you are too poor to fix the problem that the cheap stuff caused to your ride............

Rule#3.........when you pop your hood to show your friends they will ohhhh and ahhhh way more as you show them your Injen or Weapon R over a cheap ebay Bomz pipe that may even be chromed plastic............ewwwwwww

These rules apply to old cars as well as new............so buy the good stuff..........you will in the long run be way happier.

 

Put it to you this way. I had an injen CAI for my Civic, then had one for my Matrix. I spent a lot of money on that stuff and now I have a TC. For this one I decided to save money and use a Bomz Racing CAI off Ebay. I've had no issues with the car and it drives like a gem. True, the thickness, material, and bend of the pipes are critical, but the one I bought from Ebay is mandrel bent aluminum, the same grade of aluminum that the big boys use. Also, the thickness is on par with the Injen CAI sitting in my Civic and Matrix.

Bottom line, its your money and if you want to spend big bucks on a CAI, go for it. I took a chance on a 50 dollar CAI off ebay and have no issues so far. My cars have all been on a dyno and the tc did not lose any hp. I can't say whether the hp increase would have been better with a name brand CAI because I did not buy a name brand CAI for my TC, so I cannot compare. And as far as stickers go, they don't add hp to your car so if your intent is to have decals and other useless nonsense, go right ahead and get an Injen or another big name brand. For me, I'm more interested in performance. Its your call.

 

My view is... my tC is a new car. To protect my investments, I see it important t put reputable name brands parts within it. I mean I have gone the ebay route for my bimmer and it wasn't so bad, but since this is my new car, I'd prefer reputable parts. Notice how I don't say quality parts haha. Actually... I would go for Ebay for cosmetics haha.

 

The only thing I buy is reputable brand name products. You can still find them cheaper on Ebay. Plus I care about my car and I don't want to risk a chance at getting a bad Ebay brand product...I know some might be good, but I wouldn't take the chance on getting that bad one. There's just so much testing that the big name brand companys do to make sure their products are safe and just don't believe the Ebay brand products compare.

 

I second bluetC's opinion. There's nothing wrong with buying through eBay, it's all in what you buy. I buy namebrand FROm eBay for half the price as retail, so far have picked up my entire sound system, some speed parts and some misc.

A prime example is hood dampers. The gold standard is the tein's, but they'll run you $150 and only come in green, great for an RS3 xB but not much else. Redline tuning has them on for $70, is a great product and comes in unobtrusive black for the standard, stainless for the elite. Godspeed dampers are also on eBay for $50, are utter crap, bend easily and can even warp your hood.

For small or off brands like Redline, check the scion life forums and do a little research, and it will pay off big. When I bought Jl from eBay, only one seller would warranty it, so also watch the terms. A different seller put the 8w7 for sale over $300 bucks but wouldn't accept a return even if it came in damaged, BS for that kind of money. There's also always used here on SL, I bought my amp, bought then resold my exhaust, and got my headers from here, seem to be good people so far.

 

I had a no name brand intake from ebay and it made the same thing. I achieved whp figures normal to setups with brand names. So.... I don't see the point of putting your name on the intake and raising over $150 on the price. No thanks.