I just got my car and i cannot imagine payin some of those outrageous prices for an intake and exhaust system. Ill probably just buy a muffler and have a shop weld me up nicely, but unlike my last car, i dont feel like making another home made intake.

Ive seen the ones on ebay and the prices seem a hell of a lot more reasonable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/05-up-TOYOTA-SCION-TC-SHORT-RAM-BLUE-AIR-INTAKE-05-06_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ38634QQihZ011QQitemZ320004734974QQrdZ1#ShippingPayment

Theres a link to the one i was mostly looking at. This looks pretty much the exact same as the short ram intakes that cost hundreds of dollars.

I was curious to hear from anyone that has used one of hte cheap ebay intakes, or if there is a relevant reason not to use these.

BRO HONESTLY I WOULD NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM EBAY YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOUR GOIN 2 GET FIRST OF ALL SECOND ITS ALWAYS BETTER 2 BUY "NAMBRAND" PRODUCTS FOR OUR TC'S....BUT ITS UP 2 YOU BRO..GOOD LUCK

I have the K&N intake tubes and filter that I am willing to sell for $150shipped. All you would need to do is buy the bolts. The product is 100% perfect ...it was only taken off because I now have a s/c. I already have the bolts on the brackets so I am going to assume the only ones missing are 2-3 that hold the intake on ( if not just one or two).

http://www.pimpboxx.com/scionlife/temp/kn.jpg

go ahead buy one, expect the pipes not to fit to well and the filters they include suck. so my advice is you buy one, make sure you buy yourself a K&N filter or Injen.

Look up at the top of the picture where the rubber joint thats there (with the clamp on it) .... I have a brand new one that I havent used that I will throw in. That way you can use a brand new joint so things will be pretty much like brand new but at a lot lower price.

go ahead buy one, expect the pipes not to fit to well and the filters they include suck. so my advice is you buy one, make sure you buy yourself a K&N filter or Injen.

let me clarify what he just said - he is talking about the ebay products. And yes - cheaper products are sold for that reason ...because something was skimped on. The exhaust might be a good idea to get done at a muffler shop. You can buy an S-pipe online from dezod and get a custom midpipe made with cat and two 15inch resinators and you will save hundreds and get the performance gain. That way you can just buy a catback and still do things perfect.

I bought a $40.00 intake on EBay and I'm happy with it. A pipe is a pipe. I'll replace the filter with a K&N after this one gets dirty.

Happy bday - but ... im glad you like it but I wouldnt go that route. $23,000/total i put out for my car im not gonna spend $40 on something injecting air into my car and having no gauges proving it is not going to ruin my sensor down the line due to bad flow or whathaveyou.

all the money k&n put into R&D you know things will be ok.

It doesn't inject air into your car. It's a pipe with a filter. All intakes are pipes with filters. Except for Umnitza, because I don't think I could classify that as a pipe.

1. dont buy a stupid muffler and get it done at a shop = ricer.. spend the money on a perfomance muffler that will give u a better sound and more performance out of it..

2. ebay cai = stupid...spend the money on proven dynoed performance intakes....you would probably spend mone money to fix a problem with an ebay intake...dude think striaght man..dont take the easy way out of money......its just worth spending money on quality parts from quality companys!!

thats my opinion and im sticking with it :D

1. dont buy a stupid muffler and get it done at a shop = ricer.. spend the money on a perfomance muffler that will give u a better sound and more performance out of it..

2. ebay cai = stupid...spend the money on proven dynoed performance intakes....you would probably spend mone money to fix a problem with an ebay intake...dude think striaght man..dont take the easy way out of money......its just worth spending money on quality parts from quality companys!!

thats my opinion and im sticking with it :D


nonono - i was saying to get the midpipe w/ cat and resinator done at a shop and to buy an axelback muffler (a performance one). That way you will save atleast $150 and have a perfect setup with 2 big resinators so you are ready for a header.

most of the exhaust systems u can buy look and sound like rice crap anyhow. and jsut cause u overpay for a name brand doenst make it good. I hate to tell u that but hell its true.

also, my last car was a grand prix GT and i just picked up two good mufflers and had my shop weld in some bigger pipes with mandrel bends and all good quality work and it cost me total of 160 with mufflers. If i paid for the catback it was about 500-575. SO learn to spend ur money properly. It also sounded better then any GP on the road. I wish i still had sound clips of it but trust me i dont do rice and once i get my shop done exhaust fitted ill post the sound.

As for the intake on ebay. even if i pay the 55 dollars and just use the pipe and buy a better filter its still a lot cheaper then 200+ for the "namebrand" ones.

I dont mean to rant but i was really lookin for someone that actually bought one of hte ebay intakes so i could hear from them whether it fit properly and such and if it was worth getting.

I think it's a disgrace to the TC to put a cheap piece of !@#$ cai or muffler on it.

i agree with BlitzBlue_TC, just because you buy name brand, does not mean its the best thing out there. if you would like to get that intake then get it but if it were me i would atleast change the filter to a k&n.
as for the exhaust, i would not buy some POS on e-bay, take a look at the PM setup or go to a shop and have it done. if you get a crappy muffler you will probably loost HP.

My motto, for car parts and such since you think this might be a cheap deal. "You buy cheap, you get cheap"

but then again, you might like it and enjoy it. Happy hunting.

I noticed how the Ingen Intake is built more solid and a thicker metal is used....I had a CHEAP intake on my other car and the metal was really thin!...Basically your paying for the NAME of the product...

"You buy cheap, you get cheap

The Scion tC is a pretty cheap car. $16,500 base price?

See, that 'you get what you pay for' line doesn't work very well. At the end of the day, all intakes are pipes with filters. The only things that matter are the material the pipe is made of, the diameter, and the shape.

All intakes for the tC are relatively the same shape. They're all the same material and they all have a filter on the end. The only exception is the aforementioned umnitza, which is a pretty good conversation piece.

The only actual problem I've heard of arising from an intake was from Weapon R. The techs supposedly found metal particles inside the intake and engine and they blamed the intake for it. I've heard nothing from ebay intakes, umnitza, or any other brands having problems.

i got my intake from E bay and its not name brand but im happy with it. I invested 100 dollars and got what i wanted. my car breaths better and sounds just as sweet(whistleing sound) I wish i would of got an Injen intake but i couldnt justify paying 160 dollars more just for maybe...MAYBE 1 or 2 hp gain.

If you just spent $18-20,000 on a brand new car, why are you too cheap to buy a quality, name-brand part?

^^^^^^^^I totally agree!^^^^^^^^^^^

Anyone have any feedback on the FX1 intake from
www.ssuperstore.com

If you just spent $18-20,000 on a brand new car, why are you too cheap to buy a quality, name-brand part?

Because its a rip-off for what you are getting. Sorry but it doesnt cost 300 dollars to slap a K&N onto a long metal pipe lol.


same with some of these axle-back exhausts. What a joke one the prices i mean really. My exhaust will be done next week and will cost $150 total with it runnin as a straight pipe from the first cat with all mandrel bent new piping and a name brand muffler that was purchased separately. Ill post sounds after its done so u can see why these parts are overpriced and not worth it.

most of the exhaust systems u can buy look and sound like rice crap anyhow. and jsut cause u overpay for a name brand doenst make it good. I hate to tell u that but hell its true.

So obviously you don't have a problem with your car sounding like rice crap? Since you're getting an exhaust system installed and you say that most systems sound like crap anyway. You're just getting CHEAP rice crap.... I get it. :roll:

u missed the point entirely i see. If i sell something thats crap but charge 500 dollars, it doenst mean its automatically good. And the coffee can rice crap is not for me. A good performing muffler with piping done at a auto shop is gonna end up better then any crappy catback coffee can that people seem to buy. I dont understand how my system would be of less quality. Just cause i know how to get it done for much less does not mean its less quality.

might wanna learn tht now.

If you just spent $18-20,000 on a brand new car, why are you too cheap to buy a quality, name-brand part?

Because its a rip-off for what you are getting. Sorry but it doesnt cost 300 dollars to slap a K&N onto a long metal pipe lol.


same with some of these axle-back exhausts. What a joke one the prices i mean really. My exhaust will be done next week and will cost $150 total with it runnin as a straight pipe from the first cat with all mandrel bent new piping and a name brand muffler that was purchased separately. Ill post sounds after its done so u can see why these parts are overpriced and not worth it.

No, it doesn't cost $300 to make a CAI. The extra cost comes from some markups (the retailer has to make some money too), research and development of the intake, shipping, labor costs, and a slew of other costs. If you are so concerned about getting a cheap intake, go to Home Depot and get some 6inch dryer hose and "fabricate" your own CAI. That shouldn't cost over $10 and should perform as well as any eBay intake.

most of the exhaust systems u can buy look and sound like rice crap anyhow. and jsut cause u overpay for a name brand doenst make it good. I hate to tell u that but hell its true.

So obviously you don't have a problem with your car sounding like rice crap? Since you're getting an exhaust system installed and you say that most systems sound like crap anyway. You're just getting CHEAP rice crap.... I get it. :roll:


**SMACK** **WAHHHHHMM** **SMACK**

Group Hug! :love: :loser:

u missed the point entirely i see. If i sell something thats crap but charge 500 dollars, it doenst mean its automatically good. And the coffee can rice crap is not for me. A good performing muffler with piping done at a auto shop is gonna end up better then any crappy catback coffee can that people seem to buy. I dont understand how my system would be of less quality. Just cause i know how to get it done for much less does not mean its less quality.

might wanna learn tht now.


Actually most of the "coffee can rice crap" I see out there are people that are going the same route as you. They buy a Fast and the Furious muffler and bring it to Bob's Muffler so he can weld it on. On the other hand there are plenty of people on this forum who spent a little more money and bought a complete system that was dyno/track tested and still sounds good. But to each their own. If you want, post the sound clips when you get your system put on and prove us wrong. :)