One of the first upgrades to your Honda Fit should be the intake system. This can be done by a simple change of the filter in the factory air box or by replacing the system with a short ram system, chambered system, or a cold air systems. You could also fabricate your own type of air intake system by using dryer duct hose or PVC piping. All these changed though share one thing in common. They remove the restrictions that impede air flow into the engine.
The drop in filter is the easiest and cheapest air intake system upgrade for your vehicle. These filters are made to have the same or better flow characteristics as the stock filter and are designed to fit into the stock intake system. These filters will give a small gains in torque and power. Many of the popular brands are K&N, Blitz, HKS, AFE, Spoon and Mugen.
The short ram intake system is usually just a pipe and a filter. This intake system is short in length and located inside the engine bay. This system allows for a simple installation and easy filter cleaning when necessary. These filters do not give as much power as a cold air intake system but are safer for the engine. These systems will be pulling warm air into the intake from under the hood but removes the restriction of the factory intake system. Fujita and Injen are two of the popular brands of short ram air intake system for the Honda Fit.
Chambered intake system are similar to short ram intakes but they use a chamber instead of straight piping. Chamber intakes provide better throttle response and low end power but it will affect top end power. A positive of chambered intakes over cold air intakes is that the filter is located inside the engine bay. This provides easy access to the filter for cleaning and prevents the filter from getting dirty in less than normal conditions. Several of the popular manufactures of this intake are T1R, Last Station and Mishimoto.
Cold air intake systems are like the short ram intakes in that it replaces the whole intake assembly. The biggest different is that a cold air intake relocate the filter element out side of the engine bay. These systems are more costly than a short ram intake but they usually provide larger power and torque increases. The cold air intake usually placed the filter inside the fender or behind the splash shield. The biggest downside to the cold air intake is the possibility of drawing water into the engine. Some of the popular intakes are J's Racing and Fujita.
Intake Systems:
- Filter replacement
- Short ram systems
- Chamber systems
- Cold air systems
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