I just finished installing my imitation AEM cold air intake on my ’02 Sunfire Sedan and I just had to make a post to let other 2200 owners know that this intake is a must have for any 2200 powered J-Body.
This intake is an exact replica of the AEM cold air intake, except it’s half the price! I purchased mine brand new on
eBay for a total of $67.00 (I made a Best Offer of $39.99 which they denied, but they countered with $47.00 which I accepted and then shipping was another $20.00). I knew it would arrive with a crappy air filter, so I went ahead and also ordered a brand new
AEM DryFlow air filter on eBay. The air filter was $49.99 with free shipping, so I got a complete AEM cold air intake system for only $116.99! The only difference between this imitation intake and the real AEM one is that this one does not come with the AEM stickers, license plate frame, etc. but I could care less about all that crap anyway.
The intake was shipped out 2 days after I paid for it and it arrived at my house 6 days after being shipped out from California (I live in Illinois). Not too bad of a timeline if you ask me.
Below is a picture of everything that is included with the intake. Note the 8 page instruction booklet with step by step instructions for how to remove the old air intake system and install the new one and it even has pictures of an actual 2200 which show you exactly where every bolt, etc. is. I must say I was extremely shocked by the instruction booklet and how detailed it was.
The fitment of this intake is perfect. I had no problems getting it to fit. Removing the old air intake system is what took the longest. Installing the new one was a breeze and only took about 5 minutes.
My one and only complaint is that I did not receive the grommet for the IAT sensor even though it was supposed to be included, but obviously this is something that can be found at any hardware or parts store, so it’s not a big deal at all in my opinion.
As far as performance goes, the car does seem to have a little bit more pep when I hit the gas, nothing insane, but it has definitely made a small difference in my opinion. The more noticeable difference came with the sound of the car. When I step on the gas you can really hear the engine now. It sounds gooooood
!
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my $116.99 purchase. I highly recommend this intake system to any 2200 owner who is considering the AEM cold air intake. This one is a lot cheaper and you definitely won't be disappointed with it!
Here are a few pictures of it installed (please ignore the disgusting engine bay; it will be all cleaned up soon enough):
That looks really good! Dose the same as any other cold air! Nice!!
Looks Good J...I got my clears on...ill post pics as soon as the fire is clean again. (i hate monsoon season)
got the same intake and i agree this thing is a beast
scotty C. wrote:That looks really good! Dose the same as any other cold air! Nice!!
Thanks! I like it because it's one of the only ones (if not the only one) for the 2200 that connects directly to the throttle body.
EVOFire (DesertTuners) wrote:Looks Good J...I got my clears on...ill post pics as soon as the fire is clean again. (i hate monsoon season)
Thanks! I'll be watching for your pictures
.
CaviRacinDaddy!!! wrote:got the same intake and i agree this thing is a beast
Definitely!
wow. it comes with instructions, thats a plus already in my book.
intake looks nice
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
Yeah, I was afraid the intake wouldn't fit and it wouldn't have everything it was supposed to, etc.
When I saw that everything fit and all, I knew I had to post so 2200 owners wouldn't waste the extra money on the authentic AEM intake.
Looks good!
Glad to see I'm not the only one with a dirty 2200
.
i also went ebay style. works the same feel a bit of difference but nothing crazy
I thought about buying this so i could fit a group 31 battery but it does not look like it would fit from the pics. :\ maybe a short ram type intake.
Yep, I totally agree. Like I said, mine seemed to make more of a difference with the sound of the engine than anything else.
I KNEW you couldnt leave it alone!!
I only say that because I thought you were leaving it stock.
I was going to get that exact one, but decided on forced induction.
It beats the pants off my autozone special intake, but that was only temporary anyhow.
more plans?
"A car just isn't a car without a little blood, sweat, and beers." -- Shadowfire
What I would really love to do is swap in an
ECOTEC so it would be a "real" Sunfire GT Sedan, but I wouldn't know where to even begin looking for an
ECOTEC and transmission for a decent price (I checked Car-Part.com and all the ones on there are pretty pricey). I also wouldn't know where to take it to have it swapped (I'm thinking Adam and the guys at Fox Valley Customs in Sandwich could probably do this, but obviously it wouldn't be cheap) and I wouldn't know how to get the actual junkyard engine and transmission to the shop seeing as I wouldn't be able to remove it myself
.
Plans for the 2200 (nothing crazy since I really just want a sexy looking but reliable daily driver):
- TTR upper engine mount
- TTR automatic transmission mount
- TTR lower engine mount
- Pacesetter armor coated 4:1 header
- 2.25" stainless steel mandrel bent piping
- Magnaflow 16" high flow catalytic converter
- 2 Vibrant Performance polished stainless steel 18" resonators
- Dynomax Super Turbo steel oval bodied muffler powder coated black
- Vibrant Performance polished stainless steel 3" round muffler tip
why get motor mounts for a car that barely makes 100whp, your just increasing cabin noise and vibration and spending money on something you dont need
the exhaust might help if you dont get too crazy with it on mpg
1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85
Rodimus Prime wrote:why get motor mounts for a car that barely makes 100whp, your just increasing cabin noise and vibration and spending money on something you dont need
the exhaust might help if you dont get too crazy with it on mpg
its her car, her money, not yours maybe?
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
yeah mine is runnin like crazy right now cuz my IAT sensor is measuring negative 40 degrees!!!! dont know how or why but damn it runnin good lol
Rodimus Prime wrote:why get motor mounts for a car that barely makes 100whp, your just increasing cabin noise and vibration and spending money on something you dont need
the exhaust might help if you dont get too crazy with it on mpg 99redz24 wrote:its her car, her money, not yours maybe?
He's just pissy that I didn't make it to the Bash again this year
.
Matt, I've already told you... unlike you, I don't give a @!#$ about horsepower. I want a
reliable engine. I don't rag on you for not doing any exterior or interior modifications to the Cobalt, so why can't you respect me and the fact that I am more than satisfied with my 2200? My mom's 2200 is pushing 200,000 miles and my dad's S10 with the 2200 has already gone well over 200,000. Mine is currently at 58,565 miles. You know what that means? If I can keep the body in good condition i.e. keep rust at bay, I won't have a car payment for a long long time and that sounds pretty damn good to me. Unlike you I don't want to put myself into debt for a @!#$ car. I would like to get back in school, get a better job that I actually enjoy and look forward to going to every day, save for a house, etc. All you're doing is wasting money on something that only depreciates in value and by trying to squeeze as much power out of it as you can you are only asking for trouble in the long run. We'll see who still has their car five (hell, I'll say ten for my old, slow 2200) years from now. And I'm sure I'll be living in a nice house by then too while you will still be living in an apartment alone, trying to pay off all the debt you've accumulated all because of a @!#$ car. You = teh FAIL!
CaviRacinDaddy!!! wrote:yeah mine is runnin like crazy right now cuz my IAT sensor is measuring negative 40 degrees!!!! dont know how or why but damn it runnin good lol
2200 FTW
!
Quote:
why get motor mounts for a car that barely makes 100whp, your just increasing cabin noise and vibration and spending money on something you dont need
the exhaust might help if you dont get too crazy with it on mpg
Actually, the mounts and the exhaust on my car made it more fun to drive. Sure its not really really FAST or anything, but it sounds better (aside from right now with a HUGE hole in the downpipe) and is more fun to drive than my brothers '04 impala that probably runs mid/low 12's (dont know for sure, but it keeps with cars that are that fast).
Carrie -- Sounds like a plan, getting that old rusty manifold out of there will make it look a LOT nicer. Then I'd suggest polishing the valve cover, and cleaning up the bay, and itll be as sexy inside as it is outside.
"A car just isn't a car without a little blood, sweat, and beers." -- Shadowfire
Matt Linke wrote:Actually, the mounts and the exhaust on my car made it more fun to drive. Sure its not really really FAST or anything, but it sounds better (aside from right now with a HUGE hole in the downpipe) and is more fun to drive than my brothers '04 impala that probably runs mid/low 12's (dont know for sure, but it keeps with cars that are that fast).
Carrie -- Sounds like a plan, getting that old rusty manifold out of there will make it look a LOT nicer. Then I'd suggest polishing the valve cover, and cleaning up the bay, and itll be as sexy inside as it is outside.
That's exactly what I was going to say Matt! Mounts will make it more
fun to drive. Sure it won't be hella fast, but I would rather have a car that's fun to drive but reliable, than have a car that's fast and have to worry about it breaking all the time.
Yes, the header will definitely make a huge difference in the overall look of the engine bay. My other "dress up" plans are to paint the coolant and brake fluid reservoirs black just like I did with the GT and the valve cover and alternator will be powder coated black, along with a few miscellaneous brackets that are starting to rust. Also, I forgot to mention all the TTR mounts will be powder coated red just to add a little bit of color. Later today I am going to be re-locating the PCM to the inside of the car so that will also help "clean" things up a bit. The engine modification/clean up will more than likely begin during this winter. Right now I want to get the exterior and interior finished up first since they are both closer to being finished than the engine is, but yes, my overall goal is to have a simple, clean engine bay that matches the simple cleanliness of the rest of the car.
i got my exhaust done from cat back wit 2 1/2 inch piping with a 4 1/2 inch muffler outlet and it sounds really deep i love it
Yeah, I can't wait to get my exhaust and other engine mods done. Everytime I open the hood the dirty engine bay makes me sad
. I tried to clean it up the other day when I installed the intake, but it's mostly the valve cover and header that make it look so crappy, so for now I'll just have to deal with it being dirty I guess
.
J TO ENVY wrote:
Matt, I've already told you... unlike you, I don't give a @!#$ about horsepower. I want a reliable engine. I don't rag on you for not doing any exterior or interior modifications to the Cobalt, so why can't you respect me and the fact that I am more than satisfied with my 2200? My mom's 2200 is pushing 200,000 miles and my dad's S10 with the 2200 has already gone well over 200,000. Mine is currently at 58,565 miles. You know what that means? If I can keep the body in good condition i.e. keep rust at bay, I won't have a car payment for a long long time and that sounds pretty damn good to me. Unlike you I don't want to put myself into debt for a @!#$ car. I would like to get back in school, get a better job that I actually enjoy and look forward to going to every day, save for a house, etc. All you're doing is wasting money on something that only depreciates in value and by trying to squeeze as much power out of it as you can you are only asking for trouble in the long run. We'll see who still has their car five (hell, I'll say ten for my old, slow 2200) years from now. And I'm sure I'll be living in a nice house by then too while you will still be living in an apartment alone, trying to pay off all the debt you've accumulated all because of a @!#$ car. You = teh FAIL!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
oh yeah, i cleaned my cav engine bay recently with some degreaser stuff. but i forget what i used lol
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
It's funny 'cause it's true
!
I was going to clean my engine bay up really well the other day when I installed the intake, but I was dripping with sweat because it was so @!#$ hot out so I decided to save it for another time when it's cooler out
.
Well with the 2200 you have to realize you just freed one of the major weakpoint with this motor and there are 3 huge ones. You really are letting that motor breath now becasue the stock set-up is actually preety restrictive but the main reason you don't see huge gains is because the heads are these motors are horrible the flow like sh@!. With the exhaust I never felt a gain with my 2.25 inch straight pipe just a smell. The header is the next big thing and you will see substantial gains from this but the mod that brings alot of power is the ported head and the plus you can pick up froma local yard for about a hundred bucks.
And the motor mounts make a huge difference I think the stock ones are sloppy in the first place, but words to the wise your car will rattle like crazy because you have an auto and with an auto mount it'll shake alot. Auto naturally move a whole lot more than manuals and adding that mount might be over kill for DD duties. just my opinion. I know with TTR mounts on my old 2200 and the 3 speed at idle you could really feel the transmission moving.
