The premise is simple... internal combustion engines need a fuel/air mixture
to run. And the more air you can pump in with the fuel, the more power you can extract from the engine. Now if
you can make that air flow colder (colder air is denser and richer) you can increase your horsepower!
The Elantra GT does have an air intake, of course, but it has way too many
restrictions. Those who are mechanically inclined could probably fashion their own custom intake. There are also several aftermarket
intakes designed to fit our car. This is a fairly simple, cost effective, and useful upgrade. It also produces a wonderful
"growl" from the engine at higher RPM's! This should definitely be one of the first mechanical mods Elantra owners try!
Intakes available commercially for our car include the excellent AOS
Racing intake, the much maligned Weapon-R intake and the quality (although limited availability) one
from Kore whose store is now known as Speedmotion. Shark Racing's fine air intake has just recently been
added to their website, too. Injen and AEM also have quality applications for our engine (their
sites list the application as fitting an '01 Tiburon). Look for intakes with the less restrictive mandrel tubing
and a powder coating which acts as a heat shield (remember... the colder, the better!). Another important feature to look
for is an air-bypass valve. The valve will prevent large amounts of water from entering the system... for example when encountering
large puddles in the road. Another easy to find option is to use an intake designed for a mid-late
nineties Honda Accord (94-97). This should be an easy install and works well. I've even heard of folks using an intake for
a Suzuki Aerio, believe it or not. As you can see the options are now pretty plentiful for our car.
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