Quality:
This is by far the best quality intake you can get, if you think it looks nice in the picture, wait till you see the real thing in person. The kit came in a huge box that would not fit your truck and every pieces was wrapped in separate bubble sheets, you will need time just to unwrap the JDM packaging. The kit was pretty easy to install, it came with colored step-by-step instructions with broken JDM-English that you will have no trouble to understand. Im no mechanic or tool person and I took my time to install and snap these pictures, total installation took me 1.5 hr.

Sound:
I went from Blitz LM drop-in filter to Gruppe M Ram Air. The Blitz gives a little more hissing noise than oem, the Gruppe M escalates the intake noise and you can hear the resonance from the air chamber, as the revs build up the whistling sound becomes more pronounced. Have the windows down, you can even hear the stock BOV sound which is non-existence with the drop-in filter. It even enhance the sound of downshifts when the SST rev-matches.

Performance:
If you guys think this intake is all bling, you can stop reading at this point. This is a true Ram-Air setup that is far superior design than the oem cold air box. You don`t have to rev it hard to notice the gains, additional torque can be felt in partial throttle in low revs, this is very useable power even for daily driving. Feathering the throttle at 10% felt like 25% before the intake installation. My car is the MR, putting the tranny in D mode and you can feel the additional push on every upshift. Driving the car in Sport or S-Sport mode in manual, I find the gear shifts become even smoother than before, the car gains speed instantly every time you upshift. Revving up the car to redline in 1st & 2nd, you can feel the additional punch from the back as the turbo spools even quicker. Gruppe M advertised this intake gives 27hp gains over stock, it certainly feels that way. Keep in mind the rest of my car is stock and this is a comparison between Gruppe M and the Blitz filter, the differences will be greater upgrading from a stock setup.

Bottomline:
All I can say is that this is the intake to get if quality and performance are both you`re looking after, not one or the other. You have to appreciate how much R&D they have put in to make this work and fit like a snug without any fitment/clearance issue. I hope this small review helps whoever is contemplating getting a Gruppe M intake.

 

Wow...that looks sick man!

If you don't mind, could you pm me the price and where you picked it up?

 

I guess another baller evo x owner. Did you buy this brand new?

 

Dam that looks hott , I had this on my E46 M3 and on the X it looks sick!

 

very nice

 

I was looking at the pics of this intake, where is the filter, is it inside the cf?

how does the filter get cleaned?

 

Thanks for all the pictures. Really shows the quality of the piece. Looks real good man!

 

+1

how does the filter look like?

 

nicee, good choice my friend.

the filter is a K&N filter, cone shaped. go to gruppe m's website for more details

 

Thanks for the comments, good or bad. Reviews added.

 

I'm surprised you didnt mention the bracket that doesn't bolt up to the USDM frame in your review. Its no big deal, but it is worth mentioning.

 

^as you said, its no biggie.

Since we`re at it, theres also the difference between the JDM and USDM maf housing size. But then again, its no big deal. The intake fits and works like a charm.

 

It concerns me a little. I'm afraid there is too much play on the intake. I check it every once and a while and retighten it with the allen key. I am going to have a new bracket fabbed up to go to the bolt next to that one.

 

wow, can't believe this kit doesn't replace the plastic intake pipe!!!!! Looks stunning though!!

 

i wondered why the gruppe m never felt completely locked in. i don't think you have to worry about it, but yeah it is worth mentioning