Infinity Design Intake installed

I finally got my mechanic to install the Infinity Design intake. I got the Matte carbon fiber option.

Overall, it went well but there was some small issues that came up.
1. The interior of the intake was not smooth (as you can see in the pictures). I assumed that the inside of the intake would have a similar texture as the exterior but that wasn't the case
2. The right clip (circled in orange) was longer and ended up not being flush (so there is a gap). Might cut this clip down so that the rubber seals flush.
3. The kit didn't come with a rubber washer (circled in red) so I'm worried that the carbon here might get cut up. I'll have to go to Home Depot some time to buy some washers.
4. I asked for DE5 instead of FL5 Type R in the metal tag but they didn't change that so I got "Type R" on my metal tag.

Overall, I would give this kit a 8 out of 10. Overall, I give this kit a 9 out of 10. After driving my car around for a couple weeks, the sound and power improvement are worth the minor flaws. The outer matte carbon fiber finish is really really nice. I just wish everything would fit OEM perfectly but I guess I've just got super high standards.

As someone who has made several things out of carbon, I can speak to part of this design. They went for looks over performance because carbon always has a "pretty side" and "ugly side" unless you bake two different parts and then fuse them. In this case they went with an interior mold so you'd get that pretty outer finish. An exterior mold would allow them to have the smooth/finished side facing in and the outside you'd just have to deal with seeing some wrinkles, pockets, and general imperfections, which could be made better by spending a lot of time sanding and clear coating. That would dramatically increase labor time, though, and it wouldn't be perfect.

Take for example the splitter i made... It's smooth in the functional areas and looks Meh everywhere where it doesn't matter. You just have to make some compromises with more complex carbon designs, unless you have a massive budget. Think carbon wheels which cost anywhere from 10-20k a piece because they're typically made out of highly complex mold assemblies and sometimes still two pieces.

Thanks for posting up your impressions. The fitment issues sound solvable, hopefully. I noticed the rough interior or the airbox in some of their pics - did you feel like the interior of the post-filter area was also excessively rough?

What is your impression of how future filter changes will be? Is the filter element a dry type?

Thanks for the insight @Victorofhavoc .

@Underdog Thankfully, the interior of the post-filter area was pretty smooth. I'm assuming that when my filter gets dirty, I'll have to buy another filter from them because its a pretty unique cone design which I haven't seen before. The filter looked oiled to me.

https://infinitydesignusa.com/products/air-filter-replacement

Infinity does not make a metal DE5 tag. All tags read FL5 regardless of car. I just installed one on a DE5 with the carbon intake tube. As far as the insulation tube, you could drill a new hole, or cut the clip and use some double stick, or glue it. I mean ......... what do you want for $1500.00 bucks ......... LOL

BTW .......... The MAF sensor wire goes behind the cone.

miksfield said:

Thanks for the insight @Victorofhavoc .

@Underdog Thankfully, the interior of the post-filter area was pretty smooth. I'm assuming that when my filter gets dirty, I'll have to buy another filter from them because its a pretty unique cone design which I haven't seen before. The filter looked oiled to me.

https://infinitydesignusa.com/products/air-filter-replacement

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The filter is oiled but it can be cleaned and re-oiled like any K&N filter. Mega videos to show you how.

@Doskiller Yea I got too excited installing the intake and didn't realize that we were supposed to route the maf behind the intake until everything was buttoned down. I got lazy and just put it over. Haha. Maybe I'll redo it if I ever have to dig into it again.

Doskiller said:

Infinity does not make a metal DE5 tag. All tags read FL5 regardless of car. I just installed one on a DE5 with the carbon intake tube. As far as the insulation tube, you could drill a new hole, or cut the clip and use some double stick, or glue it. I mean ......... what do you want for $1500.00 bucks ......... LOL

BTW .......... The MAF sensor wire goes behind the cone.

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For $1,500+ I expect the intake to fit properly. It's only one of the most expensive intakes on offer for this platform. The end user shouldn't have to Jerry rig and finesse what should be a finished product. For all that one could opt for the PRL HVI for a 1/3 the cost.

Clark_Kent said:

For $1,500+ I expect the intake to fit properly. It's only one of the most expensive intakes on offer for this platform. The end user shouldn't have to Jerry rig and finesse what should be a finished product. For all that one could opt for the PRL HVI for a 1/3 the cost.

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I have been working on and modding cars since 1971. I rarely have ever seen an aftermarket part fit perfect. They usually always need some attention here and there to get them to fit properly. That is all part of the fun for me. I like the accomplishment of making things work. Superman ......... if all of your aftermarket parts have fit perfectly, you sir are on a roll .......... ;-)

Doskiller said:

I have been working on and modding cars since 1971. I rarely have ever seen an aftermarket part fit perfect. They usually always need some attention here and there to get them to fit properly. That is all part of the fun for me. I like the accomplishment of making things work. Superman ......... if all of your aftermarket parts have fit perfectly, you sir are on a roll .......... ;-)

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This is the correct take.

The few times I have seen aftermarket parts that are actually higher quality than oem and perfect fitment, they have cost two legs, an arm, and part of your soul. If it wasn't this way, then modifying your car wouldn't devalue it the way it typically does. It's also ironic that most of us that modify cars would never buy a modified car . It makes sense... The oe products go through millions of dollars of r&d, and a boutique that will sell a few hundred to a few thousand parts at marginal profits won't be investing that kind of money.

Victorofhavoc said:

This is the correct take.

The few times I have seen aftermarket parts that are actually higher quality than oem and perfect fitment, they have cost two legs, an arm, and part of your soul. If it wasn't this way, then modifying your car wouldn't devalue it the way it typically does. It's also ironic that most of us that modify cars would never buy a modified car . It makes sense... The oe products go through millions of dollars of r&d, and a boutique that will sell a few hundred to a few thousand parts at marginal profits won't be investing that kind of money.

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Well said sir. I fall right into that category of not buying a modded car. I want to mod to my own taste, not someone else's. I think that it is good that we all have different opinions on the same subject. This is what makes our hobby and these forums so great.

It looks awesome!!!! Thanks for sharing

Doskiller said:

Infinity does not make a metal DE5 tag. All tags read FL5 regardless of car. I just installed one on a DE5 with the carbon intake tube. As far as the insulation tube, you could drill a new hole, or cut the clip and use some double stick, or glue it. I mean ......... what do you want for $1500.00 bucks ......... LOL

BTW .......... The MAF sensor wire goes behind the cone.

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What’s this about the insulation tube?

Also how is the metal tag held on? Wouldn’t be too hard to make some custom plates with DE5 and some other marking.

Underdog said:

What’s this about the insulation tube?

Also how is the metal tag held on? Wouldn’t be too hard to make some custom plates with DE5 and some other marking.

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I do not have the intake in front of me, but I believe the badge is held on by 2 hex screws. It absolutely can be modded. It just depends on the amount of effort the owner wants to put into it.

Doskiller said:

I do not have the intake in front of me, but I believe the badge is held on by 2 hex screws. It absolutely can be modded. It just depends on the amount of effort the owner wants to put into it.

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Gotcha… also understood that, for the price, many may be put off by having to further mod the intake to reflect the application.
Was the part you mentioned earlier about the insulation tube and drilling holes about the gasket material circled in orange in the OP? Because I was unclear if there were additional fitment issues.