25 Real VS. Fake Car Mods! 

Never gonna give you up

The biggest difference I noticed with a cold air intake is marginally better mpg. Though, the intake on it before had massive air leaks. 🤷‍♂️

my cold air intake was totally worth it for the look and sound, but besides the mpg boost there is not much performance gain to be had unless you are boosted

Don’t forget that there are 2 types of intercoolers, “air to air” and “water to air”. Basically “air to air” is the type you see sticking out of the front end and are usually quite thick and works like the name suggests, the “intake air” passes through the intercooler and gets cooled down by air going through it. Water to air intercoolers are usually a slightly more complicated set up, basically you use water to cool down the “intake air”, most set ups use a “heat exchanger” (a radiator of sorts) which is “plumed in” (or connected) to the intercooler. But water to air can also be a “ice box” set up. Water to air is a pretty efficient system and usually takes up less room than a air to air set up.

One thing I noticed with the cold air intake is how fast the turbo builds boost compared to on the stock box. It's not making any more power, but it feels much quicker because of that.

Very informative video :)

bladed angel single handedly deriving up the leaf blower prices

the way I see it, for all of this, is that there's no reason to cheap out on it. The fake/cheap stuff can actually be more dangerous than the real thing. In my opinion, there's no reason to buy the cheap thing and say you'll buy the real thing when you have the money. save the money now and buy the real thing right off the bat.

A cold air intake, or similar tube+filter setup is also a great maintenance mod. The stock tubing and airbox take up so much space that you need to remove them all the time to swap out parts/do some maintenance, so having a simpler setup makes it a lot easier.

0:55 Throttle response, while not being extra power, is a very, very valid thing to want in your build. Like, an NA with poor throttle response can straight up be worse than a turbo'd engine with really good throttle response. 3:30 Pretty much every car already has a cold air intake. A true cold air intake is giving it access to proper airflow, like by positioning it behind a bumper or headlight vent. Or out your hood. Or any other alternative you can think of, the sky is the limit.

Always glad to see these kinds of videos because when it comes down to someone wanting to mod their car stuff like this is going to be another good reference

I know Cletus made another video on electric superchargers, that used a huge battery and a switch to turn it on. I believe it was on a colbalt and it gained power.

I had an r53 mini cooper. It was supercharged. Installed a fitted cold air intake (not some generic cone filter) and it made the supercharger way louder if nothing else. Best mod for that particular car.

Dear Bladed, Thank you so much for the mod infomation. I really apprecate your videos and thanks for making these times so much easier for me.

There are real electric supercharger basically a procharger driven by an electric motor but the one you showed is the scam

Part of the large exhaust issue is if the exhaust doesn't get out fast enough, it cools making it denser, and harder to push.

I have a short ram on my car, but it’s mainly for the sound it produces. Make the intake hella loud, and sounds great. There’s no performance gain from the butt dyno, but it’s still a cheap $100 way to make your car sound awesome.

As a teenager who likes loud exhaust, I don’t do it for “attention” or “daddy issues” I simply like hearing the car/truck I am driving, and I would put glass packed exhaust/high flow mufflers to give it more sound depth, I just wanted to say that lol

Bladed thank you so much for making this video. I've continuously came back to it before ordering or thinking about getting parts so it's nice to have a reference on what to get.

I'm in the UK, many years ago I had a Triumph Dolomite 1850. When the stock exhaust rusted away (They did back in the 1970s. I replaced it with a properly designed rally exhaust. The result was more responsive throttle and an improvement in fuel economy from an average of 30mpg to around 36mpg. Apart from that the engine, carbs, air filters were stock.

On lowering springs, I lowered my Mercedes 190E couple of years ago with Eibach pro kit springs. Everything was fine, apart from the fact there was this weird creeking noise when I turned the wheel while parking. After checking everything and replacing every part there was to replace with suspension and steering, finally I found the issue. The steering drop link bushings on the passenger side became stressed when I lowered the springs, since this cause all the steering angles to change. TL;DR, if you lower your ride height, you must then also replace or re-adjust all the steering components.

I would like to know your opinion about modifications in the interior, ambient light etc.

journalists: "top mounted intercoolers dont work" me: laughs in humvee for those not fimiliar with the layout of the humvee engine bay the entire cooling system sits on top of the engine under the hood

So, racecar things. I have access to a dyno 4 days of the week. I did an experiment on my personal weekend car, 03 mustang GT with a Ls3, ibeam aluminum rods, forged crank, trick flow heads, and a single 76mm precision turbo. I did a full proper performance exhaust on the dyno vs my fender exit 4 1/2 inch straight pipe. And the straight pipe made more power. A significant increase. 890 whp vs 967 with a straight pipe.

Mod kits from reputable businesses are also great for the modifying n00b. I used a suspension kit from Pelican Parts (springs and dampers) and a power kit from Turner Motorsport. Very happy with both.

roof spoilers which are angled downwards to direct air down a window instead of deflect upwards (the blue subaru roof wing you showed) acheives a similar result to vortex generators. you are correct about the roof spoiler on the orange car, but the one on the subaru is functionally pushing air downwards towards the rear wing.

Some of the nicer throttle spacers are themselves ported to increase airflow. The ones I got for my 370Z made a noticeable difference even before I got tuned.

You have grown so much in knowledge my mate. So many years without watching your videos and I can already tell in 49 seconds. Big hug.

seeing a Ford Falcon G6E Turbo at 5:15 was an unexpected surprise, not complaining though.

Both intakes and exhaust have pulses going through them, that run in both directions. The diameter and length are both part of tuning for best movement of air and exhaust at a specific rpm range. A well engineered engine mod will include changes in many places, from intake to camshafts to exhaust to heads, and the list goes on. This is why those spacers can help with low end power, but in return, you lose some top end. It's all a give and take, and factory engines are designed pretty well, given that they need to remain within emissions and noise specs.

Slowly becoming my favorite channel

Loving your content lately.

I've actually found cold air intakes to not be an upgrade, but a lot of times a cheaper replacement part to an entire airbox assembly.

Throttle body spacers increase the plenum size, which can help increase torque if your cars plenum was undersized from the factory

Great vid mate hope you upload more like this 👍

The way you say bald tires cracks me up!😂🤣😂

H pipes are also only for sound at low RPM. Air can’t turn 90 degrees like that so once you actually step on it no air is going across that pipe. Only X pipes increase performance.

my friend with an 04 elantra swears to god that the autozone short ram, and radiator he put on has made his car a v6 mustang killing rocket.

amazing video, gave me a few laughs and taunt me some interesting things, thanks for the content, insta subbed and added the bell 🔔

You just earned your self onother subscriber 😊 Very good explanation bro👍

Doing an x/h-pipe on an I4 is gonna be more difficult.They only have one side of exhaust. Just do a small performance exhaust on a 4 cylinder and it'd be fine.

cold air intakes are a good mod, Especially if you combo with an exhaust. even if you just do a muffler delete, the intake sounds good.

5:14 love the inclusion of the G6E turbo falcon

for my vehicle i had to replace the exhaust system because its y pipe literally rotted in the middle beneath the engine. i cut it off and ran open headers until i got a new x pipe setup. the open headers was just stupid loud with no tone. the x pipe although a bit quieter just sounds so much better. i didnt notice any power differences.

I’ll say this though, i had a ported intake manifold and later bored my throttle body + spacer and port matched it to my IM and it’s given some decent improvements in regards to thermals (haven’t flowbenched it so I cant confirm air flow improvements yet), not enough to feel but it’s there. Now unless I’m driving hard for a while I can comfortably place my hand on my intake manifold and not melt my skin lol

On carbureted engines a spacer under the carb can actually increase hp, but it can shift the power curve a bit.

Glad I found this channel. Just bought a 2002 accord I want to do a little work on, nothing crazy. Person I bought it from did some great work to the engine(Just upkeep nothing added) and it has a straight pipe exhaust. I want to redo the suspension and the exhaust, and would like to do some engine upgrades for a little more horsepower buuuut I don't necessarily want to just add a turbo. But I've never done any kind of 'building' on cars so it's all gonna be a learning experience 👍

It really depends on WHICH flash tuner it is. MHD, which is famously known for BMW engines like N54, S55, B58, and S58, offers OTS tunes as well as the ability to create custom dyno tunes using the platform. Some flashers are simplers and more general (like you said, model instead of your SPECIFIC car), while others will allow you to create custom tunes that will make the most out of your personal setup.

conclusion of the wrap-paint part: wraps are temprorary paint is eternal

Thanks for the info bladed. Now I realized that I’m guilty of a fake car mod. I put a throttle body spacer in my crown Vic not realizing what a ported throttle body actually did. If only I knew before I ruined my car like that 😂😂😂

When Bladed uploads its a good day no matter what

5:15 Ayeee, that's the same dyno the MCM boys have used many times.

First video that I'm actually here for when it's posted

I must say this, with all due respect, I changed out my 'restrictive' stock air intake on a 2015 Toyota Corolla S, over to a Takeda short ram and witnessed a quite noticeable difference in the car's ability to breath air much better while also providing a small, but noticeable difference in performance. My next move is to add on a straight-flow Borla muffler, i.e., short air in (Tekeda)short air out (Borla) combo. Outside of this, to do more, I might as well just get a different car.

My dude... that thick fog on the highway brings back pleasant memories of a night when me and a few friends went on a vacation... the weather was just like that. And we all had a blast.

Very informative!! Very clear !!

The pressure thing at the end is not true. It wont hurt performance and having it escape more easily with less pressure = less backpressure = more flow (backpressure is only needed in 2 strokes) Edit:Spelling

I've done some research for the older cars getting benefit and it is true. Theoretically if I bought a better tune for my 305 tpi I could increase horsepower a good amount and the cold air intake would actually benefit me because stock injection iroc camaros have a very restricted intake system

This is the third video of yours today that I've watched im definitely a subscriber

@13:47 that “race car” stuff idk if you were tryna be funny or what but I’m dying🤣🤣

Hey @Bladed Angel , I’ve actually seen that the roof spoiler specifically on the GD Chassis STi actually does make a difference because it directs air to the high spoiler. Not sure if it’s 100% legit, but it would make sense compared to other cars using it. Lmk what you think!

I’m slapping a leaf blower on my stock accord for POWER

I put a short ram on my last car only because I liked the sound more than cold air on NA engines. But my new car i have a cold air. Good to know the difference though. Love the vids keep it up

Listen, I can’t help how much I love the convenience of just hacking off the muffler. It’s loud, and I like it. However, you are absolutely correct about the exhaust pressure, hence to why I would never get bigger pipes. TLDR; I like loud car.

Intakes of all shapes and sizes can improve MAF/MAP signals and the cleaner you can get the airflow the better. Typically stock intakes on all performance cars have the best signal quality, and I wouldn't move away from that unless you go boosted.

Question: I have a 2.5in stock exhaust on my 2017 optima, would a 2.5in straight pipe, with a stock cat, be an ok mod?

Bladed educating the kids 👍

A little birdy told me. If peak HP is also controlled by the exhaust shape, then explain why 100% of FunnyCars and top fuel dragsters have side short pipe exhausts. Granted, dragsters have turbos. But even N/A big blocks have short pipes

I only have an issue with the last statement - rep vs name brand wheels. I personally run a set of rep wheels on an Evo X and they are just great, never had an issue with them. That being said, I don't recommend going for cheap wheels that look like something they are not, because the set I bought is actually a high quality replica, which was a decision made mostly made from a budget perspective (they were not dirt cheap, cost like 400 buckaroos a wheel, maybe more). My reasoning was, that we don't really have a lot of good looking wheel models from certified manufacturers (EU FTW) and I couldn't get my hands on anything that I would consider a good fitment - most TUV certified brands have bad offset and width choices (imagine an Evo X on 18x8,5 ET 45 wheels)... I can't imagine what would happen, if I bought a set of rep wheels from the US hearing a lot of horror stories about them going ballistic. My final thought is never cheap out on anything that contacts the road, be it suspension, wheels or tires, but don't get pressured into buying "the real deal of wheel" if it's not in your budget... use your common sense and go for something that looks nice while providing adequate strength and durability for your intended purpose. (not hating on OG wheels, but not everyone can afford them for their 12 year old Mitsubishi shitbox lol)

To be entirely honest coming from my experience with CAI's(cold air intakes), they add at least something. When i added my intake to my 97' Camry, it actually gained literally 3 hp, 1 mpg, and better response on the lower end torque. Other than that, I wouldn't advise slapping a CAI on a newer vehicle as the way their air box is designed is typicially better than the aftermarkets UNLESS you plan on going with more mods as Bladed explained in the video. Overall, CAI's are just so damn pretty lol

I have a top mounted intercooler on my '88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. Also have the same 2.3L engine in my '93 Ranger, but I have it highly modified, producing 425 hp. I'm gonna do the same build on the Thunderchicken this summer.

Yea but if you paint a car and get a scratch you gotta repaint that whole section again

i’m just here for good content tbh

I was actually curious about putting a roof spoiler on my car. This is pretty helpful.

In some vehicles advertised short ram and cold air intake are the same. Depending on how your car takes in air into where your intake is at a short ram can still be good

I have a question about straight pipes You explained in this video, that if i installed a thicc straigh tube in my grocery getter i wouldn't gain anything at all, but what about more powerful cars with like 350+ horsepower, will installing a big straight pipe do anything good with higher power engines?

You know that when moms start putting roof spoilers on their mercedes/land rovers that its just for looks

bro thank you i will be following you alot more i own a 2013 dodge dart turbo and you have hit so many areas thank you

Love this video bro 😭😂

hey bladed have you ever thought about having 2 cars at once?

Yeahh boiii!!! New bladed video

I am genuinely impressed that you made a video like this, I thought all you did was... well...

I’m glad I was educated on why not to straight pipe because now that is across piping is more effective that I want more horsepower yeah I do like the loud but I want my car to go fast

3:19 What if you have front mounted intercooler and that hoodscoop method COMNINED.(on a drag car ofc)

For the straight pipe example, The reason why engineers make the pipe small is because it reduces the amount of metal needed to make the exhaust, i.e cost and also to get more precise measurements for the oxygen sensors and catalytic converter. The volume flow rate, Q is not going to change, You're going to get the same momentum out of each diameter pipe for the same amount of force, using the continuity equation. yes there is going to be different pressures in the pipe, and different velocities, but its not necessary to have higher pressures, unless you're doing it for the sensors. I'm in engineering btw

He's not lying about the leaf blower part lmao

love how you showed a beautiful aussie car with that beautiful Barra

A short ram intake can be useful depending on application. More air is always better. Think of a sbc literally flipping top of air cleaner over making poor man’s cold air intake increases hp a measurable amount like 5hp and that’s in same spot it was same temp air as before just more.

Can't wait to slap a leaf blower on my mom's Ford S max and start gapping Corvettes. I just need to find the corvettes

I used to do stupid internet myth mods, but now I’m back to the real gain of HP.

I appreciate that your example of a dyno tune is a G6E Turbo

Straight pipes actually work on turbocharged cars…the best exhaust for a turbocharged car is no exhaust.

Wouldn't you need a 'V' engine to have an X-pipe tho? I'm not fan of straightpipes either, but good luck putting an X-pipe on an inline or a rotary.

I know nothing about cars, but the leafblower part of the video made me laugh my ass off! 🤣

Lmao I love the all about exhaust part

Bro absolutely obliterated the straight pipe defenders 😂

Last time I checked you had like 50k subs… what have I missed

I want to add one more information about straight pipe vs h or x pipes. H or x pipes are also designed to keep lower pression on the exhaust valves because of the faster air flow escaping from the combustion chamber. In this way the low pression that generates near the exhaust valves sucks up the dirty air after the combustion and it increases efficiency (cleaner engine, lower gasoline consumption, faster revs and actual more power). Straight pipes make the engine less efficient and in some cases less powerful because the air coming out the exhaust has to deal with atmospheric pressure so the pistons have to push harder to make the air escape the engine. Also phisically speaking loudness = waste of energy. Sound is energy converted in kinetic energy that moves air particles (sound). So if an exhaust is loud it means that some energy is wasted to make the car louder (improper airflow, more vibrations transmitted to the exhaust pipe, higher temperatures and less reliability) I know... My english is bad.

i recently got a 2017 civic hatchback with the 1.5t engine. i put a prl short ram intake on it (no tune). and i do feel as if there has been a noticeable increase in power. granted its not a huge power difference it did do other things like help the turbo spool quicker. i did worry about heat soak mostly due to having seen this video before but since flooding is a thing in my area i would rater experience heat soak rather than hydro lock. but to my pleasant surprise my engine temps are lower than before and the good old butt dyno feels a difference so im vey happy with that car mod.

The double screw charger at 2:50 looks like a crutch wand ngl