Mazda Talk Forums

We guinea pig many new products and the latest is the new Racing Beat intake. In sum, I LIKE IT. I tried the K&N and a few others that shall remain nameless and this is the best I have seen so far. The K&N made 90 db of sound in the car with the windows up...so we do NOT recommend it to anybody that cares about hearing something other than their motor all the time. But the Racing Beat is very stock like on sound...just slightly more aggressive.

INSTALLATION. This one is the most OEM-like in construction AND function of all the intakes I have tried to date for the RX8. If not for the Racing Beat badge on the box and Air Mass tube you would not guess it is aftermarket. Much of the OEM look comes from the replacement box which is rotationally molded black plastic and therefore matches the look and feel of the rest of the underhood area very well. Inside is a very large K&N style filter with built in velocity stack (nicely detailed annodized aluminum parts on filter and brackets, etc). Installation by the directions went flawlessly. The estimate was 1.5 hours and I used double that but I stopped to take pictures (which I should get posted soon) and talk with customers that were looking at the project, etc. Note that installation does require removal of the front bumper! That sounds pretty serious until you discover (if you have not already) that the bumper comes off in about five minutes easy. Lots of nice little touches I have not seen in the other choices out there including retaining one of the factory screens for the air mass sensor to help keep flow from becoming turbulent over the meter--which helps keep a stable idle. So far, idle is rock solid and OEM like (which I can't say for some of the other intakes I have tried).

RUNNING IT. After start up I was careful to note any sound changes and I did notice a little more sound than the stock box and a very VERY slight change in tone. The throttle response feels better and the seat of the pants is good, direct and a little more throaty than stock. This is the intake Mazda should have included as a stock item.

More extensive feedback will be posted after some autocross and track time and I should get the pictures up soon.

Copyright Good-Win Racing 2005

Hi.

Would it be possible to post pictures of the RB intake?

Thanks
SB

Likely catch up to the task this weekend...

Hello,
I guess this is an old topic. Most likely due to the smaller forum attendance. I still would like to know the outcome of your Revi install. It's on my list of mods and love to hear other opinions on it.

Thanks for the review. I'm considering ordering an intake for my RX8. Could you comment on the differences between the REVi and AEM models?

They both sound pretty sporty. The Racing Beat is closest to stock on sound level. I would estimate the Racing Beat at just about 10% more sound level over stock. The AEM is a more open setup and makes a good deal more sound. If the Racing Beat is 10% more sound than stock, I put the AEM at 30%. In terms of power, both seem comparable. So, if you want the more stealthy intake, the Racing Beat is the way to go. If you want to really hear that rotary sing, then the AEM is your choice.