Best cold air intake for a Subaru BRZ?

- Honestly, the Grimmspeed Stealthbox Cold Air Intake at $435 is best.
- Unfortunately, my Perrin Performance Cold Air Intake suffered from heat soak. Not worth the $380, IMO.

Respectfully, I'd consider another option before you pull the trigger on those. I've been wrenching on Subarus for over a decade, and honestly, swapping the whole intake on a daily driver can be a recipe for MAF sensor headaches if the scaling isn't perfect.

If you really want that induction growl without risking the reliability of your engine or dealing with heat soak, I'd suggest a more surgical approach:

* HKS Super Air Filter 70017-AT001 - This drops right into the stock box to keep things safe but improves flow.
* Perrin Performance Intake Inlet Hose PSP-INT-421 - Swapping the corrugated stock rubber for this smooth silicone piece is where you actually get that sound and better throttle response without messing with the sensor housing.

I’ve seen too many guys go with full open-element kits only to lose low-end torque. Keeping the factory airbox but upgrading the internals is the veteran move for a reliable daily. Just my two cents... good luck with the build!

Honestly, for a daily driver on a budget, I'd suggest the Mishimoto Performance Cold Air Intake MMAI-BRZ-13. It's about $350, sounds awesome, and keeps the sensor in a safe housing to avoid CEL issues without a tune.

Hi there, I stumbled upon this discussion and wanted to chime in from a more conservative perspective. Over the years, I've learned that changing the intake on these cars is mostly about sound and throttle response, like you mentioned, because the factory airbox is already quite decent. To avoid heat soak and potential CEL issues, you really want something that retains a closed-box design.

Check out the AEM 21-735DS Cold Air Intake System as a solid alternative. It's often overlooked but features a fully enclosed airbox that utilizes the factory snorkel, which is crucial for keeping those intake temps down during daily driving. In my experience, it provides a nice growl without being obnoxious. Also, you might find this useful: take a look at the **FTSpeed** or **86Speed** websites; they have great comparison videos and dyno charts for the BRZ/86 platform. Honestly, if you're worried about reliability, stick with a dry filter like the AEM DryFlow Synthetic Air Filter to avoid messing up your MAF sensor with excess oil. Good luck!

To add to the point above, honestly most of what everyone said is spot on. The stock box is hard to beat for pure efficiency, but I totally get wanting that growling sound. If youre doing the install yourself, keep in mind that the BRZ is super sensitive to MAF scaling changes. Super sensitive. Quick recap of the thread:

• Grimmspeed is the big favorite for sound.
• Mishimoto or AEM if you want a sealed box setup.
• Drop-in filters if you want to play it safe. Since you want something that doesnt need a tune and handles heat soak like a champ, I'd look at the aFe Power Takeda Momentum Cold Air Intake System Pro 5R. It uses a rotomolded tube and a fully sealed housing that connects to the factory air scoop. It basically fixes the heat soak issue that open filters have while giving you a much louder induction noise. Its a fun Saturday morning project, just be careful with the plastic clips on the bumper cover, they like to snap if you look at them wrong... honestly such a pain. Tbh the throttle response feels a bit snappier with this one too. Only real downside is the box is a bit bulky so it makes checking other fluids slightly harder, but it's a decent option for a daily driver.

This ^

Nice, didn't know that