Well I ordered one to see what the real difference was between the 2 intakes AND because i was kind of getting irratated with the set up on the AirAid and how it was tight against the hood and everytime i opened the hood i had to reposition it. that will all be fixed now. i also found some better grommets for the holes on the engine pegs that will work better

i know this isnt a dyno test but here so here goes. and just to preposition this, i did this for me and Mike had nothing to do with it other than just sending it

comparison of the 2

installation
no comparison. the CGS is easier, faster and very little problems. for the 2.4 probably a 30 min mod even taking off the old setup.
now i have the 2.2 and this was really made for the 2.4 so they are working out a couple of bugs and i got w Mike today and told him what i did and he asked me to just post pics so he could pass it on to CGS and they will get those fixed and make a 2.2 tube. i changed it pretty much the way i wanted to and it works great. took me another 30 min to fix the minor adjustments. i am real pleased with the set up.

AirAid
make sure the tabs are to the back and under or it will not fit right. Do not tighten any of the screws on the box till u have them all in and lined up. Once all in then tighten up. put the MAF tube on the box away from the engine so you dont have to look for them if you drop one and they are not huge. i use a towell under everything i do to make it easy to find and nothing rolls. i put the nuts on the inside of the box. then put the MAF sensor housing. since the tube is in a box you have to use a rachet to tighten the hose on the MAF tube after you assemble the box. Filter can go on now and just make sure u make it easy to get to the clamps on both systems. then put the hose onto the side with the clamp and then insert the end back in the hole. not hard just the assembling the box is kind of a PITA and takes a while to make sure u get it right.

CGS
to take the old one off i would unplug the MAF sensor, then unscrew the clamp for the hose in front, pull up on the back of the air box to loosen it off the gromets, then slowly pull the hose to the side air vent off and out. get a star wrench or driver end or screwdriver style and remove the MAF sensor housing off the air box.

screw the MAF housing on the pipe, make sure you watch how it comes off and put it on the new tube the same way. its fairly hard to mess this up.
put the filter on the tube and leave it loose and not real tight so you can move it. when putting in the tube into position, you need to put the filter attached on the tube in that space first, then position into the intake rubber hose and that lines it up really easy and well.
slide the tube all the way in the front intake rubber tube till it touches the MAF housing. take out appropiate bolt on top and put that on where the brace attaches, then i just unloosened the filter till it kind of fell into place and found a home.
Tightened everything up and then done. watch for clearance by the windshield washer bottle to make sure it clears.

if you have the 2.2, email me not private message from here and i will tell you what i did to make it fit better for me. Mike wants to give CGS a chance to get it right for the 2.2. it works now and w just one fix but i gave hints on what to do to make it killer.

loudness of the system as heard while driving
the CGS is quieter than the AirAid hands down, w CGS's filter and w my own 3A racing filter,, tried it both ways. The AirAid is very loud w the filter they provide. allot quieter with my 3A racing filter.

pick up
the AirAid no doubt makes the 2.2 better and i have no idea with the AirAid on the 2.4 but the CGS is quicker, quicker take off, more even thru acceleration, more bite on take off and smoother shifting and this is first few drives. its not a ton but it is better.

i will let you know on the gas mileage in a couple of weeks. i have to keep all my expenditures so i have the mileage since i put it on. i think it will get better after the puter gets a feel for it. it did with the AirAid. the CGS also has 0 hesitation and the AirAid always had a smidge

the CGS did better w my filter which has a 2.5 inch filtered hole in front as well. i would love to put a hose from the front to the filter w a scoop on it to see if it makes a difference. i have found the more air this HHR gets the better it runs so it should help.

Which do I like better and end comparison
this is probably a no brainer by what you just read. there is a difference between the 2. to me the CGS is quieter, no hesitation at all and quicker than the AirAid on the 2.2. to me that makes it better. if you like noisier then get the AirAid. they both make the 2.2 faster. the CGS is just smoother throughout.

is it worth the extra money
there are +'s and -'s for the AirAid and to me nothing but +'s for the CGS. i personally like the CGS better and do not regret getting it. I also like the engine showind and it will be clean for the car Show tomrrow. it will be shinyyyyyyyyyyy. :D

Already have the AirAid gone tomorrow after i get it all fixed up, and assembled right and going to Jaydogg for helping me out w my sound system. they guy is a gem and was great helping me. He is getting it at a reduced price and free shipping.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j313/cjkrause/100_0904.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j313/cjkrause/100_0896.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j313/cjkrause/100_0897.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j313/cjkrause/100_0902.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j313/cjkrause/100_0903.jpg

Thats the style of reviews I like!
That write up along with the actual work, took allot of time to create!

Thanks for your efforts!

thank you Maam
it turned into an all day project but worth it.

:thumb: Good job CJ. I'm happy to see you actually took the time to compare the two and draw your own conclusions. Excellent workmanship.:cool:

Excellent review. I cant imagine how the Airaid could be louder than the CGS, since to me it is pretty loud (although I like it). And, needless to say, I am pleased with your conclusion. Appearance wise, I think the CGS wins by a long shot. For it to be quiter, smoother, provide better performance, and be easier to install makes it a lock. The only negative is that it is more expensive. But as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. By the way, I called CGS and requested some decals (I advertise what is on my car in the back side windows).

*sigh*
Im gonna have to airaid it out for a little while (whenever it gets here). But like I said before, If I can get anything extra outta my 2.2, I'm all grins...at least I have something to shoot for!

*sigh*
Im gonna have to airaid it out for a little while (whenever it gets here). But like I said before, If I can get anything extra outta my 2.2, I'm all grins...at least I have something to shoot for!
you will get more out of ur 2.2 w not problems and the sound isnt bad it is just louder. remember i have been using it for almost a month.

for the price you are paying the AirAid works great. just make sure that you put it together like i put in the post and you will be fine.

CJ; Great post, I just finished putting my CGS intake on using th SoCal install pictures. It worked great however it took me longer due to the window washer pump coming off and dumping the contents all over me the engine and garage floor. After that everything went well and the install was done without further goof ups. Took my 2.4 for a test run and could really feel the difference in pick up, the car seems to just run stronger and have a more solid feel. I love the sound, not loud but pleasing to the ear. Overall I could not be happier with this product, it does exactly what Mike said it would do and more. My next project is going to be a rear stabilizer, hopefully I can install it without the usual self inflicted challenges. Now if I could just learn to post pictures properly I could display my unhandy work.::lol:

I see the Mod you were talking about CJ
The bend to the bracket ..
I believe you were trying to obtain a good bend

Did you have to shuff the air filter inbetween the harnesses, pass the knob on the hood shock, does the air filter rest against the body frame of the car too ?

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/hvrodpics/brkta.jpg

Did you have to shuff the air filter inbetween the harnesses, pass the knob on the hood shock, does the air filter rest against the body frame of the car too ?

the air filter pretty much sits right in the well by the hole on the fender. you have to ease it in but it really doesnt touch anything once it is here cept the windshield washer hose line to the sprayers goes over the back and top of the filter.

it pretty much hangs there and they did a great job of centering it even on a 2.2 versus the 2.4. the hood shock doesnt hit it either. it did at first and then when i lowered the tube w the angle u are showing, that fixed that. the extra lil bend was the original bend and if i pounded a lil more i could have gotten it real pretty. i was trying to match it as much as i could.

thier filter is a lil longer than mine but mine is slightly fatter. if you leave it just loose enough to move it. once you get it in position first, then you can raise or lower it to make it fit justtttttttttttt right.

when putting in the tube into position, you need to put the filter attached on the tube in that space first, then position into the intake rubber hose and that lines it up really easy and well.

Ok just a question, has anyone tried a K&N filter on a HHR, could you get the same results w/o take the top of the engine off(black breather cover). The bay looks fine as is, although those photos are intriging. Almost race car-ish .I`m not sure if Mrs. B/B wouldn`t notice something like that, not to mention the new sound change. Got to stay Stealth for a little while,(she still thinks it`s her birthday present).

Got to stay Stealth for a little while, (she still thinks it`s her birthday present).
that my friend is the funny of the WEEK and so true :rof: still laughing as i type this

well the CGS is slightly louder and unless she really sticks her foot in it, i seriously doubt she would notice. if she does stick her foot in it, she will notice that she is getting there faster. Might bring a smile to her face and nowadays, anything i can do to help me get out of a bad traffic situation is nice. Even wife agrees with that. Our nox w the 5 speed tranny is always in the power sweet spot. put a 5 speed tranny in the HHR and it would be allot better as well.

when i had the open box with the filter removed and the filter at the end of the flex hose by the hole, even that made a difference, just not as much but i am sure the K&N will make a difference. i personally like the more open see more engine look and changing a filter on this thing standard is a major PITA. you have to loosen the clamp on the intake rubber hose. pull the housing off the tabs in the back. pull out the flex hose and remove the whole thing. then take out 7, yes 7 star screws and then open the box. major pain in the butttttttttttttttttt.

not to mention it just isnt all that good looking unless you like a black huge immobile turtle sitting on top of your engine. i am also sure that all that on top helps your engine run hotter. one thing i have noticed now since all that is off, is that even w the temps yesterday around 98 i am hanging around 196 on the temp guage. i am sure the Royal Purple is helping there too. it has run cooler since i did my oil change coming back from FL.

no one will like changing the air filter on the HHR once they do it one time.

You're really scaring me CJ !! I've had a K&N filter on hand for a couple of weeks, working up the nerve to actually install it. It certainly does look like major hassle for what should be a simple task.
The only thing in my favor is once it's done it'll be years before I have to clean it. We'll probably put less than 10,000 mi. a year on our HHR.

its not hard, just alot to do for one filter.
instructions i just put make it easy and like you said it will be a while till you have to do it again.

if you dont jump in the water then you dont know just how gooooooooooood it feels

I did something similar to CJ when installing mine last night, except I used the existing Air Filter bracket (modified) to mount to the intake support "leg" as I didnt really wish to have a chance at breaking the welds (as I have done it a few times in the past). Was in a hurry so I couldn't go the the store to get a longer bolt, was also midnight when I was doing it, so ... the hammer did just fine in making the adjustments to the bracket.

I'd also like to add that the power gain is definately noticable ... especially when a police officer is circling the parking lot. 1am is definately a bad time to do any sort of testing. :(

Also! Thank you for the super fast delivery SoCal. Amazingly fast. Ordered it what, Wednesday or Thursday and got it Saturday.

Hi everyone, newbie here. I have to second everything CJ has posted about the CGS. I just installed one on my 2.2 and love the results. Once I got down to the parts store and picked up a longer bolt everything fit great.