Well, I finally got my ZZP intake installed this weekend and I figured I'd give a review on the install and performance so far.

Install

My install took about 45 minutes and I didn't have many problems. The couple of hang-ups I did have were getting the stock airbox off (stubborn grommet) and with getting the ZZP intake to mount. The fitment was very tight under the hood support and I had to do some twisting to get the mounting bracket lined up with the screw hole. I will note that I DID NOT cut the hose under the intake I just moved it out of the way because I don't like cutting up stock stuff when its not necessary. All in all a very simple install that didn't take much time, I wasn't in a rush and took my time.

Performance

Before I talk about MY experience I'll tell you what other mods I have at the time of this review. ZZP upper charge pipe, Forge BPV, Magnaflow catback, and the Trifecta budget tune(selected by competition mode). Ok now for the performance review . The first crank was pleasant, after checking for rubs and rattles I took her for a spin. This drive was on the stock tune. Noticed a HUGE difference in sound, big sucking noise followed by the turbo whine and nice BPV pshhhh. Big grin came on my face immediately. On the stock tune I didn't notice much more power but the turbo did seem to spool a bit faster (expected all this).

Next go round was on my Trifecta Budget Tune. Car still felt great, maybe a bit more power, quicker spool but I'm not too concerned with the gains till I get a proper HP Tune.

Problems

After about 3 days I got a CEL. Ran a scan through my phone (torque app) and had a P0101 code (MAF). I was hoping to not get a code but I knew it was a possibility. Cleared the code and it stayed clear till a few days later. I'm just going to keep clearing the code. Also I have had intermittent rough idle at start-up and loss of boost twice. I am going to tinker with filter rotation and check my MAF for K&N oil soon. Once again these aren't "deal breakers" to me because I'm not tuned for the intake and I knew the potential problems were exactly what I stated running into above.

The Great "Hot air intake" debate

I've seen this dead horse beaten over and over on here but I'll give my results based off the DIC outside temp readings and RPD intake air temps. Driving at around 45-55 mph at around 72 degrees outside temp the RPD read 76-80 degrees on intake air temp. I did some hard pulls and general "spirited" driving and pulled into a parking lot and sat a good 10 minutes. The intake air temp rose to around 86-89 degrees just sitting then after getting back on the road quickly dropped into my 76-80 degree range that I was experiencing earlier. I'm not going to go into my beliefs on temps, sucking hot air, etc. just giving MY EXPERIENCE with this intake for those who are reading this.

TLDR Summary

I'm very happy with this purchase. I hated the clunky stock airbox and the K&N upgrade kits looks, and now I love my engine bay. I applaud ZZP for supporting our vehicle and platform and look forward to any other products they release.

Hopefully this gives some good information to others out there and helps inform our community on this new product. I will gladly answer any questions you guys have!


Installed pics(excuse the dirty but I want to wait till after pollen season to get her cleaned up properly)

 

Awesome, spot-on review. Looks amazing with their upper too, nice engine bay!

I too was originally on the budget tune, would throw random CEL's, clear them, and be fine for a few days/weeks. LNF is real tricky in that essence IMO in terms of CEL's, even occasionally now I'll throw something triggered by a spike in boost, or just a whack trim.

 

i honestly can't get over how so much better the engine bay looks with the ZZP intake & hot side charge pipe...... very nice

 

I would get that tune soon or put the stock airbox on until you do. Driving around an unhappy car is not wise. Clearing a CEL is nice but sooner or later it will put you into a more prolonged "limp home" and that's not good especially if you are far from home.
Make sure you post an update after you get tuned. We (and ZZP) would like to know just how simple the correction is to the CEL.
Thanks!

 

agreed. only reason i am getting it. lol

 

I hear ya, I was wanting to get a new downpipe (still undecided on catless or high flow cat) then get my HPTune done. That may still be the road I go because my daily commute is 9 miles total, and I rarely drive a very long distance. With what I feel in the car and how it responds it seems like the computer gets confused because the intake is bringing in so much more air than the stock intake and it can't find the "sweet spot" especially at idle. One of those honeycomb air straighteners might help a bit, but like I said in the OP a proper custom tune is really the only way it will work as intended in my mind. I will definitely keep everyone updated on my progress though!

 

Figured I'd throw an update out here. Car has been doing about the same since install. I clocked the filter a bit and that has eliminated the rough idle I had on some cold starts.

Now for the big news I just ordered myself HPTuners and I am going to get a highly recommended tuner from the cobalt forums to do a tune for me. I am pumped to say the least! I'll come back and let you guys know how the car is post-tune (probably a new thread).

 

Clocking the filter really works, eh? Learned something new if so, hard to believe but hey, if it worked, it worked. Clock it the same as the Cobalt crowd?

 

How does this intake sound compared to stock? The css.net crowd loves the k&n Sri sound in their cobalts

 

Yeah I clocked the filter like the thread on cobaltss.net. I wasn't expecting any difference but it idles much better.

The sound is AMAZING!! Big woosh, whine and blow off. I love riding with my windows down especially with the warm weather showing up early.