Injen Short Ram Intake for 88-91 Civic/CRX

Injen IS Short Ram Intake - 1988-1991 Honda Civic Si / CRX Si (D16A6)

You've got an 88-91 Civic Si or CRX Si that's still running the original D16A6 and you're not swapping it. Maybe you're keeping the car original. Maybe it's your daily and you're not ready to tear into a B series swap. Either way, you want the car to feel a little sharper and sound better without going down the swap rabbit hole. Injen's IS short ram intake replaces the factory airbox with a mandrel-bent 6061-T6 aluminum tube and a SuperNano-Web dry filter. You're getting a little more power at the top end, a little more pull through the upper midrange, and a way louder intake note when you're on the throttle. Let's be honest about what this is. You're not making 50 hp with an intake. The D16A6 makes 108 hp from the factory and a short ram intake's going to net you 3-5 whp at peak. What you're really getting is the sound. Short ram intakes make the engine loud. You get on the throttle and you're hearing the engine pull air. That's what this part does. If you want big power, swap the motor. If you want to keep the D16A6 and make it feel and sound better, this is the right call.

Here's What a Short Ram Intake Actually Does

This is a short ram intake. The filter sits in the engine bay where the factory airbox used to be. It's not a cold air intake. Cold air intakes route the filter down into the fender or behind the bumper away from engine heat. Short rams keep the filter up top in the engine bay. The trade-off's intentional. Short rams are way easier to install. They're not going to suck water if you hit a deep puddle or drive through heavy rain. And on a small-displacement motor like the D16A6, the difference between short ram and cold air at part throttle doesn't matter. At wide-open throttle the underhood temps in an EF engine bay aren't hot enough to kill power the way they would on a modern turbocharged car. You're getting cooler air than the stock airbox provides because the filter's got way more surface area and the tube's smooth and straight instead of the stock restrictive plastic. That's enough to make a difference. The D16A6's a small motor. It doesn't take much to let it breathe better.

Realistic Power Expectations - 3-5 Whp, Better Midrange Pull

Here's the honest power talk. You're getting 3-5 whp at peak on a healthy stock D16A6. That's not life-changing. Injen's marketing says "killer horsepower increase" and that's overselling it. What you're actually getting is a slightly broader power curve through the upper midrange where the factory airbox starts choking airflow. The bigger benefit's the sound. Short ram intakes turn the D16A6's muted intake note into something you can actually hear. You get on the throttle and the intake's loud. You hit VTEC on the Si motors and it screams. Some EF owners want that. Some don't. We'd rather you know what you're buying than be surprised when you drive it. If you want serious power out of an EF chassis, the answer's always been a swap. B16, B18, K series. Not bolt-ons on the D16A6. The case for this intake's honest. You're keeping the stock motor because you want originality or because it's your daily and you're not ready to swap. You want the engine to feel a little livelier and you want the intake noise. That's valid. Just buy it for the right reasons.

6061-T6 Mandrel-Bent Aluminum Tube with TIG-Welded Ports

Injen's intake tube is 6061-T6 mandrel-bent aluminum. Mandrel bending means the tube's smooth on the inside with no crimping or collapsing. The vacuum ports and bracket connections are TIG-welded. The finish on this part number (IS1501P) is polished aluminum. Injen also makes this intake in wrinkle black (part number IS1501BLK) if you don't want the shiny look. The filter's Injen's SuperNano-Web dry filter. It's cleanable and reusable. When it gets dirty, you wash it with soap and water and reinstall it. You're not buying a new filter every year like you would with a paper filter. The kit comes with reinforced silicone couplers, stainless steel band clamps, silicone vacuum hoses, rubber vibra-mounts, and all the hardware you need to bolt it in. Installation's straightforward if you're comfortable working on a 30-year-old Honda. You're pulling the factory airbox, transferring the IAT sensor to the new tube, routing the vacuum lines, and clamping everything down. Plan on an hour if you've done intake installs before. Two hours if it's your first one.

D16A6 1.6L Only - Doesn't Fit 1.5L D Series or Swaps

This intake fits the D16A6 1.6L motor only. It doesn't fit any of the 1.5L D series engines that came in the EF Civic Base, DX, LX, RT 4WD, or Wagovan. The throttle body and intake manifold geometry's different between the 1.5L and 1.6L motors. The intake tube's sized specifically for the D16A6. This also doesn't fit swapped engines. If your EF Civic or CRX's got a B16, B18, K20, K24, H22, or any other swap, this intake won't bolt up. It's built for the stock D16A6 throttle body and airbox location only. If you're not sure what motor you've got, check the valve cover. The D16A6 valve cover says "16 Valve DOHC" on it. If your valve cover says something else or if you've got a VTEC solenoid on the head and your car's pre-1992, it's not a D16A6.

Pairs with Header, Exhaust, and Tune for Full Bolt-On Stack

If you're building an EF Si or CRX Si and you're keeping the D16A6, this intake pairs with the obvious bolt-on stack. Header (DC Sports and others make 4-2-1 headers for the D16A6), cat-back exhaust, and on OBD1 cars (90-91), a basic chip tune through Hondata or similar. The full intake-header-exhaust-tune package on a stock D16A6 typically nets 12-15 whp over fully stock depending on tune quality and how worn the engine is. That's worth doing if you're keeping the D16A6. It's not enough power to chase if your end game's a swap anyway. While you've got the airbox out, inspect the intake manifold gasket, the PCV hoses (which on a 30-year-old EF are usually cracked), the throttle cable mount, and the engine ground straps. If any of that needs refreshing, do it now while you've got the access. Cracked PCV hoses cause vacuum leaks that the new intake won't fix.

What You Get

• Injen IS short ram intake for 1988-1991 Civic Si / CRX Si (D16A6)
• 6061-T6 mandrel-bent aluminum tube (polished finish or wrinkle black)
• TIG-welded vacuum ports and brackets
• Injen SuperNano-Web dry air filter (cleanable and reusable)
• Reinforced silicone couplers
• Stainless steel band clamps
• Silicone vacuum hoses
• Rubber vibra-mounts
• All necessary hardware for installation
• Injen limited lifetime warranty
• Made in USA
• CARB Legal: D-476-3

Fits This Car

• 1988-1991 Honda Civic Si (D16A6 1.6L only)
• 1988-1991 Honda CRX Si (D16A6 1.6L only)

Note: D16A6 1.6L engine only - does NOT fit 1.5L D series engines (Civic Base/DX/LX/RT 4WD/Wagovan) or swapped engines (B16/B18/K20/K24/H22). Short ram intake design (filter in engine bay, not fender-mounted cold air). Realistic power gains 3-5 whp at peak with slightly broader midrange pull (not a huge power increase - primary benefit is intake sound). SuperNano-Web dry filter is cleanable and reusable (wash with soap and water, no oil required). Available in polished aluminum (IS1501P) or wrinkle black (IS1501BLK). Installation takes 1-2 hours depending on experience. Inspect PCV hoses, intake manifold gasket, throttle cable mount, and engine grounds while airbox is out (30-year-old EF chassis often has cracked vacuum lines causing leaks). Pairs with header, exhaust, and tune for full bolt-on stack (12-15 whp total over stock).