i just took over my familys 96 ssei and i need a spot to start getting the most out of her.

well the first would be to get a 180 tstat in there, then do a CAI, highflow cat, 3.4 pulley, and a muffler if you like

the sky is the limit with the Series II, although there is no PCM for your 96

thanks for the help but whats a pcm

Is it alright to change the air intake system and not get the 180 T-stat right away? I'm a little nervous about doing stuff to the car that might cause it to not operate right, especially since I'm taking a big road trip in a couple of weeks. Also, is there any programming changes needed for the new air intake system?

The intake systems I have been finding on eBay run about $60 total (with shipping). That to me seems way to cheap, especially when the K&N intakes run $150-200. Is this how much people here have paid for their intake systems?

I've been looking into just replacing the stock air filter with a K&N filter, although I have a feeling people on these boards are not proponents of that.

Great car to take over

Ebay intakes not bad. I have an Ebay intake

I just got my CAI delivered today, I'm looking forward to it being wicked cool when I get it in!

I ordered from a guy whose ebay ID is Intake Pro. Told him what kind of ride I had and that it was an SSEi and asked him to include a real K&N filter with it. All said I laid out $69 including shipping. The pipe is comes with is fairly short, I was afraid it might be too short but it looks to be ok. I actually installed my today but had to yank it out because I didn't have a way to mount the computer that sits in the bottom of the stock airbx. My solution: I went up to my local parts place and bought 2 generic battery trays that I'm going to modify to create a makeshift enclosure. As a computer guy I just wasn't comfortable with the metal housing of the computer riding on metal of the frame. I'll take some pictures and post them when I do the install. The pipe itself is a nice shiny silver (supposed to reflect heat) with a soft 45 deg. bend in it. It has a 3" diameter and is about the length of my forearm. The K&N filter he sent with it is model RU-3580 (Autozone.com has it at 35.99 + shipping). If you're so inclined you might be able to make the same thing for about $50 or so.

I'll be installing a 180 deg. Thermostat while I'm in there. I saw that there was a 160 deg. Tstat available but the concensus here seems to be that the 180 is the way to go. I'll take some pictures of that install too and post them here, they might help out the next person.

Got it from the same seller as you.

The pipe was short so I just got a coupler and a 3 inch peice of pipe. Heres a pic

PCM = Powertrain Control Module"
Basically it'* what tells your engine/trans what to do.

Now wont that intake draw heat from the engine?? I do not run an aftermarket intake in my Aurora because it already has a cold air induction. Takes air from the ground.

yes you have to make a box, so it becomes a CAI