Well here it is: an unofficial visual/install/sound impression of the Eventuri vs Karbonius plenum/intakes from someone who has installed both in the same car.
The setups for my comparisons were as follows:
Eventuri:
- CF Plenum
- CF Elbow/Filter
- Stock Airbox Lid
Karbonius:
- CF Plenum
- CF Intake
- CF Airbox Lid
- Macht Schnell (MS) Filter
Visual:
Pieces from both companies feel very high quality. The Eventuri undoubtedly has a better “finish” because of its use of a thicker clear coat. The Eventuri stuff is completely smooth across the outer surface with no imperfections whereas in the Karbonius pieces you can tell the clear coat is thinner. Because of this, you can see some imperfections in the surfaces of the Karbonius pieces (think pinholes and CF texture).
Weight:
All of the carbon bits from Karbonius are lighter than the Eventuri counterparts. If I had to guess I’d say the majority of this is due to Eventuri’s thicker clear coat on everything. Here are the weights broken down by component.
Stock:
- Plenum = 11lbs 4oz
- Elbow w/o Filter = 1lb 6oz
- Airbox Lid = 1lb 12oz
- MS Filter = 2lbs 2oz
Total = 16lbs 8oz
Eventuri:
- CF Plenum = 7lbs 10oz
- CF Elbow/Filter = 2lbs 4oz
- Stock Airbox Lid = 1lb 12oz
Total = 11lbs 10oz
Karbonius:
- CF Plenum = 6lbs 0z
- CF Elbow = 10oz
- CF Airbox Lid = 12oz
- MS Filter = 2lbs 2oz
Total = 9lbs 8oz
Fitment:
When I purchased the Eventuri I had an issue with the angle of the PCV inlet on the bottom of the plenum. I sent the plenum back to Eventuri for repair and when I got it back the fitment was OEM-like. The Eventuri intake is a little tricky in part due to the dust shield on the bottom of the filter and getting the angle just right, but overall a straightforward install with no issues.
The Karbonius plenum installed easily the first time with the lower cowl off. The angle of the IAT sensor attachment isn’t the same angle as the OEM plenum, but I had just enough slack in the connector to get it attached. The elbow of the Karbonius is where things start to get a little tricky. I initially wanted to try the ITG filter, but there was no way it would fit with my 2009 airbox nub so I retained my MS drop-in filter. It takes a few tries to get everything fit up but I managed to get it all in place. Then the issues began. The Karbonius airbox lid just does not fit like OEM no matter how you try to get it into place. My issue was specifically with the front corner where the air duct for the grills connects to the lower/upper airbox. The hole for the screw at that corner on the Karbonius lid does not line up with the lower airbox hole and the OEM screw is too short. I was able to slip that small elbow over the top/bottom pieces, but the fitment still isn’t ideal for the OCD. And I still need to source a longer screw.
Sound:
I’ll start by saying that I was expecting the Karbonius to be significantly louder than the Eventuri due to the lighter weight, but that wasn’t actually the case. The best way I can compare the two is that the Karbonius is more raw, throaty, guttural V8 race car whereas the Eventuri is more refined and exotic. I think it would be similar to how most people compare the Corsa vs Eisenmann Race mufflers. The tone differences don’t come across in video extremely well, but trust me it’s there. I think the Eventuri actually owes a lot of it’s exoticness to the elbow/filter design.
The Eventuri feels as though it gets increasingly louder all the way to redline. The Karbonius growls from any RPM and is more prevalent at lower RPMs than the Eventuri is. But by comparison, the Karbonius almost seems to fall a little flat towards redline where the Eventuri is just shrieking.
Both are unique and the sound really comes down to your overall preference. At the moment I still haven’t made up my mind as to which to keep. Not a bad problem to have, right?
Pictures:
Videos:
The setups for my comparisons were as follows:
Eventuri:
- CF Plenum
- CF Elbow/Filter
- Stock Airbox Lid
Karbonius:
- CF Plenum
- CF Intake
- CF Airbox Lid
- Macht Schnell (MS) Filter
Visual:
Pieces from both companies feel very high quality. The Eventuri undoubtedly has a better “finish” because of its use of a thicker clear coat. The Eventuri stuff is completely smooth across the outer surface with no imperfections whereas in the Karbonius pieces you can tell the clear coat is thinner. Because of this, you can see some imperfections in the surfaces of the Karbonius pieces (think pinholes and CF texture).
Weight:
All of the carbon bits from Karbonius are lighter than the Eventuri counterparts. If I had to guess I’d say the majority of this is due to Eventuri’s thicker clear coat on everything. Here are the weights broken down by component.
Stock:
- Plenum = 11lbs 4oz
- Elbow w/o Filter = 1lb 6oz
- Airbox Lid = 1lb 12oz
- MS Filter = 2lbs 2oz
Total = 16lbs 8oz
Eventuri:
- CF Plenum = 7lbs 10oz
- CF Elbow/Filter = 2lbs 4oz
- Stock Airbox Lid = 1lb 12oz
Total = 11lbs 10oz
Karbonius:
- CF Plenum = 6lbs 0z
- CF Elbow = 10oz
- CF Airbox Lid = 12oz
- MS Filter = 2lbs 2oz
Total = 9lbs 8oz
Fitment:
When I purchased the Eventuri I had an issue with the angle of the PCV inlet on the bottom of the plenum. I sent the plenum back to Eventuri for repair and when I got it back the fitment was OEM-like. The Eventuri intake is a little tricky in part due to the dust shield on the bottom of the filter and getting the angle just right, but overall a straightforward install with no issues.
The Karbonius plenum installed easily the first time with the lower cowl off. The angle of the IAT sensor attachment isn’t the same angle as the OEM plenum, but I had just enough slack in the connector to get it attached. The elbow of the Karbonius is where things start to get a little tricky. I initially wanted to try the ITG filter, but there was no way it would fit with my 2009 airbox nub so I retained my MS drop-in filter. It takes a few tries to get everything fit up but I managed to get it all in place. Then the issues began. The Karbonius airbox lid just does not fit like OEM no matter how you try to get it into place. My issue was specifically with the front corner where the air duct for the grills connects to the lower/upper airbox. The hole for the screw at that corner on the Karbonius lid does not line up with the lower airbox hole and the OEM screw is too short. I was able to slip that small elbow over the top/bottom pieces, but the fitment still isn’t ideal for the OCD. And I still need to source a longer screw.
Sound:
I’ll start by saying that I was expecting the Karbonius to be significantly louder than the Eventuri due to the lighter weight, but that wasn’t actually the case. The best way I can compare the two is that the Karbonius is more raw, throaty, guttural V8 race car whereas the Eventuri is more refined and exotic. I think it would be similar to how most people compare the Corsa vs Eisenmann Race mufflers. The tone differences don’t come across in video extremely well, but trust me it’s there. I think the Eventuri actually owes a lot of it’s exoticness to the elbow/filter design.
The Eventuri feels as though it gets increasingly louder all the way to redline. The Karbonius growls from any RPM and is more prevalent at lower RPMs than the Eventuri is. But by comparison, the Karbonius almost seems to fall a little flat towards redline where the Eventuri is just shrieking.
Both are unique and the sound really comes down to your overall preference. At the moment I still haven’t made up my mind as to which to keep. Not a bad problem to have, right?
Pictures:
Videos:
