At 9AM on Monday morning, I headed over to Church Automotive Testing in Torrance, CA. Shawn put the Si on the Dynapack Chassis Dynometer and we did a baseline run in preparation for the AEM V2 analysis. Our appointment with AEM was set for 11AM so Shawn and I decided to stop by Hondata to visit their new offices and to let them know that we would be dropping by later that afternoon for a reflash.

We arrived at AEM's Hawthorne, CA building at 11AM. This facility contains their warehouse and offices. We were greeted by David and Jon. David is a member of the marketing division at AEM and Jon is one of the development engineers who was tasked with calculating the optimal sizes of the two stage tubing used in AEM's V2 intake for the 2002 Civic Si. As Jon performed a compression test on the Si (to ensure a healthy motor), David took Shawn and me on a tour of the warehouse. Just before starting the tour, in typical California fashion, an earthquake hit. Luckily for us, the earthquake was centered far enough away so that we only got a mild roll. The overhead lights were swinging, but no damage was done.

We took a brief tour of their warehouse. Imagine a building approximately the size of a typical Home Depot store filled with rows and rows of AEM air induction systems, EMS systems, cam gears, etc., and you have a good idea of what AEM's warehouse looks like. AEM does their own fabrication and assembly. At this warehouse, AEM assembles their EMS units (right photo). Prior to packaging the intake systems, each intake is hand cleaned and polished.

After performing the compression test, the four of us headed to AEM's second facility down the street to do a baseline dyno run on their Mustang Dyno. Their dyno room has an exhaust venting system (see photos on right) as well as several high flow fans to simulate the air flow a road-bound car experiences. As Jon prepared to install the V2 intake on the car, David took Shawn and me on a tour of this facility, which also serves as a fabrication, development, and testing center.

Unfortunately, we cannot show photos of some of their work areas, however, we were allowed to snap some photos of their CNC (computer numerical control) machinery used to precisely fabricate their products (see photos below). David started the tour by showing us their air filter assembly area. Years ago, when I purchased an AEM CAI (cold air intake) for my GS-R, it came fitted with a K&N filter. AEM now manufactures their own filters. Their commitment to quality control, performance, and cost made this decision easy. This facility is also the destination of their raw materials for their products. We saw stacks of tubing for intakes sitting at the warehouse entrance waiting to be made into intake systems for various applications.