AEM Cold Air Intake for 2018-2022 Accord 1.5T

AEM Cold Air Intake 21-854C for Accord 1.5T

AEM 21-854C replaces the airbox and intake tube on your 2018-2022 Honda Accord 1.5L turbo. The gunmetal aluminum tube connects at the turbo inlet through a hump coupler, with an oil-free Dryflow filter behind a heat shield. You'll reuse the car's mass airflow sensor in the new tube.

A Complete Intake, with a Reusable Dry Filter

Choose this kit when you want to change the housing and tube together. The mandrel-bent aluminum tube has AEM's gunmetal powder coat. A separate shield sits around the filter, rather than a lid enclosing it. You can reach the exposed filter in the engine bay for inspection and service. If you're happy with the stock housing and only want a filter change, buy a panel filter for it. This kit replaces more of the intake than that job calls for.

The red filter is AEM's synthetic Dryflow element, part 21-201DK. You can wash and reuse it, and it doesn't need to be oiled to function. Use the directions included for a step by step on washing and drying.

Save the Grommet and All Four Push Pins

Keep the airbox mounting grommet when you remove the original intake. It fits into the AEM heat shield. Don't lose the four fresh-air intake pins either. One goes into the new shield mount, and you'll put the other three back into the holes left behind. Put all four with the grommet while you unpack the new hardware.

Fit the supplied rubber stud and cut the edge trim to suit the shield. The MAF sensor moves into the new tube using AEM's bolts; the hump coupler joins the tube to the turbo inlet. You'll still need to adjust the assembly once the tube is in the coupler. Adjust its position, check that it clears the hood and surrounding parts, then tighten the mounts and clamps.

In the box are the intake tube, Dryflow filter, heat shield, hump coupler, three clamps, edge trim and mounting hardware. The sensor, grommet and push pins come from your car. Keep the original assembly somewhere safe so you've got the parts to return to stock.

Check the Engine and Emissions Application

Confirm the engine before ordering. The Accord 2.0T and Hybrid need their own application-specific parts; this is the 1.5T kit. AEM also excludes vehicles with a body lift.

For emissions paperwork, AEM lists CARB Executive Order D-670-26. It also warns that California approval varies by vehicle application. For California use, match your model year and emissions configuration to the approved application first. Don't assume the number covers your car just because it's an Accord 1.5T.

Service it By Condition

Have a look at the filter every 25,000 miles. Dusty roads call for earlier checks. AEM allows up to 100,000 miles between cleanings in suitable conditions, but if you can't see the screen through the dirt, it's already time. Use AEM 1-1000 synthetic filter cleaner according to its instructions. Skip aluminum polish on the gunmetal tube; AEM specifically rules it out for this powder-coated finish.