installed new air intake/filter

[doctorcjo]

just finished installing new air intake/filter for my 08' cabrio. i ordered it from smart parts direct. it makes the car sound great & it definitely feels like it pulls harder off the line. probably a 30 minute install if you have the correct tools:torx t-30, flat blade screwdriver & flexible extensions (very important for tight spaces). i will report back soon on mpg changes if any.

[Dunerunner]

Post some pictures of the install when you get the time!!

[SunDiego]

Originally Posted by Dunerunner

Post some pictures of the install when you get the time!!

+1, please do

[lowndex]

[jwight]

This type intake was discussed extensively in the BPP thread; they posted some test results that really didn't show any increase in power due to the intake sucking in hot engine compartment air. Hence their switch to the outside air scoop approach.

[bull8042]

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to me that any gains from a free flowing air filter mod like this would be offset by sucking in the hot air from the engine compartment.
I would think that a performance filter replacement like K&N that uses the factory box would be a better solution.
Any input???

[bull8042]

DANG jwight! You type faster than me!

[jwight]

I would think that a performance filter replacement like K&N that uses the factory box would be a better solution.

That's what I'm thinking; K&N plus the outside scoop looks like the best combo, but I'd like to see some before and after data if possible (BPP, are you there?)

[denisjolicoeur]

Has anyone ever thought of using the stock box (with a K&N as mentioned above, and maybe the scoop too) with just different piping from the box to the TB? This would eliminate the 2 resonance chambers and would result in the air getting to the engine quicker (and cooler).. wouldn't it?

[DavidV]

If you look at the design of the Smart's undertray - which is completely flat until you get to the engine compartment - it seems pretty clear that the way the car was designed was to have an air bath around the engine at speed. In other words, the natural flow of air is a tumbling effect from the bottom of the engine compartment upwards ensuring that cold air is constantly circulating around the engine.

In any event, I'd love to learn more about what set-up Breathless tested to show that they lost power. I could see how a metal intake pipe would hold and retain heat, basically turning into cookware in the engine compartment, but that's precisely why WORKS went with a silicone tube instead of metal in their design. Testing an intake is also problematic. On the dyno, it is nearly impossible to duplicate the airflow that the car experiences at speed without something like Dinan's mega fans. On the flip side, with data logging on the road, the precision of a dyno is gone.

Dinan BMW - Dynamometer Testing and the Modern BMW Engine



In terms of both absolute flow and throttle response, the WORKS intake is leagues ahead of the stock air box - and those that had a chance to drive my car with this setup this past weekend can certainly attest to that. Just take a look at the air path in our cars with the stock air box and resonator chamber in place and imagine having the air flow through this maze in response to pressing the accelerator:



For me, the single biggest selling point is not the peak horsepower number anyway, but the vastly improved throttle response and corresponding reduction in transmission lag.

-- DavidV