The Free Mod Series - Part 2: Adding Airflow

Toysrme · May 31, 2005

Background:

Ram air doesn't work, CAI doesn't gain anything more than the stock box and they both cost money. IMHO The only reaso to buy any of the *expencive* CAI setups is for the metal pipe bling factor. I can achive the same bling with sand paper and Duplicolor Engine spray paint, sorry...

Theory

The more air in a cylinder, the more fuel you can burn, the more power you have.

Instuctions

Two mods you can do by themselves, or in combination.

1) The stock box is already CAI, however there are two things you can do to improve it's function! When you take out your battey, and unbolt the relay and fuse boxes, you can see the CAI that goes behind the fender from the bottom of the stock box.

By taking that pipe out and replacing it with <insert cheap, large diameter pipe here> 4" dryer ducting, we obviously have an easier time drawing in air, especially around 3500-4000rpm and from 5000rpm on.

2) Cut the bottom of the original airbox out. While some may argue that it will then injest hot air, this is untrue. If you take the box out you see there is a huge path striaght to ground for air to flow. It's there, so you might aswell take advantage of it if you don't want to do any other intake mod.

I will also now say 100% that the sound from #2 is astonishing. (depending how much you cut out) It sounds IMHO better than any of my friends v6 Maxima, Accord, or domestic V6's, and I've gotten many compliments from them not only about how good it sounds, but that it's free.

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A later update.

After countlessly logging performance. I found several interesting things.

The power between any type of intake, is slim. Any modification to stock generally makes less power, or less power over most of the powerband. For nothing more than I was tired of playing with it. I simply removed the entire intake. Filter and all.

As it turns out... Aftermarket pieces, custom pieces, anything you do might as well be for sound improvements only! That's it!

There are only three weak links in the entire intake/exhaust system as far as intake and exhaust go.

1) The heads need to be ported and polished

2) The y-pipe is horrible

3) The cat's all eat 5-10 horsepower, depending how old, and how clogged they are

Everything else. Intake, headers, Cat-back portions are good for a lot of power without modification.

There are obviously two concernes to this.

1) Wouldn't a hole in the intake be a Ram-Air system. Always bashed for drawing hot enigne bay air?

Yes... It might as well be a Ram-Air, but no. Anytime the car is moving, air is expelled out the bottom of the car by the firewall.

2) Doesn't dirt hurt!? What about rocks!

Sure. Tons of dust hurts... If you're going to go driving on a long, unpaved road filled with loose dirt and traffic. Throw a foot off some nylon pantyhose/stockings on the AFM. Even a lot of dirt is *nothing* compaired to the carbon build-up everyone with an EGR system is intaking.

No. A rock is not going to jump past the car under-strays, bounce off things, going around the transmission, taking a 90* turn and enter your Air-flow meter. (Or MAF). Again. If you happen to be concerned about it. Throw some panty hose around it.

Yes, my car has run perfectly fine for a long time without either.

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