I did my custom intake last night

[ken in az]

It is pretty darn unbeleivable how much night and day the car feels. There must be something wrong with the Injen because my homemade jobby is killing it on the streets. the more I drive the better it feels!

I know this may sound boy racer - but the intake almost sounds like V-Tech kicks in - and you can feel it too. Flippen awesome!

I made the intake for less than $75 if anyone cares -

[07sportm35]

Just messin' with ya ken. Sounds like a inexpensive upgrade if I ever heard one.

Can't wait to see and hear you around this town.

[fiveliterbeater]

well can you at least try and explain what you did for $75 that made the intake that much better.

[ken in az]

well can you at least try and explain what you did for $75 that made the intake that much better.

Sorry, was a little vague -

Ordered 1 Amsoil EAAU6075 cone filter (oilless) $63Ordered 1 K&N 21512 Adaptor; 57-1530 #380 which is a plastic velocity stack - ordered from Amazon Prime free shipping $12

Took the stock airbox, cut off the part of the tube with the MAF sensor molded to it. Took the velocity stack and th3e tube and epoxied them together while maintaining the MAF sensor to be exactly parallel to the airflow.

Mounted it back to the stock intake pipe and tada! that's it!

Obviously not for the faint of heart, but if you have a pair of testicles and want performance, then do it!

Keep in mind I still don't have an exhaust yet, that'll be here tomorro and I still have to fabricate it, so it is still possible that it'll run like dump with the exhaust cutout open - but it runs like a raped ape right now!

Just took it for a spin up the I-10 from Ray rd to warner and getting on the onramp - still in 1st manual mode - going about 3-5mph I stomped on it and it lit up the tires all the way through 1st gear. The sound with the windows down is unreal.

[ken in az]

Here are the pics

[fiveliterbeater]

dam dude; looks good. i'm assuming that the process is irreversible, but from what you're telling me, i'm really tempted to do it. i wonder why when others did a CAI for the M, they lost power (i think it was board member M4T5). now i'm a little confused: so you just "cut" the part that goes right before the MAF and added an adapter? does the adapter fit OVER the part you cut off or does it slide "INSIDE"? ...or wait, you mentioned you epoxied them together.....anyway you can kind of take off the mod and get close ups with the camera?

[ken in az]

dam dude; looks good. i'm assuming that the process is irreversible, but from what you're telling me, i'm really tempted to do it. i wonder why when others did a CAI for the M, they lost power (i think it was board member M4T5). now i'm a little confused: so you just "cut" the part that goes right before the MAF and added an adapter? does the adapter fit OVER the part you cut off or does it slide "INSIDE"? ...or wait, you mentioned you epoxied them together.....anyway you can kind of take off the mod and get close ups with the camera?

Yup, just chopped it off the airbox - the inside diameter of the stock tube is 81mm and the velocity stack inside diameter is 82mm. They just sandwitch together end to end.

I wish I could get better pics but really what you see is really all there is. Once you have the peices together it makes sense. Just take a look at your airbox and you'll see where you need to cut.

PS: wait till I have my exhaust done and we'll see if I loose power.

[the_sauce]

Built a very similar setup on my y33 and it made the world of difference. Mimiced it on my y34 last weekend, and the difference has been nothing noticeable at all, sound or performance wise...

[ken in az]

i wonder why when others did a CAI for the M, they lost power (i think it was board member M4T5).

Others have reported losses when they combine the intake with the exhaust also not just him.

I "think" it has something to do with the diameter pipe they use to manufacture the intake. The piping is larger than what is needed and then necks down where the MAF sesnor reads the airflow.

there is either turbulence or possibly the MAF cannot correctly read the incoming air. It is percievable that the calibration of the MAF to be off because of the different size piping. If you have a larger pipe than what is stock and flow the same volume of air (lb for lb) then the velocity will be lower. if you look at that equasion not only are you allowing more air into the engine, but the MAF is reading less air - which will send the appropriate signal to the injectors to inject less fuel. Most ECU's would stop there but the nissan ECU uses a wideband O2 sensor in each cylinder bank stock so now taking readings from the O2's they say the mixture is lean and they tell the computer to add more fuel....you can probably see that this will confuse the ECU and it would not run at optimum efficiency.

My design actually uses the stock MAF tube so there is no calibration mistakes being made, just more air, correctly metered air, and the most efficient intake design just short of the best possible solution of not drawing air out from under the hood. I'm not saying mine is better or even that I "designed" anything since all I did was maximize what the nissan engineers designed stock. It is very apparent the stock airbox is there to muffle the intake noise.

I can tell you after driving it, I don't have any percieved heat soak problems either but I still would like to have the filter enclosed from the engine bay and draw fresh air from outside the engine bay.

[marosari00]

Built a very similar setup on my y33 and it made the world of difference. Mimiced it on my y34 last weekend, and the difference has been nothing noticeable at all, sound or performance wise...

How did you mate the air intake to the Y34 MAF, since it is held together by bolts to the original air box? I measured the MAF pipe and it is 3.5" O.D. Very interested in knowing and if possible seeing pictures.

By the way, good job Ken!!!

Thanks!Manuel

[fiveliterbeater]

this mod was performed on an 06 M45. is the intake setup on the 03 the same as an 06?

[fiveliterbeater]

Ordered 1 K&N 21512 Adaptor; 57-1530 #380

ok which one of these parts did you order? i'm online right now and both of these are adapters:

K&N 21512 adaptor57-1530 #380

which one do i get?

[fiveliterbeater]

nm, i figured it out, they are the same thing

[Popsickle]

Looks nice, wish my M broke loose like that. About time that I did something about mine since I still have the Injen installed. D*** I actually had to think about which intake I had... that's how long its been since I've really driven this car!

I notice you've done a few DIY to your M, have you taken it to the 1/4 yet?

Sickler

[fiveliterbeater]

i think he has the 18" wheels which should make it easier to break the tires loose. i'm going to perform this mod as well and see if i can break the 19" wheels loose.

[ken in az]

Looks nice, wish my M broke loose like that. About time that I did something about mine since I still have the Injen installed. D*** I actually had to think about which intake I had... that's how long its been since I've really driven this car!

I notice you've done a few DIY to your M, have you taken it to the 1/4 yet?

Sickler

I have and I have posted the times - they were miserable since I was loading up the converter too much. Even with the TCS off I would bog out of the hole due to nissans transmission longevity programming. Load up more than ~1500rpm and the engine will cut power.

14.7 @96.8mph is what it ran pretty much back to back to back runs. I'm headed to the track tomorrow to try and get better times. I'm sure I will just simply due to the fact I actually know how to launch the car now.

Plan on adding the x pipe and cutouts this weekend too then going back to the track next friday also.

[ken in az]

i think he has the 18" wheels which should make it easier to break the tires loose. i'm going to perform this mod as well and see if i can break the 19" wheels loose.

Nope, I have the 19's with a full size 19 in the trunk as a spare. I have a set of old 300zx 16" wheels and tires here at the house I was thinking of throwing on and buring the rubber off - lol

[marosari00]

this mod was performed on an 06 M45. is the intake setup on the 03 the same as an 06?

The 06 MAF tube is molded in with the airbox. The 03 MAF tube is bolted to the airbox.

[ken in az]

A way around having to chop off your stock airbox is that the 2006 and up FX45's have an air tube that is separate from the airbox. I haven't been able to confirm that you can buy the tube separately from the actual sensor - infinitipartsusa shows them both together and costs $449 - I'm sure the plastic tube could be had for much cheaper.

[infinitiandbeyond]

Is that a "NANO" filter???

[M4T5]

i think he has the 18" wheels which should make it easier to break the tires loose. i'm going to perform this mod as well and see if i can break the 19" wheels loose.

You have it backwards man. The larger the wheel, the more the sidewall of a tire will shrink. When you have less flex in the sidewall of a tire, it will actually lose traction easier because there is not enough rubber in the sidewall to absorb the initial shock of power from the engine.Basically the rolling diameter will be the same from the 18"-20" wheel/ tire combo.Basically, the less rubber you have on the sidewall hidth, the less traction you will have. Drag cars want as much sidewall rubber as possible.

J

[ken in az]

Technically he's right, the 18's should be easier to spin. First off the bridgestones re050a have a treadwear rating of 140 vs the goodyear rsa's rating of 260.

Also the re050a is a tenth of an inch larger.

Also the 19's have mos of their rotational mass 1" farther from the hub.

ps: the stock sport enkei wheels with tires weigh 56lbs. what do the stock non sport wheels and tires weigh?

[Royal1262]

Have you put the exhaust system on yet? anxious to hear the performance outcome with your intake mod + exhaust system. I hope for the better, I would love to do this mod, but not if I'm going to loose power. Also why do you think its taking uprev so long to finish the tune for our cars? I emailed those guys about a month ago and they said they were working on the FX45 and then the M series. Still don't understand why they would start on the FX before the M

[fiveliterbeater]

ps: the stock sport enkei wheels with tires weigh 56lbs. what do the stock non sport wheels and tires weigh?

funny you should mention that; i just weighed one of my 18" wheels because i'm shipping them. the tire and the rim weigh 54lbs

[ken in az]

Have you put the exhaust system on yet? anxious to hear the performance outcome with your intake mod + exhaust system. I hope for the better, I would love to do this mod, but not if I'm going to loose power. Also why do you think its taking uprev so long to finish the tune for our cars? I emailed those guys about a month ago and they said they were working on the FX45 and then the M series. Still don't understand why they would start on the FX before the M

The exhaust is being a pain in the arse. I forgot how much of a pain it is when you are laying on your back. Bolt it on, measure, cut, test fit, make adjustment, test fit and mark welding spots, unbolt, tack weld, bolt on to verify before final weld, unbolt, final weld part, Repeat 25 times.

I did get a chance to fire it up with just the x pipe on there. Sounded ungodly like the start of the indy 500. It was a nice higher pitched sound not a burbly v8 that I was thinking it would sound like.

The car is still on the jack stands, I only have to weld on the"y" for the cutout - then weld the turn down to the flange. I really want to knock down all of my welds but I don't think I'll have the patience for it. My welds arent the greates. I had a few problems with my welder with consitent feed and gas flow so at some points it looks like a small child got a chance at the welds. I was chalking it up to me using a different wire and gas combo and the fact that I haven't welded in 3 years as being out of practice, but my gas flow wasn't reaching the tip of my gun causing irratic welds. - oh well it's under the car no one will see it right? lol

It should be done this week sometime.

[ken in az]

Oh and BTW. This definitely needs an Airbox to be effective at the drags. I was still having the launch trouble not being able to get better than a 2.2X 60ft time but I was running the exact same times as I was with the stock intake the first few runs. Scratching my head I decided to pop the hood and see if there was a heat soak issue. Sure enough the filter was burning hot and the heat from the exhaust manifold was rediculous.

Leaving the hood popped while in the staging lanes and given a chance to cool down a bit since a drag supra blew a flexplate at the line I gained 1mph and went a tenth quicker.

I wish I had the timeslips from the previous outing to compare them but I misplaced them somehwere.

Still I think my car is exceptionally slow running a 14.7 at 96 stock and with a heat soaked intake it ran 14.6 at 97. I thought they were supposed to run closer to 14 flat and 100mph stock.

It was warmer out the last time out so technically I would need to calculate the air density to see really how effective the air intake was. either way I'm faster and it sounds really cool so I'm happy.

[fiveliterbeater]

just out of curiosity, what's the elevation out there in AZ and how hot was it outside when you were running the car?

[ken in az]

According to Firebird it's 1,243ft and it was 75F when I was racing. I wish I knew the Bar Pressure cause we could then figure DA

Firebird is known for being 1-2 tenths slower because of the lake right next door. The humidity takes up some of the atmosphere.