Opening airbox
Opening airbox
I'm wondering if anybody, instead of putting in a whole new air intake, just opened the airbox and maybe ran some kind of homemade ram air into the bottom of the stock airbox? I've heard too that instead of putting in a new intake just leave the plastic pipe in. The metal absorbs heat quicker and holds it better, whereas plastic doesn't therefor allowing colder air into the engine? Anybody know anything about this?
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96_S14_SE
- Posts: 973
- Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 11:10 am
- Car: 96 S14 SE - 05 VW GTI 1.8t - 89 S13 coupe "gold on brown"
The best way to go stock would be todrop in a K&N replacement filter and then route cold air to the airbox via aluminum dryer tubing. You of course will have to remove the resonator box, and its tubing leaving a nice hole to duct through. I think everyone tries this at some point, and unless you seal it off 100% so that it can see pressure at speeds its not a true ram air. Generally this is dificult and a waste of time so they just get a ducting effect.
Then there is always the drop in filter and gutting all of the lower portion of the air box, leaving the corner edges the top edgae and the bottom section so that it can still be screwed in. This allows alot of air in allthough it is hot. But, it is the closest thing to a stock tube and conical replacement filter.
This is what I did:I bought a jwt pop charger, Then later I bought a HS 3" metal intake tube. While that was ok, I wanted more. I then fabbed up a new 8" round housing for the jwt pop charger and glassed a 3" tube into it. I ran this through the stock holes in the s14 (well slightly inlarged to fit the 3" tube) and added a metal elbow and funnel that opens just behine the fog light, and takes up all the space the light doesnt.
I have had it this way for nearly 2 yrs now. I still have it this way as well, so that should tell you somthing. The only thing I have done is 100% (it was about 85% at first) seal it, so that it will not loose the pressure at speeds, and also smooth out the air tract in the design as much as possible.
Even with all the hassles, like tons of mud mostly, and amount of time to get the housing out, I love it! I had to run ramless one day and it was very noticeable. Even without the funnel and just the down tube (just cold air I guess you could call it) I lost about .1 in the quarter on back to back runs, to gain it the next after I put it back on. It also makes it alot quiter and you can hear the air rushing in at idle if you put your head down there, so thats kinda cool.
I also have heat wrapped the intake tube and removed the cooling line to the TB to aid in reduction of heat soaking the air prior to intake mani / combustion chamber. Again by doing this I knoticed an improvement. Its like when you take off when your car is cool, it feels a bit stronger. But then, after its hot itll feel a tiny bit sluggish. After wrapping the tube and removing the line It feels just about the the same hot as it does cold.
Here is the image of it....
Then there is always the drop in filter and gutting all of the lower portion of the air box, leaving the corner edges the top edgae and the bottom section so that it can still be screwed in. This allows alot of air in allthough it is hot. But, it is the closest thing to a stock tube and conical replacement filter.
This is what I did:I bought a jwt pop charger, Then later I bought a HS 3" metal intake tube. While that was ok, I wanted more. I then fabbed up a new 8" round housing for the jwt pop charger and glassed a 3" tube into it. I ran this through the stock holes in the s14 (well slightly inlarged to fit the 3" tube) and added a metal elbow and funnel that opens just behine the fog light, and takes up all the space the light doesnt.
I have had it this way for nearly 2 yrs now. I still have it this way as well, so that should tell you somthing. The only thing I have done is 100% (it was about 85% at first) seal it, so that it will not loose the pressure at speeds, and also smooth out the air tract in the design as much as possible.
Even with all the hassles, like tons of mud mostly, and amount of time to get the housing out, I love it! I had to run ramless one day and it was very noticeable. Even without the funnel and just the down tube (just cold air I guess you could call it) I lost about .1 in the quarter on back to back runs, to gain it the next after I put it back on. It also makes it alot quiter and you can hear the air rushing in at idle if you put your head down there, so thats kinda cool.
I also have heat wrapped the intake tube and removed the cooling line to the TB to aid in reduction of heat soaking the air prior to intake mani / combustion chamber. Again by doing this I knoticed an improvement. Its like when you take off when your car is cool, it feels a bit stronger. But then, after its hot itll feel a tiny bit sluggish. After wrapping the tube and removing the line It feels just about the the same hot as it does cold.
Here is the image of it....
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keepingthe240
- Posts: 681
- Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2002 5:51 pm
Re: Opening airbox
I have....it works quite well. I connected a 2.5 inch dryer-type hose to each of the 2 holes coming out of the air box. Each hose was 20+ inches going down where the resonator box was. The ends were facing the front of the car. I have since bought a injen c/a/i.......i still have the hoses and my canister k/n airfilter....if you want to buy them.240SX.SK wrote:I'm wondering if anybody, instead of putting in a whole new air intake, just opened the airbox and maybe ran some kind of homemade ram air
Okay so I ripped everything apart, took out the resonator box, and just put everything back as is. My check engine light is on, but i got a cool sound now. I'm likin' it, better throttle response and seems to pull a little better. That frickin' resonator allows like no air at all! So now I'm thinkin' to run the dryer tubing but is it really worth the time and effort? Anyways, I'm pleased with the results so far so if anyone has any other ideas that'd be great.
hmm... it might not actually be necessary to run dryer tubing from the hole. unless you drive in water alot...
but what is the CEL on for? check and make sure nothing decided to just unplug itself. if everything is fine, check for codes on the ecu. just removing the resonator box shouldn't throw a code. what year car do you have, also.
but what is the CEL on for? check and make sure nothing decided to just unplug itself. if everything is fine, check for codes on the ecu. just removing the resonator box shouldn't throw a code. what year car do you have, also.
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keepingthe240
- Posts: 681
- Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2002 5:51 pm
240SX.SK wrote:Okay so I ripped everything apart, took out the resonator box, and just put everything back as is. My check engine light is on, but i got a cool sound now. I'm likin' it, better throttle response and seems to pull a little better. That frickin' resonator allows like no air at all! So now I'm thinkin' to run the dryer tubing but is it really worth the time and effort? Anyways, I'm pleased with the results so far so if anyone has any other ideas that'd be great.
It sounds cool until you take it out of town/a long trip (over 3 hrs) and you feel like your head is going to explode Take the y-pipe off....get a dryer hose (2.5 inches) and hook it up to the holes in the air box........it works........it looks cool....and quieter then your set up
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C-Kwik
- Moderator
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- Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2002 9:28 pm
- Car: 2013 Chevy Volt, 1991 Honda CRX DX
Re: Opening airbox
240SX.SK wrote:I'm wondering if anybody, instead of putting in a whole new air intake, just opened the airbox and maybe ran some kind of homemade ram air into the bottom of the stock airbox? I've heard too that instead of putting in a new intake just leave the plastic pipe in. The metal absorbs heat quicker and holds it better, whereas plastic doesn't therefor allowing colder air into the engine? Anybody know anything about this?
Well, the problem with this, is you're still limited to what the stock pipe from the MAF to the TB can flow. It's not the smoothest pipe I've seen. An Injen pipe with a cylindrical/conical filter is good for about 5 HP even sucking in the hotter air from the engine compartment.
As far as metal vs plastic, it's negligible. The heat transfer is minute because only a small boundary layer of air will be heting. And the air in the tube will be moving quite fast. Because of the speed of the air, the heat transfer to the air will be spread out over a large volume of air.
I'm thinking that the CEL could be on because of a vacuum leak? Anybody think that could be a possibility? I guess the only way to know is to get a coder and find out for sure. But I haven't ran the tubing yet and I'm still liking it. I'm finding that i'm hittin' 3000rpm like alot quicker. Anyways, I drive a 95 s14 SE. Pretty much all stock, man I love the car though. I've had it for about a year now.