air intakes

[06 blitzen]

just trying to get my head around a few things...firstly

whats the differences b/w a panel filter, a pod filter etc.
is a pod filter illegal (i vaguely remember a conversation once where i was told they were illegal)
what are the advantages/disadvantages of one over the other.
whats the difference in paper filters, stainless steel filters, washable, dry etc etc
for us 3.0rb owners will the models offered for the gt's fit / work on our cars.

loosely fitted into this topic i guess is the idea of a c/f box and intake. apart from looking awesome what is the difference b/w a standard plastic intake over a cf one.

if this topic has been discussed already i sorry i did a bit of a search but unless your spot on with the wording you get heaps of results or none at all.

[west_minist]

You need a filter to keep the air cool. The panel filter maybe better. If the pod puts the expose bare filter into the engine bay, it is not worth it.

[I Wish]

You need a filter to keep the air cool. The panel filter maybe better. If the pod puts the expose bare filter into the engine bay, it is not worth it.

Close.

An air filter's purpose is to filter out contaminants to the engine (dust, insects, debris etc). To keep the air cool you have to keep the pod isolated from the engine bay heat. Either in a dedicated air box or have the pod inside the wheel guard.

[Spec B Wgn]

the factory airboxes flow really good and its purely cosmetic if you change them
besides a bit more induction noise its pretty pointless changing them IMO

[teK--]

Another consideration to make, is that unless you are at WOT, then the greatest restriction in your intake is going to be the butterfly. How often do you use WOT?

As for aftermarket filters that give more power, generally unless you are increasing the surface area of the filter (by going to a pod or some other setup), then more power means less filtration which will lead to more particles entering the engine causing faster wear.

If you change the factory setup you better make sure the filter gets nice cold air, as the factory setup is otherwise very good and you might be taking a step backwards purely to have some under bonnet bling or more induction noise.

[06 blitzen]

Another consideration to make, is that unless you are at WOT, then the greatest restriction in your intake is going to be the butterfly. How often do you use WOT?

stupid question.....whats WOT?

so basically an air intake is just a cosmetic modification.

[Arith]

stupid question.....whats WOT?

WOT = Wide Open Throttle. Also known as FOT = Full Open Throttle. Essentially it's the throttle fully opened when you stomp on the gas.

so basically an air intake is just a cosmetic modification

Yes and no. An aftermarket panels and pod intakes on their own won't result in any gains. The only benefit of a panel filter really, is it's longevity and re-usability.

IMO it's when the filter/intake is combined with other mods like exhaust, injectors, turbo, dump pipe, etc it will help to maximise the gain of those mods, instead of being a bottle neck.

[smythie]

you're talking huge power however before the factory intake becomes a bottle neck for performance. Beyond the driveable power levels that might be achievable.

[vaccine]

factory intake and air box on an 02 sti is good for 240kw b4 it starts maxing out.
sure its a different intake, but not that much.
you guys are NA. Good luck any of you maxing the intake out!!!

Best thing you could do is maybe take out the resonator, and put a pod in the guard.
But probably really not going to see any if minimal gains. might see a little throttle responce.

I need to re-do the intake on my outback when i get back. 3" stainless from throttle-body to a pod in the guard.
As its MAP i dont have to worry about rescaling the the MAF. And then heat wrap the whole intake to the pod in guard.
currently intake temps sit around 30ish degrees b4 the throttle even on a lovely victorian winters day.

[06 blitzen]

ok, so i knew that im not going to see any performance gains, and if i do they will be minimal.

but what about other benefits. will the car run better, cooler etc with an intake..and whats the difference b/w panel filters pod filters etc.
same same for the materials used, will a cf intake be better than the std plastic ones.

[vaccine]

Panel filter needs a housing like an air box. The pods are designed to sit over the end of a pipe or mAF housing. I personally think there is slot of heat soak that gets into even the factory plastics, that is why I am goinging to heat wrap the intake and probably use some heat reflective tape over that. Theoretically then the temperate in the guard should be what the motor sees. Dependant on the temp decrease, will then show if there is any gain in throttle, power and torque. Coming to think of it on turbo cars I thought 1 degree in temp was 1 HP at motor. Not sure if this would equate to the NA brother??

[cracka]

everyone on this thread has missed the mark.

The reason you remove the factory resonators, use smooth round piping and large radius bends, and isolate the filter to the guard or a sealed atmosphere vented box....is to reduce pressure drop.

It doesnt matter how wide the throttle is open, it can flow enough air for 8k rpm easily. Its about having the highest pressure at the throttle body as possible. Drag, turbulence, small pipes, long runs etc all cause slower air flow and thus lower static pressure of intake air. A good cold air induction with a ram air intake on a group A car can get as high as 1.2-1.3 psi at the butterfly at 150kmh.

In a road application obviously this is near impossible to achieve, however dramatic increases can be had with simple mods. Stainless, carbon, ally or just pvc 100mm storm water pipe all work fine. A pod filter is no better than a good panel, but a good panel means a full open airbox isolated from engine bay that seals against the bonnet...something like an ARC panel body (as used in WRC cars etc). Pod in the guard is just easier...

Increases in throttle response, induction noise, water intake (factory resonators do an excellent job of water trapping), and maybe slightly higher peak power due to decreased plenum vacuum. Can be expected.

As for temp....yep it makes a difference, but heatsoak plays a part too...remember insulating pipes also insulates heat in and stops them cooling as fast...

[swingn]

Just get an HKS panel filter... They are a good quality unit, aren't too noisy & did I mention it's HKS

[cracka]

aye because brand name = performance right... A stock repco paper filter with a good feed and decent resonatorless pipes will do fine. Total cost? 2 hours and 20 bucks of pvc angles, pipe and glue. Fill the join gaps with epoxy and sand smooth. Spray black ftw.

[swingn]

aye because brand name = performance right... A stock repco paper filter with a good feed and decent resonatorless pipes will do fine. Total cost? 2 hours and 20 bucks of pvc angles, pipe and glue. Fill the join gaps with epoxy and sand smooth. Spray black ftw.

But that's not HKS