Intake Redone - July 2006

The end goal was to create an intake that had a clean path, and looked clean and neat. I've also been looking for without much luck a replacement CF intake tube piece. Once I found the latter [Thanks JMC!], it prodded me into completing the former.

I ordered from Verocious Motorsports. Excellent place. Shipped same day, and friendly over the phone. They are also in DE, so transit time was only a couple days to NC via Ground
 

to go from the intake tube to the SC inlet. Yes, the CF SC intake tube is ~3.5 in OD, but this made things much easier since the tube wasn’t perfectly round.

Anyway, you can see we only used ~1.5’ of the 3’ of tubing. We also trimmed ~0.5” off each end of the coupling so that install would be much easier. Its sooo tight between the intake tube and the aftercooler for install, this was required.

We also notched the coupling where the intake/PCV line barb was - pretty clean.

From there, other improvements were made in that the primary intake tube was cut to the appropriate length so that the filter wasn’t crammed in there.

I also took the opportunity to clean the K&N & the HFM. The filter was terribly filthy. I had small birds in there. Anyway, I didn’t re-oil it.

Other gains:

* There is hardly any deflection in the hose, except for behind the headlight, and there its just compressed maybe ~1” or so – not all crunched up like the dryer hose before.

* The filter is now suspended appropriately off the slash tray

* The tube sits further away from the SC unit and pulley than the dryer hose did [see last 4 pictures].

* The filter now sits a little left of the opening, so I should get quite as much road debris in the filter. I am also contemplating putting some gutter-guard type material, shoot it flat black, and attach it to the backside of the bumper intake.

* Overall, a vast improvement in design, install, and appearance. I am much much happier with the final result. This is the way it should have been from the first install, but we all know there are almost always improvements to be made from the off-the-shelf-kits [besides Nick’s of course :>)]  Its not a HUGE difference in appearance, but I know its installed much much better.

The blow-off/recirc hose needs to be a couple inches longer, so I've ordered a replacement piece for this as well.

Near future changes: replace aftercooler Bosch pump with stronger [I suspect] BMW spec'd Hella pump, and, a stronger pusher fan.