in that past little while I have seen a few FC guys with the tops of their stock air boxes "cut out" leaving the air filter exposed but still held in.
just wondering if there is any point to this and what potential harm this could cause. there has to be a reason k & n stresses that there be a good seal when re-attaching the airbox cover in their filter installation instruction.
any input?

 

just go with an adapter piece on the MAF, and a cone filter. Throw the stock box away,but thats just a suggestion, im not saying anything is better.

 

don't bother, you would be letting in hot air rather than the cooler air drawn from in front of the radiator which would likely result in a loss of power not a gain.

 

I have seen this as well, And I personally don't think their is any benifit from doing such. The air intake acutally runs a tube dow threw the front air dam where it get its air from. I had a acutal HKS intake on mine and saw no HP or performance gains, so I ended up putting the stock airbox back on. I think it also looks TACKY and GHETTO if you cut it. I would just leave it stock and put a K&N air filter in it.

 

you have a stock cold air intake...
leave it like this instead of taking stuff half off and have it look broken....

 

just saw it and was wondering why some had done it. im running a k&n drop in and am fine with that.

 

It makes more intake noise. That is the only plus, if you like that kind of thing.

 

yeah i def agree, if your not going to go with a cone, just def get a drop in K&N replacement. No need to cut the box.

 

now... on the other hand... IF it was a turbo...

 

Drop-ins are a waste of money unless you plan on keeping the car fro a very long time. You will not get any extra performance over an OEM paper filter.

The FC airbox is a not a good one to keep and modify, because the restrictive bits (the inlet and outlet) and virtually impossible to improve. Cutting open the top of the box will improve flow but will also increase intake temps, which is counterproductive. There's also not enough room to swap in a better airbox. If you want to make serious, worthwhile improvements, you need a pod filter with an effective heat shield and a way of getting cold air to it.

 

I've seen some people "ventilate" the stock box... they leave the top of the lid intact, but they put holes in the front edge of the lid, leaving the back and engine side of the lid alone. With one of those headlight lid vents, you'd probably get a lot of cool air to the airbox that way

 

it helps but it still does not cure the problem of the restrictive air box assembly.

 

Also if you check on that "I have $2000 bucks, what to do now?" thread, they have a way to modify your stock air box. I would say you'd have to get a gain or two out of it. (I thought I did).

 

Why would you? How much air do you really think you're going to get through one of those relatively tiny vents compared to the amount of hot air already in the engine bay? Outside air will not just magically flow straight into the airbox and at the same time stop hot underbonnet air from entering. Most of the air sucked into a cut open stock airbox will be a lot warmer than ambient.