Ok, me and my friends were looking under the hood of my car brainsorming ideas for improving preformance, reliability, and insulting the number of stickers I have.

One of the things we came up with was looking at the stock intake. It's actually not too bad as car intakes go, but it leaves something to be desired. The first part of the intake seems to be the biggest restriction, a peice of plastic that makes the air take two sharp dives before it can enter the 'horn' to the airbox. I searched around for a downside to removing it and all I could think of was the possability that it could have been there to keep rain out, but after blasting the car with a hose for a bit, I've decided that rain doesnt really get to that part of the car.

I took a picture of my intake with the peice removed and I took a picture of the peice I removed and will attach it to this thread. What do you guys think? Is there a downside to this?

I noticed it on the butt-dyno, and my G-Tech noticed it as well, though its so hilly here I'm lothe to post even aproximate numbers as they vary so much (I didnt make a good set of 'before' runs between me putting on my headers and the removal of this intake peace.)

 

And the piece that was removed.

 

Just put a cone on ^^

 

yeah im getting my K&N intake this week got it off ebay for $50 w/ adapter and instead of trying to modify all that stock airbox crap i think a good cone upgrade would be key

 

Read below post.

 

Lots of people like to just replace the airbox with a cone and call it a day. This doesnt actually help as all gains are negated by the mass amount of heat you are making the engine injest from the engine bay and the radiator backwash. Possably you're loosing more then you are gaining, especially with a turbo (higher engine bay tempetures and more suseptibility to detonation caused by high intake temps)

Other intakes require time and/or money to make (though, admittedly, not that much money if you are doing it yourself. )


This mod however might just be a free gain. The purpose of this thread is to see if anyone can come up with a reason if it is not a good idea, also to inform others of this idea (Should it end up being a good one)

 

hell i'd say a pod filter would be a fine upgrade with maybe a modified airbox to be larger. most small engines can't outflow a good K&N although i think the biggest restriction would be the cross area of the intake air feed.
if someone who worked with plastics could rig something to fit in the same spot but be larger i think there would be no losses compared to these complicated CAI hackjobs.

 

Thats not what this thread is about. This isnt about cone filters or CAIs. I am specifically wondering if anyone knows any downsides to this. Why would Mazda put that thing there in the first place? Anyone know?

 

the plastic part in the front? to try to get as much air from before the rad. into the intake. it's just a connection of the intake tract including the peice on the hood.

 

My friend, I'm talking about removing it. Did you even read my thread at all?

 

yes, and no, there's not a big difference except the possiblility you already mentioned. removing it makes the hood extension the last peice of the tract which *might* allow things to get sucked in from the hoodline.

 

Hmm, so you're saying you think that there is a possability that without that peice, things would be more likely to be sucked in through the hoodline?

I was worried about this before, hence why I tried the hose. I didnt have a problem then, but it wasnt a perfect test. I guess I'll have to report back after a rainstorm

 

well heres what you do. you get a cone filter to suck in more air. build you an airbox around the intake hose to keep out the hot engine air, and slap you on a headlight air duct and WOLAH, you got a true CAI.
www.fc3s.org/how_tos/engine/cold_air_box

 

the power of suggestion = butt dyno = BS

 

* Sigh *

Will a mod please lock this thread?

 

I havent pulled mine off. But I do a lot of driving in the rain. I have noticed after a rain run I do end up with a fair bit of water under the hood.

BTW


In before the lock.

 

Thank you very much for your input

 

closed per the request of thread starter.

And that part you wanted to remove in your second picture is only found on the S5 cars... not on the S4