I think that naming the thread "trying to out engineer mazda" makes you sound like an idiot.

 

Wow! Nice come back!

Have you ever read a thread about people making CAI and trying to out engineer Mazda?

Its a joke dude...Its also mentionned in the OP.

lol

 

In response to your poll question, I believe you will have no noticible change in boost levels.

A good non restrictive intake can actually increase boost response - less restriction on the suction side of the pump (turbo).

 

You see, thats what I thought before I even started to mess with the thing.

I'm glad I got a good answer from you.

Kudos.

I'll post the results soon enough.

 

+1. Your AFM won't give a proper reading unless it's level. The P.O. turned mine 90 degrees presumably while installing a cone intake. I turned it back to level and my rough idle completely disappeared. My 3800rpm hesitation also softened to almost nothing (probably was a rich hesitation). And a tilted AFM doesn't just screw things up at idle; you're probably losing power and city mpg from that extra fuel (freeway mpg is unaffected if your O2 sensor is good). The ECU adds extra fuel to match the extra air it thinks it's getting.

I figured out the pipe flow in a recent thread, fluid dynamics calculations and all. The losses in the pipe are next to nothing. Focusing on intake pipe size and bends is a waste of time. So you created no improvement whatsoever there. And there's not much point to having a CAI on a turbo, when you could focus on improving the intercooler instead.

Definately. And yet people in these forums try to say that all the time. At least this guy said it more directly.

 

Yep, it has been proven multiple times that the AFM mounted not level or on its side will cause problems.

Weight of the flapper door does effect the readings it provides to the ECU.

So F.C.3S you don't have the correct response available in the poll, but you did not out engineer Mazda, you lost power and accuracy.

Toss in that you have a right angle from the air filter worse than the factory air box, and you probably lost even more power.

 

No out engineering mazda there.
Again as others have pointed out he AFM is not level
intake length and more turns is not a gain

Not a bad attempt at a pointless mod though.

 

My 3800 rpm hesitation is a lean condition. I had to add fuel to soften it.

It has also been proven many times that there could also be no problems not having it level to a certain degree.

you remind me of that "can'takit" kid in another thread that throw out answers like that. How the hell can you tell him that he lost power? I doubt he gained much of anything but do you have his dyno proof or airflow testing?

Its also not a loss.

 

BTW, my AFM is mounted at a 45* downward angle. I have seen no negitive effects or changes to the engine. I have not even seen a change to the volts from the AFM which would instantly tell you if the angle effected the AFM. Idle would be the point where the flapper weight could have more effect on the reading then any other point. Guess what, no change.

What does effect my AFM is the extra vibration from the engine since I got rid of the stock tubing. This is something im looking into and will fix.

 

Ummm, guys, this thread was named ''OUT-ENGINEERING MAZDA'' as a joke because of all the ''wanna be'' engineers out there making threads about CAIs. Jesus chrsit on a stick! ****, I cant out-engineer Mazda with left over intercooler piping and plumbing accessories in one hour. I ain't no McGyver. Come on!

As for the results: I lost power. In fact, I lost 3 pounds of boost. I even put the afm level and the results were the same. I think the problem was the filter. Its a REACTIVE filter I had laying around, not a bad filter but far from the best possible. I usually have a K&N but I couldn't fit it since the outlet is 6''.
What was most noticeble is that the engine started floating around 6k rpm. I had no advantage of shifting after 6k rpm.

So my home depot CAI failed miserably.

 

YES! FACTS!

 

Hence teh ''Lost Boost'' option.

 

The AFM is not mounted level. Gravity will effect the flapper movement and thus the A/F ratio of the engine. The AFM needs to be mounted in the stock orientation, or 180 degrees from it.

Also, a little shield over the filter will keep the thing from getting dirty VERY quickly You would be amazed how much fine dust comes off the road in normal driving conditions.

 

Mark and Aaron have been absolutely correct on this. Also, to add to the thread, my friend has his intake setup in the same manner on his Del Sol with it in the exact same location, and let me tell you, the first time we pulled the filter out to check it it was absolutely covered in dirt and dust. To make a long story short we hastily moved it back into the engine bay to where the stock air box was. More often than not, the stock air box is in the best location to take in air. It's not like companies just f*ckin' throw the box wherever they want to. It is a thought out process.

 

You WILL get a shitload of water in your intake when driving in the rain. Someone had previously installed a CAI in my old POS beater car, it caused problems when the fender lining fell out and I didn't notice. The filter was exposed in the same position as yours; I would get shitloads of white smoke/steam coming out of the exhaust when it rained. I thought I blew the headgasket the first time it happened.

 

Did not care for water in the test I made.

Isn't no one even surprised I lost 3 PSI? Even after I leveled the AFM?

Hell, I was. I was sure it was gonna stay the same.

 

Loosing 3 psi.... Kinda but I knew you would either gain nothing or loose it, and you lost it

 

You didnt succeed, and you embarrassed the rest of us canadians.

-Ben

 

it's not that bad. The guy tried something and it didn't work. It's better than the majority that do it and assume it's better and forget about it.

now put it back the way it was.

 

I did it to prove a point

This thread should be archived and linked when ever someone asks HOW DO I MAKE A CAI! or THE END OF ALL CAI

Rings a bell?

 

Dude, its the first thing I did when I got back with the AFM leveled.

I just wanted to see if there was a gain. If there were, I would have made it cleaner with brackets and all, not ghetto. I wasn't about to pay 200$ of metal tubing and bending just to see if it was worth it.

I was only playing because I was bored and people take the thread title too seriously. I should have put "joke" in there somewhere...

 

No one can tell you if you lost or gained any power but...... YOU CAN!!!!

 

For years I have been telling people that most of the CAI's on this forum are so convoluted that they cause pressure problems. Nobody ever believes me because they are so sure that the "cold" air is all that counts, or they erroneously think that intake air drag prior to the turbo doesn't matter. Your stated loss is rather high though. Did you correct for outside air pressure and temperature?

The unleveled AFM shouldn't have much, if any, affect on the WOT power, although it can really mess up idle and middle load bands.

It may be interesting to try mounting the Ractive filter directly on the end of the AFM to see if bypassing the pipe bends yields better results even though the filter is not directly exposed to "cold" air.

 

Out engineer Mazda, hmm??? Did you used to drive a civic?

 

I might just try and do that.