Air intake modification - has anyone tried this.
 

Just been looking at "How to" on the air intake.

Rather than cutting anything off, has anyone throught of simply drilling holes in the plastic of the intake - a serious of holes down the sides would improve the airflow considerably, and would keep the car looking a tad more standard.

Surely you can't be serious!! :D

Now a series of holes might me more appropriate. ;)

Yes. I've done it, to save the MAF from water damage.... There are a whole lot of threads on here about the pro's and con's about the mod.. The pro's seem to outweigh the con's.. :D

I've got mine chopped right back to the edge of the cover... Works for me :D:D

:wot::iagree: works every time for me:)

Okay, you got me:o No excuse for the typo, except it was 1 am.

Perhaps I should have said a "a serious series of holes". I did wonder if holes, rather than the more radical amputation, might have the downside of turbulence or even "whistling" under the bonnet - now that would be interesting!

I suppose Dagrad you prefer to drag in warm dry rather than cold potentially moist air. This could be an issue for me, given that I live in the rainy northwest.

Is there a noticable difference once some form of air mod has been carried out? And do you have to contact your warrenty provider/insurer, or if challenged, could one claim it was like that when you got it?

From what I've read most modifiers do notice a small but significant difference. I gather it's an important mod to do - getting more air in - if you are tuning more power out of the engine by using a synergy 1 or 2.


There are more and less extreme ways of doing the modification, some of which result in an appearance pretty indistinguishable from the original - and others - like the radical cutting done by dagrad, that do look different.

I don't know the insurance position - I imagine it would count as a significant modification, and that ignorance - if the mod was ever spotted - would be no plea.

Apart from asking, and being told by the seller you are not going to be aware of any modifications. How do you check for a re-map (electronic) ? If you've never seen the engine bay of a 75 how would you be expected to know what a modified air intake looks like ? When you apply for your insurance on the form or on the phone you are asked if the car has had any modifications, all you can say is "none that I'm aware of " which may or may not be the truth subject to what you know at the time.This is the only part of your contract based on trust, on the part of the insurer.However it can also catch up with you, in the event of a claim.

I've had a recent insurance quote telling me I have a Thatcham type 2 device on my car, never asked the seller, and was never told it had this, but it was fitted, standard or not I dont know.

I've never seen anbody looking at a car on a forecourt or otherwise start tearing an engine compartment to pieces, or ripping brakes apart to check for mods its a thing 99 percent of the car buying population don't do.So if your'e not sure ask, if you find out you have mods declare if you wish, its a matter for you only to decide.You could counter the ignorance arguement by asking the insurance company to prove you did know the car had modifications, and you were sold it knowing so.But at the end of it all in the event of a claim it's they who hold the cards, and the cash.

Your best mods to let the engine breath a little easier would be to clean the EGR valve, PCV filter and make sure the intercooler seals are replaced with viton seals,and a clean air filter you will notice a difference with these alone, without having modded anything.The air intake mod after these will also bring an improvement, and is a mod (visible).But if you replace the PCV housing with the redesigned valve baffle one it will be a mod( invisible) !!. To spot this as one, the assessor would have to take it to pieces to see the difference internally as the housing is identical to the original !! But is he going to bother ?

Groover.

Actually the primary object of the mod is to prevent water ingress and the detrimental efffect this on the MAF sensor.

In general hot air will only be coming in whilst stationary, as colder air will flow into the engine bay under the bonnet as normal when moving forward.

Thanks for pointing that out Dragrad (notice I spelt your name right this time!).

From what I've read many members do it for the increased airflow, but your primary reason appeals to me too, as I said, living in the rainy northwest, and often doing 56mph through the spary of lorries in the slow lane.

How do you think I feel in W(et)W(indy)W(est).Wales.uk..?:D

http://www.hanby.co.uk/Graphics/UKrainfall.jpg