n0th1ng

iTrader: (9)

thanks for the picture...
it looks like its good quality...
enjoy the intake

primecut

iTrader: (1)

Thx for the pix. It'll interesting to see if there is any performance difference between an AFE drop-in and this short ram w/cone.

HyperMKIV

iTrader: (1)

FYI - i think i know why they have a step down...

so we've been working on an intake for the F as well...trying all sorts of new configurations to find out what works best

one thing we found out is that when you use a larger diameter tube, it affects the MAF sensor and throws codes...

we tried everything from moving the sensor location to different tube sizes and it seems that anything over a certain diameter tube will throw a code

if you look at the K&N pipe it's also stepped down right after the filter. i wondered about this and now i know why

we still haven't dynoed ours but i can tell you that it does make a small difference over stock (doesn't everyone say that though...haha)

as soon as we get the final design dyno'd i'll post something up...not too sure when this will be though... *sigh*

HyperMKIV

iTrader: (1)

GREAT... NOW you tell me...
after all those damn tubes we made...

oh well...they make great...um...doorstops???

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

^^ That step down process started at Injen many, many years ago...
Then it went to Fujita.. and now Afe/Takeda..

It's sorta an industry practice now..

Also, K&N has caught on as well as every other open element intake manufacturer..

If you look at all the short ram/cone filter intakes made for the F, they all have the step down to 3" piping by the MAF area..
(it's not a coincidence)


Joe Z

verals05

iTrader: (3)

looks like good quality... just need some dyno's

weaponX

Gentlemen.....to the undecided there seems to be a bit of a dilemna here.

One guy is saying the intake is a piece of crap.

Another is saying otherwise.

Who to believe???

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

^^^^Maybe the one who posted pics so you could draw your own conclusions

Lou

MicaISF

in my original post, i mentioned that the exterior looks fine, but when i inspected the interior of the tube, that's when i found some "minor" sloppy weld job. my point was simply that it does not look like it's worth $400 not knowing its real gain.
i had tried to post pix before and had failed a few times. for those of you already purchased, look inside the tube and you might see what i meant. if you could fit your hand into the tube, you could even feel the very rough weld where the 3" tube joined to the 3 1/2" tube towards the engine side. whether any of these "minor" things affect performance or not is beyound me, i just wish they had done a better job. the airbox design is nice, but why not finish the job with a lightweigh box instead of using heavy steel and half of OEM box. a complete plastic box should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and probably better. one of my reasons to get the intake is to loose some weight at the front corner, but that's obviously not the manufacturer's concern.

FIGS

iTrader: (11)

An injection molded plastic box would be a significant investment.I think they did as good a job as they could while still keeping the price reasonable. Remember you guys are all cost conscious and if the kit was $100 more it would probably not be marketable at all. Also Aluminum is a better conductor of heat than steel which is good and bad. If the thermal gradient is high that means it will heat up the intake air very quickly. It also means that it will dissipate the heat quicker if given some airflow say from the radiator fans. I think what is unfortunate is that dyno testing does not reveal the influences of the ram air, the internal engine bay heatsoak or the long term filter efficiency, all of which could have more dramatic impacts that the tubing design.

I think typically intake gains are ALWAYS marketed as flywheel (except JoeZ.)
This is because if they weren't then people would have a hard time buying them. Any who would spend $50 on a dyno to verify a $300 investment. At that point who cares right? Its more about looks.

Fig

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

Not wanting to get into an argument with you, but again, I thought this intakes design is very well thought out. My thoughts on your post.

1. I had not read your first post when I installed mine or I would have paid more attention to the inside of the tube. I remember I did look inside from end to end, and on my cursory look, it looked OK to me. If I missed something, I don't remember it.

2. Yes, the box is metal, but I don't think it's that heavy. It's lighter than the stock plastic assembly. Also the tube, IMHO is very light in weight.

3. I spent nowhere near $400 for my unit. In my original post I mentioned I bought mine from B2 Auto designs. They do not charge anywhere near $400 for this unit.

4. I have bought many third party after market devices in my time, and again IMHO, the quality of this kit is much better than some others I have seen in the past. Just as an example. On the K&N kit for the F, the filter is attached by two screws to the heatshield plate, on the Takeda it is retained by five screws. It's this extra bit of attention that impressed me about this kit. Of course, to me, the big draw here was the semi sealed intake box.

In the end we all have to make a decision based on our own feelings. Stay stock or go with the a DropIn replacement, JoeZ, K&N, Injen, or perish the thought the SRT.

I made mine and honestly reported my thoughts and feelings. I applaud Mica for making his feelings known. Now, based on these reports, you guys have a little more data on which to base your decision. Have fun

Lou

MicaISF

i thank Fig and Lou for the clarification.
i guess i am just picky. i have filed and sanded down the protruding weld spots and planned to make an insulated air box out of aluminum to reduce weight. should keep me busy for the next few weekends.

LexISguy

Once an independent dyno is done we will see if this intake produces.

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

Having had this for a few days and driven around town and on the freeway, I can make at least one comment. I always drive in Sport Mode, because, to me, normal mode is really lacking in throttle response. Anyway, with this intake, throttle response seems a little sharper to me, I really like it. As I previously said, the sound is marginally louder (throatier) at part throttle. And yes, so far, I really like this new intake.

Lou

N54MPower

iTrader: (3)

Hopefully you're doing this project for the fun of it because the amount of weight being removed between the one being made and the AFE unit is negligible enough to have no affect on handling and it's not going to change the power to weigh ratio enough to affect acceleration.

As FIGS said the investment in tooling to make a cover out of plastic far outweighs the cost of having the steel cover welded and powercoated on the limited number of intakes they will sell for the IS F. They do make nice injection molded pieces for their BMW 335i intake but that also retails for $1200. Judging by what I've seen not many people on here would be wiling to pay that much for an intake.

Overall I've seen intakes on the market that consist of far less engineering that cost well more than the $400 "suggested" MSRP, which in no way reflects the actual street price this is being sold at.