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First Mod, great improvement

I once put an after-market intake on a dodge daytona (2.5L) which was flexible hose... the hose bounced and flexed when the engine revved. I wan't to say it messed up throttle response as the hose moved rather than forcing air initially. It also looked cheap and stupid. Go the quality rout. You can get some aluminum tubing cheap online and you can get some heavy duty rubber truck radiator tubing elbows from Napa or other parts stores. The most gains IMO for an intake on a zetec will come from eliminating the the extra air boxes and baffles and keeping just the filter box with the stock cold air. The only other change I'm making in regards to the intake is putting a couple of inch diameter holes in and running hose to pull in cold air.. the hose is on the outside of the filter so it won't have a vacuum force to flex it.
 
For a almost free approach, I just took the stock air box out, and zip tied the panel filter to the top of the intake (where it connects to the MAF) and left it sit. Much better intake sound, seems like better response. Now I'm just going to get my hands on a second intake box so I can hack up the stock for a heat shield...
 
KennyT772 said:
For a almost free approach, I just took the stock air box out, and zip tied the panel filter to the top of the intake (where it connects to the MAF) and left it sit. Much better intake sound, seems like better response. Now I'm just going to get my hands on a second intake box so I can hack up the stock for a heat shield...
Click to expand...

Not to be a jerk, but I think your little intake idea might actually decrease performance. But it's hard to say because you blocked off the flow into the "resonator" box or whatever it is, haha.
 
the resonator is the large part of the intake, to the right of the motor.


How would removing the very restrictive airbox cause a loss of power? Or blocking off the resonator? All the resonator is a drag on the intake system. If I cant get a new intake soon I'm going to just cut it off at the intake pipe. Half of the sleeper-z intake is drilling out the stock airbox inlet to allow more air, a few zip ties and you get the same thing. A Cone filter would give better flow yet, but for next to nothing why not get a small boost.
 
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Keep in mind that with ANY intake, you will only see a power gain at wide open throttle. How often do you drive around with the pedal all the way to the floor?

Also, the stock airbox is designed to draw cold air from the wheel well. The ziptied filter now draws air from the rather cramped, hot engine compartment.

What I've done to my car is remove the resonator as well as the tube inside the wheel well, and enlarge the opening in the bottom half of the airbox where it meets the duct that heads down into the fender. This way you retain the cold air draw but reduce the restrictions. Even with all that, I doubt it really makes a difference. Believe me, fuel injected cars (especially 4 cylinders designed for fuel economy) are tuned from the factory to squeeze just about every last bit of power out of them. Short of a turbo or a crazy camshaft grind that makes the car impractical, there aren't many more horses to be had. This applies to most cars out there these days. But hey, if you're having fun with it, great! I guess there's no better way to learn about a mechanical device than to experiment with it.
 
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