Originally posted by weargle:
I've been pondering several things too. One of them is to look at silicone hose couplers (see here: http://www.extrememotorsports.com/gecat/hoses.htm ) and see what I can fit through the 3" hole in my fender and then snake down to a filter. Naturally, I can't get to that without screwing around with the fender well some weekend. I've also looked at CAIs for other cars that have multiple bends, such as for the Celica GT-S that put the filter in a similar place that putting one in front of the tranny under the battery would do on our cars.

The problem that I believe that people experience with dynoing CAIs is that you're just not moving enough air with that big fan that approximates what the car is actually getting when driving. And there's the rub.



Silicone is expensive, but I've pondered this, too.

Still, I don't see why I should go through the trouble to mount a filter down there where it's a PITA to get to. As long as I'm drawing cool air into the system from outside the engine bay, I don't see the potential for gain that's worth the extra effort of the "hidden" filter.

I may remove the intake resonator and run 3" hose of some kind from the end of the stock SVT airbox into the fender well. I'm thinking that will be my best bet.

As for testing, I think this is one area where a GTech might be superior to a dyno. People with open filters see gains on the dyno with the hood open, but this isn't realistic on the street, or even in the low-speed, high heat environment of an autocross.

My ambitious plan at the moment is to do some actual testing with my GTech, starting with my current setup, then with my stock panel box and dirty paper filter, then with a clean paper filter, and finally with the SVT airbox and paper. (I'm not buying K&N's just for testing, sorry.) Then back to current setup to validate the runs. (This crap is time consuming.) Still deciding what to test as far as the resonator is concerned.

My hypothesis, as stated above, is that the SVT airbox and paper filter, which was originally designed for a 240hp 5.0L V-8, will be more than adequate for my little 2.5L, 170 hp motor.

As for whether foam or cotton gauze can protect my engine as well as paper--Well, I used to think foam was best in this area, and K&N a close second, but a lot of people disagree with that. I'm also not sure that I have the time or money for it, but oil analysis is the way to go. Still, it's very hard to control other factors on a daily driver, so it's hard to pin a contaminant reading on an air filter, alone.

Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998