How good is your factory Airbox... We test it!

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May 17, 2013 | 09:36 AM

AMS

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From: West Chicago, IL

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Is a cold air or aftermarket intake better than the factory Airbox? We test it!

In developing our 997.1 Alpha 9 turbo kit we extensively tested a lot of different components to see what makes and doesn’t make horsepower.
In my experience with intake systems I can tell you that the stock 997.1 airbox should work very well and not restrict power even on cars making 800+ hp.

I’ve seen intake systems that actually lose power by placing air filters in the hot engine bay with little or no fresh ambient air directed to them. We even did a back to back test a while ago on lower HP 997 and showed 20+whp gains with the stock airbox!

To put the theory to bed, we did a final test today on our 997.1 We did a baseline run with an ideal cold air induction system. Straight tubes coming off the MAF housings into large air filters that stick out of the engine bay drawing ambient air. While the car still strapped down we swapped in the stock air box and ran the car again.

The results…… ZERO difference! That’s right, no HP gain with the super duper cold air intake. Now imagine some of the aftermarket intakes that sit in the engine bay with the lid closed breathing in 150 deg engine bay temps. FYI for every 10 deg difference there is about a 1% HP loss (or gain). So going from 70 degree ambient air temp from a stock air box to a ‘hot’ air intake system, you can be losing 7-8% in horsepower. On a 850 hp car that’s around 65hp! Also hot intake air will make an engine more knock prone, and when you’re running on pump gas this can even exacerbate the problem. You see why it’s a bad idea to have open air filter elements in your engine bay?

These graphs show two runs from the cold air intake system to the stock airbox, the spike down low (around 95mph) is from wheel-spin so disregard that.

-Martin Musial
President AMS / ALPHA Performance

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Last edited by AMS; May 17, 2013 at 01:56 PM.

May 17, 2013 | 10:39 AM

bbywu

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Thank you for sharing!

What type of element did you put in the stock air box?

May 17, 2013 | 12:58 PM

LeoLambo

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From: Fairfax, VA

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Thank you for the information!! I wish I read it 3 months ago....

May 17, 2013 | 01:30 PM

nevert00fast

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nevert00fast is infamous around these parts

I did my own test on stock vs. BMC air filter with PBox, no difference in 60-130 or 100-200km times.

May 17, 2013 | 01:31 PM

G911

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Well done! But now you completely crash all intake air box cai market )))
When I told that, nobody believe me

it's just spend money!

May 17, 2013 | 01:37 PM

AMS

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Former Vendor

Joined: Aug 2009

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From: West Chicago, IL

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bbywu

Thank you for sharing!

What type of element did you put in the stock air box?

This was done using a stock airbox and a stock air filter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by G911

Well done! But now you completely crash all intake air box cai market )))
When I told that, nobody believe me

it's just spend money!

We have never been about reinventing the wheel. Honestly I think I talk customers OUT OF more products in a day then I sell to them. Nobody likes spending money if they don't have to.

We mean no harm we just really look down on products with very unrealistic HP claims.

Eric