Hello gentlemen (and ladies)...

An update on this kit is far overdue, and deserves some explaination!!!

We had the kit 90% complete (or so we thought), when tragedy struck... the company we thought was going to be able to mandrel bend the downpipes for us backed out because they said the project was too hard difficult... we looked and looked and had one heck of a time finding a company that could bend these things!!!

Well, two great things came out of this search...

1) We will now be offering downpipes in 100% CARBON FIBER to match the carbon fiber box top. We are having aluminum molds cut for BOTH the main pipe from the TB -> air box and the one from the outside to the airbox. These tubes will LOOK AMAZING and retain much less heat than aluminum.

2) We found a mandrel bending shop that can do the pipes in aluminum (for a less expensive intake)

The carbon fiber tubes will add about $100 to the cost of the intake, so we will still offer them in aluminum...

All of the tubes are currently in production, and everything else with the kit is ready to go. We have been given word that the tubes will be done in 6-8 weeks, and once they are confirmed as finished and shipped, we will begin shipping intakes!

We currently have a list of 32 people who have put down a deposit on the intake, and we have room for another 68 (We are making 100 kits for the first batch). The intakes will range from $399-$699 depending on which version you purchase (stage 1, 2, or 3). I will keep you guys updated as we get closer to release!

Regards,

-Dan
www.benferperformance.com
858.564.0952 (voice)
858.564.0953 (fax)

 

Can you list what will be included in each version or stage?

 

a nicely finished abs plastic with polished insides would speak more to the more performance oriented crowd i think. Plastic does better than both aluminum and cf. should also be cheaper.

also, will this do a better job than a $35 HAI? Or is it just going to look better?

i have been waiting with much anticipation about this particular unit because it finally looks like someone decided to take some measures to protect the air from the heat. But it makes no sense that you'd use a metal or carbon fiber.

it sure looks pretty though.

waiting for test reports on the cf and aluminum. I thought you guys were going to use magnesium something or another for the tubing? Maybe it was just magnesium finish? Cant recall. thanks for the update!

 

$600 for an intake??? No thanks!

 

Quote:

Can you list what will be included in each version or stage?

MINIAC, stage I will consist of the carbon fiber filter box and the 3" downpipe to the throttle body. It will have an open back and a path for air to enter the box top from the compartment below the windshield. Stage II will include all of stage I and a larger diameter ram-air pipe (from the factory air inlet spot), as well as a special ABS "Y" pipe that routes air from the grille under the windshield to the filter box. Both pipes have been CAD optimized for much better flow. Stage III will include everything from stage II, and ram-air cowl scoops that replace the grilles (on both sides) in a nice black ABS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinubob81

a nicely finished abs plastic with polished insides would speak more to the more performance oriented crowd i think. Plastic does better than both aluminum and cf. should also be cheaper.

jinubob81,



-With composite materials (carbon fiber), you can use a much lower mass of material to achieve the same structural rigidity as an ABS or metal structure. Although ABS has a lower rate of thermal conductivity per equivalent mass, which would suggest ABS as a better insulator, a structure of equivalent rigidity can be made of carbon fiber with a much lower density (3x lower than aluminum). This translates to a lower rate of thermal conductivity for the filter box and the inlet tubes. In short, carbon fiber in this application will retain less heat than ABS or metal, and will exchange less heat with the incoming cold air.



-Yes, this intake should do a lil’ bit better than the $35 home depot HAI specials out there… and yes, it looks puurdy



-We weren’t going to use magnesium… we are going to ceramic coat the inlet tubes (the non-CF ones) for people who don’t want the carbon fiber tubes.



Regards,



Dan

www.benferperformance.com

858.564.0952 (voice)

858.564.0953 (fax)

 

For the stage two kit any estimate on total weight savings compared to the stock parts?

Any dyno numbers for the various stages?

 

I would guess total weight savings is a couple of pounds. We did a dyno of the stage III kit a few months back and got a 8.5 HP and 11 TRQ at the flywheel with no other mods to the car.

Regards,

-Dan

 

Will there be some sort of rubber seal between the open back of the intake and the hole cut in the partition between the engine bay and under cowl area, as provided with the following intakes?

The Dinan intake is open in the back and has a rubber gasket to seal it to the opening cut in the partition:



The Saclam intake has a rubber tunnel between the whole in the back of the intake and a hole cut in the partition:

 

So the ceramic coated pipes pictured below are going to be available

 

Yes, that area will be sealed.

They will be available as the base option. The carbon fiber tubes will be an upgrade.

Also, I just spoke with the designer of the kit (and owner of the car we dyno'd) who read this thread and said that the dyno numbers were actually much higher than I stated (I was recalling our BMW 3-series intake HP/TRQ numbers). I don't have the graph showing the numerical gain right now, but I do have one that shows all 3 stages graphically compared on the dyno chart compared to baseline. I will have the chart with numbers shortly...

-Dan

 

Dan,

Thanks for answering all my questions.

Just a few more ...

Can you post a picture of the installed intake showing the seal between the open back of the airbox and the hole in the partition?

Who makes the air filter?

Have you submitted the intake for CARB certification?

 

I don't have any pictures showing the seal, however I will take some at our next photo shoot (actually, EuroTuner is doing one today so I will call up to LA and ask them to take some shots of that).

We have started the CARB cert paperwork.

Regards,

-Dan

 

could you please post pictures of the products that come with each stage,

would be intrested too see the products.

 

You should be able to get a good idea based on Dan's description above and the pictures he posted previously ...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...2&postcount=51

 

thanks for that...looks prety cool...

 

im just wanting the scoops.. whats the price on that option.. thanks david..

 

The scoops are $149.95/pair. They are no longer offered in the fake carbon, rather, they are in a wrinkle black ABS (to match the rest of the trim on the car) with no "Y" pipe attached. If you want the "Y" pipe for ram air into your existing CAI, it's $199.95/pair. We have 10 pairs of scoops available for shipping on Monday, so if you are interested in ordering now before they are all pre-sold, please drop us an email to sales@benferperformance.com or PM me.

Regards,

Dan

 

The scoops are now available and will be up on our website this week. If you would like them immediately, please email us at sales@benferperformance.com or call us at 858.564.0952

-Dan

 

No thanks...I'm waiting on the cheaper and much better performing m7 intake which Peter says will be ready soon. The numbers are looking very promising too. I like BFP products but they seem to think they are selling gold plated parts or something...or is it just me that think their product pricing is ridiculous?

 

The pricing on the kit has been revised and will be lower than originally stated.

-Dan

 

when will these items be put up on the website? I want to look at my options before i purchase.. thansk

 

I will have the scoops on the website later today/tomorrow. Here is a picture of the intake (which shows the scoops)

-DanB

 

whats the word on htat strut bar? cost? availability?

 

can the scoops be put on so that they take of advantage of the backdraft off the windsheild?

 

Me Likey. Do you have pics of the standard kit?


thanx
Danny