So after much debate, I decided to not go full intake but rather with the aFe dry drop in filter
..
I also removed the front intake shroud which is basically this part



I didnt see too much risk in removing the shroud since the filter is still there and its basically just in a box once you remove it...

Sound is amazing, you can really hear the turbo.. I had the shroud off before with the stock filter and you could hear the turbo nicely.. now with the new aFe filter you can actually hear the turbo winding up

Now according to the "butt dyno" there is no more noticeable power per se, but the power band feels fuller.. also the car is shifting harder if that makes sense.. probably due to the increased torque?

*disclaimer* I'm running the NM mod on hi setting

 

I had the aFe Pro 5R and switched to the Pro Dry S for easier maintenance. I still have the intake shroud on and can't feel or hear any difference compared to running the stock paper filter. I have the NM module on low.

 

Say it ain't so Joe! What you have done is basically turned your intake into a hot air intake. Not good for making power.

 

I would put the shroud back on, it feeds cooler air into the airbox.

 

i know, I did I did... sacrileg' to some!

I figured, that if cold air intakes made no difference on turbo motors because cooling the air is the intercoolers job, so the differential must be so minimal no difference could be felt so why not remove it, creating the same environment that the KN typhoon or mishimoto CAI intakes would experience..?

As I type this I'm thinking about air being fed to the turbo, would be either forced into the engine bay via the shroud vs sucked into the turbo via the box since it just basically sits in the engine bay like other CAIs... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Based on that logic, I removed the shroud and let the intercooler cool the ambient air after it passes through the turbo..

Anywho.. especially with fall approaching and ambient temps dropping ( albeit slightly here in SoCal) so I figured, hey why not get a better more aggressive sound if theres no reduction in power..

i could always be wrong, but that was my logic at least...

Now arguments could be made back and forth regarding ambient temperature but I dont have a dyno on hand =\ to test before and afters..

 

The K&N, Mishimoto, AWE, Cravenspeed, and the NM all utilize the stock intake ducts. I had a Cravenspeed CAI for several months and liked it, but ended up replacing it with a Carbon Fiber unit from AWE. I'm currently running the stock airbox while I'm waiting for an upgraded part from AWE. The only way I'd remove that part would be if I replaced it with a more efficient one.
If you're happy with it that way I'll be happy to buy your old intake duct from you. I need a spare to test some different finishes on.

 

All of those aftermarket intake are not cold air intake. To be a CAI it needs to be sealed as the OEM box. The stock air intake ducts are not designed to be Ram-Air type hence the size of the opening. Even at speed, the little amount of "cold" air rushing into the engine bay via the tiny stock air ducts are not going to cool the surrounding area where your aftermarket pod filter is located.

The OEM setup is different because it forces the intake system to take air only from the intake ducts hence it's a true CAI sealed system.

The power gain you get from those aftermarket units is not from colder air coming in, it's simply because the aftermarket filters flow more air at the sacrifice of air filtration quality.

In term of whether or not you'll be getting higher IAT with the stock ducts removed, do some logging and see the results. Just like Joespeed said, it still has to pass through a turbo and a considerable length of hot plastic piping before finally hitting the intercooler. I'd say the difference in IAT is minimal.

 

thanks.. i still have everything on the OE intake.. the only thing I removed was the shroud that feeds the air from the outside in and minimizes noise..

basically it looks like this..


the more I think about this, I feel that the warmer ambient air would cause the turbo to work harder to compress the hot(ter) air as opposed to cooler air being directed in via the duct I removed...

now this has me thinking, maybe I should look at the air flowing through the duct/shroud thing I removed (translation, gut the insides of the ducts) to get cooler air in so the turbo doesnt have to work so hard to compress the hotter air......


in the end the differences may be negligible and if it comes down to that, I'd settle with the greater sensation of improved turbo sounds

 

When air is compressed it heats up regardless of the temperature you start with. The more boost you generate the hotter the charge. I'm also running a Helix intercooler to help with that. On my R56 I had a true CAI made by AEM. It utilized the hood scoop for intake and was ducted to a closed air box. With no way to convert the F56 scoop into a functioning intake I doubt anyone will come up with one for us. For a semi reasonable price at least.
Oh yeah... The AWE intake when dyno'd shows a HP increase unlike most other intakes that only increased the intake noise and looked cool.

 

I have nothing against the AWE intake, at least they are charging similar pricing as other aftermarket intake but you get the nice looking CF shield.

As for the power gain, it's all about air flow. If they indeed make that much more power compared to the other aftermarket intake, that means their filter has superior flow characteristic compared to the others. After all, there's no other variable to play with since intake piping diameter is not something you could alter. None of them actually addresses the real restrictions which are all located post MAF.

IMO if there's indeed any power increase to be gained, you would get similar gain by just replacing the stock panel with aftermarket one. No pretty CF and no roaring sound but it'll only cost you 50 bucks.

I believe AWE used Marco's car for the dyno. What was the mileage on the stock paper filter used for the comparison, Marco?