Go faster with an air filter kit?
When car makers design air filters they are concerned mostly about making sure the air reaching the engine is perfectly clean, and that there is no noise from the filter. Not quite correct, because on high-powered models, some noise is created – because people like it.
Now, there is a big market in air filter kits and inductions kits for sporty cars like Subarus and Mazda 3s. Of course, if you buy a real muslce car like a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X or Ford Focus ST, you don’t need these kits.
Most of the companies selling these induction kits To be sure, it depends on the car and the induction kit. Most air filter kits comprise a pipe from the engine to a conical or cylindrical filter with no enclosure – this gives less air resistance. And that is what these filters are all about - less resistance.
You see, an air filter kit of this type should give a little more power. My guess is about 1-2 per cent. We actually got a gain of this type by altering the shape of the air intake mouth of a filter housing before it went into production.
Need to get cool air to the filter
The difficulty with a filter of this type is that it is in the engine bay, which is hot. When you drive fast it gets hot. When they system gets hot, the air temperature increases, too, which results in less power. So ideally, you want a cold air intake. You can take a pipe from the filter housing to the front of the engine bay, where there is quite a flow of cool air. This keeps the air cool.
Watch this, though: make sure that when you take the pipe out behind the grille, ensure that the pipe has a bend near the free end, so the entry is high but sideways. This way you will avoid sucking bugs into your air filter in warm weather.
Ideally, you want an air pipe from the front to a carbon fibre box that houses the filter to keep it cool also. This way you can get the best out of your {air intake system|air induction kit|engine.
