There has - and always will be - controversy over K&N air filters, but in the discussions are other comments about a better mousetrap, er air induction system.

While perusing a UK site, I found this:

<a href="http://www.clubautosport.co.uk/928bhp.htm" target="_blank">www.clubautosport.co.uk</a>

Has anyone any experience with this gizmo?

Sure looks interesting

<img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />

 

Hi Rob--

No direct experience with this piece, but...

The filter cans up in the top of the engine bay are right over the exhaust headers. The factory intake hoses are there to make sure that the car gets cool, denser air into the filter housing. With the hood closed, the engine bay is full of hot air, stuff that's been drawn through the AC condenser and radiator, then heated some more over the engine block and the exhaust. The system shown has the inlets at probably the hottest spots possible.

Jury is out on the wetted gauze filters as far as cleaning the dust out of the incoming air. I wouldn't risk my engine.

I guess If I was starting from scratch and wanted to reduce the pressure drop across the filter, I'd figure out a way to put a single stock-type filter on each side of a collector in front of the condenser, with insulated tubes running back to a merge collector and a feedhorn into the throttle and MAF. Having the FI plumbing moved to the back would help, and the collector and throttle would be at the front of the engine... Straying too far I know. Maybe the simple version of this is a completely sealed factory system with no filter in the stock location, and a couple of those cone paper filters sticking forward in front of the condenser from where the factory hoses attach.


As a resident of the great and socialist state of smoggy California, you'd have a hell of a time at your biannual smog session. Darn near any of the fancy underhood parts will be a red flag for most inspectors, regardless of how clean the tailpipe sniffs.




Just my thoughts.

 

Now that is something i havent seen before!!! Very unique!

The only draw back is, like Dr Bob said, your drawing all off your intake air from the inside of the engine compartment. Ive posted some pics of the airbox top that i cut 3 slots into. While it does suck in warmer air initially, once you start moving the air from the stock intake tubes mixes with the hot air from the slots and the temp factor really becomes negligable as you drive steady state. You get into stop and go traffic i KNOW for a fact that the air temp gets to 155+F in just a short amount of time. (vegas on a 90' day) This is on the set up i have that also has the stock tubes!

My guess with this set up the temps would be very high most of the time and even when you start to drive along they would never really drop to near ambient. Ive found that after you drive for..oh..a few miuntes the air at the intake of a stock S4 airbox just above the MAF is appx 10-15"F warmer than ambient. This is the amount of heat transfer you get from the time the air enters the front to the time it hits the MAF.

Dyno numbers would be great if they have them...BEFORE --AFTER etc...HOOD CLOSED!
My .02 worth

 

I got this reply from Mick at Club Auto Sport:

[quote] <hr></blockquote>Dear Rob
The only true test we have carried out was on a 4.5 928 which gave an increase of 11 bhp all the other 928 models have given a noticeable increase and we have fitted the conversion to cars with the promise that if the conversion does not improve the performance we would remove it and refund the charge this we have never had to do.
best regards mick@porscha.co.uk [quote] <hr></blockquote>

I agree with the comments about sucking up all that heat under the hood - I'm jsut wondering about routing cold air from somewhere...

 

I used to live in the UK, where I was the temperature never got above 70f so it probably not a big deal there.

I live in Malta now, our average temperature in July August is 100F , hottest day last year was 113F in the shade (about 125f in the sun) under the bonnet temerature went off the top of the mercury thermometer!! even my works van overheated, I have seen this air filter system but didnt think it was an option for here or other very warm climates.

If anyone knows otherwise I would like to know

 

If you look at their picture, they do have the stock intake tubes routed to the the face of the cone filters. That may help some what (when your moving). The probelm rises when you come to a stop. The temps sky rocket under the hood with out airflow. Thats where the car would then get its air during initial accleration.

Heck, if they offer a money back guarantee, May be worth a try? <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

 

That's pretty expensive for an undocumented gain ain't it? 200 GBP is what $350US?

That's before shipping and VAT. Ouch.

 

I've got it!!! I'll take a couple of those marine blowers to direct cool air to hose dual cone filters!

I was making a joke, but maybe...Hmmm