has anyone modified their stock airboxes for better flow? i noticed stillen has a box out now....seems larger and claimed gains of 4 hp and 4 ft tq. then there also the gruppe-s but a bit expensive, and the k&n which combines both ca and airbox.

i am wondering if you could modify the stock airbox for better flow in some way such as cutting out some of those ribs inside the box for a smoother surface or something like that, and make improvements or change the design of the intake tube that takes the air from the front of the car.

it would be nice if someone could come up with an airbox that still utilizes the oem or replacement filter and bolts in like the stock box but with a better/improved flow design. i think a intake tube could be improved to and pull air from down lower instead of how the stock is setup to pull from higher up in the engine bay. this would give the ca and airbox design and give you the best of both worlds and thats what i am trying to achieve.

i think the box is good but can it be better...that is the question?

i realize that having the airbox vs the cold air system has been a long debate and i am not trying to say this would be better....but there really hasn't been anything that great out there as far as a cold air system yet.

anyone have any comments/suggestions?

 

Well, the stock aibox is actually pretty efficient in design to begin with. But getting to your question, I think it can be improved. Cost wise, it wouldn't be practical at all for a company to do though. My gruppe-m intake has a dual inlet design, one inlet that connects to the front hose/pipe going to the air scoop in the front, and then there is a second inlet that is pointed down, and sites right over the opening to the fender-well. So at idle and low speed the intake draws air in from the fender. I'm sure that somehow you could modify the stock airbox, to accomidate a similar design, to draw air up from the fender more effeciantly. But again, to do so, wouldn't net you any gains over stock really. You are still limited to how much the filter can flow. And don't forget, a flat panel filter only allows air in according to it's surface area. A cone filter has a larger surface area, thus resulting in more air being drawn into it. That's where some of the HP gains come from when you swap to a open element/cone style filter.

 

I read in SCC that that improved the intake for the 35th Anniv. Z to help it get extra HP. It didn't say exactly what they did though.

 

i heard revised cams and pistons not intake.

 

do you have any pics of where the inlet is located in the fender well?

i like the stock box too and currently have a k&n filter with a modified intake tube that draws air down towards the grill area. i seem to get a little better throttle response throughout the powerband now that i am drawing better air. what are the gains from the gruppe-s intake design?

thanks for the responses so far

 

hey, isn't that gruppe-m intake like $600-700! is it really worth it??

 

it is pricey....the engineering design i like but i want to see some more detailed pics of the gruppe-s intake. i might just buy one instead of hacking on mine to get the same result...plus i believe its carbon fiber and is the filter reusable? i also want to know what kind of gains that intake is producing....i am not expecting much since most intakes don't really seem to net a whole lot on our z's

 

no, the gruppe m intake isn't worth the money to be honest. But the engineering is great behind it, fitment is excellent, and it looks freakin cool. But other than that, no, it's not going to give you rediculous gains but it does make decent power for an intake. I always say that these are not for everyone, just people looking for the rare items.