Air Box Mod (better sound than most induction kits)

ArcAneD · 25th July 2012, 12:24

I'm not going to include a (how to remove the airbox filter housing) in this tutorial as it's pretty straight forward to do. This mod work's on all petrol engines but i haven't tested it on a diesel car so cannot comment.

I'm not taking full credit for this mod as i did not discover it but have done this mod on my 2.0l Audi and my 1.8l civic and have noticed a difference on both cars. The sound is hugely improved and the car seem's more eager to shift without consuming fuel like a CAI/Induction Kit.

Tool's Required

A drill (preferably cordless)
12mm drill bit - I found the drill bit below did the best job
Stanley knife (might not be needed)
Round file (might not be needed)

NOTE - the bottom half of the airbox housing must be removed before drilling due to wiring looms running below the housing when it's installed on the car.

Also, i cannot see how this would void your warranty as the holes will be hidden and unless your airbox housing was to be removed for some reason, they wouldn't know it's been modified but please do this mod at your own risk as I will not be held responsible.

1/ Remove the airbox housing only, some people find it easier to remove after taking the battery out but I managed ok with the battery and everything else in place.

2/ The filter housing is in two parts. The part you're going to modify is the bottom section.

3/ You will need to drill approximately 30 x 12mm holes in the bottom section of the filter housing only. The reason for drilling the bottom section of the housing is because all dust particles and debris will still hit the filter. If you were to drill the top section of the housing, all dust and debris would bypass the filter and clog your engine.

NOTE -After reading this far into the tutorial, your more than likely having doubts now. This is a perfectly safe modification to do and does exactly the same job as an Induction Kit but without the expense. Not really sure why it sounds better but i'm guessing it's down to the air passing through the holes on the filter housing and because the housing is hollow it creates a deep roaring sound.

Once you have drilled the holes, put everything back in reverse order to how you removed it and the modification is complete. I have included a couple of photo's below to give you a better idea of how the bottom housing will look afterwards and to make sure your still on the right track.

I welcome all comment's and opinions. If you perform this modification and you don't like it, the bottom part of the housing is cheap and easy enough to replace. I can assure that you won't be dissapointed!!

As some of you already know, iv tried different methods and this is by far the best one.

Maca44 · 26th July 2012, 18:33

Interesting, do you think your still getting cool air coming in through the resonator cold feed pipe or is it just sucking in hot air from the bay ?.

Syx · 26th July 2012, 18:51

My concerns exactly. Surely you're just going to be sucking nice hot air?

On the 1.8 the airbox base is under £20, but on the 1.4 and CTR it's about £90 so a much more expensive replacement!

robbo51 · 26th July 2012, 19:15

OMG
All you have done is reduce the air pressure and drawing hot air in from the engine too...How on earth can this be an improvement??

MightyMatt · 26th July 2012, 19:29

So people are still doing this...

Bog · 26th July 2012, 19:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by robbo51

OMG
All you have done is reduce the air pressure and drawing hot air in from the engine too...How on earth can this be an improvement??

Exactly what I was thinking...

pulpmelon_r · 26th July 2012, 20:11

Drilling out your airbox is so 1990's...

stoney · 26th July 2012, 20:15

Retro Chic

De pressurised hot air is so much better for combustion

Milano FN2 · 26th July 2012, 20:34

Sorry but i just can not see how this will be an advantage

There are induction kits that will do the job without sucking up all that hot air

From the engine bay as said

Laney · 26th July 2012, 20:43

As above i cant see how this is an improvement, although Alan titchmarsh might be happy, you could plant a few Gerbera's in there

gadgetman68 · 26th July 2012, 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by robbo51

OMG
All you have done is reduce the air pressure and drawing hot air in from the engine too...How on earth can this be an improvement??

Have to say I don't know too much about this but wouldn't the effect be similar to a open cone type set up?

ArcAneD · 26th July 2012, 22:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by gadgetman68

Have to say I don't know too much about this but wouldn't the effect be similar to a open cone type set up?

It's going to be exactly the same, i see alot of haters already but as stated.. what difference is drilling the airbox to putting a cone filter in? None apart from you don't draw half as much hot air in, it sounds louder and deeper and don't use anywhere near as much fuel as an induction kit.

It might be retro but it's definately got the best sound and performance over any air filter / induction kit iv ever tried. Thinking of retro, i do believe induction kits were invented way before this mod was lol.

There's not alot of heat generated underneath the air filter housing on the 1.8, certainly not on mine anyway.

Milano FN2, which type of induction kit are you thinking? Majority are open cone which allow alot more hot air in than this mod. Without the use of a chamber or closed filter.

After doing various tests with different filters and induction kits. Every method iv tried excluding the drilled air housing has given lots of heatsoak and quite often struggled when accelerating before a sudden burst of power kicked in. Iv not noticed any flaws with this mod.

Syx · 26th July 2012, 22:19

Please don't think I'm a "hater", mods are worth trying if you think it will give an improvement.

The problem I see here is that you will be drawing in hot air - open the bonnet after a drive and tell me it's not hot in there!
A CAI to an enclosed filter is going to give a much better result, the better thing to do here would have been to re-route the intake hose to the front, giving you colder air and a ram effect. Granted you won't get the noise that way; if that's the primary objective here then I've misunderstood.

JamesPacynski · 26th July 2012, 22:23

Hks Rsk draws boiling hot air from the engine bay... and costs ££££££££££

and yet somehow thats ok but drilling a few holes for free isnt?

LOL.

ArcAneD · 26th July 2012, 22:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syx

Please don't think I'm a "hater", mods are worth trying if you think it will give an improvement.

The problem I see here is that you will be drawing in hot air - open the bonnet after a drive and tell me it's not hot in there!
A CAI to an enclosed filter is going to give a much better result, the better thing to do here would have been to re-route the intake hose to the front, giving you colder air and a ram effect. Granted you won't get the noise that way; if that's the primary objective here then I've misunderstood.

Nah Syx, i understand people questioning the idea. Of course the engine bay is hot and certainly putting some sort of duct from the front end to underneath the housing would supply a nice cold feed but honestly, iv not had any problems like i did with the K&N, maybe they just made a poor design.

I'm on the understanding that an enclosed filter is quite expensive? Considering the recession and job losses etc, not everyone can afford to splash that cash for these things. This is a cheap alternative and at a push, pay for some ducting to give a better piece of mind. Still alot cheaper than any kit available.

Syx · 26th July 2012, 22:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesPacynski

Hks Rsk draws boiling hot air from the engine bay... and costs ££££££££££

and yet somehow thats ok but drilling a few holes for free isnt?

LOL.

Never been a fan of the RSK for exactly that reason mate!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcAneD

Nah Syx, i understand people questioning the idea. Of course the engine bay is hot and certainly putting some sort of duct from the front end to underneath the housing would supply a nice cold feed but honestly, iv not had any problems like i did with the K&N, maybe they just made a poor design.

I'm on the understanding that an enclosed filter is quite expensive? Considering the recession and job losses etc, not every can afford to splash that cash for these things. This is a cheap alternative and at a push, pay for some ducting to give a better piece of mind. Still alot cheaper than any kit available.

Can't argue with that.

ArcAneD · 26th July 2012, 22:39

Iv never owned an RSK so can't comment but i'm guessing the same or worse than the K&N's? lol. They all do the same thing at the end of the day, it's just different companies manufacture them.

rossk1009 · 26th July 2012, 22:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesPacynski

Hks Rsk draws boiling hot air from the engine bay

Had many an argument stating the same thing

Kuneho · 26th July 2012, 22:53

very strange....

Maca44 · 27th July 2012, 11:42

A none hater also but I just asked if you think a lower % of cool air is still being drawn in via the resonator or is it all coming through the holes.

25th July 2012, 12:24	#1 (permalink)
ArcAneD Join Date: 7th February 2012 Location: Derby, UK Posts: 200 Thanks given: 25 Thanked 14 Times in 12 Posts iTrader: (2)	Air Box Mod (better sound than most induction kits) I'm not going to include a (how to remove the airbox filter housing) in this tutorial as it's pretty straight forward to do. This mod work's on all petrol engines but i haven't tested it on a diesel car so cannot comment. I'm not taking full credit for this mod as i did not discover it but have done this mod on my 2.0l Audi and my 1.8l civic and have noticed a difference on both cars. The sound is hugely improved and the car seem's more eager to shift without consuming fuel like a CAI/Induction Kit. Tool's Required A drill (preferably cordless) 12mm drill bit - I found the drill bit below did the best job Stanley knife (might not be needed) Round file (might not be needed) NOTE - the bottom half of the airbox housing must be removed before drilling due to wiring looms running below the housing when it's installed on the car. Also, i cannot see how this would void your warranty as the holes will be hidden and unless your airbox housing was to be removed for some reason, they wouldn't know it's been modified but please do this mod at your own risk as I will not be held responsible. 1/ Remove the airbox housing only, some people find it easier to remove after taking the battery out but I managed ok with the battery and everything else in place. 2/ The filter housing is in two parts. The part you're going to modify is the bottom section. 3/ You will need to drill approximately 30 x 12mm holes in the bottom section of the filter housing only. The reason for drilling the bottom section of the housing is because all dust particles and debris will still hit the filter. If you were to drill the top section of the housing, all dust and debris would bypass the filter and clog your engine. NOTE -After reading this far into the tutorial, your more than likely having doubts now. This is a perfectly safe modification to do and does exactly the same job as an Induction Kit but without the expense. Not really sure why it sounds better but i'm guessing it's down to the air passing through the holes on the filter housing and because the housing is hollow it creates a deep roaring sound. Once you have drilled the holes, put everything back in reverse order to how you removed it and the modification is complete. I have included a couple of photo's below to give you a better idea of how the bottom housing will look afterwards and to make sure your still on the right track. I welcome all comment's and opinions. If you perform this modification and you don't like it, the bottom part of the housing is cheap and easy enough to replace. I can assure that you won't be dissapointed!! As some of you already know, iv tried different methods and this is by far the best one.

26th July 2012, 18:33	#2 (permalink)
Maca44 Supporter Car: Silver Civic EX 1.8 Join Date: 14th March 2012 Location: Hampshire Posts: 486 Thanks given: 3 Thanked 39 Times in 34 Posts iTrader: (4)	Interesting, do you think your still getting cool air coming in through the resonator cold feed pipe or is it just sucking in hot air from the bay ?. Last edited by Maca44; 26th July 2012 at 18:42.

26th July 2012, 18:51	#3 (permalink)
Syx Clingfilmed Car: 2008 2.2 CTS GT Join Date: 22nd December 2009 Location: Luton, UK Posts: 9,132 Thanks given: 839 Thanked 1,646 Times in 1,442 Posts iTrader: (38)	My concerns exactly. Surely you're just going to be sucking nice hot air? On the 1.8 the airbox base is under £20, but on the 1.4 and CTR it's about £90 so a much more expensive replacement! Last edited by Syx; 26th July 2012 at 20:09.

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26th July 2012, 19:15	#4 (permalink)
robbo51 Civinfo Trader Join Date: 1st July 2007 Location: Bingley, West Yorks Posts: 15,412 Thanks given: 1,100 Thanked 1,477 Times in 1,361 Posts iTrader: (8)	OMG All you have done is reduce the air pressure and drawing hot air in from the engine too...How on earth can this be an improvement??

26th July 2012, 19:29	#5 (permalink)
MightyMatt Supporter Car: Mugen 200 Join Date: 3rd August 2011 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,086 Thanks given: 117 Thanked 103 Times in 96 Posts iTrader: (1)	So people are still doing this...

26th July 2012, 20:11	#7 (permalink)
pulpmelon_r Join Date: 12th December 2010 Location: Manchester Posts: 1,281 Thanks given: 22 Thanked 174 Times in 131 Posts iTrader: (0)	Drilling out your airbox is so 1990's...

26th July 2012, 20:15	#8 (permalink)
stoney Supporter Car: 2007 FN2 GT Join Date: 24th March 2010 Location: lisburn Posts: 7,190 Thanks given: 160 Thanked 1,079 Times in 913 Posts iTrader: (9)	Retro Chic De pressurised hot air is so much better for combustion

26th July 2012, 20:34	#9 (permalink)
Milano FN2 Supporter Car: 59 Milano Red Join Date: 4th September 2010 Location: PortTalbot Posts: 371 Thanks given: 21 Thanked 51 Times in 50 Posts iTrader: (4)	Sorry but i just can not see how this will be an advantage There are induction kits that will do the job without sucking up all that hot air From the engine bay as said

26th July 2012, 20:43	#10 (permalink)
Laney 無限 Unlimited Car: 59 Mugenised CTR Join Date: 14th April 2010 Location: London..ish Posts: 2,842 Thanks given: 257 Thanked 375 Times in 352 Posts iTrader: (5)	As above i cant see how this is an improvement, although Alan titchmarsh might be happy, you could plant a few Gerbera's in there

26th July 2012, 22:19	#13 (permalink)
Syx Clingfilmed Car: 2008 2.2 CTS GT Join Date: 22nd December 2009 Location: Luton, UK Posts: 9,132 Thanks given: 839 Thanked 1,646 Times in 1,442 Posts iTrader: (38)	Please don't think I'm a "hater", mods are worth trying if you think it will give an improvement. The problem I see here is that you will be drawing in hot air - open the bonnet after a drive and tell me it's not hot in there! A CAI to an enclosed filter is going to give a much better result, the better thing to do here would have been to re-route the intake hose to the front, giving you colder air and a ram effect. Granted you won't get the noise that way; if that's the primary objective here then I've misunderstood.

26th July 2012, 22:23	#14 (permalink)
JamesPacynski Banned, for being CK Join Date: 6th June 2012 Location: Lincs. Posts: 52 Thanks given: 14 Thanked 16 Times in 14 Posts iTrader: (1)	Hks Rsk draws boiling hot air from the engine bay... and costs ££££££££££ and yet somehow thats ok but drilling a few holes for free isnt? LOL.

26th July 2012, 22:39	#17 (permalink)
ArcAneD Thread starter Join Date: 7th February 2012 Location: Derby, UK Posts: 200 Thanks given: 25 Thanked 14 Times in 12 Posts iTrader: (2)	Iv never owned an RSK so can't comment but i'm guessing the same or worse than the K&N's? lol. They all do the same thing at the end of the day, it's just different companies manufacture them.

26th July 2012, 22:53	#19 (permalink)
Kuneho Supporter Car: 2010 Honda Civic Type-R Euro Join Date: 2nd November 2011 Location: Dubai, UAE Posts: 269 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 36 Times in 36 Posts iTrader: (0)	very strange....

27th July 2012, 11:42	#20 (permalink)
Maca44 Supporter Car: Silver Civic EX 1.8 Join Date: 14th March 2012 Location: Hampshire Posts: 486 Thanks given: 3 Thanked 39 Times in 34 Posts iTrader: (4)	A none hater also but I just asked if you think a lower % of cool air is still being drawn in via the resonator or is it all coming through the holes.