Wedge air intake - AFM & Filter positions.

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Peeps...After talking with a friend as regards to reducing the air intake for the 350i it has sparked an idea in my head...Thinking about it i better hide the holesaw....Anyway...Im pretty sure i have seen a couple of 400SE with the filter in the position of where the expansion tank is on most, Was this a mod done by you or was it a factory try it and see?...Most are in the same position whether they have a vent or not.

Unfortunately my bonnet doesn't have any vents so I'm contemplating fitting the filter & AFM in where the expansion tank sits and then making a self contained area..More on that later.

So just wondering if any of you with the filter in the expansion tank area could be so kind as to post a pic...Just need to see if it fits in with my plan...

Wedges are cool but i want mine cooler...

Cheers

Ziga

[TA14]

I don't think I've ever seen a good solution for this unless you count Cirks radical solution. IIRC there was plenty of space for the air to flow on the 280i (and a shround?) but the air is always warmed for the V8 cars. Thorpey tried a Griff type approach using a long thin filter below the rad but he reckoned that it collect too much water when wet and a lot of dirt. Not many seem to think that the cross flow vents on the 400SE etc work well for any function except getting the battery wet. You could try a T-car type solution picking up the air from the bottom of the engine bay if you can find space away from the exhaust.

[mrzigazaga]

I have two plans of action..

1. To make a scoop to collect air from the front and feed it to a shielded filter...

I say "Shielded" as the amount of room....Or lack of it is the main problem.

2. Move the AFM & Filter up to where the expansion tank sits and shield off the inner wing area with a cold air feed...

Again i say "Shielded" due to lack of room but something i have in mind will close off an air box when the bonnet is shut..Although not incasing the actual filter.


I would love to make a perspex bonnet and fit it..Seal up the sides and place coloured tape on strategic points and record the airflow...One area i think had space for improvement is under the radiator, There is a scoop already but through lack of thought its got a whacking great cutout before the air has a chance to be placed where it needs to be...

If i was gifted in working with stainless steel then i would make a purpose built heat shield that goes over the......"Cough cough"...And round the..."Blimey is that the time"....

But I'm not so fibreglass it will be....."Right wheres the hole saw"........

[gmw9666]

Sounds like a huge amount of faff with a few dollars needed for likely minimal or zero bhp gain

Wouldn't you be better off running some flexible house from behind the grill pointing at the air filter so it gets a bit more cool air? Cheap option

[mrzigazaga]

gmw9666 said:

Sounds like a huge amount of faff with a few dollars needed for likely minimal or zero bhp gain

Wouldn't you be better off running some flexible house from behind the grill pointing at the air filter so it gets a bit more cool air? Cheap option

Thats probably what i will end up doing, Especially as i have a new piece of mesh to fix it to......TBH I'm not too fussed about IAT just curious...And i won't be spending hardly anything..

[jmorgan]

Not a factory fit.

This was done out of necessity rather than design. That is time was running out and the bill going up and the rubbish three way bd child of an injection cock up that was in before was binned for a hotwire.

Edited by jmorgan on Friday 17th July 16:32

[adam quantrill]

I would recommend starting by getting a thermocouple probe. Cheap meters can be had for a fiver. (I have a cheap multimeter I plug mine into)

you can feed the wire through a bulkhead grommet easily and then check temps in different positions and in the air stream while you drive about.

Then you can see where the cool air is underbonnet and also test whether your mods are making it better or worse.

[Oz2]

Hey guys, I'm still alive........
Been really busy for what seems like months
Any way I do occasionally get time to read ph even if I'm not contributing.
Zig, there is at my dads place in Essex (where else lol)
The mold to make the air box as the air filter is mounted on the SX's it has the cool air ducts coming from the air dam.
It does a good job of keeping the temp down when on the move.
And it's something you can make yourself in the lounge/garage.

Adam

Ps not forgotten about the bits I'll dig them out and finish them off soon. I've moved workshop after 11 years and it's been a mission and it's not over yet.....

[mrzigazaga]

Oz2 said:

Hey guys, I'm still alive........
Been really busy for what seems like months
Any way I do occasionally get time to read ph even if I'm not contributing.
Zig, there is at my dads place in Essex (where else lol)
The mold to make the air box as the air filter is mounted on the SX's it has the cool air ducts coming from the air dam.
It does a good job of keeping the temp down when on the move.
And it's something you can make yourself in the lounge/garage.

Adam

Ps not forgotten about the bits I'll dig them out and finish them off soon. I've moved workshop after 11 years and it's been a mission and it's not over yet.....

Hi mate...Sounds like a plan...Glad you are okay..Looking forward to the bits...

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Peeps...Well today i fitted a piece of 80mm cold air intake hose..It has a coating that is supposed to keep heat off of it...I managed to guide through the chassis over the top of the ARB..Its not interfering with anything and i know it looks low but its no lower than the exhaust..If need be i can make some scoops out of fibreglass...Should help to bring some cooler air in....Its also cable tied even though its a snug fit.

[TVRleigh_BBWR]

Ali is quite good to work with, and works well as a heat shield.
TBH unless everything else is working at 100% and you done everything else you can I don't think a cold air feed tube is going to make much difference, if you calc the air your sucking in, it will be a lot more than the tube can supply. the air requirements will create a neg pressure under the bonnet and will suck cold air in, so will not have a lot of time to get heated up.
Best to get the car to set-up to run its best at the air temp your getting.
I got a air temp sensor on the racer, and even after running on a hot day for 20 mins at full chat with an engine temp about 100oC air temp has never gone over 40oC IFAICR, as its been a while since I raced and looked at the data logs.

Edited by TVRleigh_BBWR on Saturday 1st August 17:25

[mrzigazaga]

Thanks for that Leigh..My Wedge is running the best it could so cooling the air down a bit that it breathes can only be a good thing..Im going to place another couple from the nosecone to the engine...I have no bonnet vents on my 350i so can't see how heat build up can escape..The 280i had the better design..Theres not much to do about static IAT but then thats irrelevant anyway..I have noticed that since i put the hose in there my motorway temperature is noticeably cooler on the gauge...It sits normally at around 2mm under the top white line, Yesterday i noticed it was exactly half way up the gauge...I was a little concerned as it has never been like this in the 3 years of ownership but all is fine..It does now take longer for it to reach a point where i have to manually switch the fan on..I have no otter switch or thermo coupling...So i can definitely see some improvement..Could be that the weather has been cooler??...

[mrzigazaga]

Crikey...5 years later and I still havent done it....

[adam quantrill]

Same here, and I have Adam Oz's patented air box mould!

Must lay up some release agent and some matting.... one day.