AW11 (mk 1 MR2) cold air intake

[AdrianS]

So I have an 87 MR2 that I fitted a 20v blacktop & 6 speed box to about a year ago.
I now want a better air intake - currently running the OEM "around the boot to the drivers side vent" plumbing.

Options :
1 pod filter in engine bay - sucks pre-heated air.
2 mk1a style duct from under car - sucks dust on gravel roads.
3 custom passenger side vent and duct - involves body mods & a fair bit of work. *
4 snorkel from top of engine bay - doesn't fit my "factory" aesthetic.

All suggestions welcome.

* current preferred option

[trdee]

snorkel on the passenger side would work well if you sealed it properly, and can be made to look fairly factory spec.

or drop the pod filter down in front of the gearbox. not too low though or you can suck water/dirt as you say

[old_mr2]

There is a good chance you will see no extra HP or Torque changing to a pod filter mounted in the bay somewhere. My vote is to stay with the factory arrangement.

This is what I use with my SC14 with great results.

[MR22ZZ]

lose the excess piping and put a big filter in the boot?

[domma_aw11]

Wouldnt the boot be filled with hot air?? Not ventelation and it would be hot from the motor been hot?? Like a heated compartment??

[Duk]

You need to do some real world testing.

Fit a water manometer to the plumbing just before the plenum chamber and take it for a full throttle squirt while someone else watches the manometer. Do this on the road so that everything is experiencing real world air flow behavior (no dyno fan is going to be able to move that kind of air around and thru a car), this way the air's flowing behavior thru the side cooling duct and the actual air intake for the engine will be totally accurate.

If there is bugger all pressure drop, then there is bugger all increased flow potential from even the biggest air intake.

Depending on how much work you want to do, I'd guess that a factory style pre-filter plumbing arrangement would be the best from a dust/debris/water ingestion point of view. Making new plumbing that follows the originals path but with larger diameter pipe and more open bends, from PVC pipe, would be light and well priced.
And making an actual scoop that protrudes into the drivers side air inlet, rather than just having an opening at the top of the air inlet, should help it to grab more air.

[AdrianS]

I am not a fan of pod filters, and was thinking that I could possibly re-route the intake plumbing in the boot to go along the front instead of all the way around. That would cut at least a metre off the length. Also re-work the intake vent as duk suggests.
I have unlimited dyno access :-), but real world testing is required before I change anything.
Part of the issue is that the blacktop has no AFM, just MAP and throttle position, so the ecu can't see changes to the air intake : it just injects fuel thinking it has the factory Trueno intake, which looks to be less restrictive than the AW11.

[feral4mr2]

IMO the factory set-up will flow enough for what your engine requires in it's stock pipe routed set-up. you just gotta get more air to it, that's the main fault with the design.
sure, if you can redo the stock pipe tract with 90mm pvc pipe the whole way would be better as it would be a smoothe tract for the air to flow through to the filter. all the little imprints and squished bits with '4AGE' imprinted in it (like the peice across the rear) could impede flow to an extent, but probably minimal. each sharp edge the air flows over on the interior of the stock pipe work 'could' heat the air a tad too if you wanted to get that far involved in it. hence redoing the lot in round pvc pipe 'may' be benificial if you just want to optimise the stock routed set-up or dont like the stock pipe work.
pull your side duct cover off and have a look see where the actual hole is that feeds the pipeing to the filter. it's going to 'suck' cool air just fine where it is, but not have any luck at 'forceing' cool air.
on the lil feral i have a flexible pipe that runs from said opening to the rear edge (inside) of the side duct cover. while having a better shaped catchment style scoop at this point would be better, at least some air will be channeled to this pipe as it flows down the side of the car and a little is caught in the side cover.
even if you want to be real fussy i would make a custom smoothed interior pipe instead of the flexi pipe i have as it's corragated on the inside that could cause 'hot spots' as the air flows over it....

[Xenon676]

I know this is a old thread but I gotta rant some LOL. Everyones first mod is always the filter LOL. Cold air packages do little to nothing for HP gains. Unless it is TRULY cold air. For a AW11 being a mid engined car this is practically impossible. The closest thing I have seen so far to a true cold air intake, is it being mounted in the trunk ( for you Brits the boot ). For this to be effective however you need to get air from the outside into the intake filter. That is where the tricky part is, as you have to make and mount a scoop on the rear of the quarter panel. Ducting straight to a insulated filter box. The adding on the duct ( scoop ) to the vehicle will increase its drag coefficient.

[knightrous]

I know this is a old thread but I gotta rant some LOL. Everyones first mod is always the filter LOL. Cold air packages do little to nothing for HP gains. Unless it is TRULY cold air. For a AW11 being a mid engined car this is practically impossible. The closest thing I have seen so far to a true cold air intake, is it being mounted in the trunk ( for you Brits the boot ). For this to be effective however you need to get air from the outside into the intake filter. That is where the tricky part is, as you have to make and mount a scoop on the rear of the quarter panel. Ducting straight to a insulated filter box. The adding on the duct ( scoop ) to the vehicle will increase its drag coefficient.

It's easily done....

Mount one scoop on passenger side.


Sealed based means no hot air from the engine bay can get in.


Add some ducting and an encloded pod filter



If you think the drag from a scoop is going to be a major issue, you have clearly bought the wrong car

[trdee]

the best cold air intake is an intercooler after your turbo

[feral4mr2]

^^^ agreed. haha..

xenon, umm..... the stock system is a 'true' cold air intake then.

[knightrous]

the best cold air intake is an intercooler after your turbo

It's even better if the turbo if fed cool air from the start, not radiant heated air from a glowing turbo manifolds

[Hiro]

the best cold air intake is an intercooler after your turbo

And roof-mounted....


Don't forget the shroud either.

[Xenon676]

Oh yeah that little diameter tube you have connecting that scoop and the filter isn't restrictive in the least LOL Let alone you talking about traveling 3 foot thru a hot engine bay. TRY again.

It's easily done....

Mount one scoop on passenger side.


Sealed based means no hot air from the engine bay can get in.


Add some ducting and an encloded pod filter



If you think the drag from a scoop is going to be a major issue, you have clearly bought the wrong car