air filters and induction kits??
 

Hi all..I'm just in the process of improving performance have a list of upgrades i have or are on route...

decat down and centre pipe wrapped (well it will be)
chip from the group buy forum..280bhp
Walbro 255lt fuel pump
clutch and lightweight flywheel
all fluids and oils changed

???? air filter or induction kit??????

Panel filter - I put a n induction kit on with the chip and lost all power - It really didnt like it!! boost dropped to 0.5 and its was awfull- took it off the same day. (shame - sounded GREAT - lol) Decent panel would be my fave for ya! Cosworth, STI, Apexi, Green, K&N, the list goes on! I have an HKS but the filtration is not supposed to be so good so Will prob change it this summer.

panel it is then..that was a eay choice...thanks for that

I am in same predicament. Having read around the subject i have convinced myself a Green panel filter will do the job to eeck a few more horses (but i wish i could have an induction roar - sounded emmense on my VTEC civic but i dont think the turbo spooling up will give quite the same benefit as the VTEC-cross over).
So will get a BOV to get some much needed noise :-)

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I had my standard airbox on when I changed my turbo, mapper said it was holding back the turbo (vf23) at top end, put on an apexi one went back a couple of days later and it made 14bhp and 10Lb of torque more, but it's up to you

Probably would have made the same form a Cosworth or other uprated FILTER;)

I think (as far as I know) the issue is the chip setup - and I know the whole induction kit arguments. My car really didi lose loads of power with an induction kit on but they can be bad or why would so many have them and you have to have one with a front mount anyhow. The apexi filtration has been proven to be the best with the amount of air flow - it seems to be the measurement of the air that is causing probs -dont know if its just the MAF or the chip that does it??
Would love to know myself if anyone could supply the reasons.

I believe the filter in the way to go. I have a Cossie one which dont need oiling so dont destroy the MAF
sorry to go off topic but where is the chip group buy?

The problem with an induction kit is the air turbulance. as the air moves through the MAF housing it is not smooth so the MAF does not give a true reading. This is why you lost power as possibly the ECU went into limp mode, ready to be corrected.
There are a few waysto get round this one is a CAIK (Cold Air Intake Kit) that locates the airfilter in the wing, thus the length of piping smoothes the air out.
The other method is more for if you are running a Front Mount, converting to a blow through MAF. Basically cutting a section out of the FMIC to throttle body pipe work. but about 2 centimetres larger than the MAF housng then using some suitable pipe and clamps fit yor MAF sensor in place. I have only done this on my bugeye so not sure if any differences for older and newer cars.

Because some people will buy any old sh*t, and because businesses will sell any old sh*t if there's a market for it. Slightly more seriously, on some cars the standard induction tract isn't optimally designed so a cone will be a help. On an Impreza, especially after the change to front entry turbos on the classics, the standard stuff isn't particularly restrictive unless you're after a lot of power so there's usually negligible advantage (and often disadvantages) in fitting a cone.

There are a few contributory factors.

The standard MAF-based ECUs are calibrated around the standard induction tract, airbox and filter. Swapping to something else changes the way intake air travels through the measurement tube, and so alters the relationship between the amount of air going through the tube and the voltage the sensor outputs. The ECU uses that voltage to set the mixture so if the calibration goes out, so does the mixture.

Then there's the risk that mounting the airflow sensor in an induction kit can expose it to raised levels of vibration from the engine, which, over time, can literally shake the sensitive circuit inside the AFM body to pieces. Again, defective sensor equals wrong (usually dangerously lean) mixture.

Then you have the issue with many induction kits in that they tend to suck in warm air from the middle part of the engine bay rather than cooler air from the front, and so any theoretical improvement in induction efficiency can be more than reversed by an increase in intake air temp.

There are others but they're the main issues.

Once agin.... Thanks to the tech mind!!
Im good with bodywork and now picking up alot about mechanics and the flat 4 thanks to people here and others, along with a will to learn!
Thanks Splitpin!!
Very happy with my air box setup anyhow but have a thirst for the whys and wherefors!
Will be starting my own intake temp trials tomorrow and ongoing over this year!
Hope all this is helpfull to you Messi??

helps very much...please keep the thread alive with your trials...i will put a green panel in for now as i getting a chip form the group buy forum + got decat down and centre to go on....i change at a time me thinks

I got a Green Cotton panel filter for my 55 WRX. It seems more responsive but thats cos I was hoping it would be. Also if you listen real careful you can hear a small sucking sound too - bonus.

But hey at least my car is modified now :)

p.s. standard WRX with only a Prodrive backbox + Green cotton filter = 241bhp at the fly. That'll do for me

p.s. I think it was Japanese Performance magazine had in issue in June that had a run down of various replacement panel filters. The good thing was they gave rolling road figures for an STI with each panel filter filtered - not all panel filters are equal.

Just put my airbox and filter back in, getting it tweaked in two weeks, will let you know the difference

you could have a nackered maf, if it wasnt quite right in the first place then the chip could just be highlighting an unoticed problem. i had this problem with mine and it turned out to be the maf reading the air volume wrong but with a new maf and a hks ind kit with chipped 7k ecu (chip supplied by major sarcasm) all is well and my scoob now go's like a cat with a match up its ass :D