A whole lot of people put these short cone intakes on these cars ,, the only thing I don't like is that the engine is sucking up all the hot air under the hood and that's is a no no .. Heat kills your gas mileage and performance ... It looks good and sounds good ...car takes off at the low end torque but kills it at high end where fuel mileage drops .. I did a test and a mod ... First I removed the OEM snorkel and went for a test drive going up hill and on the flats .. Wow the results was amazing .. It pulled better making the car shift faster in Ds mode without hammering the car ... If you want that roaring sound without spending a dime that's the way to go ... It does the same as the short intake .. Remember it will suck in hot air ... I liked the performance but my theory is to get cold air to the engine , I was looking at the snorkel and I saw a restriction at the input tip by the grill .. I cut it right off assembled it and went for a test drive ,, what difference .. It had the same performance as if it didn't have snorkel .. I
The faster I went the faster the response on the pedal and the shifting without beating the car up ... Now I have a forced air ram using stock OEM filter box. .. I took some pics and 1 video tested in Ds mode not manual shifting and can see how quick it accelerates without pushing it .. I only need to buy a K&N filter ... I'm happy with the results .. Now I have to figure out how to post the pics and 1 video ..

 

 

I'd like to see pics and vid

 

http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/...psd6a7106d.jpg

 

did u end up leaving snorkel attatched?

 

yes i did ... i cut out the front lip where its curved ... on 1 of the pics you will see an arrow stamped on it then another i cut in half ... there is little space to draw air but now it picks up cold air straight from the grill .. the faster i go the quicker it responds and shifts without slamming the gas pedal ... couldn't upload video so i had to go thru youtube

 

check out small clip from youtube http://youtu.be/3E2oJMyZYMM

 

you could leave the snorkel out if you wish ... it has a very load roar to it ... it became extremely snappy .. i just like cold air going into it

 

2010

 

You must be new around here and new to tuning/modifying cars in general... I just read your other posts, and it seems like there is a bit more thought than I had previously given you credit for.
Though for the record, the stock intake is pretty good and not restrictive at all. No matter what else you do, the intake is not the limitation anymore. The tests you have conducted are probably biased and flawed.

Testing by using Ds mode... See quote below.
Agreed.

EDIT:
I was going to type more and rant a bit more, but I give up. I am going to bed. Work tomorrow and all.

 

^ Thank you!
Finally someone gets it.

 

This kinda looks like your on the highway...

 

IMO, by cutting off the piece that you did, the air flow is no longer smooth at the entry point, but turbulent.

Until you increase the density of the air going into your intake, don't expect any increase in power. The sensation you feel could simply be due to either the placebo effect or the difference in sound/noise as a result of that piece being cut off.

Subscribed for dyno numbers...

 

no sounds is the same .. No change in sound .. There is more air going and more direct ... The car responds quicker and shifts quicker just by cutting that piece off,, now I'm gonna work on the vias valves ..

 

I'll agree that the air is slightly more direct, but there certainly isn't any more air. If there is, it's neglible IMO. Your engine is like a vacuum. It can pretty much only suck in so much air no matter how much air you throw at it.

The concepts in this video support my post.

 

My question is, does this mod save us from purchasing a SRI just for the sound? So much debate on if it does anything for your car but there's no doubt it makes a nice sound. If you can just take the snorkel off and leave the intake as is per your last picture? Same sound as a SRI correct? Just bringing in warmer air? I haven't look at the inside of our current stock setup, but does the drop in filter sit properly for the nozzle to be removed like that too? Or is some of that air going above and under the filter?

 

Would removing that piece from the front cause more water to enter into the intake box during a rainstorm? I was driving through a rainstorm last night and other cars would splash quite a large amount of water into the front grill.

 

you just changed it so the oem intake doesnt have a suction to the grill duct so is instead pulling hot air from the engine bay. the only reason the OEM intake is better than short rams is because it has this direct route to cold air.

 

If we heat wrapped the crap outta the OEM box, snorkel, and anything involved... would it be a waste of an hour and a couple bucks or what?

Becasue after 4 months of owning this car and WANTING to install a CAI or SRI, it's hard to do so without feeling stupid after reading the multiple threads that ask the same question and get NO'S in reply.

 

If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that the intake is composite plastic or some type of plastic, so I think the answer will be "Yes, it will be a waste of an hour and a couple bucks."

 

Take that open air duct and connect some exhaust gases into it and you'll have a turbo............Baahaahaaa!

 

I want to write a condescending remark about how silly and definitely counter-productive this 'mod' is. But then I remember there was a time when I thought it was a good idea to do something like this to my 97 maxima. And did it. Fast forward a few year from that genius decision and I was looking on craigslist for a stock 4th gen Maxima intake plastics..
I also remember my temperament those days, and there was nothing anybody could say, no matter what proof, to stop me from 'improving' my car..

 

I would say do what makes you happy. The SRI creates an aggressive note and lessens restricted air to intake. The stock intake doesn't look or sound as cool then go change it. No judgement here.

 

My gas mileage improved .. On a regular basis I would average 18 to 19 miles per gallon the way I drive ... Now my car is telling me 21.6 ... Never saw those numbers before.. I guess that simple mod did do something

 

No....it didn't. You're obviously not listening to a word people are saying. Your mod will likely hurt efficiency/HP since you are bringing in warmer air to the engine. There is no way that would help your mileage.

Either you are being lighter on the gas pedal hoping to increase your gas mileage, or you are driving less city and more highway.

 

Well if that's the case then is he not right in the fact that he is getting better gas mileage? I swore I heard somewhere that warmer air creates better gas mileage but colder (denser) air creates more power.

Regardless of the fact, he is the one doing the mod so if he's seeing better gas mileage on his end doesn't mean that we can tell him any different on this end.

It's like a saying my mom use to always say. Cats and dogs don't have the same luck. So with that maybe just cause it doesn't work in theory or for anyone else doesn't mean that he's not seeing some benefit from it.

Carry on!

 

I always wondered why the intake shroud was designed like that. Couldn't you just make a metal piece from the grill to the shroud for direct air? If it matters

 

What warm air .. ? I'm using OEM airbox with the original snorkel .. I just cut the lip off.. It's amazing what you can learn from this site... So If you put a short intake such as injen takeda etc is better than the stock intake.. Wow more hotter air pulled in from the engine bay .. I must have missed something growing up working on cars

 

Removing part from grill to snorkel eliminates any cold air being brought into the system

 

Not to be a Debbie Downer but aren't some mods more cosmetic or facade than others? This is a rhetorical question and like the other fella said, "to each his own". I have a SRI KN on my car and I have seen a little increase in mpg. I realistically doubt it hurts or increases to be honest but it does sound more throaty and is a "seat of the pants" mod when it gets to 4000+ rpm. It feels stronger than it did before and of course it is louder too. I disassembled the whole snorkel and opened up the front end to allow more air into the bay. At a high rate of speed there is more airflow and hence cooler air flowing through the bay at a quicker rate... My thoughts not that they are worth 💩. I love these vehicles and I'm on my 3rd maxima. If we all believed what we read none of us would own one since they were given ho hum rates by most car mags anyway. That's enough rambling from me

 

So you're saying a 15% increase in gas mileage from this mod?

 

realistically, most of us aren't taking our cars to the track so what does it matter if you lose a few horses off the line if you think about it. you can definitely feel it a bit when you're moving cause lots of cold air is rushing into the engine bay through the grill. despite my testing, until i upgraded I still ran a short ram intake just cause i loved the sound. i thought stock sounded too boring, and i wasnt racing so didnt care honestly.

if you like the sound id say go for it, i think people are just saying dont really expect crazy gains off of it cause those who've tested it come back saying the stock airbox is more efficient because you have a little less restriction, roughly same intake length, but since its mostly closed off to the warm air of the engine bay with a plastic duct the end result is a much cooler intake air temp with the stock box.

 

And point for Ghozt

 

Well said.

 

I did not remove the snorkel .. The only thing I did is cut a piece of plastic off at the very tip ... As shown in the pic .. It has an arrow on it .. The plastic that I cut off had a curved plastic blocking air from coming in

 

Hey guys it doesn't hurt to try it and see for your self .. I'm always cruising @ 70 so I'm not babying the pedal

 

I did the same thing for the ride to work this morning. Took off the 1st shield, then the arrow part all together. I didn't bother cutting it. Kinda looks like it stretches about the same anyway.

So I took a good listen on the way to work. Drove in D and messed with the paddles. I'll do the same for the ride home, but I'm going to put the arrow back in, and the shield back on top. And I'll report any differences.

Question, are you running with the top shield off, or on? And did you run it with the snorkel off at all?

EDIT** O and just 70mph? lol that's if I feel like taking my time...

 

I believe that piece was bent downward to prevent water and debris from being sucked up into the air box/filter. I believe they make some sort of adapter to put into the duct to prevent water from being sucked into the system.

 

Right, it is designed keep out water/debris but the the opening curves more to the side relative to the snorkel opening and has a couple vertical air deflectors molded in.
I actually modified mine by removing these deflectors to give the air a bit less restricted path into the opening. I did not hack anything from the forward facing inlet area as you still want to receive the air out in front of radiator/trans cores which are heat sources.
I have freeway driven through torrential downpours with no water ingestion issues.

 

Yeah they're 'heat sources' but just a thought...

I know after driving home and feeling them, that the front one doesn't, or hadn't gotten even warm yet, hell I'd say it WAS on the colder side. Obviously the one behind it burnt my finger lol. However, if you take the 2nd part off, the part with the arrow, there remaining part still lays OVER top of the 2nd trans cooler. I'd figure if you're driving straight (lol) and air is pushing back towards the engine, you're not getting the hot hair from the engine bay or 2nd trans cooler. It'd just be whatever free flowing air comes up to the 1st trans cooler and into the snorkel.

Makes sense to me at least... I think.

On a side note, messing around with how the air enters the intake, how much, or in which direction blah blah blah, all in all seems to change the sound. Sounds simply referring to the wind/air passing through the open areas. Just like when you put your lips together and whistle. Change the pressure or volume that the area is moving through and you'd get a different sound?

Ultimately that's what I'm aiming for with trying this myself. Seeing if I can hear a different kind of whistle based on how I alter the flow of air.

If anything... this just gives me a reason to talk/play with my car! And why not!?