Pod Box....Really..WhY?

[benm]

That article above is whats making me want to change my HKS to an A'Pexi (And get my box installed at the same time).

[NismoR34]

yeah, the power figures are all similar but POOR filtration is not really want you would want...I have a cheap pod...will upgrade....

[R33NT]

As NismoR34 said Rev210 you are against pod filters so be it.

The best thing to do is to get an absolute pressure gauge (ie it shows 101kPa when not connected to anything). You then drill this into the pipe between the turbo and the AFM, then measure the pressure drop when it hits max boost with the standard air box and the pod filter. I seriously do not doubt that a pod filter helps BUT the amount it helps by is debatable. Also if not properly partitioned from the rest of engine bay and with a good cold air feed then it could be worse than a standard air box......

NismoR34 it depends on what you want to pay, there are three options.

1) You can shove a slinky like spring in there that will stop the pipe from collapsing (ultra budget, but i have heard it has been done).

2) You can replace the pipe with a peice of silicon pipe like the expensive stuff on your radiator. This is easy to pipe but has the same problem as the ribbed pipe.

3) The best option is to go to some local bloke you know that welds aluminium/ stainless steel you bring him a peice of pipe and a doughnut (not the sort you eat, Homer) he should be able to weld up this so that you need two short peices of silicon pipe with clamps to attach the finished pipe to you turbo and the other end to your air filter. Up here where i live i could get this sort of thing done for less than $80.

[NismoR34]

Thanks R33NT.

I did read in HPI magazine that you can put a spring inside the hose - I dont want to do this either! I was kinda hoping you could buy something ready-made and bolt it on. I guess I will have to get one made up...unless someone else knows anything?

[rev210]

R33NT,

Not against pods at all. The intake pipe I am reffering to has a spring in it already.

Here is an auto-speed article on the lowly airbox. Skylines are the some of the worst flowing airboxes. CFM is measured at 1inch of water tho.

http://www.autospeed.com.au/A_0073/cms/article.html

[Al]

R33NT

These mods were done to my car b4 i knew this forum existed. A bit of common sense, and thought should go into every mod. ie: engines work better and safer with cooler air and temp. so why replace a sealed factory box, with an "open to hot air" pod.

BOTTOM LINE (My prospective)

I have a quality pod, in a sealed aluminum partition. Not sure of any gains, but definately not worse than factory, with one major +ve: I LOVE THE SOUND!.

ps:I respect other people opinions and listen to all views (my mate hates the sound), but at the end of the day, it is my car.

[R33NT]

Al i totally agree. As i have said before what person driving a turbo doesnt love the sound of their hair dryer spooling up????

[NismoR34]

I wouldnt mind seeing a much more up to date version of that test, "r31" skyline box in there - surely their has been some advancement in technology since then? Of course that skyline was made here too, the Japanese IMO are way ahead of AUS in this department...but still a good read, thanks rev!

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Originally posted by nismoR34

Does anyone know where I could get a replacement pipe *off the shelf* to replace the factory ribbed pipe from the AFM>Turbo? Or is this a *custom* job? if so who has done this and where did you get it made up? Prices?  

I am not so much worried about it being restrictive as i am about it collapsing!

Please help!!!

i installed my pod yesterday (i bought it from jetspeed in melb) and the guy there told me in turbo cars u need a pipe that is flexible for the turbo, having a stiff pipe (chromed for looks etc) is something you do to like a VTEC prelude or the likes as they dont required the flexibility, anyways with mine i just mounted the pod with a single piece of metal that i bent the shit out of and screwed to one of the factory air box holes and the other side to where the adapter screws through the gasket into the AFM, and its been super stable, got the adapter and bracket for $37 from autobarn and gees does this pod sound mad (K&N)

its like a mini intercooler it will do me for the time being until i got my exhaust, boost controller and FMIC but yeah i dont plan to box the pod i think its mad without it, and who cares about cops ay ?

[awon17]

Just want to ask... so is a POD illegal....

When I installed my Cooler..... instead of doing a pipe to draw air up to the POD.... I did a pipe to put the pod underneath..... together with my cooler..... it has made a significant difference in response and drivability.....

I got pulled over by cops in Pricess Hwy the other day.... though it was at night.. he inspected my whole car...... he paid particular attention to my ride height..BOV and turbo (which on my car is stock)..... maybe he didn't see my air filter.... mm...

I suppose changing the turbo is illegal too?... how about hi-flowing?

[DJ_L3ThAL]

any modification to the engine from factory standards makes your car technically un-road worthy, put it that way, if it aint stock and they wanna get you, they'll get you

[NismoR34]

Lethal, i am not changing this pipe for LOOKS! I am changing it cause, being flexible, under certain boost conditions [ie 3-5 psi higher than stock] it starts to collapse inwards, not ideal. The pipe is not designed for high-boost its designed for standard which on my car is .55 bar or just under 8psi.

I will be coating the pipe in black for a factory style look the same as my cooler pipes! No rice here thanks, not interested.

This is a common issue when modifying skylines / silvias...in HPI they replaced the pipe with a commodore one from memory but had to be modified...will look into that if i cant get one off the shelf.

[DJ_L3ThAL]

oh ok i didnt know u were playing with ypour boost sorry, well in fact ill need to do that too then coz after i get my exhaust im getting a dual-stage turbosmart controller so yeah ill have to get new pipes, is it just the air intake pipe ? and where can i get it done ?

[NismoR34]

Yes, this is the only rubber pipe in the intake system, well on the 34 anyway, i assume yours is similar...I am trying to find out where too?

[DJ_L3ThAL]

yeah mine looks like a big ribbed condom, not much bigger than my size

[Sydneykid]

Hi Rev210, the Skyline airbox is a 1986 R31 N/A, I don't believe the same problems exist with later Skyline airboxes. Although if I had a GTR with 2 X AFM's I'd be looking at an upgrade.

We saw 72 degrees under the bonnet at Eastern Creek after 2 laps, just before Xmas on a 32 degree ambient day. If I remember rightly 8 degrees equals 1% in horsepower, so 40 degrees (72-32) would be worth 5%. That's 16 hp lost of our 320 bhp if we didn't have a cold air feed and heat shield for the pod.

There is no way that a POD is going to gain 16 bhp, but not having a cold air feed to the engine can easily cost you 16 bhp.

Hope that helps.

[rev210]

The 'flexible' pipe that I am reffering to, can be replaced by a metal section with two rubber pipe joins one on each end.

That flexible pipe is very restricive.

[DJ_L3ThAL]

so everyone should cold air box their pods ?

[rev210]

They should cold airbox them. Unless you don't really care about losing power over stock and just like the pod sound.

[R33NT]

NismoR34 have a look at the link that Rev210 provided on the previouse page, it shows that there is a fairly high pressure drop due to the air box. In essence this means the turbo is sucking harder than if there was a pod filter, this also means that the ribbed condom between the AFM and the turbo will collapse because of the suction. Think about it, what happens when you get suction and a hot pipe hmmmm well it will collapse. In a nutshell you replace the air box with an easier flowing pod filter and there is less of a chance of the pipe collapsing.

DJ_L3THAL seriously how can you ask that?

Did anybody pay attention to physics back in highschool??? The hotter the air is the less dense it is!!!!!!!!!!!! ie drawing in hot air and compressing it will be less dense than cold air which is compressed. Ontop of that the higher the compressed intake air is the harder your intercooler will have to work because when you compress air you increase temperature!!!!!

P x V / T = Constant

P=pressure

V=volume

T=temperature

As for getting done by the cops i have heard of a place down in NSW called GCG turbos. They can apparently high flow you standard turbo quite seriously and leave it looking stock from the outside!!!!