Yet another 205 question.

Yet another 205 question.

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Discussion

TimmerTVR

Original Poster:

387 posts

222 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
Today i removed the front grille, headlights and indicators to put on my new clear indicators. When i first bought the car a mate queried the fact that the air intake opening is directly behind the flat plastic part of the grille.

When i removed the grille today it confirmed this. Is this not a little strange? Surely all the air is being prevented from the air intake and thus hampering performance?!

Is everybody's pug like that or just mine?

Has any body altered this (cut a hole in the grille mount) to create perfect air induction? Surely it must increase performance?

Worth a go?

simes205

4,660 posts

235 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
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Do you mean where I've marked out?




I take it you have the OE intake system?

I've seen holes drilled into the plastic to allow more air in but to be honest I'd leave it as that's how the car was designed.

Edited by simes205 on Sunday 22 October 15:21

TimmerTVR

Original Poster:

387 posts

222 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
Yup thats the place.

I'll probably leave it alone but it just seems an odd set up to me!?

timbob

2,158 posts

259 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
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There's no ram air effect at driving speeds anyway. You could have the air intake pointing upwards into the bonnet behind the headlight and it would make no differnce top the amount of air the engine takes in. All the intake does is suck in the air that's around it - and there's just as much air wherever it is positioned.

What would make a difference is to move the intake further over to behind the headlight (where the picture shows) as it's further from the engine block and the air will be cooler, hence denser.

All the scoop type, large front opening things that look like they funnel lots of air into the intake don't do anything other than enclose the air filter to cool the air. In fact, they proably do more harm than good in trying to get more air into the engine. If anything, you want a narrow opening with a chamber that opens out - much like most standard airboxes.

busta

4,504 posts

240 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
quotequote all
timbob said:

What would make a difference is to move the intake further over to behind the headlight (where the picture shows) as it's further from the engine block and the air will be cooler, hence denser.


Not necessarily because the intake is then moved away from the flow of cooler ambient air around the front grille. Distance from the engine is not relevant if the intake is positioned in an area of ambient air flow.

sorrento205

2,875 posts

243 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
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i took it off mine, cant say i noticed any difference whatsoever.

busta

4,504 posts

240 months

Sunday 22nd October 2006
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sorrento205 said:
i took it off mine, cant say i noticed any difference whatsoever.


Manufacturers do think these things through. If having the intake just behind the grille was going to decrease power they wouldnt have done it. Part of the reason the intake is covered by the grille is to stop it drawing in excessive amounts of water if you splash through big puddles.

sorrento205

2,875 posts

243 months

Monday 23rd October 2006
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well its rendered useless now ive got an air filter on it but yes that does make sense

Rob_the_Sparky

1,000 posts

245 months

Monday 23rd October 2006
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If it makes a difference it isn't noticable! I have run them with the pipe from the air filter off and with a simple cone filter hanging over the exhaust (on a couple of ty-raps - and not it wasn't of my doing). In theory drawing air from above the exhaust should be really bad but TBH I didn't notice any difference when I returned it to standard!

busta

4,504 posts

240 months

Monday 23rd October 2006
quotequote all
sorrento205 said:
well its rendered useless now ive got an air filter on it but yes that does make sense


Did your car not have an air filter already?

This is a slightly off topic rant but...

Personally i think the whole 'induction kit and performance exhaust makes it faster' thing is a bit of a chavs tale. The main thing that makes people think they are getting more power with these mods is the fact that they don't supress the induction and exhaust noise as much. If you can notice a 4hp power increase in anything over a 120hp car you've got a pretty sensitive arse.
On a highly tuned engine they make more sense and release a significant amount of power over standard filters and exhausts.
K&N make standard fit air filters for most cars that use the existing induction system. These are the best bet for durability and cost effectiveness if you have to go down the performance filter route.

IMO of course.

TimmerTVR

Original Poster:

387 posts

222 months

Monday 23rd October 2006
quotequote all
Thats a fair point, my query was just that it seemed an odd place to put the entrance on the induction system directly behind an obstructing plate. I just figured it was blocking the cool air causing it to only take in warmed engine air. I am not looking to change the system was just questioning it.

simes205

4,660 posts

235 months

Monday 23rd October 2006
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I only have a cone filter as the original Mi16 airbox does not fit my tiny engine bay.

sorrento205

2,875 posts

243 months

Tuesday 24th October 2006
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if you look at the standard induction pipework, there is something like 4x 90^ bends, and the airbox is right on top of the exhaust mani. ditching it may not make much of a difference, but the cost it can be done it seemed worth it anyway just to free up some space in the bay.

afaik, its not possible to retain the standard 405 induction pipework on a 205 Mi conversion, but i had an "induction kit" setup on my old 8v anyway just because i could

Rob_the_Sparky

1,000 posts

245 months

Tuesday 24th October 2006
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Absolutely, ditching the OEM set-up for more space seems the only logical reason to do it and boy does it free up some space. Mine are all OEM though as I can put up with it but I can understand why you'd move it. However, having the filter mostly blocked by the battery/wing/headlight combo is hardly sensible either! And clearly the air under the bonnet is hotter than the air in front of the rad.

Don't think there is an ideal answer on a 205 without cutting the bonnet/wing or dropping the rad.

Rob