BEGi Cold Air Intake Box

[sierra248]

Allot of people give me Sh*^ about this, but I really like quietness and smoothness of this car and am old(34) to be screaming around anymore(No offense to those who do at all, I have my moments). How sealed off is the Begins box, If you took some RAAMATT or Dynamat made for under the Hood and lined the box, its small prob double up the lining, anyone think it would keep the noise down even further? I'm waiting for Cobb's Staged packages but as so many of you seem to really be making power with just and intake and Stage 0 at Cobb is usually no mods except AP, but usually u can get away with an intake, The Subby guys have very good stock intakes.

Just a though?

 

[desperado-c]

Allot of people give me Sh*^ about this, but I really like quietness and smoothness of this car and am old(34) to be screaming around anymore(No offense to those who do at all, I have my moments). How sealed off is the Begins box, If you took some RAAMATT or Dynamat made for under the Hood and lined the box, its small prob double up the lining, anyone think it would keep the noise down even further? I'm waiting for Cobb's Staged packages but as so many of you seem to really be making power with just and intake and Stage 0 at Cobb is usually no mods except AP, but usually u can get away with an intake, The Subby guys have very good stock intakes.

Just a though?

I don't think it's that well sealed off, but the actual owners can chime in. Maybe you could wrap it up and seal off everything but the side facing the wheelwell, but I think you're gonna get some more noise if you get rid of the stock box!

 

[Bricktop]

Ok... FYI, I don't have the dyno sheet anymore for my ride but I put out 162kw atw on a dyno dynamics dyno in shootout mode about 6 weeks ago stock. Now this is probably less than what most of you stateside guys are getting as the quality of our fuel is quite terrible. I have seen the box in person on another mazda forums members car, it is not sealed like you would imagine a standard full replacement box, it uses the fuse box as one “wall” the lid, and a partial wall where the maf adapter goes through. Its still loud, but I have no doubt that should you feel the need to quiet the sound down more, some dynamat would work wonders in hushing it. It uses the intake from behind the headlight although I will be running some flexpipe from behind the front bumper to get some more air up there I think.

 

[desperado-c]

Ok... FYI, I don't have the dyno sheet anymore for my ride but I put out 162kw atw on a dyno dynamics dyno in shootout mode about 6 weeks ago stock. Now this is probably less than what most of you stateside guys are getting as the quality of our fuel is quite terrible. I have seen the box in person on another mazda forums members car, it is not sealed like you would imagine a standard full replacement box, it uses the fuse box as one “wall” the lid, and a partial wall where the maf adapter goes through. Its still loud, but I have no doubt that should you feel the need to quiet the sound down more, some dynamat would work wonders in hushing it. It uses the intake from behind the headlight although I will be running some flexpipe from behind the front bumper to get some more air up there I think.

That's great info. The DD's in shootout mode are excellent for determining standardized gains from what I've heard. So, you'll follow up with another DD in shootout mode? Can't wait to see the result.

Who's the member from the other forum with the BEGI installed? I know of a couple of Aussies who regularly post there but didn't know of any posting about install of the BEGI. Actually, since you guys got the first production batch we were relying heavily on your experiences to let us know what the hell the car was like while we waited for them to show on our shores.

 

[Bricktop]

He's not an active poster.. bit of a lurker...

Update it left Chicago int'l airport on the 3rd... should be here anyday now. Will hopefully get it dyno'd within the first couple of weeks (or at our next local dyno day)

 

[Kurt07]

Do you have a baseline dyno? Do you hear more turbo spool than intake whoosh or do you get a lot of that sound, too? Dang, I wish they'd come out with it b/f I got my CAI. I might have to sell it and buy the BEGI.

It is a whole lot more turbo spool that intake whoosh.

I don't have a baseline dyno which actually kind of makes it pointless the dyno the car now.

 

[desperado-c]

It is a whole lot more turbo spool that intake whoosh.

I don't have a baseline dyno which actually kind of makes it pointless the dyno the car now.

Damn, it's taken me a really long time to get used the CAI's tinny whoosh sound and I still don't like it. No dyno? What, you don't to put the stock box back on and dyno, wait a week for trims to settle down and dyno again. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to rely on Bricktop and an internet kw--> translator.

 

[Kurt07]

Damn, it's taken me a really long time to get used the CAI's tinny whoosh sound and I still don't like it. No dyno? What, you don't to put the stock box back on and dyno, wait a week for trims to settle down and dyno again. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to rely on Bricktop and an internet kw--> translator.

That would be simple enough, but I would need to be really bored to do so. I hate putting stock parts back on a car after they have been replaced by something better.

 

[Bricktop]

HI all,

Finally got my BEGI airbox from protege garage this week, installed it on Thursday night, the entire job, took about 1 hour and it was so easy i have prepared a bit of a guide on how to do it yourself.. Firstly a review on the product.

The kit comes with a maf adapter a K&N filter, airbox and various bolts and screws... What it doesn't come with are instructions which is really ordinary as there are a variety of different screws bolts and allen bolts that you need to filter through and use in the correct application... As i am not convinced i have used all the screws in the right place i won't say which bolts are used where where i am not sure.

Temperature testing. Standard airbox inlet temperature was a consistent 24 degrees after driving the car for 30 minutes then leaving idle for 5 minutes to heat soak. BEGi box was tested after installing driven for 30 minutes and left to idle for 5 minutes and recorded an inlet temperature of 26 degrees celsius, Both were tested with a simple chemistry thermometer and should just be used as a guide.

Economy - Previously i was getting a maximum of 430kms to a full tank of caltex 98 octane mainly driven in light traffic and freeways, the car is pushed a few times each journey.
Since installing, After the first tank i saw 350km's out of half a tank, 521kms out of a full tank thats 171 kms more out of a simple intake mod. This could potentially be even more considering i was given the car a serve to hear the noise.

Performance -on WOT the TC is on permanently in 2nd gear and now comes on in 3rd in the dry, Traction will also come on in 3rd gear in the wet more frequently than before, car seems to be more responsive to throttle inputs ESPECIALLY in 4th gear.

Noise... By far and away the best thing... sounds wicked. thats all.

Anyway onto the guide... Firstly you need to take off the lid of the box and undo the inlet pipe from the maf housing. To do this simply unscrew the pipe connector, unclip the 2 clips holding the airbox down and slide the rubber slider on the guard side of the box backwards, you should also unclip the maf adaptor but at this point i would leave the maf unit still in the lid (for protection)... Now remove the top part of the airbox

Now take out the filter (it just lifts out)

the actual base of the std airbox is held in place by two rubber gromets, To remove the box, simply give the base of the box a decent pull and it will pop out.

(Pre work on the BEGi Box)
You will need to connect the max adapter, filter to the base of the box before you drop it in as you won't have the room later.

Now that you have done that, drop the base plate in and screw into place. It uses a std mounting point near the fuse box, simply unwind the bolt and re-use it after putting the baseplate in... (my baseplate required some filing to get it to sit flush)

Now remove the maf from the airbox and screw into place into the maf adapter that begi provide and push into the inlet pipe and use hose clamps to tighten. (note i could not use the std screws on the maf adapter i had to use bigger ones i had lying around as the mounting holes were too big, BEGi's production tolerances are not that great to be honest)

Now your ready for the lid, it attaches to the airbox and a mounting tab on the radiator support panel. Again i had to drill another hole in the lid of the airbox as there was no way the holes placed there by BEGi would have fit.

 

[Vindikacione]

Wow, You spent extra time doing things you shouldn't have to do. Sorry mate.

1) File the base plate
2) Get Screws that fit the MAF
3) Drill holes on the top plate

?

Good how-to. Got to give you credit for not getting pissed.

 

[fourthmeal]

All the more reason to run Cobb...I can't believe that you had to do so much custom work with such a simple product.

 

[Bricktop]

To be honest I am not 100% happy with the way it fits, I thought it would be a bit more professional than the kit I received, I plan on typing a letter to BEGi outlining the issues I had with my kit and wait for a reponse.

 

[StephanieT]

Finally got my BEGI airbox from protege garage this week, installed it on Thursday night, the entire job, took about 1 hour and it was so easy i have prepared a bit of a guide on how to do it yourself.. Firstly a review on the product.]

Glad it was easy enough to accomplish and did not take long! I do have an instruction set for these parts. I apologize for them not reaching you.

Now that you have done that, drop the base plate in and screw into place. It uses a std mounting point near the fuse box, simply unwind the bolt and re-use it after putting the baseplate in... (my baseplate required some filing to get it to sit flush)

Do you have a photo of the filing required? Is your car a 2007 or a 2008? I am wondering where the differences are. Is you car any different than the US versions?

Now remove the maf from the airbox and screw into place into the maf adapter that begi provide and push into the inlet pipe and use hose clamps to tighten. (note i could not use the std screws on the maf adapter i had to use bigger ones i had lying around as the mounting holes were too big, BEGi's production tolerances are not that great to be honest)

You are supposed to re-use the stock MAF fasteners here. The fasteners included are not supposed to fit here. Sorry if that was not clear enough. Can you explain the production tolerances more please.

Now your ready for the lid, it attaches to the airbox and a mounting tab on the radiator support panel. Again i had to drill another hole in the lid of the airbox as there was no way the holes placed there by BEGi would have fit.

I will show the photos to our shop manager. I wonder why there is a difference again? Any info will be helpful.

Wow, You spent extra time doing things you shouldn't have to do. Sorry mate.

1) File the base plate
2) Get Screws that fit the MAF
3) Drill holes on the top plate

Good how-to. Got to give you credit for not getting pissed.

I agree, there are certain things one should not have to do with an install. However there are very few parts that install 100% perfectly. That is the nature of installing aftermarket parts. And there are only two possible issues, not three. Personally, I would think it unreasonable to get pissed off. What if it is a problem that he could not have foreseen, we could not have for seen, and turns out to be a Mazda Issue? It would be a waste of time and emotion to get pissed about it. Why not call and ask for help? Or send an e-mail? Let's try to find and solve the problem, not run around and say someone should be mad.

To be honest I am not 100% happy with the way it fits, I thought it would be a bit more professional than the kit I received, I plan on typing a letter to BEGi outlining the issues I had with my kit and wait for a reponse.

I will save you time of writing a letter. If people contact us with a problem, we are more than happy to help. And I definitely want to hear what is going on. It sounds as is we may need to make a AU version of the air box.
Please explain the lid and filing off the mounting tab more!
Thanks!
Stephanie

 

[Bricktop]

No Problem,

For what its worth I was planning on writing a letter, but I have been busy at work and haven’t had the time and I didn’t get that annoyed with it, rather was just curious as to how it seemed to be that off. To be honest I am more than happy with the final product.

Firstly, it was easy enough to install even without the instructions so as for ease of install it was a 10/10. My car is a 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 (MPS in our market) I don’t have a photo here on me (at work currently) but from what I can tell you is that the tab that is used to mount the base plate to the car is too wide. I had to file the left hand side of the tab back about 5 mmm (not that much) so that it would drop over the bolt hole and so I could secure it, I originally thought it was the thick powder coating but I did have to take some material out.

As for the maf adapter, the holes that are used to screw the maf into place are too wide the std screws simply “float” in the holes, they cannot be used it seems that the holes are made for a different sized screw. I don’t think there are any differences between the Aus delivered models or the U.S ones in regards to the lid not fitting, this I cannot explain, only to say that if I line up the far right bolt hole with the radiator support tab, the hole on the box will not even get close, (the photos show this clearly.)

The other concern I have is that the 2nd mounting point seems to differ from that advertised on the protg garage website. The bolt that is displayed on the bottom left of this picture is on the top of the mazda plastic tab,

This would suggest screwing some kind of self tapping screw through the plastic, which is fair enough, but on my version this is actually on the underside of the plastic tab, which makes lining the holes up incredibly difficult, Again, I don’t have a photo on me at this point in time. I will take some more pics tonight (Australia time) and upload them for you to see what I mean.

Here you can see the top of the box looking down, it also shows how far the bolt hole is off.

and here is a pick looking from the bonnet towards to the airbox, you can see the metal block is below the plastic tab,

Just so I clarify, I would just like to help you in getting these things cleared up, I think it’s a great product and does what I want it to do and I think its commendably that your taking the time to stand behind your product.

 

[StephanieT]

I had to file the left hand side of the tab back about 5 mmm (not that much) so that it would drop over the bolt hole and so I could secure it, I originally thought it was the thick powder coating but I did have to take some material out. .

My initial thought was the powder coating too. But if you took off some aluminum too..... I bet they used the wrong thickness of aluminum strap here. I will mention it to Donnie and make sure it gets fixed

As for the maf adapter, the holes that are used to screw the maf into place are too wide the std screws simply float in the holes, they cannot be used it seems that the holes are made for a different sized screw.

Do you know the size of the screw you ended up using? My guess is that that Corky's intention was for us to include new screws. I will update the parts lists.

I dont think there are any differences between the Aus delivered models or the U.S ones in regards to the lid not fitting, this I cannot explain, only to say that if I line up the far right bolt hole with the radiator support tab, the hole on the box will not even get close, (the photos show this clearly.)

I saw that in the photos. That is not ideal. If you shoot me an e-mail or a PM with your address, I will get another one made and sent to you.

The other concern I have is that the 2nd mounting point seems to differ from that advertised on the protg garage website. The bolt that is displayed on the bottom left of this picture is on the top of the mazda plastic tab,

The photo on the PG website is correct. There were two boxes that were made with the square mounting point on the wrong side of the tab. However, it will still install and secure OK if you insert the screw from the bottom side instead of the top. Subsequent air boxes have the mounting bracket in the correct location. Sorry for the confusion.

Just so I clarify, I would just like to help you in getting these things cleared up, I think its a great product and does what I want it to do and I think its commendably that your taking the time to stand behind your product.

We do appreciate your help. I am glad you were able to figure it out. Like I said, send me an e-mail with your address and I will get a new lid to you.
Thanks,
Stephanie

 

[BluMicaR]

I agree, there are certain things one should not have to do with an install. However there are very few parts that install 100% perfectly. That is the nature of installing aftermarket parts.

JUST to play the devil's advocate here I want to mention how smoothly my COBB SRI went into my car in about 45m after I picked the 6 year old up from school, before her mom got home, while she watched 1.5 episodes of Hannah Montana. After which I started the car and haven't had a single issue since, no CELs or anything. Additionally their directions were spot-on and very detailed.

 

[desperado-c]

JUST to play the devil's advocate here I want to mention how smoothly my COBB SRI went into my car in about 45m after I picked the 6 year old up from school, before her mom got home, while she watched 1.5 episodes of Hannah Montana. After which I started the car and haven't had a single issue since, no CELs or anything. Additionally their directions were spot-on and very detailed.

Come on, it's a shorty. Of course it only took 1.5 episodes of Hannah Montana.

 

[Kurt07]

Other than having to go get two screws for the MAS sensor, I had no install issues. I didn't have to drill any extra holes. Despite the lack of instructions, this product is simple to install. I have about 1500 miles on the BEGi box, and I have yet to have any kind of problems. Maybe some traction problems, but I can deal with that.

 

[Sierra117]

I'm seriously torn between this one and the Cobb...any dyno numbers on the BEGi box? And any chance that you could get some pipe like on the Cobb to replace the accordian hose?

 

[BluMicaR]

I'm seriously torn between this one and the Cobb...any dyno numbers on the BEGi box? And any chance that you could get some pipe like on the Cobb to replace the accordian hose?

I was thinking about the B box but that accordian hose totally soured me - I like that Cobb went the whole 9 yards and including everything. My buddy's Neon SRT-4 has the accordian hose connected to an off-the-shelf Autozone MAF housing and dry filter; he made his own Indiana-style. I KNOW this is not the case but the BEGi one reminds me of his duct-tape job, so I had a bad association. Anyhow, blue is my favorite color and there's all that blue hosing and stuff with the Cobb.

I imagine the two SRIs are nearly identical in performance, and has been reiterated a million times, they are definitely NOT that far from CAIs in performance, over 30mph.