MS3 air box mod ?

[mazdaspeedjay]

I'm a new Mazdaspeed3 owner. I was wondering what this air box mod is i hear about using a k&n drop in filter. i did a search on here and nothing came up. anyone clue me in. Is this the same as VW owners cutting the bottom of their air boxes out to flow better. Thanks

 

[Hirudin]

I think it's the same thing. I'd say the consensus here is that it works quite well.

 

[ZooMIN3]

Read about it here.... it gets funny, and the posts are a good read...almost a novel.lol

FreeModsSection


-J

 

[SharkDiver]

What you want to do is drill about 3 or 4 2" holes in the bottom section of the box and use a K&N drop in and you are good to go.I would put the holes in the front of the box so you dont suck more warm air from the engine side of the box.Some people dont like this idea and some do.I liked the new sound it gave and Im not sure if it gave me more hp but Im sure it was just as good as stock or better,Im guessing a hair better.

 

[Sierra117]

If you want a practice air box so if you don't like it you can go back to stock, you could always just buy mine ;-).

 

[ZooMIN3]

lol ^^

Has anyone tried the bottom-less air box yet? Like no bottom half of the intake installed. Just duct tape the filter into the upper half where the air goes into the throttle body, and see if that makes any kind of difference.... just wondering..

-J

 

[fourthmeal]

LOL...once you cut enough of the box up (as I've done), you've got the flow you're looking for. It DOES help. Sounds good, too, and is free (hence the reason why I wanted to make my "free mod" post a sticky in the first place)

It is my only mod besides a nice audio setup and new lights, and I'm still happy as heck with it.


BTW, contrary to stock recommendations, the air filter must be replaced much more often then 15,000 miles. Mine was FILTHY at 10K. Be careful with K&N's and other oiled filters given their tendency to oil the MAF sensor!

When I change my intake, I'm going with the Cobb SRI, and swapping the filter ASAP for the AEM or Amsoil dry filters.

 

[mazdaspeedjay]

Ok sounds easy enough i'll take your word for it cause it seems you've done alot of research on these cars. So basicly all i have to do it cut holes only in the bottom of the air box everywhere except where the mounting tabs are...DUH for that part. but also anywhere else i want to away from the engine. has anyone drilled holes in the fron also would that help more. also i noticed you said where it gets it's stock air supply is a joke and is very restrictive i'm going to open mine up and see if there's anyway to improve that part.

 

[BluMicaR]

LOL...once you cut enough of the box up (as I've done), you've got the flow you're looking for. It DOES help. Sounds good, too, and is free (hence the reason why I wanted to make my "free mod" post a sticky in the first place)

It is my only mod besides a nice audio setup and new lights, and I'm still happy as heck with it.


BTW, contrary to stock recommendations, the air filter must be replaced much more often then 15,000 miles. Mine was FILTHY at 10K. Be careful with K&N's and other oiled filters given their tendency to oil the MAF sensor!

When I change my intake, I'm going with the Cobb SRI, and swapping the filter ASAP for the AEM or Amsoil dry filters.

Hey Fourth, point me to the model/item # on the dryflow filter that will fit the COBB MAF housing please...

 

[fourthmeal]

What I did was take a drill and a jig-saw, and I made window openings on the front, outside, and back by the battery. I left the panel that was near the engine untouched. So now the bottom box looks like a skeleton of its orginal form.

Incidentally, the service writer at my dealership had nothing bad to say about it. These types of mods simply aren't a cause for concern for them...if anything I'd say he liked my simple fix to the suffocation the car deals with stock. When stock, the front tires couldn't break free in 1st and second (DSC disabled), and with this simple mod they can at will...and I will them to do it frequently! The airbox mod does not affect or help the top end, though, only the low to mid-range response and power, slightly.

 

[mazdaspeedjay]

Hey i was going to order my K&N today. just wondering i knew oiled filters if i'm not mistaken can cause problems with MAF sensors. This car is the first MAF sensored car i've ever owned. Anyone have anyone problems with their oiled filters drop ins mainly screwing with their MAFS. OR is simple cleaning here and there with MAF cleaner a simple solution. thanks for your help with this.

 

[fourthmeal]

Your PM was addressed regarding this concern.

 

[nig3]

air box mod is kinda dumb cause for around 40-$50 you can go to Oreilys or autozone and get parts to make a really nice CAI. they have the mafs adapter and everything, its great! plus you will get way more power than just modding your stock air box. just my opinion.

 

[AllLostThings]

I did it on my old winter car last year. It worked well enough adn added a nice bit of sound. It's a decent, cheap mod.

 

[Craighjr]

I wouldn't just throw any old universal maf housing on this car. Mod the box or buy my MS CAI thats in the for sale section.

 

[fourthmeal]

air box mod is kinda dumb cause for around 40-$50 you can go to Oreilys or autozone and get parts to make a really nice CAI. they have the mafs adapter and everything, its great! plus you will get way more power than just modding your stock air box. just my opinion.

This is not so cool with a MAF car, as you probably know. Our MAF housing is nothing near "universal fit", and by fabbing up a "custom" CAI or SRI, you've essentially thrown the calibration of the MAF way off. Even the MS CAI is off, if you were curious. Currently, the only two intakes claiming to have this correct is the CP-E CAI and Cobb SRI. Interestingly, these two are the ones that also seem to have the fewest problems with drivability.

Also, you're slapping on a filter that is oiled, which I do not think is the right way to go. The MAF is right behind it, and will eventually be coated with filter oil. I'm betting this will be a problem for a lot of oiled-filter guys in the years to come.

Nig3:

Research has shown that doing any mod that tends to mis-calibrate the car's sensors (MAF, MAP, Ambient air Temp, etc.) without a proven tune to work around those changes will put the car at risk of engine damage. The all to familiar Zoom-zoom-BOOM, if you will. You, I believe, are on the ragged edge of this with the mods you are running. A custom-this, and modified-that...its not good when it comes to a "smart" ECU-based car like this. What you don't know or maybe haven't acted on yet is that there are literally hundreds of variables the ECU reads and uses to decide what to do. Its the very nature of a tightly controlled emissions compliant car! Older cars (like the Supras I used to build and screw with) weren't in the same league with computer processing, and it was far easier to cheat the sensors to make a lot more power with supporting mods. But...you've got to be careful with this car because its a completely different animal. Know what I mean?

 

[driver311]

I took a 4inch holesaw and put a big ass hole on the driver side of the box. Made a big difference on the dyno. With only this mod my car made 250whp. Stock filter and all. Drop in filters are a waste of money. Save that for your intake when you buy it. I only gained 10whp going to an intake over box mod. So Im assuming the mod i did to the box gave me roughy 5-10whp.