Still Feeling Paranoid About my HKS SRI

[08_MS3_GT]

i've had the hks for several thousand miles and no issues.

it seems to be a well-built piece, and i am not planning on switching to another intake in the near term.

is there any proof that the hks is directly associated with engine problems? and that the Cobb and CP-E units are NOT associated with engine problems?

it's possible that the air straightener can make a difference. that said, if you consider airflow, it might not be necessary to have an air straightener. while the straightener can reduce turbulence and direct the flow more effectively, it is just as possible that HKS designed a unit such that the air flows smoothly past the MAF and doesn't require the air to be conditioned.

 

[DaleNixon]

I can't find any proof one way or the other. I have read a few accounts of turbos getting wrecked (not on speed3's, but these are still new cars).

I was hoping HKS could defend themselves against some of these claims but all they can tell me is that it won't hurt my turbo if I change filters when needed.

 

[08_MS3_GT]

hmmm i suppose that a lack of proof either way isn't favorable.

and HKS' lack of comment is one of the reasons why mass-production aftermarket manufacturers can be disappointing.

that being said, i cannot think of a reason why an intake would cause the turbo to fail. can you please elaborate?

 

[DaleNixon]

The way I understand it, if the filter fails to do its job and allows larger particles into the intake tract, they could end up in the turbo impeller and damage (chip, knock holes through, etc) the blades spinning at 100,000+ RPM.

I'm still open to suggestion as far as keeping this intake, but my current status about it is nervous and ready to switch to something else.

 

[08_MS3_GT]

understood. i may take some time to research the existing filter and figure out what it can accomplish versus what is required to deliver clean air to the turbo.

that being said, i'm not sure how big the particles would have to be to damage the turbine impeller. has anyone actually had an HKS intake and found that their turbo failed due to impeller damage?

my understanding was that heat was the biggest foe to a turbo. given improper cooling and/or driving aggressively without proper cooldown, it's possible for any number of nasty things to happen given thermal expansion/contraction.

are you considering switching because of the filter, lack of air straightener, or both?

 

[DaleNixon]

The lack of air straightener doesn't bother me. I've pretty much confirmed with my Dashhawk that the fuel trims are where they need to be.

At this point I'm purely worried about damage to the turbo. If you find anything further on this subject I'd be thrilled if you'd share it here. There really isn't much info out there. I really like the HKS intake and would love to keep it.

Another avenue is to replace the filter with a canonical style and buy the AEM air straightener. I don't know what to buy or how to do it though.

 

[eg6motion]

and if it does move itll be yanking the maf wires...

haha...have you looked at the intake? The MAF wires have about an extra 10 inches of wire on my car..... Certainly enough wire to make it halfway down the CAI that CP-E makes, as they have the MAF mount in a different location.

 

[GoFast]

instead of buying a whole other cai wy dont oyu just see if there is another filter that will work with the one you have? probably a lot cheaper.

 

[DaleNixon]

I love that idea but I'm not sure whether it would fit easily and whether or not I can get an AEM air straightener for that. If someone has done this please share it here!

 

[GoFast]

as far as the air filter fitting that is just going to be a trial and error process. i would start by figuring out what your piping diameter is and comparing that to what is already out there. That is going to be your most important criteria. the rest of it can be adjusted. if ther eis a filter that has the correct piping diameter but the filter is an inch shorter, thats ok. just take a look at what it takes to make that work. The same goes for the air straightener. figure out what you I.D. piping is and see if that matches aems. but in your case, do you really need the air straighter? i believe you already said your fuel trims are where they need to be.

no matter what, a new filter, air straightener and a little ingenuity will cost a lot less than a new cai or short ram

 

[DaleNixon]

Well removing the HKS filter would also remove the mushroom shaped part that acts as an air straightener. If someone has done this, and it is fairly simple, I'm up for it. I do wonder if replacing the filter and adding a straightener would be good enough to level out the trims vs. buying something like the Cobb or CP-E that has been tested repeatedly for optimal trims etc.

 

[FMOS Racing]

There is absolutely no way improper filtration will cause a turbo to fail unless we're talking about GRAVEL or SAND getting past the filter - and I seriously doubt we are.

There are no contact parts in the airstream. Even the journal bearings are not at risk because the airstream is directed away from them.

Your concern for improper filtration should be the long term effect on the cylinder walls. That is where grime in the intake stream causes wear.

 

[DaleNixon]

Thanks for the info man. I am still learning all of this and appreciate being corrected without getting flamed. I had enough of that s*** back in my college days when I was learning to build Linux from source. I will never claim to be an expert any time soon. Honestly I would love to see HKS come in and prove to me that their filters offer great filtration. They just can't seem to tell me anything aside from "an intake won't hurt your engine".

I realize this intake is probably just fine and I am probably being over paranoid. Having said that, I really want to see HKS come out and announce a test or something that makes threads like this look ridiculous.

 

[Yamaha72]

that site says foam is just as bad as K&N style...but thats why you would use oil. Most other studies will all agree that foam is the worst...flows well, doesn't filter worth a damn. And generally, offroad filters have 2 parts, foam is the outer part and paper or K&N style on the inner part along with oil.

Very, Very wrong.. K&N flows more CFM (air rate) than Foam style filters but lacks in filtering capability, especially dry-style conical filtration systems. I have been involved in Off-Road Racing (ATV GNCC) for several years, Foam filters simply filter out sand and the finer particles a lot better than K&N Style filters. Every individual that I know who runs a K&N down here in FL has to run an Outerwear's pre-filter to keep the fine particles from being sucked up.. My UNI filter Which is a big brand name in off-road filtration, is a dual layered foam filter, no K&N style material, and i've NEVER seen the configuration you mentioned. If you could be so kind and find a link to one I'd be baffled. Think logically, a dual-layer foam filter with foam filter oil (which is super sticky) will filter finer particles better because of the dual-layer and filter oil, you do have to wash them a little more often but I'd rather wash more than worry more... Here's a perfect example my buddy has the same bike as mine same year ('03 Raptor 660) and he runs a K&N style and I run UNI Foam; his motor blew two years ago due to improper filtration and his cylinder walls were all scored up... No Joke Guys.. K&N style filters are great but when you get into the finer stuff especially sandy conditions FOAM is the way to go..

 

[DaleNixon]

My intake is off and the stock airbox is back on. I looked inside the HKS tubing and I see a few scrapes which could have been caused by particles, or they could have been there all along. I'm really not sure. The filter was on for less than 1000 miles. It was dirty, but not uniformly so.

I saw some dark spots on the INSIDE of the filter, but the intake tract and MAF sensor were pretty much clean.

In any event, I'm going to get myself a CP-E Nano or Cobb with Amsoil filter and try that for a while. I'm not necessarily done with the HKS, but I might be. If so I'm going to try to sell it... I'll link to this thread in the F/S thread if I do!

If anything, this is an experiment for me. Curiously, my LTFT's with HKS were a lot more stable and probably healthier for the engine if not slightly on the lean side. This might just be due to the ECU freaking out about the sudden change in airflow characteristics (yes, I reset it).