air intake???

[rinverso]

i am still new to this awesome forum, of the car that i love. 1986 911 targa. but I've been looking into some reasonable performance upgrades to start with. such as a performance chip which i have installed today. the thing i'm not sure of, is the lack of fresh air intakes available. the only one i see is the fabspeed model. which is basically the same airbox withe the round intake tube taken out. the cost for this mod is $175. i bought a K&N replacement filter and bored 6 one inch holes in the box by the round intake. isn't that the same thing without the $175 expense? it is basically providing more air at the same point as the fabspeed mod. am i missing something here? i don't want to step on anyone's toes here. i have a slight increase in hp and alittle throatier sound. next is the upgrade muffler and cat change out. any input is very welcome. thanks.

[DRACO A5OG]

Yeap, pretty much the same.

I just cut the cover off.

Take care k&n will allow more air but will also allow more dirt in.

Cat by-pass, you'll love. You pretty set in the right direction.

[Craig_D]

I know that intakes can yield big improvements on a lot of cars, but the Porsche 911 is not one of them. Especially for the 911 SC, the stock intake is the best and the rule is don't mess with the box at all. For the 3.2 Carrera, I'm not sure, but I would really do a good search here. From what I've seen, the Steve Wong chip and a freer flowing exhaust are the biggest bangs for the buck on the 3.2.

Good luck!

- Craig_D

[darcher]

Go for it. I used the stock Porsche air filter w/ the face cut off the cover. Free... compared to the Fabspeed item. I rune a straight pipe from the cat back, very throaty but not overwhelmingly so and I can pass the pollution test.

[darcher]

...and I can reach the back clips.

[Quicksilver]

The reported horsepower difference for any aircleaner upgrade on the 3.2s are less then the tolerance of a dyno so they are very questionable as far as a 'performance' upgrade.

The aircleaner on a car acts to reduce intake noise so you will hear a more 'vroom-vroom' sound and that always feels like a performance boost. (until the instrumentation comes out...)

Porsche didn't screw up on the intake of the 3.2. There isn't any real improvement to be found there. There is about 20 hp that can be found in the exhaust but you will be far from smog legal and requires reworking the oil lines so it is a PITA.


The real performance boost on these cars is making it so you don't have to slow down for corners. That is also where the stupid grins are...

[DRACO A5OG]

Well, for me and my buddy's 87, we both dynoed and we noticed an increase in both cars with the air box cover mod.

We must have been lucky.

+1 sounds is awesome especially when I punch in on the freeway, Vrooooooooooooom

[cdrik915]

Cutting the air filter cover = 6 hp loss.


Prooved by a friend on a dyno.

The better air box is the factory one.

[stlrj]

Before installing anymore significant upgrades, it might be wise to look up the meaning of the word "placebo".

[rinverso]

thanks guys. the exhaust upgrades are next. i don't have emission testing in florida, so i'll look into the cat bypass i guess. any suggestions? have a great day.

[rinverso]

Originally Posted by darcher

Go for it. I used the stock Porsche air filter w/ the face cut off the cover. Free... compared to the Fabspeed item. I rune a straight pipe from the cat back, very throaty but not overwhelmingly so and I can pass the pollution test.

looks like my baby, very clean. i kind of went in between what you did and stock. i drilled out about six 1 inch holes in the unfiltered side of the air box. and yes that rear bottom airbox clip is impossible.

[Arne2]

FYI - some people have commented that the cat-bypasses have a louder, harsher exhaust sound. I have an M&K pre-muffler on mine, which softens the exhaust note, but essentially has the same performance benefits of the bypass.

[RWebb]

throw away the K&N filter & drill some holes in the air box lid for more sound, not more hp

better exhaust and matching chip are the two easy upgrades for a bit more power

for better acceleration, braking & handling go thru the entire car and throw out all the luxo crap stuck in there for the "upscale" customer (and their wives)

[DRACO A5OG]

Oh yeah, make sure you have full throttle throw!

You need a helper, have your helper press the pedal down while you check to see if the throttle arm in the engine bay is maxed out, if not adjust until it matches the pedal.

Do a search for more details.

This will definitely give you more performance, and its free

BTW, Airbox thing is pretty equal opinions here on the board, just do what you like but be warned OEM covers are hard to come by.

[Quicksilver]

Originally Posted by rinverso

thanks guys. the exhaust upgrades are next. i don't have emission testing in florida, so i'll look into the cat bypass i guess. any suggestions? have a great day.

For the exhaust a cat bypass and muffler is a minimal improvement.

To get what power is left in the exhaust you need to go headers with a complimentary muffler. You want 1-5/8" primaries so you are looking at Rarlyl8, B&B, or others. (I have B&B on my car and they do the task but they have a list of questionable attributes...)
SSI's are good for low to medium RPMs but you are missing out on some of the power up where you need it when you are going full zoot.

--
To put headers on a car you have to rearrange the oil lines. You have a 915 transmission so if you go this route I recommend the Elephant Universal Crossover line which runs over the transission so you can switch back and forth without mucking with it in the future.

[strikee]

+1 cut the standard air box.

Better access and easier filter change. No idea on performance numbers but life is better since making the decision.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by cdrik915

Cutting the air filter cover = 6 hp loss.


Prooved by a friend on a dyno.

The better air box is the factory one.

on an engine dyno?

road dyno runs can easily be off by that much or more

what year, and was it a US or Euro model?

[Steve W]

You can take a cone air adapter such as this one from MSDS Inc, and port out the the adapter as shown below, and with appropriate software it's good for about 7-10 hp over the stock airbox by itself. The porting part is important. Tested with an unported vs ported adapter was 5 hp at the wheels . Verified from lots of dyno testing on several 3.2s from stock to very modified.

[Oregon Cab]

Steve, can you elaborate on what you mean by "porting out" the adapter? The pic does not spell it out. I am not sure I can see a mod there. Thanks! Glenn

[cdrik915]

Originally Posted by RWebb

on an engine dyno?

road dyno runs can easily be off by that much or more

what year, and was it a US or Euro model?

Euro model , no catalytic , on a dyno with the entire car.