535 RAM AIR with Pictures

[mholbrook]

OK, I took a trip to Lowes and got some pictures of the Rubber Ram Air piece. The price is a whopping $6.43 plus tax.

Hopefully this will be of some use to fellow list members.

While I was there, I also picked up the pieces to make a clutch stop. Under $1.50 I believe. As soon as I finish the R&D, I'll make a post with pix.

[Martin in Bellevue]

There is a tube from the e24, that can replace the air horn, 1 287 327.3. It is a friction fit to the lower part of the air filter housing.

[DaCan23]

I've been wondering about that piece as I need something for the 6er.... what do you think the heat tolerance of that is?

[mholbrook]

Well, it shouldn't melt on the front of the air box. It is rubber and there are a hell of a lot of rubber components under the hood. I'll run it a couple hundred thousand miles and report back

[Robin-535im]

I've been wondering about that piece as I need something for the 6er.... what do you think the heat tolerance of that is?

More importantly, where can we score some of that "Mystery LSD"?

[Jeff N.]

I think the question is - does it help anything?

A trumpet design is a well proven item to increase air flow.

[SRR2]

Pardon me for being dense here, but what is this accomplishing that the factory ram air intake doesn't? I must have missed something. I appreciate as much as anyone cool and cheap solutions to problems, especially when they involve the nontraditional application of plumbing supplies, but this one is just escaping me.

[Bill R.]

on the dyno and he ran it with and without the airhorn/trumpet. It lost
horsepower without the trumpet.

I think the question is - does it help anything?

A trumpet design is a well proven item to increase air flow.

[genphreak]

Pardon me for being dense here, but what is this accomplishing that the factory ram air intake doesn't? I must have missed something. I appreciate as much as anyone cool and cheap solutions to problems, especially when they involve the nontraditional application of plumbing supplies, but this one is just escaping me.

The trumpet deadens the sound does it not?

The trumpet may increase available air at maximum RPM (at speed)

The trumpet may keep intake air a little cooler...

Barely an imporvement in raw performance I am sure, but the 'sound difference' may be sought after- is there any real difference in intake noise?

Bill, I am not sure if I read your post incorrectly, do you mean there was an increase in power with the trumpet on the dyno, or a loss?

[mholbrook]

I have read the Conforti article of which you speak. He also said that just putting his finger on the trumpet changed the HP numbers. I should also say that he sells or has a hand in the sale of "intakes" now as well.

So the only way to say it improves or degrades the performance is to do a back to back dyno run on the same car with that being the only difference between runs. Actually you should do about 5 runs each way so you could average the differences.

Probably it does not gain a damn thing but it sure makes a more "healthy" sound with a tube or whatever versus the "reverse trumpet" (a trumpet is bigger on one end than the other). For years the Mustang guys have been removing an item from the intake of their cars that restricts the air flow. They claim to gain 2 or 3 hp for that small effort. That noise silencer is markedly akin to the piece I propose to remove and replace.

Hey, it's your car. Do as you please. At least I'm not advocating sticking some huge cone shaped thing under the hood right next to an exhaust manifold and calling it a performance intake.

You just can't fool Mother Nature.