The Easiest Way To Let Your E36 Breathe

[loftygoals]

Yesterday I was a little bored. I have recently installed a Conforti CAI on my M3. I love the way the CAI sounds and breaths. I wanted to install a CAI on my 325i, but I have already spent $3k on my M3 this month.

I went looking around the forums for ideas for a no/low cost way to let my car breath. Here’s what I found and did:

Debaffle
There is an oval plastic tube on the inlet of the factory air box. This help baffle the sound of the engine. It also restricts are flow. Solution: Remove it.

Desnorkle
There is a tube that guides air from the front grill to the inlet on the air box. Its design is restrictive. Solution: Remove it. This is great, but now you need more air. The eaiest way to do this is cut a flap in the top of the driver’s side brake air duct. Position the flap so it diverts some of the cold air up into the intake area.

Water Intrusion Delete
Just behind the driver’s side kidney grill, there is a flap to help prevent water from entering the factory snorkel. Now that the snorkel is gone, we don’t need it. You can use a hand saw to cut it off. With it gone, you’ll get a lot more cool air in the engine compartment.

Here’s a good write up:
http://www.apexcone.com/JimPowellHomepage/...t/h20prot2.html

The results are astounding. The air box sounds almost as good as my CAI and I can definitely tell the engine is getting more air. After some spirited driving, I popped the hood and checked the surface temperature of the inlet side of the air box. The air box was cool to the touch while the rest of the engine compartment was hot as hell.

Just an additional note: I already had a K&N filter installed. If you don’t have one, you should really pick one up. That would take this from a free mod to a $40 mod. Still, not to shabby.

[thesoprano]

cool writeup, dude

i'm gonna hit that up tomorrow.

BTW - who knows the K&N part# that fits the factory airbox?

[docrobot]

You've opened up the Bebaffle Debaucle can of worms again!

[jshearer]

I just ordered my ECIS CAI, although if I had the money that Conforti intake is what I really wanted.

[Avlany]

I said that before, and I will say it again guys. There is not much difference between conforti, dinan or cosmos racing or any other brand that doesnt make pipes in CAI from metal. That ammount the CAI cost, not always is the ammount the CAI worth, especialy in case of true CAI. The only part that probably metter the most is the filter so if you are unhappy with yours, buy a good one. But pay $300 for set og 3 pipes, connectors and a filter to have the "Brand name" engraved on your pipes is insanity in my opinion.

[triggrhaapi]

debaffling does preciesely shit. The stock airbox is uber restrictive, ebay a fucking cone filter intake. You can DIY your own heat shield.

[loftygoals]

Originally posted by triggrhaapi@May 17 2005, 12:48 AM
debaffling does preciesely s@*#. The stock airbox is uber restrictive, ebay a f@*#ing cone filter intake. You can DIY your own heat shield.

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Hey why the hostility? I'm not claiming this is the greatest thing ever. I know for certain it changes the sound of the engine while accelerating. Personally, I prefer the throaty growl that the car has after debaffling and desnorkeling the car.

Now, if it removing the water intrusion and pulling air from the brake duct doesn’t improve the flow of cold air to the airbox, why did BMW make these same changes to the 95 M3 LTW? Does it give you a 15 HP bump? Definitely, not. Does it give you an extra, 5 HP? Probably not. Does it give you one, maybe two HP? It might. Even if it doesn’t do squat for performance, it’s free and it’s fun to work on your BMW.

-bj

[93 325i]

Yea, free is the key word. It definitely gives it the sound of an aftermarket intake. I am not keen on those ebay filters either. From debaffling to a K&N intake I didnt notice much of a dif. It even seemed my low end torque was alot worse (I didnt have a heat sheild tho). Question- do you think altering the opening on the factory box to make it bigger would do anything?

[loftygoals]

Originally posted by 93 325i@May 17 2005, 10:07 AM
Question- do you think altering the opening on the factory box to make it bigger would do anything?

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It might. At some point it won't matter because of the air restrictions on the outlet side of the airbox.

I think that it might help to fabricate a heat shield for the gap between the airbox and the front of the engine compartment. I noticed that the radiator fan throws a lot of hot air towards the airbox.

-bj

[93 325i]

Yea I noticed that hot air from the fan as well. Also my upper radiator hose is almost touching the factory air box and that hose gets hot. As of now im leaving my debaffled set-up in place. What material are those heat sheilds made of??