[Fivepotfan]

So now I have managed to put the first 1,000 miles on my FL car I started to add a few simple modifications. There are plenty of upgraded intakes for the PFL and FL RS3 8V, some are very nice carbon fibre full airbox's, some are just intake pipes and other's seem to be induction kits with the air filter element exposed in the engine bay. However, I know from my visits to MRC that many of these fancy airbox kits are just 'visual' under bonnet upgrades and add very little in the way of extra power (some even add less) but we do know from experience that a larger intake pipe does provide the turbo with some extra airflow even with the stock airbox.

 

I decided to give the HG Motorsport version a try. It's a nice fat size, looks reasonably well made and is not extortionately priced at just over £200 shipped from Germany. I also fitted a K&N high flow air filter element into the standard airbox.

 

https://www.hg-motor...grohr-89mm.html

 

Here's some pics of it fitted.

 

 

 

Fitting was not too bad but the support bracket is a big of a fiddle, mainly because it is not as thick as the OEM plastic version and leaves a 5mm gap to squeeze together. I would also buy some bigger jubilee clamps as the ones supplied are just about big enough but make fitting harder than it should have been. Other than that I think it looks ok.

It seems to provide a small in-obtrusive induction sound but I have fitted it in preparation for other engine upgrades over the next couple of months. I plan to put the car on a dyno in the next few weeks so will report back as to whether this mod adds (or subtracts) any performance to the stock engine.

Edited by Fivepotfan, 20 May 2018 - 09:35 AM.

[robokn]

I have the same one but ofr PFL, fitted well and did seem to make it breath easier. Removed prior to sale

and will be fitted it to the new one today

[Betaone]

Also I had bought HG kit for FL but I could not mount it.

If I fixed the tube to its support, the clamp that tightened the silicone sleeve on the turbo side would touch electrical wiring. Having made this problem known to the HG, I returned the kit and was reimbursed.

I hope they have solved the problem.

[Fivepotfan]

Also I had bought HG kit for FL but I could not mount it.

If I fixed the tube to its support, the clamp that tightened the silicone sleeve on the turbo side would touch electrical wiring. Having made this problem known to the HG, I returned the kit and was reimbursed.

I hope they have solved the problem.

 

I have actually released the support clamp to get a better alignment and it sits just fine without it connected. It also misses the connector at the turbo end by around 2 or 3mm.

The problem in their design is that they have not allowed for the thickness of the OEM plastic support bracket (approx 8mm think) which acts as a spacer between the pipe bracket and the captivated nut bracket. The hole in the HG bracket is also not elongated like the OEM part and gives no scope for adjustment. Room for improvement in their design I think. Now that it has been on the car and got hot, I also found some slight shrinkage in the silicone hoses at each end and had to adjust the clamps slightly (tighten them)

Edited by Fivepotfan, 22 May 2018 - 09:05 PM.

[T-800]

Couldn’t Resist

[T-800]

Just to make others aware

As Brian and Betaone have pointed out......
The mounting bracket looks like they let Stevie Wonder weld it on

A spacer I had lying around and cable tie for now secure it the the bracket.

This also has the effect of moving the pipe away from the cam solenoid connector so it has a 3mm gap now.

Noticeable improvement in the 2500-4000rpm range.

Edited by T-800, 27 May 2018 - 10:28 AM.

[Keithm]

T800 great and informative write up was thinking of buying this intake, detailed enough for the tricky fitting

Cheers

[Fivepotfan]

I have had the HG intake fitted for a number of weeks now so I thought I would provide an update as to how I have got on with it. Apologies in advance for the long post but it's worth finding out the info if you are interested in the HG intake.

 

As mentioned in the posts above, the HG intake is potentially a good cost effective way of adding a larger intake pipe between the stock airbox and turbo without spending loads of cash on carbon parts and air-boxes which may, or may not work.

 

Firstly, I wanted to know if adding the HG intake would actually provide extra power due to the increased pipe diameter and subsequent perceived extra airflow to the turbo. There were some issues with the actual fit of the pipe (more about that shortly) but for experimental purposes I decided that I would still run it on a dyno for comparison against the OEM intake pipe.

I ran the stock car on the Surrey Rolling Road dyno and it produced 435.2ps (don't want to get into discussion about dyno accuracy please - just comparison purposes only). Car was taken off the rollers and I managed to fit the HG intake and get it back on the rollers again. The car then ran 439.2ps and a small increase in torque. On paper this does not seem to be a big increase but bear in mind that the car was hotter, and had no time at all for the ECU to 'adapt' to the increased airflow.

 

I kept the HG intake on the car and a week later went to MRC for an intercooler upgrade (Forge) and custom remap, results were 492ps and 675nm. The MRC dyno cell ambient temp was 26degC so on a cooler day the results may well have been slightly higher. My friends FL car on the same day with stock IC managed 472ps and 655nm.

 

I realise that the results are not scientifically proven using airflow measures etc, but just on an 'apples for apples' comparison basis it does seem to show that there is a benefit from fitting a larger air intake pipe to the car.

 

So for anyone considering fitting the HG intake, we need to now talk about exactly that...fitting the damn thing! Please note that others have managed to fit these pipes to their cars without too many issues, but this is just an account of what I have personally found with the part that was supplied to me.

 

For the price it's not bad quality at all, until you come to fit it. It seems that the position of the welded support bracket can vary slightly from pipe to pipe which causes alignment issues (also proven by T-800 and Betaone post above) and that the silicone hoses supplied with the kit are just too stiff at the airbox end and maybe a tad too short at the turbo end. Its a shame that the kit has not been thought through a bit more as it would be great value.

 

I wasn't going to give up on it so I had a chat with T-800 and we decided that we would have a go at 're-engineering' the parts that needed improving.

 

Below are the pics of the fitting problems and alignment issues, followed by the mods I made to the kit to improve the fit.

 

Angle of the auxiliary pipe is too high and prevents the engine cover from fitting properly.

 

The electrical connector fouls on the hose and jubilee clamp

 

Large gap between the support bracket and location nut when pipe is aligned correctly

 

Silicone connecting hose is too short and leaves a gap at the airbox joint. This joint also has poor flexibility and does not allow enough movement when the engine is revved

 

Gap at the turbo housing due to the silicone hose not being long enough. The hose moves when tightening the clamps

 

So.........here's what I did to make it fit properly.

 

Replaced the turbo connecting hose with a longer one. Note: I had to trim approximately 6mm from the 76mm diameter end.

 

I also replaced the airbox stiff silicone connector with a flexible hose similar to the OEM version (the part is from a Nissan). This gives a flexible joint between the airbox and intake pipe with no tugging on the joint. I had to trim 6mm off the airbox plastic trumpet to get the best fit.

To keep all the hoses in place I invested in some Turbosmart Murray clamps (T-800 spotted them first) as these expand and contract with the heat and keep constant clamping pressure. Expensive but they won't pop off!

 

The final result! Looks bit like the OEM part too.

Edited by Fivepotfan, 11 July 2018 - 06:33 PM.

[H4RDY]

Excellent post matey.

We need someone in the UK to start making these.

[T-800]

My new hose couplers came today.

Complete with the fantastic Murray clamps.

The ‘hump’ hose absorbs the engine movement.






Better clearance away from Cam Solenoid.

Edited by T-800, 12 July 2018 - 08:31 PM.

[toshers]

Excellent information chaps! My intake pipe has just arrived and before I attempt fitting I'd like to get the Murray clamps and one of the hose options that you used.

 

Do you have supplier and part number details for what you used?

[T-800]

Excellent information chaps! My intake pipe has just arrived and before I attempt fitting I'd like to get the Murray clamps and one of the hose options that you used.

Do you have supplier and part number details for what you used?

I bought everything here.

http://www.turbosmar...egories/Clamps/

[toshers]

Not cheap but all ordered anyway. Thanks for info! 

[Fivepotfan]

Excellent information chaps! My intake pipe has just arrived and before I attempt fitting I'd like to get the Murray clamps and one of the hose options that you used.

 

Do you have supplier and part number details for what you used?

My parts were pretty much the same as Sean's with the exception of the Dorman Engine Air Rubber Intake House Coupler for Nissan Xterra Pathfinder Frontier 4.0. It comes as a kit including a shorter straight connector which you do not need. I bought mine from the states, took about 6 days to arrive via Global shipping. Cost me around £40 with shipping and import tax.

To fit it I clipped off the clamp hose location tags that are moulded into the coupler and fitted the Murray clamps instead. You will need to lubricate the end of the intake pipe to make it easier to slip the flexible hose far enough over the tube. I also trimmed about 6mm off the plastic airbox trumpet so that it fitted snugly up against the plastic stop lug on the air box.

 

Whatever one you choose, it has to be better than the stiff silicone hose supplied with the intake pipe.