SCoupe

10" x 4" intake located directly in the passenger side front bumper. All air flow is directed to my K&N cone behind the headlight. I removed the plastic snorkle. The intake owns 100% of the air flow directed into grill.

This is an air-flow monster.

SCoupe

From above before the headlight went in, that's a 6" round directly below the filter.

jibbby

Scoupe - You may be allowing too much engine bay heat to spill over with the make shift heatshield which is simular to mine...That could be an issue that robs your car of a few ponies...Your intake setup is similar to mine...I also channeled the air to hit the pod directly but still feel it is lacking.

Yeah, when you get right down to it, it's really tough to beat out the BFI intake design...Because all the intake flowing air is literally trapped and pushed directly into and threw the intake and really has no where else to go... It's almost like forced air feed with the BFI intake design... It's got me thinking too much... Too bad I ditched my stock filter box years ago...Got to go custom...

The key to the BFI intake is channeling and funneling the front air feed into the filter box...That plywood deal isn't good enough for me, you need a fitted air scoop to hook directly to the filter box...With no air leaks...That would be your best intake I would think...

MJHSC400

Hey Jibbby, all you need to do is ask Scoupe to sell you his stock airbox-- then you have a prebuilt panel filter holder that mounts directly to your MAF -- imagine that--

All this discussion has led me to even more information that corrected my previous thoughts about the BFI-- I previously thought that it only netted you 10 whp-- BUT-- that's on a dyno-- with relatively little airflow to it-- On the street-- where it's primary function takes place to create high pressure on your intake-- and nearly becoming forced induction-- it's real operation takes place and the ram air effect can create 17 hp at the wheels--

I think the main importance is that you build it as a very high flow and well sealed system that takes air in from the FRONT of the car, where the greatest amount of high pressure occurs, ON the front bumper, and the holes in the front bumper allow that high pressure to enter the cavity infront of the radiator/condenser--

When you utilize that high pressure to increase intake efficiency, you can negate the parasitic effects of the intake tube creating breathing restriction-- if you can increase the flow by any percentage, I believe that percentage will reflect at the rear wheels--

Just making an air pump pump better-- it really makes sense when you think about it that way..

jibbby

That sounds about right to me..as your speed increases so does the sealed air intake flow from the front of the car which then equates to pushed air intake flow at high speeds as apposed to a filter pod that sucks in intake air flow......However don't discard the wheel well intake location...As the tire/wheel rotates with speed a vacume affect occures within the wheel well itself and that will push forced air into a well sealed intake as well....Most likely with more force then a frontal intake design....However, I am convinced a better designed BFI type intake that is fully sealed off is the best ticket....

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions...One last pic I have of my current millen pod intake with make shift heat shield...

MJHSC400

I'd be willing to make a solid bet that the air pressure is far greater at speed in the bumper cavity-- If there's a vacuum in there, it's creating negative pressure.

jibbby

Tell that to all the Honda owners that are picking up nice horsepower results from drawing their intake flow from under the front wheel wells....I can't say for sure with our SC's but there is pushed air in that area that produces positive results on the smaller import cars......

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

Two problem with the pre 97 SC400 intake systems.

1. The BFI is the best design unless you remove the MAF. And run a ECU to controll open and closed loop.

2. Basic knowledge : You can only flow as much as the smallest restriction in the the flow path = " The MAF ".
If you take a 3 foot long pipe, with 5 " pipe on either end, and 2 inch pipe in the middle. You can send all kinds of pressure down the pipe from the 5 " end out the other 5 " end, but.............. if the middle section is only 2 " you will flow no more than the 2" part is capable of.

MJHSC400

is there a MAF available that is significantly larger?

CleanCL

did the MAF get larger over the 92-97 time frame?

edit: damn beat me to it.

jibbby

Yeah, I have tried to mess with the MAF to create better flow, removed the mesh screen, inside plug bolt removal, etc...Any changes I made caused havoc with the idle, if you try and alter, widen or make flow changes to the stock MAF you get major problems...Very sensitive sensor reads..DO NOT MESS....That is definetely the smallest area to pass air throughout the entire intake, throttle body being second.....However pushed air can still pass faster then sucked in or pulled in intake air flow thru the MAF....So intakes designs before the MAF can make a difference...

MAF pic...

jibbby

Another pic......Oh, and I am not aware of any interchangeable or upgradeable MAF's that just wire up, flow better and work properly, without out making some special modifications to sensor reads or ECU control...

MJHSC400

I guess we can wait and see what the Tundra 5.5 liter will use for air metering--

It will probably be map though-- but maybe maf--

Is that truck out yet?? It would be cool to see the difference in the maf if it uses one....

I guess the newer 1UZ may use a larger one too-- or the 4.6 in the LS460 --

I think the 4.6 is a UZ motor-- as is the Tundra 4.7...... [it would also be interesting to see if the tundra crank would fit -- even if it needed a little reshaping here and there, that would be a cheap stroker kit]

SCoupe

Yes, agreed, what you see was to get me running on the just installed T61, When completed it will be completely sealed and insulated from the engine bay. Even so, I've grabbed onto the intake hardpipe after a few hard dyno pulls and it is neutral to the touch even though surrounded by the fully heated engine. Same thing after pulling off the highway. It does get warm in slow and stop and go. The intake is the only part of the engine system I'd can touch.


Actually I think it does and most people never address it. The below the hood fender cavity has two equal openings, the other is on the battery side. Take a look, unfortunately it is at least the size of the intake side and allows ~50% of the scooped air to exit there. [/quote]

I'm thinking the 10" x 4" into the 6" round fender scoope has the potential when properly sealed to have higher pressure and to outflow the contortions and losses of the bfi. The distance traveled is extremely short and the air velocity delivered to intake could equal my car's speed.

CleanCL

the tundra crank and rods are drop in from what i have learned, i'm in the process of building a 4.7 for my sc400, the tundra shortblock w/ the SC heads.