Final Product Basic overhead shot of the final intake.
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http://www.318ti.org/gallery/data/753/photo6.jpg Slightly angled shot.
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http://www.318ti.org/gallery/data/753/photo7.jpg Securing bracket details.
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http://www.318ti.org/gallery/data/753/photo8.jpg Explanation It is my opinion that this is the best cold air intake value for the 318ti. It is high enough to avoid hydro lock. It is low enough to get cold air. It is braced at the filter so the intake is completely solid with no vibrations. After the initial installation, the entire unit can be removed and installed from the engine bay within 5 minutes. The intake plumbing is direct without a fancy curve.
The location is identical to the Carbonio intake system, except there is no Carbonio intake for the M42. The Cosmo intake system is also much cheaper at $98.50, versus $279.99 for the Carbonio. The only difference is the Carbonio intake is made out of carbon fiber, versus aluminum for the Cosmo system.
Since the pipe is made of aluminum, some people claim it is a heat sink that will negate any benefit from the colder air. After doing some driving around town and 2 ¼ mile runs, I felt the pipe with my hands, and it was nearly ice cold. The outside temperature was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and the engine temperature was at top dead center. Though it is not hard data such as temperature measurements, this intake did add 5 horsepower compared to my short ram intake. I do not have any comparisons to the stock air box. I have a Dinan engine chip, so the gains may be helped by the chip, but either way it appears the material of the plumbing does not drastically reduce potential gains.
My horsepower measurements were made with my G-Tech GT2 timer. My previous high was 147 horsepower, which I reached several times. After removing the short ram intake with the paper filter and installing this new intake, I reached 152 horsepower on my first two runs. No settings on the GT2 were changed from my short ram run to my cold air run. Both sets of runs were done on the same road, one run going one way, the other run coming back.