Blacktop 20V - Cold Air Intake or Panel Filter?

[Kittah]

I hear a lot of people scrapping the idea of pod filters on the Blacktop 20V. Is it worth making up a cold air intake with pod filter, or would something along the lines of an Apexi panel filter replacement be as suitable?

[Bling]

The reason pods get hassles is that no one builds an air box around them. If you can be bothered, build a box/intake that means only cold air from the front of the car can get to the pod.

Easier option is to as you say just get a panel filter. K&N / whatever.

Use the search button for ideas.

[sergei]

Keep the air box.

[Kittah]

Keep the air box.

Why do you suggest that?

[sergei]

Because with stock everything even well designed cold air intake will not have any gains, you will get only losses as toyota did a very good job on standard air box and tuned the ECU to work with it.
Length, volume and resonator chamber plays important role.

Unless you are going with cams/ecu/headers there is no point doing anything to air intake on a 20v.

From my own experiment, the power went from 80is kw to 67kw atw by fitting a poddie.

[Kittah]

Cheers for that

So if I'm going with headers and exhaust, will it be worthwhile at that point, or is still not worth playing with until I get into tuning and the like?

[sergei]

Cheers for that

So if I'm going with headers and exhaust, will it be worthwhile at that point?

Not unless you are getting programmable ECU.

[Kittah]

Very quick reply, even before I edited it! I guess that answers my question then, and I shall be simply buying an Apexi Power Intake panel filter

[Mr Revhead]

sergei has it covered

K&N would be my choice, but i'v never seen one of those apexi ones. im just not a fan of Japanese performance filters as a large amount of them tent to be crap!

[Emperor]

Yeah.. Toyota spent alot of time and money in the R&D to design the airbox. Not for someone to stick a pod there instead or they would of done that factory?

[Mr Revhead]

well, factory also has to consider noise!

[levinguy]

i'm torn between taking the pod off my blacktop and going back to a standard airbox, and taking the plenum off and putting filter socks on the trumpets.

half the power, but the noise it makes!....

[Bling]

Yeah tends to detonate a bit with socks though, so unless you back the timing off thats probably half the reason you lose power.

The sound is awesome though I agree. I've had pod / open trumpets / k&n panel. Pod was average, you have it for noise and the open trumpets are WAY better. So its either open trumpets or panel filter imo

I've been running a k&n panel for ages now and won't be changing back.

[Kittah]

Cheers guys, awesome help here

I'm going with Apexi really for three reasons. Firstly I'm a JDM whore, secondly I've read at least two test articles where Apexi came out on top, and three I don't like the idea of having to oil my air filter. I'm just too lazy to remember to oil a K&N

Dropped a question into Fortyone and received the answer for which part I need, so I'm going ahead. Cheers guys

[MR2BOY23]

My pod filter melted in my silvertop, keep the box

You could also try a fram airhog panel filter, theyre even better than k&n

[jetshin]

Here's something I did which cost me hardly anything and improved performance a little (although might placebo ) . inlet connects to some ducting which leads to the factory airbox.

[MR2BOY23]

^^ That looks really cool

[Kittah]

^^ That looks really cool

+1 on that! When I get around to giving my car a Facelift makeover I'll definitely do something like that. Very slick

[Eddy1612]

Cheers for that

So if I'm going with headers and exhaust, will it be worthwhile at that point?

Not unless you are getting programmable ECU.

you're one of those characters that belive that toyota makes every car perfect.

FYI most car makers dont make cars perfect on purpose.
a. it protects their higher model cars so that they can justifiably ask more money for.
b. it protects their own performance brand eg TRD Nismo etc (+ plus courteous to others)
c. if toyota was putting the best research into every car they made then they would have price tags closer to R35 GTR

yes i think headers and a decent exhaust (no bigger than 2.5" on your car needed) would net some power and torque gains.

As for the Pod filter that is a matter of cold air. Pod or cone filters can tend to make you lose power if it simply has to suck hot air because the extra flow is compromised because of this. If you select a good brand pod filter (apexi is good) and design a good way to access cold air then you will get a small power increase. (no need to change your ecu)

[Quirky]

I put a pod filter on my 4agze and got 98kw.
I then put the original air box back in and got 105kw ATW.
Hur hur awesome
Both filters were of the K&N, and bonnet closed.

Just go with the panel filter, if my results are anything to go by, unless you are enclosing the pod filter, its useless.