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Simple air intake mod - M.A.K.

13K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  raine 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I was looking for an air intake modifications for my 2-month old, 2016 SV, CC, 4L baby. I did not want to shell out a ton of dough on that, because I already spent quite a bit on her. I was contemplating installing this setup: Red Fit 2005 2014 Nissan Frontier Xterra 4 0 4 0L V6 Air Intake Kit | eBay
It seems pretty much the same as those $200-$300 get-ups, but I did not want, for some reason the look, plus I feel the filter element, being that open under the hood would get dirty quickly. So I thought I would just install a free-flowing K&N filter or a clone and call it a day. I took another look at the air filter housing and...Eureka!!! A long time back, I remember a bunch of us used to make a home brewed air intake mod on our bikes where we would install the K&N element and cut a slot or punch a bunch of holes in the filter housing. The results were as good as installing the aftermarket kits like Kuryakyn and such and even required rejetting to the same size as the mentioned above performance kits. The installation of the K&N filter alone would not yelled such performance increase, due to the air intake volume limitation.
So I ordered a clone K&N air filter and started the mod. After it was finished I noticed a definite change in sound of the exhaust and a better, more responsive pull while accelerating. Especial at the lower RPMs. Both of those are the signs of a successful air intake upgrade. By the way, MAK stands for Mad's Air Kit. Mad is me. Figured I will name it after myself, unless the name is already taken ::grin::
So here is what you need:
- Drill
- 1/2" drill bit
- K&N filter part# 33-2286 or Spectre filter part# HPR7440
- Nylon replacement screen for sliding doors, or anything similar. Maybe gauze cloth? You do not really need to have it. I wanted it to prevent small pieces of rubbish to get inside the housing (leaves, grass, etc...).
- Alcohol for prepping the surface for gluing.
- Hot glue, epoxy or super glue (I used super glue).

Total cost of the project - $30 (the price of the filter element). With K&N around $45-55.
I already had the screen from some other project, for which I bought it in the past.

Anyway. Here it goes.

1. Remove the filter housing lid (housing cover).
2. Remove the filter element.
3. Remove the 3 bolts that are holding the lover housing (intake box). Note that the bolt closer to the front of the truck is a PITA to unscrew and affixing it is even worse, at least to me. I should have documented al of this too, but I have not. Sorry.
4. Drill holes with the 1/2" or larger drill bit on both sides of the air filter housing, not the cover. See the pictures below. Clean the holes pretty and don’t forget to remove all the shavings from inside the box.





5. Cut the nylon screen into the pieces that can fit over the holes from inside the housing.


6. Glue the screen pieces to the housing and let dry.



7. Reinstall everything in the reverse order.


8. Enjoy the gained performance on the cheap.


I think at this point, to increase performance more, one needs to install a blower of some sort to gain extra air. By my calculations, the holes that I drilled in the housing increased the opening for air intake by 2. So now it can suck in twice (or 100% more) the amount of air. Of course, it does not mean that the throughput allows for so much air to get inside the old factory. But still, the potential is there.

I hope this was helpful.
Cheers,
Mad
 
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#2 ·
That's cool, I think people have cut up their airboxes before, but this thread is real helpful with the pictures.

My concern would center around water ingestion when off roading. A lot of us hit some deep puddles. When water shoots out from each tire, there is actually an equal spray of water going into the underbody, as the water under each tire is dispersed in a V pattern.

For the street runners this is a lot better than a $400 CAI
 
#3 ·
You did a clean job on a simple mod. This idea has been around for a long time, and just like Ford vs Chevy discussions, people have their own 'expert' opinions about this being either a good or bad idea. I go through a lot of water - so I am in the bad idea camp but everyone else will have their own reasons, I'm sure.

Here's a thread from 2006: http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f11/50-cent-cai-891/
 
#4 ·
On the maxima forums we'd consider this a ghetto air box mod, GAB for short. I've tried several versions at the track and none made any difference aside from extra noise. Apples to oranges I know.....

For me, and many others, it's about cooler air. The factory plumbing is routed out of the warm engine bay and into the wheel well. My approach removes the small inlet tube and replaces it with a larger one. I don't really believe it made any difference, but it's fun to mess with little things like this.

 
#5 ·
After it was finished I noticed a definite change in sound of the exhaust and a better, more responsive pull while accelerating. Especial at the lower RPMs. Both of those are the signs of a successful air intake upgrade.
So... 6 little holes in the air filter box sucking hot air being pulled out from the radiator (which happens to be where your holes are aimed)... affected the sound of the exhaust. Gotcha >:D
 
#7 ·
Off the line, I can certainly see the need/advantage for/of cooler air...but once cruising I would think the intake air temp would fairly quickly level off-ish.

Question: how can one attain enhanced intake sound(s) while maintaining a 100% pure CAI from the fenderwell?
 
#11 ·
MAD that was a great write up and I'm sure it took you some time. And while you meant well I would have to agree with most. I would take a K&N panel filter and just would cut the whole bottom of the filter housing except mounting bolt area. Basically what you did but with a lot more air the GAB mod I guess. I don't know why you thought this was earth shaking and named it after yourself? But thanks and don't get too upset.
 
#12 ·
Thanks, and nope. Not getting upset at all. Naming after myself was supposed to be a joke, so nothing earth shaking either. Leaving huge gaping holes in the filer housing - is in my experience pointless. There is only so much a 3" intake pipe can suck in without some sort of fan/turbine forcing air down the shaft. But then what do I know. BTW, thanks for being nice about it, BD.

Cheers,
Mad
 
#14 ·
being that the Frontier & Titan share intake tract the stock pipe is able to support plenty of airflow for a stock motor. So to get the same performance/noise as you would get from an aftermarket kit? I'd call it a win. For someone who offroads and has a worry with water intrusion, I'd pass.
But any mod you like, that costs nothing (or almost nothing) is always a win.
 
#16 ·
Free is free, you can't argue about that. More noise? Absolutely. Our intake pipes even have a silencer midway through the molded intake/engine cover. Get rid of that and you'll have a straight shot to the throttle body. If you figure out how to plug that silencer, there's more "free". But more performance? Cmon now
::wink::
 
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