Nafoff
ClioSport Club Member
Induction test
Words: Ben Chandler
Photos: Micheal Whitestone
Is your stock air filter set-up strangling power? We find out when induction kits, performance panel filters and enclosed induction systems are all put to the test in this month’s eye-opening test.
///The test car///
Wurzel’s Renault Clio 172 rolled off the production line in 2000 and it has been cared for like a little baby. The 70,000 mile motor has, as you’d expect from our anally retentive crayon monkey, been serviced on the dot. So it’s fair to say the Renault is as fit as a butcher’s dog.
///Stock filter - £14///
In factory form the 2.0-litre 16v lump made a healthy 173.2 bhp and 144.1 lb/ft of torque. As you’d expect the induction note was quiet, refined and, well… standard sounding.
The drive: Out on the road the car sounded like a standard Clio 172 – refined at lower revs and then roarty at the top-end. In stock form the induction note was pretty good and the car didn’t feel strangled at the higher end of the rev range like some cars do.
Verdict: The OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) filter is a cheap paper item that does a good job of filtration and the stock air box doesn’t look too restrictive. Wurzel’s Clio pulled hard all the way through to the redline suggesting that the air box is well designed. The OEM paper filter will have to be thrown away and replaced with a new one at each service and it can’t washed in between service intervals. And with the UK’s shitty, dusty, dirt ridden roads it’s wise to replace your air filter more regularly than recommended in the service manual to retain optimum engine performance. Because OEM filters aren’t washable, this means you’ve gotta bin you old filter and replace it with a new one. This is wasteful and bad on your wallet. Bad times.
WIN: Cheap, quiet (if you like things refined)
FAIL: Not washable, quiet (if you want noise!)
///Pipercross performance filter - £34///
With the Pipercross filter fitted in the Clio’s factory Airbox we were ready for another run on the rollers. Power was up a little to 174.6 bhp and torque was also improved with a new figure of 145.1 lb/ft.
The drive: Out on the road the car felt pretty much the same as before. If we were to say you could feel the extra power, then we’d be big fat hairy liars. Driveability was retained with a nice wide spread of torque and the 172 pulled like a train all the way to the limiter. Nice.
Verdict: The users of Cliosport.net recommend using a performance air filter in the stock air box on the Clio 172. This produces a small performance gain, but almost more importantly; these performance filters are made from washable materials allowing you to clean them regularly without having to replace them. Ideal. This allows you to keep on top of the filter cleanliness and ensure that your motor’s getting as much clean, cold air as possible.
WIN: Well priced, washable filter, strong power & torque curve, quiet.
FAIL: Quiet.
///Powertec induction kit - £99///
Induction kits are pretty much a no compromise way of getting as much air into your motor’s intake as possible. On some cars heat soak can be an issue for induction kits and out on the road in the real world, you may lose power. Induction kit manufacturers try to overcome this by using a heat shield in some of their kits. The Powertec kit we chose to use for this test is one of the most free flowing kits available. The stainless steel mesh design allows for maximum air flow to the motor and as a result noise is increased considerably. On the rollers there was no gain at all to be had on the Clio 172’s motor. Peak power was 171.4 bhp and the Clio kicked out 142.5 lb/ft of torque.
The drive: Out on the road, the Powertec SL-1 induction kit made the 172 lump sound absolutely demented. In fact, it was kinda like having throttle bodies! It was hard to feel the difference in the way the car now made power against the performance panel filter, if anything you kinda felt like you were going faster just because the Clio now sounded like a race car! Maybe I’m just a kid, but the noise was cool as f**k!
Verdict: The way the engine made its power with the induction kit fitted was a little messed up. In short, the 172 didn’t respond well to this type of induction tuning. Why? Well it seems, as the users of Cliosport.net suggest, that Renault’s engineers did an excellent job of designing the factory air box. The OEM box clearly plays a big part in how the 2.0-litre 16v lump makes its power and torque. On the plus side, the Clio sounded the f**king nuts! If you were to use the Powertec SL-1 induction kit with a set of fast road cams and a re-map I would expect the power and torque curves could be smoothed out nicely.
WIN: f**king amazing noise, washable filter.
FAIL: Uneven power and torque curves.
///WTF?///
Heat soak occurs when heat generated by the engine warms the air being sucked in through the intake to the motor. By volume cold air contains more oxygen than warm air. Cold air allows your motor to burn more fuel, which results in more power. So heat soak is bad.
///Pipercross Viper induction kit - £195///
The Viper was one of the first enclosed induction kits to hit the market back at the end of the 1990s. At the time there were few other kits similar and it was an instant success on show cars, street race weapons and daily drivers. Now, the kits are still a success and deliver great results on many motors. Designed to massively reduce heat soak, the Viper features a top quality Pipercross foam filter surrounded by carbon fibre which acts as a heat shield. On the rollers, the Viper performed much the same as the Powertec SL-1 induction kit with peak power at 172 bhp and a max torque figure of 142.5 lb/ft.
The drive: On the road the Pipercross Viper was comparable to the Pipercross performance filter we used in the stock air box. The best thing about the Viper induction kit is its ability to feed cold air to the inlet, whilst protecting the foam filter from the heat of the engine and reduce heat soak.
Verdict: Once again, Renault’s well engineered air box resulted in no benefits on the power and torque front. As we’ve already said, this set-up may be a great option if you’re planning on tuning your car with camshafts, inlet modifications and an ECU re-map. The free flowing filter combined with the sexy looking carbon fibre housing would perhaps be better suited to an engine in a higher state of tune.
WIN: Washable filter, protects from heat soak.
FAIL: Uneven power and torque curves.
///Owners clubs FTW!///
Some cars respond really well to induction kit tuning, whilst other don’t. The Renault Clio 172 Sport has an air box that’s been brilliantly designed to get the absolute best out of the car. However, the same cannot be said for all cars. Cars that we’ve tested in the past that respond really well to induction tuning are the Saxo VTS, which saw a 10bhp increase at the flywheel and the EP3 Honda Civic Type R that produced 15bhp over stock at the flywheel. Check out the forums of well known owners clubs and speak to specialist tuners to get the best advice on what works for your ride.
///The end///
This test goes to show two things: A - listening to the advice of others can be a good thing. The users of Cliosport.net recommend running a performance filter in the Clio 172’s stock air box and they were right – this set-up gave the best results. In fact some Clio 172 users are running a Renault Espace V6 air box with a performance filter and getting good results. And 2: Fast Car’s not a bull s**t magazine that’ll fudge the results just to make you go buy stuff. Seriously though, there’s absolutely no excuse for not running a performance air filter – they’re washable, increase the flow of cold air to the intake, improve performance and will last forever. Induction kits do work, can give impressive performance gains and sound the tits… just not so much on our Clio 172 test car! So to summarise; check owners club forums to find out what’s best for your motor.
///Contacts///
Pipercross
The Pipercross Shop 0845 430 3400
www.thepipercrossshop.co.uk
Powertec
The Performance Company 0845 060 3020
www.powertecfilters.co.uk
BMC Air Filters 0845 850 7129
www.bmc-airfilters.co.uk
K&N Filters 01925 636950
www.knfilters.co.uk
Ramair Filters
Janspeed 01722 321833
www.janspeed.com
HKS
Sumo Power 0871 226 0185
www.sumopower.com
Words: Ben Chandler
Photos: Micheal Whitestone
Is your stock air filter set-up strangling power? We find out when induction kits, performance panel filters and enclosed induction systems are all put to the test in this month’s eye-opening test.
///The test car///
Wurzel’s Renault Clio 172 rolled off the production line in 2000 and it has been cared for like a little baby. The 70,000 mile motor has, as you’d expect from our anally retentive crayon monkey, been serviced on the dot. So it’s fair to say the Renault is as fit as a butcher’s dog.
///Stock filter - £14///
In factory form the 2.0-litre 16v lump made a healthy 173.2 bhp and 144.1 lb/ft of torque. As you’d expect the induction note was quiet, refined and, well… standard sounding.
The drive: Out on the road the car sounded like a standard Clio 172 – refined at lower revs and then roarty at the top-end. In stock form the induction note was pretty good and the car didn’t feel strangled at the higher end of the rev range like some cars do.
Verdict: The OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) filter is a cheap paper item that does a good job of filtration and the stock air box doesn’t look too restrictive. Wurzel’s Clio pulled hard all the way through to the redline suggesting that the air box is well designed. The OEM paper filter will have to be thrown away and replaced with a new one at each service and it can’t washed in between service intervals. And with the UK’s shitty, dusty, dirt ridden roads it’s wise to replace your air filter more regularly than recommended in the service manual to retain optimum engine performance. Because OEM filters aren’t washable, this means you’ve gotta bin you old filter and replace it with a new one. This is wasteful and bad on your wallet. Bad times.
WIN: Cheap, quiet (if you like things refined)
FAIL: Not washable, quiet (if you want noise!)
///Pipercross performance filter - £34///
With the Pipercross filter fitted in the Clio’s factory Airbox we were ready for another run on the rollers. Power was up a little to 174.6 bhp and torque was also improved with a new figure of 145.1 lb/ft.
The drive: Out on the road the car felt pretty much the same as before. If we were to say you could feel the extra power, then we’d be big fat hairy liars. Driveability was retained with a nice wide spread of torque and the 172 pulled like a train all the way to the limiter. Nice.
Verdict: The users of Cliosport.net recommend using a performance air filter in the stock air box on the Clio 172. This produces a small performance gain, but almost more importantly; these performance filters are made from washable materials allowing you to clean them regularly without having to replace them. Ideal. This allows you to keep on top of the filter cleanliness and ensure that your motor’s getting as much clean, cold air as possible.
WIN: Well priced, washable filter, strong power & torque curve, quiet.
FAIL: Quiet.
///Powertec induction kit - £99///
Induction kits are pretty much a no compromise way of getting as much air into your motor’s intake as possible. On some cars heat soak can be an issue for induction kits and out on the road in the real world, you may lose power. Induction kit manufacturers try to overcome this by using a heat shield in some of their kits. The Powertec kit we chose to use for this test is one of the most free flowing kits available. The stainless steel mesh design allows for maximum air flow to the motor and as a result noise is increased considerably. On the rollers there was no gain at all to be had on the Clio 172’s motor. Peak power was 171.4 bhp and the Clio kicked out 142.5 lb/ft of torque.
The drive: Out on the road, the Powertec SL-1 induction kit made the 172 lump sound absolutely demented. In fact, it was kinda like having throttle bodies! It was hard to feel the difference in the way the car now made power against the performance panel filter, if anything you kinda felt like you were going faster just because the Clio now sounded like a race car! Maybe I’m just a kid, but the noise was cool as f**k!
Verdict: The way the engine made its power with the induction kit fitted was a little messed up. In short, the 172 didn’t respond well to this type of induction tuning. Why? Well it seems, as the users of Cliosport.net suggest, that Renault’s engineers did an excellent job of designing the factory air box. The OEM box clearly plays a big part in how the 2.0-litre 16v lump makes its power and torque. On the plus side, the Clio sounded the f**king nuts! If you were to use the Powertec SL-1 induction kit with a set of fast road cams and a re-map I would expect the power and torque curves could be smoothed out nicely.
WIN: f**king amazing noise, washable filter.
FAIL: Uneven power and torque curves.
///WTF?///
Heat soak occurs when heat generated by the engine warms the air being sucked in through the intake to the motor. By volume cold air contains more oxygen than warm air. Cold air allows your motor to burn more fuel, which results in more power. So heat soak is bad.
///Pipercross Viper induction kit - £195///
The Viper was one of the first enclosed induction kits to hit the market back at the end of the 1990s. At the time there were few other kits similar and it was an instant success on show cars, street race weapons and daily drivers. Now, the kits are still a success and deliver great results on many motors. Designed to massively reduce heat soak, the Viper features a top quality Pipercross foam filter surrounded by carbon fibre which acts as a heat shield. On the rollers, the Viper performed much the same as the Powertec SL-1 induction kit with peak power at 172 bhp and a max torque figure of 142.5 lb/ft.
The drive: On the road the Pipercross Viper was comparable to the Pipercross performance filter we used in the stock air box. The best thing about the Viper induction kit is its ability to feed cold air to the inlet, whilst protecting the foam filter from the heat of the engine and reduce heat soak.
Verdict: Once again, Renault’s well engineered air box resulted in no benefits on the power and torque front. As we’ve already said, this set-up may be a great option if you’re planning on tuning your car with camshafts, inlet modifications and an ECU re-map. The free flowing filter combined with the sexy looking carbon fibre housing would perhaps be better suited to an engine in a higher state of tune.
WIN: Washable filter, protects from heat soak.
FAIL: Uneven power and torque curves.
///Owners clubs FTW!///
Some cars respond really well to induction kit tuning, whilst other don’t. The Renault Clio 172 Sport has an air box that’s been brilliantly designed to get the absolute best out of the car. However, the same cannot be said for all cars. Cars that we’ve tested in the past that respond really well to induction tuning are the Saxo VTS, which saw a 10bhp increase at the flywheel and the EP3 Honda Civic Type R that produced 15bhp over stock at the flywheel. Check out the forums of well known owners clubs and speak to specialist tuners to get the best advice on what works for your ride.
///The end///
This test goes to show two things: A - listening to the advice of others can be a good thing. The users of Cliosport.net recommend running a performance filter in the Clio 172’s stock air box and they were right – this set-up gave the best results. In fact some Clio 172 users are running a Renault Espace V6 air box with a performance filter and getting good results. And 2: Fast Car’s not a bull s**t magazine that’ll fudge the results just to make you go buy stuff. Seriously though, there’s absolutely no excuse for not running a performance air filter – they’re washable, increase the flow of cold air to the intake, improve performance and will last forever. Induction kits do work, can give impressive performance gains and sound the tits… just not so much on our Clio 172 test car! So to summarise; check owners club forums to find out what’s best for your motor.
///Contacts///
Pipercross
The Pipercross Shop 0845 430 3400
www.thepipercrossshop.co.uk
Powertec
The Performance Company 0845 060 3020
www.powertecfilters.co.uk
BMC Air Filters 0845 850 7129
www.bmc-airfilters.co.uk
K&N Filters 01925 636950
www.knfilters.co.uk
Ramair Filters
Janspeed 01722 321833
www.janspeed.com
HKS
Sumo Power 0871 226 0185
www.sumopower.com
