The BEST airfilter / induction kit

[tr8it0r]

Hi, I have read the info on this web site about air filters and induction kits and it seems that because of the heat in the engine bay that there is no point in getting the well known brand induction kits, e.g. K&N.

Can you recommend and alternative. I have a few options on the drawing board:

1. BMC CDA this seems to best (partno. CDASP-08) though it says "not for highway use", why? Has anyone got this induction kit in there car? (Ive got 2002 RCS 172 mk2) Does it go straight into the original intake or is a custom one needed?

2. Option 2 is a Green Cotton replecement airfilter which is supposed to give 2kw power increase.

What do you recommend as the best option, or have you got any alternatives?

(Note: I live in Australia, so I dont think I can get Hill Power stuff)

 

[Nick Read]

I used a BMC CDA on my Clio and it was without a doubt the best filter I used. A noticeable improvement, in fact so good that for the first two weeks I had it, I was out driving every night just for the hell of it.

Previous to that I had the original airbox and element (OK), K&N cone filter (noisy and felt slower than with the original airbox!), K&N cone with home made heatshield and extra ducting (a bit better especially at speed), Hill Power/Ramair (heatshield bucket), felt better than standard airbox once you were up to speed, original airbox with K&N element fed by forward facing ramscoop- best of the bunch under any circumstances.

Then finally the BMC which was still fed by the ramscoop and it was definitely the best out of the whole lot.

 

[Nick Read]

BTW Having looked at the Green trade catalogue, their universal filters are actually precisely power rated, according to their size/surface area etc.

Personally Id go for the BMC unless you spend all your time in cold weather driving at speed.

 

[HongKongClioman]

why it says not suitable for highway, but for racing only? Strange, isnt it?

 

[SteveJJH]

wow nick, and i was worried that having bought a cleanable performance element for the standard airbox, id be wasting my money if i got round to getting something like a viper. Youve tried out just about every option!

 

[BenR]

teh viper gave me 3bhp peak and 6bhp gain at 4500rpm..........

its the ONLY one IVE tested that works.......

 

[Roamer]

Thumbs up for the Viper

I must say, its the design that counts, so a cold air feed, heat shielded or sealed away from engine bay heat is the way to go, and I would recon that the BMC CDA, Viper and the HillPower kit will do around that same, filters completely exposed to the engine bay are just sucking in nasty hot air and zappin power from ya, who wants to pay for that?

 

[coolspot007007]

well you get a nice noise a least

 

[Nick Read]

Yeah Steve, I tried just about everything, mainly so I when people ask, I can tell them from genuine experience rather than hearsay. I think on the valver the original airbox is an unusually good design compared to other Renaults and other manufacturers, its directly bolted to the throttle body, its huge, and the filter element inside it is pretty enormous as well, must be the same surface area as your everyday induction kit cone filters. Plus it has a perfect cold air feed coming in from the wheelarch, what more do you want? Putting an open induction kit on is always gonna be a compromise and not really worth doing unless you *really* love the noise.

But the Viper and BMC seem to do the biz on the road. I cant say Ive rolling roaded them and even if you did I dont think youd see the real benefit that you get out on the roads. But everyone whos had one agrees that they work, and there are very few products out there where everyone whos tried it is unanimous about.