Background:
Previous testing using the APR Carbon Fiber air intake was performed using all APR components. The setup consisted of the air intake, carbon fiber inlet pipe (accordion hose replacement), and APR’s turbo inlet elbow.
Flow testing of the turbo inlet elbows has shown the APR inlet elbow to perform better than the stock GTI part, but to trail the other products that have been tested.
When looking for a replacement air filter for the APR intake I decided to evaluate the intake system using a different inlet elbow, one known to perform better than APR, to see the affect on the system airflow.
I chose the MST inlet hose and turbo inlet pipe (TIP) based on previous good results. Knowing that the inlet elbow is a significant source of intake restriction I expected to see improvement to the airflow through the APR intake.
Test Procedure:
The APR intake was assembled using an AEM air filter, MST inlet hose and TIP (shown in the picture above).
The flow bench was calibrated and then the intake was attached to the bench by way of an adapter that simulates the turbo compressor housing inlet of the IS20/IS38 turbochargers.
The flow bench was operated at a depression of 28″ of H2O and the cubic feet per minute of airflow through the intake was recorded.
Test Results:
Shown in the chart are the results with this setup compared to the “all APR” component setup, and also the stock GTI airbox.
The next chart shows all of the intake setups that have been flow tested:
Conclusion:
Installing an AEM air filter in the APR airbox and substituting an MST inlet hose and turbo inlet pipe for the respective APR components led to a 25 CFM increase (7%) in airflow through the APR intake.
Maybe I missed it, but have you tested the APR TIP, APR carbon fiber “hose”, and APR air box? This seems like a common setup for many but is not directly captured in any of your testing to date.
Thanks!
Hey Will, yes I have tested the full APR intake setup, here’s a link.
Awesome — thanks Jeff! Love the site, it’s an amazing resource
Thank you!
Hi Jeff there’s a new turbo inlet pipe and hose in one from Blaze Performance looks interesting it’s 4inch then shrinks to 2.5-3 inch creating a vortex effect!
Thanks for the heads up. That sounds something like the SXTH Element inlet that I tested recently.
Hi Jeff yeh looks similar to the sixth sense element but it’s one piece and you can change the adapter to suit bigger turbo so 46mm to 56 mm depending on turbo and the path is slightly different,similar to the turbo technics intake pipe with the adapter!
Have you done a flow test with the stock air box, with the snow grate removed, AFE drop in filter, larger TIP and silicone inlet hose? I’m thinking of running this setup with the addition of an ecs dual inlet duct. I’m curious to see how this compares being everything is larger and aftermarket aside from the air box itself.
Yes, I’ve titled that test the ultimate GTI intake.