Another alternate Fogg

[Mad-Machine]

I have read all the articles on how to FOGG your box.. and most of them seem to follow the same basic path as factory, just with larger diameter tubing. While this method seems to work very well, it still puts a LOT of tubing between the cold outside and the airbox.. not to mention putting the tubing up and over the back of the radiator.

After looking at a 318i with the M42 engine and noting that their intake is on the same side as the airbox, I had an idea.. why not duct cold air right from the same side of the car as the box?

It only cost me less than $7 at Lowes too.

Here are the parts you need.. both of them:

One 3" diameter Male threaded PVC pipe adaptor
One 3" rain gutter to round "ground" pipe adaptor.

You also need a 318ti and a dremil.



You will have to remove the stock internal baffles on the airbox (and the air "horn" from the snorkle) and then cut a hole JUST big enough to thread the Male threaded adaptor from the inside. This will face forward towards the front of the car when installed.

hole:


Adaptor threaded through hole:


View from the side:


And the view from inside the airbox:

[Mad-Machine]

Now, once this is threaded in (remember to make the hole small enough so that the adaptor HAS to thread in.. this way you do not have to worry about glues and such. The Threads will hold everything tight and snug. You can thread the drainspout adaptor onto the threads and install. With the proper offset, it will just nudge the resevour for the radiator and sit up against one of the two holes cut into the radiator support.

With the airbox open:


Close up... the drainspout adaptor has yet to be fully adjusted in this picture.. there is still an inch between it and the holes in the radiator support:



Top view:


And all buttoned up:


I left the stock intake snorkle in place. What ever air it can add to the equation is welcome, but the main thing is.. air coming in through the upper grills now only has a short 6 inch trip to make to enter to the airbox. Almost a "ram air" effect at speed.. I did add a small amount of noise at mid rpms and at Mid-Throttle, just something a little more throaty, most people would miss it and I have not really driven the car far yet to determine what the exact gains are. it does "feel" a little faster, but I might be a bit biased.

It also only took me an hour from the time I left my house, drove 4 miles to lowes, decided what I wanted to use, drove home, modified the airbox, installed it, and then drove away..

[M3_KILL3R]

i have 2 questions...is your car a m44 or m42? now that you cut a new whole i assume what did you do to cover up the other hole? it seems like theres 2 holes now by looking at the forth pic. I doubt this will do that much to increase airflow. the only advantage of the fogging technique is to have a cold air feed. I did the traditional fogging approach and i love it but i thought of another idea. How about getting a 6 inch tube going from the intake and hooking a mushroom filter at the end flush to the same spot as the snorkel. Then make a heatshield that protects the filter from the radiator heat and MAYBE if wanted do the same approach but with a cone filter and take a flexible intake tube that connects to the filter and lead that to the ground too. So you'll have cold air from the bottom and from the front of the grill. The protection from the heat of the radiator and with the roar of the short ram.

But still i like your set up it seems like you'll have more air being "forced" into the airbox which will make for less restrictions and the thicker material probably insulates the air more

[Mad-Machine]

I am still running the stock "snorkle" system too. As it also pulls air from infront of the radiator, I doubt it is either helping or hindering my setup. Eventually I may cap it, but for now I will see how it works.

I have an M44

[aceyx]

That threaded piece is what we call a "choker" in the motorcycle airbox world. They're put on to restrict airflow in order to meet EPA requirements or to bump up MPG numbers. Essentially, bad for performance.

You'll want to shave it down as much as you can, maybe halfway through the knurled part of the adapter.

Also, throw a screen in there somehow. Looks like a perfect place for mice.

[Mad-Machine]

well, I am not going to worry about it.. it is still 3" ID pipe and the threads are on the outside of the airflow. The air never touches them.

[M3_KILL3R]

Originally Posted by aceyx

That threaded piece is what we call a "choker" in the motorcycle airbox world. They're put on to restrict airflow in order to meet EPA requirements or to bump up MPG numbers. Essentially, bad for performance.

You'll want to shave it down as much as you can, maybe halfway through the knurled part of the adapter.

Also, throw a screen in there somehow. Looks like a perfect place for mice.

mice?!

[roadrash]

Originally Posted by aceyx

Also, throw a screen in there somehow. Looks like a perfect place for mice.

The stock system is no less rodent-friendly than this mod. Trust me. LOL

[col.hapablap]

that gutter to round piece was almost perfect... looks nice and clean

[teetime4one]

it does look nice...as if it were a stock piece.

[Marv17]

yeah. it looks clean. good mod.

i wish i had time to make some type of mod for my CAI. i wanna make a heat shield for the cosmo CAI i have.

but not to jack ur thread. it looks cool.

[aceyx]

Originally Posted by Mad-Machine

well, I am not going to worry about it.. it is still 3" ID pipe and the threads are on the outside of the airflow. The air never touches them.

It's actually got nothing to do with the threads, more with the way the air enters.

Anyhow.

[Mad-Machine]

oh! that makes sense I guess... I do know that it is smaller in length than the original internal part of the snorkle. I may look into shaving it down some though

[bullmand]

That looks very similar to the mod that is in the notebook section of the site. There are factory parts that will let you do the same thing. You just buy the snorkel for the M42 and cut a hole in the front of the airbox. The scoop has a rubbery edge that mates up perfectly to the openings in the sheet metal between the radiator and the headlight. It works very well and looks completely stock, since it is.

[Mad-Machine]

I found that in the notebook section today, believe it or not... guess great minds do think alike.

Honestly, I would not use the part from the M44. I would go out and get the part for the Six Cylinder cars (I have one on order from Pelican) instead. The opening is larger with a nice big diameter tube that leads to the airbox.

I will say this though. After fixing a vacuume leak (I had accidently loosened that strange hose that goes to the injectors) My car is VERY responsive now. The previous mid-range loss of power that leads to a flat top end is compleatly gone. I have slammed into the revlimiter several times today alone, the car pulls that well now.

I can only assume that BMW intentionally restricted the M44 to keep the HP numbers down low as not to compete with the 168hp the 323 has.