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Design: ModalWorks has finalized the design of the intake system for the W205/C205 C43. This is an easy to install bolt on mod that adds significant, real world power to make your car faster. Images shown below are CAD and all testing was done on 3d-printed versions of this design. Production units are currently being manufactured and should drop in a few weeks.
This intake system will be constructed of 2x2 carbon fiber prepreg with high temperature resistance resin and coating. Additionally, the MAP sensor insert and tube connection pieces will be made from Aluminum 6061 with black anodization for a stealthy look that won’t deteriorate over time. To round it out, there are custom silicone couplers that connect to the OEM air baffle at the front of the engine bay.
Side by side comparisons of stock vs ModalWorks intake show reduced IAT with more flow and more boost. That’s right, by removing excess restriction in the intake track, the turbos can breathe better, resulting in a better pressure ratio yielding more boost to your engine.
Keep in mind, all of the results shown below are on the PROTOTYPE units. These will get better with carbon fiber, and we expect to have more flow and more of a performance benefit over stock on the competition. No expense was spared during the design of this, as we optimized all flow parameters, continuously tweaked to improve fitment, and maximized as much flow as possible in this engine configuration.
CFD:
We often hear about the CFD company XYZ did, but it is clear that the design does not match what an optimal flow path would look like. There's an old saying, "garbage in is garbage out"... if the simulation analyst doesn't know what they are doing, the results are more or less useless. At ModalWorks, we have a simulation expert on staff that knows how to properly use CFD to drive design improvements. The intake path on this unit went through numerous iterations to improve flow rate, reduce restrictions, and mitigate re-circulation within the intake system. Our results show that in this engine bay, it is possible to have a fully enclosed system that makes tons of power. The air intake path is completely enclosed to block all the hot radiant air that plagues so other designs.
Data Logging:
Multiple data logs comparing our design against stock and the competition paint a pretty compelling picture. This design provides cooler air with a higher mass flow rate, resulting in more power. We went through multiple 60-130mph runs in 66°F weather and averaged results to determine the following:
Chart 1: Lower is better. These are temperature differences against ambient, showing the more negative you are, the lower the IAT.
Chart 2: We are picking up almost 2psi of boost into the engine across the entire 60-130mph pull. This combined with lower IAT yields significant improvement in mass airflow, which is proportional to power. The MW intake nearly doubles the performance gains against the competition.
Dragy Results: Dyno numbers are one thing but putting that power to the road is where it really matters. 60-130mph tests were conducted to compare the ModalWorks, OEM and a competitor product. All tests were done on the same day with the same weather. Comparing the average of 4 runs we obtained just over a 1s improvement over stock. Note, the competitor product went first on a fresh/cold engine and put down its best time on the first pull, every subsequent pull was slower. Additionally, the MW unit was tested after the competition, after things were already warmed up. Comparing the absolute best runs, we shaved off 0.93s from the stock intake while the competition shaved off 0.44s.
Stock Intake Dragy
Competitor Intake Dragy
ModalWorks Intake Dragy
Overall, we are really excited to launch this product. As you can see, this is a multi-part unit requiring numerous molds, complex geometry, and billet machined pieces to offer the ultimate intake solution for your vehicle. Pricing will be announced soon after our first production units come off the line, but rest-assured these will be competitively priced for the quality system you will receive.
We want to give a huge shout out to star4life for all of the testing, logging, fit checks and overall design input on this product. He has made a huge difference in the development and it is ultimately a better product because of his feedback and support.
Last edited by ModalWorks; 12-28-2021 at 09:44 AM.
Reason: Updated pictures, added product link
Hey guys. Sorry for the delay on the pictures and feedback. First off, I want to thank Modalworks for working with me on the intakes, these are much much better than anything on the market. A lot of the posted test figures were done in April with cooler ambient temps (as you can see around 60-65 ambient). In addition the specific logs posted above were done in very humid air which further increased the DA so try to focus on the difference in times rather than what the times actually are. i wanted to see real world conditions and what the difference was if I just went out and ran vs staging a perfect environment. I can say on most "perfect" days for turbo cars, the c43 is screaming with these intakes and the mods.
For those asking all the above testing was done with the MW Prototype 3d printed intakes (not the CF productions), EC Canada ECU and TCU, Weistec Coated DP, Wagner Intercooler, Martin Tuning LPFP, Spool HPFP, e30 fuel. I did take off the spool pump and tested on stock fueling and a similar "stage 1" tune as well with similar difference in times. Once again, 2 things to keep in mind and what makes these results impressive. These are 3d printed prototypes. Not perfect seals or heat rejection. Also keep in mind, the ambient temp was 60-65F. I can say driving these in the summer I have not lost any notable performance vs a heat soaked car in these slightly colder temps. I also ran the MW intake after the competition which already soaked the engine. I have tried a lot of intakes and can definitively say, these will be the best intakes for this car at any price.
These MW carbon intakes solve 3 issues.
1. the bottle neck on the 90 degree elbow into the turbo has too small of a cross sectional area for greater than 400WHP applications.
2. ALL aftermarket intakes on the market and being developed offer no effective heatshield to actually suck in cold air.
3. Most of the aftermarket intakes are made of metal or some part of it is metal which heat soaks and helps to heat up the air inside it, especially from a dig.
The stock intakes neck down to a very small cross section right when it connects to turbos. The MW as well as BMS, MST V2 all solve this problem by creating a larger diameter pipe on this turbo inlet area. Where the MW shines is that it actually delivers cold air to this point. The BMS pipe at this bend made of alum heat soaks like none other. The MST/logos intakes are at least made of rubber/high temp plastic which probably fares better against heat soaking at this neck. The MW carbon intake is going to be awesome as it will reject heat at all locations due to the carbon construction.
The biggest benefit to the MW carbon intake is that it actually draws in cool air. The stock intake system is designed as a venturi application and relies on the engine drawing in the cold air up into the inlets on the front bumper area. You will notice the stock inlets are not in direct path of cold incoming air, they are sort of tucked up under the hood. Creating a sealed system that actually draws in air is very important for proper cool air inflow. With BMS MST etc they are all relying on incoming air which passes through all 3 radiators and gets heated up before entering the engine bay. Very small amounts of cool air will bypass the radiators and flow up to the actual air inlets without the sealed intake designs.
While driving at high speeds or cool ambient temps, the unsealed intakes are not really an issue and they solve item number 1 which was our biggest issue, but in anything over 60 degrees F ambient or if you are stationary for a while in traffic or waiting to line up at the strip, your car IAT is going to be skyrocketing sucking in all the preheated air from the engine bay. Our cars live or die on IATs and with a fully sealed intake system, I can confirm, it moves, even in the summer. I will be doing final testing with logs and dragy, once we have the production CF units on my car.
One thing is for sure, with MW intakes alone vs stock, it feels like a different car. Even against the competitor filter, the car felt much more consistent and powerful. These "feel" claims can be backed up above with the dragys provided. Im not here trying to sell you guys snake oil. We all knew the open intakes weren't optimal but they were all we had until now... Enough talking for now until I get the CF units on. Lets see these baby's in action! Enjoy the pics.
One quick mention, due to the size of these intakes, the oem cover will still need to be modified like BMS intake system. I believe MW (with my feedback for fitment) is working on a new CF engine cover as an option if you do not want to modify the oem cover. Also please note, the carbon intakes will be one piece, since these are 3d printed, we had to hobble these together with foil tape and the wrong size hose etc. The finished product is going to be much prettier and yield even better performance!
Man I'm sooo glad to see finally see this being released! After test fitting that initial prototype last year and revving up the engine with these things, I've been pumped up about it since!
Thank you guys for all the effort into making this. Our platform badly needed a quality solid intake and now we have it - with the numbers to back it up.
I see the vision! Big props for continuing the dedication to this platform after so many years. Many will have to dig to see how much tinkering, tweaking, DIYing you’ve done. If your stamp of approval is on this, I’m all in. Now for the price…
These look cool. Question: whats the price point on these? your carbon c63 ones which are somewhat similar are $1,100. If its near that price point why not get them made in plastic to bring the price down,as I can care less for "bling factor" under the hood as I would be more interested in performance gains than shiny carbon. a buddy has the c63 ones on his coupe and it turned yellow over time, is the clearcoat an improvement over the c63 ones?
These look cool. Question: whats the price point on these? your carbon c63 ones which are somewhat similar are $1,100. If its near that price point why not get them made in plastic to bring the price down,as I can care less for "bling factor" under the hood as I would be more interested in performance gains than shiny carbon. a buddy has the c63 ones on his coupe and it turned yellow over time, is the clearcoat an improvement over the c63 ones?
Thanks for the inquiry. The C63 units yellowing have been addressed by using both high temp resin as well as high temp clear-coating, which is what we are using on this intake as well. Rest assured, there will be no yellowing on these units.
We chose carbon fiber because that is simply the best material for the job. It has amazing thermal properties that translate to colder air which means more horsepower. Additionally, simply going to plastic isn't always cheaper. The plastic molds are more costly, and given that we have 4 tubes that have complex curvature, aluminum overmolding and large internal voids, these molds for a plastic variant will not be cheap. If we were to go that route, the upfront costs of the molds would have to get amortized into the unit cost which will not provide significant savings over the carbon version. Spending marginally more for a better performing and better looking product is a win in our book.
Some of the best intake kits in the world for various vehicles are made in carbon fiber, and they are done that way because they work. Pricing will be announced within the next few weeks after we get final production units made and have a final cost rollup with all pieces accounted for (silicone, harnesses, aluminum, etc).
Can you explain the science behind how carbon absorbs or retains less heat than a engineering grade plastic,? this is the first time hearing this. I know race cars use carbon intakes but its mostly because they are not mass produced and are one off creations. A carbon mold is quicker and cheaper to whip up.
Will you have data on a bone stock car? not a modded car with ancillary upgrades. I ask this because it seems like this kit will reach over $1,200- $1,300(I hope not), and im tentatively interested but need to evaluate the power to cost ratio. Pardon for sounding patronizing, but as with any purchase and as a consumer I like to cut through any "marketing fluff" and see that the price justifies the results.
seen on other platforms (Audi,BMW, MB) carbon intakes being sold with no name filters being sold at exorbitant prices, when in fact they get these made in china for $150-250 a pop for the carbon stuff and unload them at over $1k.
Looks to be the cleanest type of intake and one with the most data to back up the claims. Respectfully though, anywhere near $1000 would be out of the question for me. Still cool to see for sure.
Going to be testing these bad boys on the car late this week and into next week. We are verifying the fitment! Once the fitment is good, I am sure modal works will be opening a pre order soon! Until then, enjoy this pic!
07-16-2021, 02:52 PM
