W211 AMG Discuss the W211 AMG's such as the E55 and the E63

Dual CAI build (Version 1.0)

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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:17 PM
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Dual CAI build (Version 1.0)

I got bored a couple months back and decided to try my luck at building a set of dual cold air intakes for the car. I use the term "cold air" loosely because as you'll soon see, the filters are still inside the engine bay. I'm still working out the kinks on this design to see if I can get the tubes outside the engine bay, but there are a number of limiting factors making it damn near impossible.

I got a box of 3" mandrel bent aluminum pipes and a couple really nice oil-less filters.




One of the limiting factors is filter location versus filter size. It's hard to find good filters in a size small enough to fit in the engine bay. These worked...but just barely. This is just about the only spot they'll fit also. They are in front of the vent holes in the radiator support, but I know it's not ideal as compared to being outside the engine bay completely:



I pulled out the chop saw and the TIG and went to work. Here's my stack-o-dimes.



All buttoned up. The driver's side valve cover vent tube runs into the left side intake tube. I'm not much of a fan of this and am going to try to figure out where to fit a catch can.



Initial impressions is that the supercharger is WAY more prevalent. It's actually pretty remarkable how loud it got. Performance or IAT lowering benefits? I have no idea. I really wish I knew but I've got no way of knowng. I can only assume it breathes easier though given the 3" piping.

I'm still going to see if I can figure out how to get some filters in front of the car, but I'll leave that for a rainy day.


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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:23 PM
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Questions:

With the intake pipes hovering above the valve covers, isn't there an awful lot of radiant heat? Wouldn't that actually heat the air coming in? Or is the air moving at such a velocity, that it's not chambered long enough to matter? Wouldn't heat wrapping them be beneficial?

I applaud the effort. And nice TIG(ing)!
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:26 PM
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like it but it looks ugly lol,i was thinking of doing the same but using some type of plastic tubing.Do you have a baseline dyno before the intakes?

I recomend using the stock snorkle setup and using a filter in it like the stock car,your going to suck up alot of hot air in the summer with those filters like that and as you know our intake temps skyrocket on boost with these cars.
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:29 PM
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The tubes pass almost directly over the headers so yeah, there is a lot of radiant heat. I guess the stock design is the same too but in plastic instead of aluminum. I'd really need to have the ability to log IAT's to find out the impact of these. I'm hoping that the thermal conductivity of the aluminum will help heat dissipation a wee bit, but I really have no way of knowing.

Can anyone assist in data logging IAT's for me?
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:33 PM
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Im 100% positive your temps are going to be higher with the aluminum,the plastic wont get that hot and even BMW uses a plastic manifold bolted right to the head on the old e36 m3.

in the winter this should make some decent power over a stock setup.You can buy a scan tool on ebay that will show your iats for pretty cheap too.

maybe once you make it they best way we can have a company make it in carbon fiber,now that would be nice
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:43 PM
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Originally Posted by skratch77
maybe once you make it they best way we can have a company make it in carbon fiber,now that would be nice
Fo shizzle. I'm not sold on the design...and whether to heat wrap or not. I've got a regular OBD2 scan tool already...duh...why the hell didn't I think of that.

Anywho, stay tuned and I'll try to get some before/after comparisons once it's not -20 degrees here in Wisconsin.
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:50 PM
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this might be good for a glory 1/4 mile time too haha.

how bout heat wrapping it and having the pipes go right to the vents and using a oem type box to use some filters in around near the stock boxes were?
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:54 PM
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I dont know, the AMG peeps know what they are doing. I think it might be tough to make more power with that.

Hit the dyno and find out
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:56 PM
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From back in the day,

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...ntake-55s.html
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 10:57 PM
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k,

have you seen this?



-m
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 11:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Yacht Master
From back in the day...
I recall that design. I still don't know how the fark he shoehorned those tubes through the stock openings.

The SRT6 guys have the similar idea. I wish we had that much room to work with.


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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 11:01 PM
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Marcus, what is the diameter of those BMC CDA filters? (inlet and outlet).
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 11:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Marcus Frost
k,

have you seen this?

I have not! Are those inline filters? That would make routing the tubes out of the car very easy.
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 11:10 PM
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those inline filters are clutch,once my car is done with the 82mm tb I will do a setup like that with before and after dynos.
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 11:15 PM
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nice work!

get some DEI heat blankets for those intake tubes. i have a similar intake setup on my car and the SC is very loud...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6gJ7mroqY
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Old Feb 3, 2010 | 11:58 PM
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do you guys think 1 of those cda filters will work? You can get cheap plastic intake tubing at autozone that flexs and comes in at 3 in and 4 in for like 40 bucks.

You could make one inline filter with that setup and run a huge 4 in intake with a huge cda filter.

just duct it to the stock snorkles and then flex it into one big filter and back to the y pipe
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 01:10 AM
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The little ears on the radiator can be shaved off to allow larger diameter tubing through.
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 01:10 AM
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Originally Posted by skratch77
do you guys think 1 of those cda filters will work? You can get cheap plastic intake tubing at autozone that flexs and comes in at 3 in and 4 in for like 40 bucks.

You could make one inline filter with that setup and run a huge 4 in intake with a huge cda filter.

just duct it to the stock snorkles and then flex it into one big filter and back to the y pipe
I don't see how one could have enough surface area. I'd max it out.
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 03:14 AM
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what size filters are those?

if i were to leave the stock airbox in but add filters what will i need to buy?
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 03:52 AM
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Originally Posted by prodigymb
nice work!

get some DEI heat blankets for those intake tubes. i have a similar intake setup on my car and the SC is very loud...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6gJ7mroqY
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 08:55 AM
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Use the DEI heat-reflection tape (gold), not header wrap. One keeps heat out, the other keeps heat in.
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 10:08 AM
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This is the product that I used, buy one blanket for each side. The length is 3ft which is perfect for the length of these intakes.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DEI-010417/
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 10:17 AM
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Originally Posted by prodigymb
This is the product that I used, buy one blanket for each side. The length is 3ft which is perfect for the length of these intakes.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DEI-010417/

Were you able to do a before and after comparison of IAT's with stock intake versus the tubes you have?
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 10:25 AM
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Originally Posted by prodigymb
nice work!

get some DEI heat blankets for those intake tubes. i have a similar intake setup on my car and the SC is very loud...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6gJ7mroqY
Your car sounds incredible!!
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Old Feb 4, 2010 | 10:39 AM
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Originally Posted by kjlindgr
Were you able to do a before and after comparison of IAT's with stock intake versus the tubes you have?
yea i don't have the charts saved. it made the biggest difference when the car is not actually moving ( while waiting to do a 1/4 mile run). the pipes would get too hot to touch since they sit right above the valve covers. those blankets are def worth it and they are perfect length too.

Originally Posted by 930chas
Your car sounds incredible!!
thx man. shame u got rid of that HPF vert a bit too early
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