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Want To Improve Your Ws Fiesta Engine


Fi.Es.Ta
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Back when the WS was launched i joined the Australian ford forums forums like a few other members

on that site there was a thread that for the life of me i can not remeber.But basically it was a discussion about air intake i posted a picture highlighting what i wanted to do regarding getting more air to the engine,i did'nt follow through with it due to the car being fairly new and i did'nt want to void my warranty.

Well 2yrs on i have had enough and decided to do the modification and void my engine warranty.

Well what improvements have i made you are thinking.

This picture is of the modification for those familiar with the air intake.

DSCF0583.jpg

I have taken the whole plastic peice of crap that ford moulded over the airbox intake off,i cut it away to let the car breath why ford designed it like that i do not no but obviously they had there reasons.Well my reasons are exactly what i thought it would do.

I have no more jitering and juddering in 1st gear at low revs in traffic its as smooth as a well yeah you no.

Gear changes are much smoother,increased throttle response and wait for it...........................Increased fuel performance.

this is only my first test on a full tank of fuel but this is what it used to show.Quarter of a tank 150klm new reading i gained 34klm,Half a tank previous 300klm new reading 350klm ive still not emptied the tank yet so i cant give maximum gains just yet but i will update and let you no.

I no it probally seems far fetched but beleive me removing that crappy bit of plastic has made a massive difference,im due to buy a K+N Filter so you would think this would improve also but we will have to wait and see.

PS.Im not asking anybody to perform this modification this is just my findings on my engine,i am mearly putting it out there.But i will say this that peice of plastic is doing nothing good for your engine.

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Hello

Without sounding dumb what is a ws cl is it the aussie version of the Zetec S that we have here in old cold england. :ph34r:

Jamie

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WS is the model ie equivalent to your MK7 and cl is the range which is the lowest spec but we dont have the smaller engine 1.6ltr is standard.

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WS is the model ie equivalent to your MK7 and cl is the range which is the lowest spec but we dont have the smaller engine 1.6ltr is standard.

Whereas MK7 we have Edge/Style/Zetec/Zetec-S/Titanium - what models do you have and the differences between them?

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Anyone gonna try this?

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Looks simple enough, is there a link for this?

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Ok as i mentioned i would report back once i emptied my tank of fuel.

just of late i have been getting 570 to 575klm per tank and thats not

doing sensible driving.with the new mod i have got 607klm to the tank and this isnt driving sensible either

so the difference speaks for itself.

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Hi Guys,

When I first read our "ozzy" friends thread I became intrigued,and now having seen our antipedian friends results I felt I had to go out and take a look.

To get a better look and understanding, it meant I had to take the nearside headlamp out and release all the plastic clips holding the top of the bumper etc to give a bit of flex whilst pulling and tugging.

Air obviously comes thro the main grill around the number plate, on UK spec cars, and thro the rads etc. Some of this air flow is then scooped, for want of a better word, into the area of the intake pipe. This "piece of plastic" which is part of the bumper directs the flow of air into the intake pipe from in front of the radiator and I also noticed, and you can see it in the photo, there is a rubber seal which Ford thought it neccessary to ensure that the air flow that did get scooped up didn't go to waste and lost. But I did notice that the mouth of the intake, which this "piece of plastic" is part of, has a relatively small opening compared to the actual size of the opening of the intake pipe going into the filter.

Two observations, the first is, that at least it's cold air that is being directed into the air intake, better for performance etc, secondly, at low speeds there is little or no flow of forced air into the intake. The engine actually sucks the air in, not always a good thing me thinks. It would be good if somehow there could be a better way of forcing/directing air flow into the engine, even at relatively low speeds this would definately be of an advantage.

The problem is that the engine takes its cold air from the main grill area because there is no direct path into the intake pipe situated inside the engine bay. If you look at the the grey plastic type grill, which you can see in the photo, it's actually solid and when the bonnet is closed there is no way air flow can get thro directly to the intake pipe so unless you take lumps out of the little grey grill and bonnet this is the only way air gets into the engine.

Back to our "ozzy" friends little mod. Having cut away the "piece of plastic" he has obviously noticed some advantage, but he may well have lost the scooped/forced air effect Ford designed into the intake. Could it be though that what he has achieved is that although he now has no forced induction he his picking up colder air from around the front edge of the bonnet which may well be giving him the increase, albeit a small one, that he his noticing.

I'm definately intrigued by this and I've taked our "ozzy" friends mod to thought, and whilst I'm not going to go the extent of cutting away said piece of plastic yet, I am going to look at forming/fabricating some type of scoop/deflector which can be attached behind the grill in the region of said intake to get a more direct air flow into the engine. At the moment it's a little bit left to chance, but it obviously works that's why Ford designed it, but I'm sure it could be improved upon. I also thought about the effect some sort of scoop/deflector would have on cold air passing thro the radiator might have on the cooling and I don't believe it will have any effect at all as there is more than enough of the radiator exposed to ensure that hot spots won't occur.

So off to the drawing board and we'll see what we can do.

Thanks to those down under for the results etc.

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Ok what i also forgot to mention which tone has just brought up regarding the front grill being solid just under the intake was,that i actually cut it away between the blades so air is directly being blown and sucked in through this front grille.You can not see this unless you get level with the grille and look between the fins,and no it doesnt look messy i used a drill and changed the bits at intervals to match the size variation and then got a super hot thin blade and smoothed the opening so it looked neat.

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Hi Oz,

I must admit I looked at that and whilst it is only a small opening it would help.

I also thought about taking a lump in a "U" shape out of the grey plastic grill directly in front of the opening as this might help. The obvious disadvantage is that whilst you have opended up the area between the fins and its not seen cutting the top of the grill out it would need to be neat and tidy.

Good try though its obviously improved air flow but could it be better still?

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Just regardind the the bit i have cut out between the fins it would definatley play a big factor in the mod due to the size of the opening at speed it would be a constant jet of cold air being rammed into the gaping air intake.While your idea about cutting the "U" out would help a stack load more its going to look very sightly and not something i would want to be looking at everytime i looked at the front end.Theres is definatley room for improvement with this mod but its trying to keep it tidy aswell as grabbing gains.

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This week I've done a little bit of experimenting with this "cold air intake" after reviewing our "ozzy" friends experience.

I've noticed for a while now, that after an hour or so of driving and especially after travelling on the motorway, the underbonnet temperatures from my 1.4 Tdci engine are quite high, and the intake pipe leading to the air filter is quite hot and it must be heating up the air going into the filter and engine. As you know this isn't very good for engine efficiency, probably its the reason why the engine always seems a little more responsive when its cold. As this engine comes without an intercooler, the air temperature going into the engine can only be higher than if it had one. Hence why the 1.6 Tdci engine which has one develops more power amongst other things.

The easy option would be to fit an intercooler out of a Peugeot 206 along with the hoses. Unfortunately I have air-con fitted, and all the connections and pipework are situated where the intercooler needs to be at the side of the radiator. I could look at getting a bespoke one made to fit at the front of the engine behind the grill as some have done. But I'm not certain yet whether the expense would reap enough benefits to offset the cost. Maybe if I was looking at major ways of increasing the power even more then it might be.

So back to the point where the air flow actually comes into the car. Ford have designed a standard type of intake for all models for ease of build etc. Air passes thro the grill and thro the rads, but some of this air swirling around is drawn upwards thro a small letterbox type opening and into the intake pipe using the bump designed into the front bumper assembly. The piece of "naff plastic" that our ozzy friend cut away is part of that, and to an extent he has recieved some results. The problem is apart from cutting a narrow slot into the small grey plastic trim, the one with the Ford Oval on, which he has done, he still isn't getting a large enough flow of cold air into the engine for me. Now this will have a different effect I think if its on a petrol car, as the air filter is located right at the side of the headlamp, whereas on the diesel engine the air filter is situated on top of the engine further back. As an example Pumaspeed have obviously had some good results with their J1 Air Filter on petrol cars. It would seem they've been able to improve on Fords design, and get more air into the engine, at a cost tho'. Also the petrol cars don't have a turbo to increase the temperature under the bonnet. Thats why this would help those with diesel engines. I believe if I can get a colder air flow, or a more direct air flow along with air velocity, which is what Pumaspeed have achieved, I will realise some benefits.

Anyway at work we have digital thermometer we use to check surface temps etc, and connecting it remotely to the intake pipe and driving down the road, I noticed after 20 mins it was reading 35 degs. Now obviously the temp going into the engine won't be at that temp due to the flow of air I would think, but after a quick blast down the dual carrageway the gauge was showing 53 degs. This had to be having a detrimental effect on power. But because its only a 70bhp engine, the power loss is perhaps not enough to notice.....or is it?

Back at base I quickly knocked up, using some 50mm plastic waste pipe used in plumbing etc with 45 deg bends, and fixed it behind the main grill with the intention of directing a flow of cold air directly into the intake opening. Again I took some measurements, and the first thing I found after 15 mins driving around was that the temperature of the intake pipe was down by 4 degs and after the quick blast it was showing a 6 deg lower reading. Alright not major differences, but this was only a cobbled together piece of pipework held together with gaffer tape etc etc. I also noticed that at higher speeds over 30mph the engine seemed a little more responsive, whereas before it would hesitate from 3400 rpm it would now whip round to 4000rpm no problem. Obvoiusly the colder air flow was having some effect.

OK back to the drawing board. As we've said, because of the way the air intake is designed for the Fiesta, and its one design to fit all models, it relies on the engine to suck in the air from in front of the radiator area, and it uses part of the bumper design to deflect/help it into the intake pipe. But if you actually look at the opening its only a narrow slot, hence why our friend cutaway the "bump" on top of the bumper in an attempt to get more air in. He's obviously had some success with that to a degree. In my situation I don't neccessarily need more air, although it would help, I need to get the temps down and this will mean a slightly different approach.

So this weekend, I will be looking at getting some flexible 50mm hose, the type you can buy from the motor factors, and see if I can find a way of getting cold air from around the front of the car and attaching it to the air box directly. The further away it is from the turbo charger it is the less chance of underbonnet temps spoiling it. I know petrol cars have their MAF sensor located at the front with the air filter, and this method may not be helpful. But if I had a petrol engine I would certainly look at directing more air from behind the grill into the vicinity of the air intake, without cutting the bumper assemby. For me with my engine this should be a relatively easy mod to do, and I will be able to revert back to a standard set up quite quickly, and it won't involve making any mods to the bodywork/bumper.

If this works, and I can only assume there should be some improvement over the original design, I should notice some difference in fuel economy and performance. Admittedly they may well be only small differences, and I'm not expecting a huge power increase, but if it works I will invest in a K&N/Green Cotten type performance panel filter as well. Along with my Synergy 2b tuning box I'm expecting some noticable improvements.

If anybody has had any success with this or can see any obvious flaws in my thinking I would welcome any feedback.

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This week I've done a little bit of experimenting with this "cold air intake" after reviewing our "ozzy" friends experience.

I've noticed for a while now, that after an hour or so of driving and especially after travelling on the motorway, the underbonnet temperatures from my 1.4 Tdci engine are quite high, and the intake pipe leading to the air filter is quite hot and it must be heating up the air going into the filter and engine. As you know this isn't very good for engine efficiency, probably its the reason why the engine always seems a little more responsive when its cold. As this engine comes without an intercooler, the air temperature going into the engine can only be higher than if it had one. Hence why the 1.6 Tdci engine which has one develops more power amongst other things.

The easy option would be to fit an intercooler out of a Peugeot 206 along with the hoses. Unfortunately I have air-con fitted, and all the connections and pipework are situated where the intercooler needs to be at the side of the radiator. I could look at getting a bespoke one made to fit at the front of the engine behind the grill as some have done. But I'm not certain yet whether the expense would reap enough benefits to offset the cost. Maybe if I was looking at major ways of increasing the power even more then it might be.

So back to the point where the air flow actually comes into the car. Ford have designed a standard type of intake for all models for ease of build etc. Air passes thro the grill and thro the rads, but some of this air swirling around is drawn upwards thro a small letterbox type opening and into the intake pipe using the bump designed into the front bumper assembly. The piece of "naff plastic" that our ozzy friend cut away is part of that, and to an extent he has recieved some results. The problem is apart from cutting a narrow slot into the small grey plastic trim, the one with the Ford Oval on, which he has done, he still isn't getting a large enough flow of cold air into the engine for me. Now this will have a different effect I think if its on a petrol car, as the air filter is located right at the side of the headlamp, whereas on the diesel engine the air filter is situated on top of the engine further back. As an example Pumaspeed have obviously had some good results with their J1 Air Filter on petrol cars. It would seem they've been able to improve on Fords design, and get more air into the engine, at a cost tho'. Also the petrol cars don't have a turbo to increase the temperature under the bonnet. Thats why this would help those with diesel engines. I believe if I can get a colder air flow, or a more direct air flow along with air velocity, which is what Pumaspeed have achieved, I will realise some benefits.

Anyway at work we have digital thermometer we use to check surface temps etc, and connecting it remotely to the intake pipe and driving down the road, I noticed after 20 mins it was reading 35 degs. Now obviously the temp going into the engine won't be at that temp due to the flow of air I would think, but after a quick blast down the dual carrageway the gauge was showing 53 degs. This had to be having a detrimental effect on power. But because its only a 70bhp engine, the power loss is perhaps not enough to notice.....or is it?

Back at base I quickly knocked up, using some 50mm plastic waste pipe used in plumbing etc with 45 deg bends, and fixed it behind the main grill with the intention of directing a flow of cold air directly into the intake opening. Again I took some measurements, and the first thing I found after 15 mins driving around was that the temperature of the intake pipe was down by 4 degs and after the quick blast it was showing a 6 deg lower reading. Alright not major differences, but this was only a cobbled together piece of pipework held together with gaffer tape etc etc. I also noticed that at higher speeds over 30mph the engine seemed a little more responsive, whereas before it would hesitate from 3400 rpm it would now whip round to 4000rpm no problem. Obvoiusly the colder air flow was having some effect.

OK back to the drawing board. As we've said, because of the way the air intake is designed for the Fiesta, and its one design to fit all models, it relies on the engine to suck in the air from in front of the radiator area, and it uses part of the bumper design to deflect/help it into the intake pipe. But if you actually look at the opening its only a narrow slot, hence why our friend cutaway the "bump" on top of the bumper in an attempt to get more air in. He's obviously had some success with that to a degree. In my situation I don't neccessarily need more air, although it would help, I need to get the temps down and this will mean a slightly different approach.

So this weekend, I will be looking at getting some flexible 50mm hose, the type you can buy from the motor factors, and see if I can find a way of getting cold air from around the front of the car and attaching it to the air box directly. The further away it is from the turbo charger it is the less chance of underbonnet temps spoiling it. I know petrol cars have their MAF sensor located at the front with the air filter, and this method may not be helpful. But if I had a petrol engine I would certainly look at directing more air from behind the grill into the vicinity of the air intake, without cutting the bumper assemby. For me with my engine this should be a relatively easy mod to do, and I will be able to revert back to a standard set up quite quickly, and it won't involve making any mods to the bodywork/bumper.

If this works, and I can only assume there should be some improvement over the original design, I should notice some difference in fuel economy and performance. Admittedly they may well be only small differences, and I'm not expecting a huge power increase, but if it works I will invest in a K&N/Green Cotten type performance panel filter as well. Along with my Synergy 2b tuning box I'm expecting some noticable improvements.

If anybody has had any success with this or can see any obvious flaws in my thinking I would welcome any feedback.

Or just trade it in for a faster car? Jeez u knew the PS when you bought the car! What about warranty issues?

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Thanks for the helpful reply Elkie.

Firstly, the van was bought 12 months ago as a means of supporting my work. I don't want to trade it in for a faster model as costs come into it.

Secondly, yes I knew the power of the engine when I bought it but the figures stacked up at the time of the deal and it was significantly cheaper than a 1.6 Tdci and I got the air-con as well.

Thirdly, after 12 months and 62k miles I don't think I'll have any warranty issues do you?

All the exercise is for is a matter of seeing what could be done at minimal cost.

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Im with you on this tone,if you are seeing temperature drops with a knocked up bit of pipe then theres heaps more room for improvement,im thinking more on the lines of getting some flexi pipe and sealing it inside the airbox this way there is two inflows going directly to the engine thus having a colder intake.Im going to have another tinker tomorrow and try a few things.

Elkie we did no what power outputs the car had when we bought it but just like any other car,improvements can be made to get gains some big some small.Car manufacturers have to build to stringent guidelines to keep the greenies happy and this often and can happen where the car manufacturer might have to sacrifice some power to run with these regulations.

PS.And besides Im a tinker and cant help myself.If you never try you will never no ;)

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I have thought about doing that modification,but gave up,because:

1.when you close the bonnet,there is absolutely no flow of air to that spot,because the upper grill is fully closed,and there is no air coming between the grill and the bonnet due to rubber bonnet guards taped on the bonnet edge

2.the only way to get any noticable amount of air coming to that spot is to modify the upper grill.....

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Hi Blade,

I know what you're saying, when the bonnet is closed there is no direct airflow to the intake point inside the engine compartment. Like you said, there are rubber strips and the upper part of that grill is in the way. You can see it in our ozzy friends photo. Hence why Fi.Es.Ta cut a slot into the upper grey grill once he had removed the bump covering the intake. I actually thought of cutting away a piece of the upper grill and by removing the "bump" you would get a direct flow. Of course everytime you opened the bonnet you would see the grill where it had been cut.

Like you I thought about it, and in the end I actually cobbled together a piece of plastic pipe roughly the shape of a periscope to take cold air in. I stuck it directly into the air flow behind the main grill, where it then funnelled cold air up towards the opening. Or you could like what our ozzy friend is doing and thats add another feed, via a flexi pipe into the air box which will give a better air flow. Obviously that's what Pumaspeed have achieved with a slightly different approach.

For me, I'm going to by-pass the existing intake design and take a new flexi pipe and connect it directly to the air filter/box. I need to lower the temps and get more air in. It can only make for an improvement.

Oz,

you're definately on the right track, I also have a Subaru Legacy 3.0ltr flat six and did exactly that, made up a new feed into the air box before the filter and on a "rolling road" saw an increase of 13bhp. Fuel economy improved, not by a lot but over a months driving it went up from 23.6 mpg to 25.3 mpg. Not mind blowing results, but definately worth having. Now I'm not expecting a 13 bhp increase on the Fiesta but whatever I get, 3-4 maybe, that will bring an increase of fuel economy and definately a better performing engine.

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Hi Guys

For those who would like to understand a little more about Cold Air Intakes and the effect Ram Air has on performance. Read this very useful technical write-up by an engineering student who fully tested sizes of air intake, orientation of intake, size of pipework etc and the effect upon ram air induction effect

http://www.karlsnet.com/mopar/ramair.shtml

Now you can see why like "the oz" I've become obsessed with getting more air into the air intake pipe and ensuring its as cold as possible, which unfortunately doesn't happen at present because of the standard design by Ford means that the engine is drawing in hot air from around the engine.

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Very interesting article I would like to do something like this keep us posted Tone how your experimenting gets on.

Colin.

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Does anyone know the link to this piece?

It definitely seems a good mod (especially in conjunction with a good air induction kit like the j1 automotive), I wouldn't of thought it costs too much either?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Right guys the results are in, after nearly 4 weeks and 4000 miles I can honestly say the car has shown some tremendous improvements over "uncle henry's" one intake design for all cars system. This simple mod works believe me. And the best bit nobody knows its there.

I've basically increased the air flow into the intake via two new flexi pipes and a couple of 90 deg plastic elbows. MPG has increased on avg from 48.6 mpg over the month and 3600 miles to 51.3 mpg. I'm sure if you only used one "Cold Intake Pipe" you would notice the results.

The car is performing better, and I would say that there has been an increase in power, at a guess I would say at least 5-6 bhp. That's only a guess it could be more as you will see later. Mind you there have been other benefits.

The engine note is quieter

The throttle response is vastly improved.

The way the car picks up from 2k rpm above 25mph is just smile inducing everytime I drive it. The way it accelerates from motorway speeds in 5th is well... anyway let me explain what I've done and with what results.

You will note from previous comments that I've always thought that the way the car takes in air thro' the intake is a bit of a lottery. Primarily its one system for all cars, petrol or diesel. air flow passes thro' the grill, and on its way thro the radiators some of it is taken thro by the intake designed scoop in the bumper and directed toward the opening of the intake pipe.

Now on my 1.4Tdci engine the air filter is situated on top of the engine, leaving quite a longish length of pipe up to the filter, allowing it too absorb any heat from the turbo and engine heating up the air going into the filter. After a good motorway run 2 hours or more, the pipe can be too hot to hold!!! I know on the petrol cars that the air filter is located behind the grill next to the headlight. It doesn't matter as this mod will work for all cars. Pumaspeed have tapped into this, and just by getting more air flow and a better breathing filter they can increase bhp.

Anyway back to the intake. As I've said before my intake pipe gets hot inside the engine compartment and not having an intercooler means that the air temp passing thro the turbo into the engine is at a higher temperature than is good for combustion. See prevous comments and how we measured it. Before starting I removed my "Synergy 2b Tuning Box" as I didn't want that to cloud any results etc. Then placing an 18" fan, the type you would use in an office, in front of the grill and using a flow meter we use for balancing ventilation systems, I took a reading of the air that actually makes its way into the intake pipe. The readings were quite low. So I then made up my "cold air intake" (CAI)

The first attempt was a bit of cobbled up plastic pipe and some 50mm flexi which only directed a better flow of cold air into the intake, but it got results and lowered the air temp by 6 degs. This got me thinking...what about if I managed to get a flexi pipe and put that directly into the intake system. So that is what I did. Using my two and half inch black plastic elbow and a piece of flexi pipe from a "Henry Vacuum Cleaner" about 38mm in dia.

This size of pipe fits neatly into the opening just on the top of radiator where the intake pipe goes. You can see that in the photo from our "ozzy friend " that he took at the begining of this thread. I'm going to take photo's of the kit and make a new thead showing "how it was done" so don't worry if you want to copy the design.

I made up the new pipe, cable tied it to the protection beam behind the grill and offered up the small flexi pipe and stuffed it into the intake opening. I switched on the fan, measured the flow of air and we had a 38% increase what a result. Putting the grill back on and connecting the temp gauge to measure the air temp in the intake pipe off we went for a little spin. 20 mins later the temp of the air going into the engine had now dropped by another 8 degs to 39 degs. Response and acceleration seemed a lot better. But now the engine note had changed, you could physically hear it. On returning back to base I thought, what about if I made up another intake pipe, what results would I get then. So the parts bin was robbed again and another one made up. The air flow this time had gone up by another 13%, off down the road. I expected great things but first impressions not much. Never mind a quick 20 min blast, the air temps going into the filter were down another 6 degs, at this rate we would be making ice cubes.

OK, how does it perform, which at the end of the day is what we want to see.

Well I am fortunate on my fleet we have another two 1.4Tdci Fiesta's Mk7's. Not with as many miles as mine, but at 12600 miles they are nicely run in. A simple experiment was decided upon. We would both go out side by side on the by pass around the ind estate which tends to be relatively deserted. Get up to 30mph and on a signal accelerate in third gear to the red line or whatever. This we did. We'd up to 30mph in 3rd, which is about 2000rpm, I had slightly less fuel than him, but not enough to bother the results I would have thought.

The first 10 mph I had eeked out a small lead but then I just left him and as I hit 60mph he was at least 3 - 4 car lengths behind. This was so great in my opinion I thought he'd had a problem. We stopped and the first thing he said was "I thought we were starting in 3rd gear only not 2nd and changing up to 3rd". I told him I only started in 3rd. Turning round we did a return run. Roughly the same result. Quality. I reckon I'm now getting too much air forced into the filter to a point where its stalling the air flow. Next step a performance filter. Here endeth my case. Fords design of getting air flow into the intake is flawed, it does work but with a little ingenuity and not much expense, for me nothing, you can get satisfactory results.

In case some of you are wondering why I used smaller flexi pipes and not one, two and half inch one or bigger. Well those of you with diplomas and degrees in physics will know that if you reduce the diameter of the pipe down form its starting point it has too accelarate at a faster speed by the time it reaches the end of the pipe. See the link on previous comment. Also I needed the smaller size to fit into the air intake apperture. 50mm was way too big.

Since then I have reconnected my tuning box and whereas previously I had it set at a lower setting, because on the maximum setting (no 10) I did get odd puffs of black smoke on maximum throttle due to slight over fuelling. So turning it up to the highest setting I reckoned, more air going in, more fuel needed, more performance. One thing left to do. In the unit next to our warehouse there is a young guy with a 1.6 Titanium. I asked him if he would like to carry out a little experiment down the by pass. Same rules 30 mph floor the pedal........same result again, he was blown away. Now all I need is a 1.6 Tdci to compare. I must admit it was slightly unfair, he didn't have the torque the diesel has from low rpm but what the heck.....

Guys if this works on my little 1.4 what will it do to those with 1.6 engines petrol or diesel? With a performance filter, my CAI and my tuning box I reckon, it should be pushing out close to 105 / 108 bhp. Not a lot I know, but better than the 70 bhp as std and the way this thing accelerates up to 4000rpm is astonishing.

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Right guys the results are in, after nearly 4 weeks and 4000 miles I can honestly say the car has shown some tremendous improvements over "uncle henry's" one intake design for all cars system. This simple mod works believe me. And the best bit nobody knows its there.

I've basically increased the air flow into the intake via two new flexi pipes and a couple of 90 deg plastic elbows. MPG has increased on avg from 48.6 mpg over the month and 3600 miles to 51.3 mpg. I'm sure if you only used one "Cold Intake Pipe" you would notice the results.

The car is performing better, and I would say that there has been an increase in power, at a guess I would say at least 5-6 bhp. That's only a guess it could be more as you will see later. Mind you there have been other benefits.

The engine note is quieter

The throttle response is vastly improved.

The way the car picks up from 2k rpm above 25mph is just smile inducing everytime I drive it. The way it accelerates from motorway speeds in 5th is well... anyway let me explain what I've done and with what results.

You will note from previous comments that I've always thought that the way the car takes in air thro' the intake is a bit of a lottery. Primarily its one system for all cars, petrol or diesel. air flow passes thro' the grill, and on its way thro the radiators some of it is taken thro by the intake designed scoop in the bumper and directed toward the opening of the intake pipe.

Now on my 1.4Tdci engine the air filter is situated on top of the engine, leaving quite a longish length of pipe up to the filter, allowing it too absorb any heat from the turbo and engine heating up the air going into the filter. After a good motorway run 2 hours or more, the pipe can be too hot to hold!!! I know on the petrol cars that the air filter is located behind the grill next to the headlight. It doesn't matter as this mod will work for all cars. Pumaspeed have tapped into this, and just by getting more air flow and a better breathing filter they can increase bhp.

Anyway back to the intake. As I've said before my intake pipe gets hot inside the engine compartment and not having an intercooler means that the air temp passing thro the turbo into the engine is at a higher temperature than is good for combustion. See prevous comments and how we measured it. Before starting I removed my "Synergy 2b Tuning Box" as I didn't want that to cloud any results etc. Then placing an 18" fan, the type you would use in an office, in front of the grill and using a flow meter we use for balancing ventilation systems, I took a reading of the air that actually makes its way into the intake pipe. The readings were quite low. So I then made up my "cold air intake" (CAI)

The first attempt was a bit of cobbled up plastic pipe and some 50mm flexi which only directed a better flow of cold air into the intake, but it got results and lowered the air temp by 6 degs. This got me thinking...what about if I managed to get a flexi pipe and put that directly into the intake system. So that is what I did. Using my two and half inch black plastic elbow and a piece of flexi pipe from a "Henry Vacuum Cleaner" about 38mm in dia.

This size of pipe fits neatly into the opening just on the top of radiator where the intake pipe goes. You can see that in the photo from our "ozzy friend " that he took at the begining of this thread. I'm going to take photo's of the kit and make a new thead showing "how it was done" so don't worry if you want to copy the design.

I made up the new pipe, cable tied it to the protection beam behind the grill and offered up the small flexi pipe and stuffed it into the intake opening. I switched on the fan, measured the flow of air and we had a 38% increase what a result. Putting the grill back on and connecting the temp gauge to measure the air temp in the intake pipe off we went for a little spin. 20 mins later the temp of the air going into the engine had now dropped by another 8 degs to 39 degs. Response and acceleration seemed a lot better. But now the engine note had changed, you could physically hear it. On returning back to base I thought, what about if I made up another intake pipe, what results would I get then. So the parts bin was robbed again and another one made up. The air flow this time had gone up by another 13%, off down the road. I expected great things but first impressions not much. Never mind a quick 20 min blast, the air temps going into the filter were down another 6 degs, at this rate we would be making ice cubes.

OK, how does it perform, which at the end of the day is what we want to see.

Well I am fortunate on my fleet we have another two 1.4Tdci Fiesta's Mk7's. Not with as many miles as mine, but at 12600 miles they are nicely run in. A simple experiment was decided upon. We would both go out side by side on the by pass around the ind estate which tends to be relatively deserted. Get up to 30mph and on a signal accelerate in third gear to the red line or whatever. This we did. We'd up to 30mph in 3rd, which is about 2000rpm, I had slightly less fuel than him, but not enough to bother the results I would have thought.

The first 10 mph I had eeked out a small lead but then I just left him and as I hit 60mph he was at least 3 - 4 car lengths behind. This was so great in my opinion I thought he'd had a problem. We stopped and the first thing he said was "I thought we were starting in 3rd gear only not 2nd and changing up to 3rd". I told him I only started in 3rd. Turning round we did a return run. Roughly the same result. Quality. I reckon I'm now getting too much air forced into the filter to a point where its stalling the air flow. Next step a performance filter. Here endeth my case. Fords design of getting air flow into the intake is flawed, it does work but with a little ingenuity and not much expense, for me nothing, you can get satisfactory results.

In case some of you are wondering why I used smaller flexi pipes and not one, two and half inch one or bigger. Well those of you with diplomas and degrees in physics will know that if you reduce the diameter of the pipe down form its starting point it has too accelarate at a faster speed by the time it reaches the end of the pipe. See the link on previous comment. Also I needed the smaller size to fit into the air intake apperture. 50mm was way too big.

Since then I have reconnected my tuning box and whereas previously I had it set at a lower setting, because on the maximum setting (no 10) I did get odd puffs of black smoke on maximum throttle due to slight over fuelling. So turning it up to the highest setting I reckoned, more air going in, more fuel needed, more performance. One thing left to do. In the unit next to our warehouse there is a young guy with a 1.6 Titanium. I asked him if he would like to carry out a little experiment down the by pass. Same rules 30 mph floor the pedal........same result again, he was blown away. Now all I need is a 1.6 Tdci to compare. I must admit it was slightly unfair, he didn't have the torque the diesel has from low rpm but what the heck.....

Guys if this works on my little 1.4 what will it do to those with 1.6 engines petrol or diesel? With a performance filter, my CAI and my tuning box I reckon, it should be pushing out close to 105 / 108 bhp. Not a lot I know, but better than the 70 bhp as std and the way this thing accelerates up to 4000rpm is astonishing.

I await the photo's with interest and excitement lol. Col.

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Col,

As the miles have piled on, and with my Synergy 2b Box the car has got better. I honestly believe that this knocks the socks off those kits that cost up to £200. Pound for pound and BHP gained there's no contest.

The engine runs quieter,

The fuel economy is better, not a lot but that could be down to the way I drive it.

The surge from 2000 rpm in 3rd, 4th and 5th is amazing

This little motor will spin to 4000 rpm and beyond if pushed without the hesitation it had before.

And at motorway speeds 80 mph ish, its difficult to keep it to 70, it will climb to 105 mph in the time it's taken you to read this last sentence. Honestly.

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Col,

As the miles have piled on, and with my Synergy 2b Box the car has got better. I honestly believe that this knocks the socks off those kits that cost up to £200. Pound for pound and BHP gained there's no contest.

The engine runs quieter,

The fuel economy is better, not a lot but that could be down to the way I drive it.

The surge from 2000 rpm in 3rd, 4th and 5th is amazing

This little motor will spin to 4000 rpm and beyond if pushed without the hesitation it had before.

And at motorway speeds 80 mph ish, its difficult to keep it to 70, it will climb to 105 mph in the time it's taken you to read this last sentence. Honestly.

Take some pics to show how you did this. Thanks Col.

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Take some pics to show how you did this. Thanks Col.

Sorry Tone jumped the gun a bit there just seen your other thread Great. Col.

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