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2012 Focus Custom Ram Air How-To

503K views 429 replies 116 participants last post by  Ruby Red Leo 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I've always been the type to have pride in the fact that I do my own work. And with that sometimes comes a better product. I knew I wanted an intake on my new Focus. I wanted a K&N filter. And I wanted it to be functional without being too "ricey", or have too much over-powering intake noise. So this is what I have been dreaming about the last few months.

Start by jumping on the net, or head to your local auto parts store, and order Gates part #22274. What you get is a 3" inside diameter, right angle heater hose. With very little trimming, it becomes the perfect fit! It runs about $37. I found mine for $23 on Amazon shipped!



While you're waiting for that to come in. Remove your airbox, along with the resonator you'll find under it bolted to the frame. I find it easiest to keep the MAF sensor attached to the box, and remove the hose clamp and wire harness to the MAF sensor.

Remove the front air dam plate by pushing it out back towards the engine bay. You can take your time to push each snap out of the way. Or just use a little extra force and it pops right out. I found this best. :)

I laid out a line across the center of each opening, and spaced out each hole I wanted to drill. Then over to drill the holes.



Finished. Of course you can drill your holes any way you like. I was going for a clean, not too obvious look while maintaining good airflow.



This is the area you want to run the hose through. It's a tight squeeze, so it will take some suggesting.



Should look like this once it's in place. Note, at this time the hose is uncut. What a nice fit eh! :)



Here's one of what she looks like from the top. (uncut)



From the first hose picture you'll notice it runs on a bit of an angle to the right. Measure back 2 inches, and cut a notch to act as a scoop. I used just a simple straight razor blade.



Here's a fun part. Remember that factory airbox we removed? Yeah well to buy one new it runs about $130. But that's ok, cause in a couple years people will be throwing them away when they buy their CAI. So you'll be able to pick on up down the road if you want to go back. But today we're going to drill a 3 1/2" hole in it! :) Get out your 3 1/2" hole saw, and cut a hole as close to the old resonator hole as possible. Always clean up your cut edges too! :)



Now put the box back in, and fully seat it in place. You want to adjust the hose so it feels relaxed. Then mark a line around the hose about a 1/4" from the bottom of the box. Remove the box, and cut the marked line.



After the hose is all cut. Reinstall your freshly drilled air dam plate, and then reinstall the hose. It may take a couple times of replacing the airbox to get the hose in the relaxed state again so you can make your bracket. I used 3/4" by 1/8" aluminum bar I get from the hardware store. While you're at the hardware store, pick up a nice stainless steel 3" hose clamp! My clamp looked like this when I was done. Depending on how you drilled your 3 1/2" hole in your airbox, yours may look different. You're going to use the hole that the resonator was using.



Now bolt your bracket in place, and install your hose clamp. BEAUTIFUL! Nice work! You're almost done!



Put your airbox back in, and adjust your hose to fit snugly in place.



Put your air filter back in, and bolt the air box cover back on. I chose to use a Outerwears pre-filter with this setup to prevent any water from getting in the engine. It also keeps bugs out of your pleats. Start her up and enjoy! Maybe roll her out on the driveway and give her a wash, cause you know you're going to want to go for a drive. :)



A little custom vinyl work to show off the Griffin Ram Air mod. :)



Now I know everyone is going to ask HOW DOES IT SOUND?!?!?! CLEAN! Not ricey at all! Not even as aggressive as a regular CAI. It has a very mellow throaty growl to it at WOT. However, which I like, it doesn't over power the engine note with LOUD intake noise. If you like LOUD intake noise, this won't cut it. If you like to hear your engine and intake compliment each other, this is it baby!

Audio: http://youtu.be/bh2LVJJNXQg

Also, I can hear people already complaining about dirt and water, etc etc. Easy fix. Of which I don't have pictured because it is still on order in the mail. Outerwears Pre-filters! With hydrophobic water shield. Either have one custom made for your filter, or hop on eBay and pick up one for an ATV and just slap it on the top side of your hose before it enters the box. I'll post pictures when I get mine in. And what about puddles and hydro-lock and all that CAI intake worries.... You're in luck. By leaving your existing factory pipes, they will act as your vacuum bypass. Aren't you smart! All your friends are going to love you! ;)
 
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#7 ·
Is it a factory cone air filter on these?

If not, then I'm failing to see how a drop in air filter will do any good after the mod.
 
#8 ·
Hi, I dunno but to me it is alot of work for little gain, maybe some more noise, and a invalid engine warrenty. However if you like it then fine, beauty as they say...
Chris
 
#10 ·
Thanks y'all!




How does the SVT box and snorkel add any gains? This is a typical Ram Air set up. I don't have a way to test air flow. But with any CAI you're still SUCKING through that long tube. I don't see better gains with those things other than a temperature drop. Here you get both. But hey. It is what it is! I'm not here to argue. :)

However I was wondering about factory warranty, and how far one can go before it's void. Doesn't one void warranty with a CAI?
 
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#13 ·
To void your warranty Ford would need to prove that your modification caused the damage you are having the vehicle serviced for. Even then, the warranty isn't voided, it just won't cover damage caused by modifications you made...it'll still cover other issues with the car.
 
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#14 ·
Exactly, So if you have a CAI and your MAF sensor has a problem, That part may be subject to not being covered, but they can't void your whole warranty based on it.

Basically mods are taboo now-a-days, Ford company pays to fix your car under warranty, not the dealer. If anything, they WANT to fix stuff under warranty because payment is guaranteed.
 
#15 ·
Good call gentlemen.

I was at first looking around for an aluminum intake pipe, but price was the same if not higher. However the real deciding factor was the allotted room. The pass through from engine compartment, to front bumper is not a perfect circle. This means I would have had to go down in size of tube diameter. Plus you are passing by the radiator. I didn't want to heat the tubing bringing in cool air. And finally the over all look. A polished aluminum tube would look out of place. The heater hose blends into it's surroundings. This way it looks like a high end system, and maintains the benefit of the larger diameter piping.

So far I'm up 1.5 mpg on the first tank, and still have yet to receive my K&N filter and Outerwears prefilter. NO CEL either! I am however getting the traction control light coming on from spinning the tires! [driving] NOTE: I'm not stating this mod somehow gained a ton of hp. But the engine does seem much happier, as does my foot. [hihi])
 
#17 ·
Great job. But you might have induced a problem. You need to look at your MAF counts. Your MAF should produce a smooth line. I found that blowing directly on the filter caused the MAF to produce a 'spiky' output. The fix is to put a shield over the inlet so that the air flows up and around the filter (I have a similair setup on my 07).
Use of the rubber hose is genius. Even if you have a small constriction, the rubber will produce a smooth transition. Might try and find some pieces for mine.
Add >> Oh! just noticed. Your trim piece you drilled holes in. You did not drill near enough holes for any appreciable air flow. If you take the diameter of all the hoses within 1/2 inch of the tube, and compare to the flow of a 3" I.D tube, you get a true flow picture. It's amazing how restrictive even small hole punched metal is. However, As it appears you shaped the end section (the scoop as you called it), then actually, your pulling air from behind the bumper. That may be a low pressure area due to the design of your front facia, but may negate need for the diffusser. These are all just fine tweaks. Nice job overall!!!
 
#18 ·
Thanks for the suggestions! :)

All of what you noted here was considered before making the venture. The factory inlet to the box blows directly on the filter so I don't see there being a problem with that. Also the air has to travel at a 90 degree angle once inside of the filter to reach the throttle body. At that point it's sucking what it needs to anyway.

The "scoop" cut only extends to the outer most edge of the drilled section. Not from behind the bumper. You can see the end of the hose is directly in line with the end of the triangular cut out.

However I do agree the holes could be doubled. And just may down the road. But I didn't want to open that area too much as it appears the ECU is mounted to that fender well. I also didn't want it to be too obvious and take away from the front end's over all look.

So far I am very happy with this set-up. Just received and installed my K&N last night, and ordered up the Outerwears Pre-filter a second ago. They have to be custom made. If anyone else is interested in a pre-filter, which is great in general to keep junk out of the pleats, let me know and I'll hook you up with the salesperson that has the specs.
 
#22 ·
Love'in it! Was averaging 28.5mpg, now It's a consistent 34.5. True story! I haven't taken any temp reading yet. Wanted to get everything finished first. Just received the Outerwears pre-filter and installed that a couple days ago. Noticed a lot of bugs stuck in the pleats, so I know there's good air flow. Again VERY happy with this mod, and came in at around $91 complete with K&N and Pre-filter.
 
#23 ·
It only voids the warranty if the dealer can prove that your modifications were the cause of the problem, and even then it only voids part of your warranty. The dealer could void your engine warranty with a device like this, but say your hatch broke, they'd still fix it.
 
#24 ·
Here is the pre-filter, if you were curious what one was or what it looked like. I HIGHLY recommend a pre-filter on any exposed filter element, or aftermarket filter to keep debris out of the pleats. A pre-filter also keeps splashes of water out.



Oh, and a little custom vinyl-age. [headbang]

 
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#25 ·
Here is the pre-filter, if you were curious what one was or what it looked like. I HIGHLY recommend a pre-filter on any exposed filter element, or aftermarket filter to keep debris out of the pleats. A pre-filter also keeps splashes of water out.
where did you order that pre-filter from? I have a K&N filter i could do the same thing too...

mind posting the link to where you got it please?
 
#26 ·
Unfortunately it has to be custom made. I worked with a saleswoman by the name of Rosemarie Dobbs from Outerwears.com. Her email is; Rosemarie@outerwears.com

Tell her you have a 2012 Focus with K&N filter, and was referred to her because she has the specs for it for a custom pre-filter. The product number they gave me is 100-3401 if that helps her. Or you can contact them to have one made different if you want to try one with an end cap or whatever.

They are great people, and a solid company with a quality product. I'm very happy with the investment. And they hook you up with a bunch of decals, if you're into that sort of thing. Love free swag! [thumb]
 
#29 ·
The filter runs $20, the custom set up fee is $10. You can have as many as you want made at $20 after the initial set up fee. I ordered 2.
 
#30 ·
Finally a quick audio clip of the intake. Of course it is much more aggressive with a load out driving, but you get the idea. Not ricey at all, very clean and throaty low tone without drowning out the engine note.

http://youtu.be/bh2LVJJNXQg
 
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#32 ·
Overall, a great project!!! And it sounds very nice. That microphone is almost as big as your car!

Now that you've had a chance to drive it awhile, I'm very interested in hearing how the throttle response is. The Focus is one heck of a slug off the line until you're up to 3k or 4k rpm. Has the intake made much of a difference in the initial responsiveness at low rpm?

Tony
 
#36 · (Edited)
It is hard to know WHAT the airflow over the front of the 2012 Focus is.
The Nascar and other types use theose strange "V" like cuts INTO the body for air. NOT a hole in the front of the body. (and for a good reason.)
Now if you had a wide hood scoop and the airflow up over the hood went right at the scoop. yeah.
I had played with a hole in the front bumper on my SVT Contour, took OUT the driver side Fog light and stuck a gizmo there to add to the air pressurization of the fender well where the SVT intake sucked it's air from. Both ouside guiding in, and inside to 'bend' the airflow up (and remove water)

As nice as the cool looking mod is, no way to actually know if it does any good without some airflow tests. (mine either, i was just messing around...).
Sorry.

(I do have to agree the tube is narrow for the purpose..) Maybe a 4" inner diameter tube would be more effective, but then it would not fit?... The sides of the tube itself restrict flow at the boundary, and with that small of a circumference, ??
I plan on just getting the K&N filter for the intake.
Since i no longer plan on going 140mph.. (getting too old to fool around THAT much) The K&N should give me a better intake sound, and power? over the average.
i would have to look in the area the air is pulled in to see if any added air could be available to the air cleaner.. But not HOT AIR, or give a better sound.
((the HOT AIR is NOT meant as an insult, it really is just avoid the hot air in the engine compartment..honest.))
I had a V6 Mystique before the Contour SVT, and THAT car had a fantastic sound adding the Contour SVT intake to it. The cool moan of the intake (with a lot of throttle) could and DID scare pedestrians..LOL

Added; polishing the throttle body outer lip to a bell to avoid any lip or edge, and if the inner is not lined up perfectly , fix it to be so with no lip or protruding edge... could also do a lot to assist in making a little power. NOT the full inner surface, as it is coated to not get sticky. Only the very outer or inner 1./4 inch or so,
Line up those surface mating lines for perfect smooth flow.!
 
#37 ·
I have no idea what you just said. (in my best Napoleon Dynamite impression)

Not to be rude, but every post that I have read by you Elizabeth has been confusing. And so far this one takes the cake. First you brought up a good argument about the difference between a circle and slotted intake port. I have seen slotted intake ports on ram air of the new Cobra. But then you got lost in the woods talking about hot air and sound? We're catching cold air rushing at the front of the car, where is the hot air coming from? And if your argument is all performance minded, then who cares about sound? Start with a well designed intake first, sound is just a benefit.
 
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