got the radiator shroud thingy out the other day. was super easy just 2 clips like they said and pull. the pictures helped me visualize what I was pulling out and reached down to help guide it out. It might be placebo like some one was saying but it sounded it bit louder or more guttural in a good way.

 

Hey everyone, I've had my Focus SE 5MT hatch for about 11 days now and this mod makes a world of difference!

I'm still on the stock air filter and didn't make any modifications to the rubber valance below the snorkel, all I did was take the snorkel out.

It makes the car much less trickier to drive and far more responsive. When I took it out of the showroom, I thought the engine needed to break in for a while because it didn't feel like 160 hp, and now it does.

The only thing I could say is that the Mazda roots of the engine show through now and it feels more like the Japanese four-cylinder engines I used to drive which is while I'm sure Ford did this, to make the engine feel a little less like a typical four-cylinder.

 

Did the snorkel delete and K&N filter. So far so good. Glad I decided to do this, thank you to all who posted instructions/pictures.

On another note while under the hood I noticed the battery cover was loose. As you know it's two piece but the two pieces don't seem to "snap" into place the way they should. It stays on but it's not firmly in place. Annoying but not really a serious issue in the grand scheme of things.

 

Did the snorkel delete. Didn't have the gut to cut the flap hut already feel better than usual.

 

@xtraspin
TY that's the one, so the other one post early is jus not necessary right!?

 

Not necessary but may allow more air flow.

 

Has anybody noticed a drop in their avg mpg after doing the snorkel delete? I did the newmission mod just as a test and lost 5mpg. Normally I can get 35-37mpg with ease, and after running the newmission mod I can only get to 32 mpg at best (65mpg, a/c off). I also cut the air flap in front of the intake plenum and noticed evidence of water making it into the filter box. Not a huge issue as there are some drain holes in the bottom half of the box but still something to note. Pics included. The dark picture is the inside of the upper intake tube

 

The Newmission mod killed my mpg more than running the Steeda intake. It's dependent on driving conditions though, as those that reported mpg gains with it generally have a lot of highway/interstate driving. Most of my commute is in-town and the snorkel delete/drop-in has always given me the best mileage.

As for water intrusion, there is nothing to worry about due to the drain holes. Cars (non-Mk3) that have had hydro-lock occur have generally been from low-hanging filters driving through standing water.

So that's calling for trouble!

What are you even talking about?

 

So that's calling for trouble!

 

More air = more fuel especially on the hwy but probably most of the loss of MPGs is during acceleration and passing but around town it shouldn't hurt.

 

A common misconception.

Because you removed restriction by shortening the plumbing in the snorkel delete, you've increased volumetric efficiency. That means more air can enter the engine at full throttle. What that also means is that at times when you're not at full throttle, the volumetric losses are more controlled by the throttle body. Essentially, you need less throttle for the same amount of power required to maintain speeds. You also will get more power at partial throttle, allowing you to shift earlier. Furthermore, the engine loses less power during the intake stroke because it doesn't have to pull against a restrictive intake plumbing.

All these things add to more power, but also allow for more power to the crank, and a more efficient system, leaving you with better fuel economy... theoretically.


My educated guess with the Newmission mod is more of a dynamic flow issue. At speed, you've got a rush of air, but you've left the top of the box open to pull air as well. What this means is a force of air will reach the filter and stagnation pressure (pressure of air when it slows down to a stop) will be greater than atmospheric pressures at the top of the intake box. This would render a flow to come out of the top of the box, essentially making air flow past the filter, losing efficiency, air, and power.

At low speeds, it's a non issue, and because of more open plumbing more air can be introduced, and more power to be made. This is why the dyno shows an increase. Furthermore, what the dyno cannot simulate is the heat of the road, and air the closer you get to the road surface.

My educated guess would be for the Newmission mod to work its best, you should plug up the holes in the top of the box.

 

i was very un-scientific because within a week i put my summer wheels back on and i installed my ITG filter. my MPGs have gone down but i'm probably driving faster and i gained nearly 10lbs per corner of unsprung weight (Ti handling 18x8's vs my snow tires).

 

I am very happy with just the snorkle gone (And the little ST air horn replacement added on though that is not important)
I would never cut the front air dam.
And the box and entry rubber hoses, as is, are pretty much good enough for the 250hp ST. So I can see no need to change the airbox in any way for my stock SE. (though I do have the free flow air filter in it)
I am definitely getting better mpg. Not a huge gain, but something. And all around better engine response.

 

I hate those damn clips. Especially when you hear it fall down into the bumper then can never find it.

 

^^^There are two down there in mine..no freakin' idea where...I have looked.

 

Just pull the front bumper cover you will be surprised how easy it is after all you don't want then to block the active grill shutters.

 

YouTube is NOT my friend

I don't wanna do it with not knowing what I'm exactly trying to do!

 

Remove thumb clips, lift black part, and wiggle the snorkle out. Its simple no need to worry. Cutting the flaps is the harder thing to get out.

 

The snorkel also has three of those clips holding it in.

 

Ok I'll give it a try....
Update: I found a dead bird in that place!

How safe is to remove the snorkel now?!

 

Plenty safe, unless you cut it in half and place it in the tracts while flooring the accelerator.

 

Awesome after I read the whole thread I did it on mine aswell just this morning noticed the difference specially with my dropin k&n

 

Newbie here.....wife's ride

2013, SE, white, will get pics posted to my profile soon. I did this mod this morning and took it for a spin and the cars seems to have more pep. The puter says we are pulling 31.5 mpg with half tank remaining so we will see if we get any mpg gains out of it. This mod is simple guys, had the k&n filter ordered from Amazon and it took around 15 minutes. Thanks for this thread and forum.

 

Yeah... IMO this is the best near-free mod around for the Mk3.
For the cost of a free flowing air filter.. plenty of happy.
(I find using Premium gas really is the icing on the cake. But that is an added cost some folks do not want to have. I used Premium all the time and think it is also well worth the cost. Shell VPower pretty much exclusively.)

 

I think $4 bux a tank for premium over lowest grade is easily worth it to me as I appear to be getting about 50 more miles per tank on it.

 

This.

 

So finally did mine last night. Was WAY easier than I thought. I also removed the 2 big silver screws, one on each side, so I could pull the shroud back further. The same large flat head screwdriver I used to pop out the clips I used to unscrew the shroud end screws. Then I didn't care about the snorkel clips so I just kind of broke them off. Then I used some shears to cut the rubber flap hanging off in front of the intake area where the snorkel came out. I just cut straight across, no mess at all. As far as results, only a tiny bit louder, better sounding. There was no need to even engineer that snorkel at all... weird... But anyway, I only have a Wix paper filter in, which apparently flows somewhat better than the Motorcraft but I do feel it has less hesitation and a bit more power. Probably helps that I only run premium fuel too (only $.20/gallon more where I live). But, it only took about 15 minutes total so well worth it!

 

So I just ripped out this sucker or shall I say snorkel.



I have the Green Filter which had a nice growl but now it has a more pronounced growl which I love. The throttle response seems to have been improved. I just drove Blue Meanie around the block so tomorrow commute to work will give me a better verdict. What a waste of plastic lol [giddy]

Cheers [cheers]