Airbox cover

[cjanderson629]

Saw a thread a while back about taking off the air box cover to give the car a more throatier sound. I decided to try it today and can't believe the difference. Before I start driving around town with the cover off, what are the disadvantages to this? I do not want to deal with any problems because I decided to take off a piece of plastic.
Thanks!

[suss6052]

Besides the risk of either inducting more dirt into the maf through the air filter, it could also vibrate loose/ out if its not securely held in place.

There is a slot in the lower air box where the filter sits to contain it between the MAF and the filter housing while closed, but the seal is less effective when the lid is removed as that takes away half the seal. The aftermarket air intake systems tend to clamp the filter onto the MAF for this reason (that they don't have any other attachment feature/ retention feature for the filter).

So the major risks are of engine damage, the chance of this happening is hard to predict since I haven't tried running with the lid off.

[2012sel]

I think it will suck hot air from the engine compartment too.

I'm not sure of the consequences but from what I've read, cold air is better.

[BrApple]

didn't someone post about the filter getting wet from driving in the rain?

[Sonic_HedgeHog]

Be safe... Get a K&N or Green Filter "drop in" if you're going to run around lidless... They'll prevent a number of issues and are cheap insurance.

[jimfocus]

What I did was I bought a new air box cover for $6.00 from the dealer. I put a K&N drop in filter and bored a 3 inch hole in the front drivers side of the cover. It faces front and looks like there is air flow where the hood, fender & grill meet. I put 2" foam on the top that seals off heat from the engine. It sounds good and lets in extra cool air without totally exposing the filter. If I have a smog test or dealer visit I just put the original cover on.

[cjanderson629]

For only $6 I might have to try that. I was going to go get a K&N filter tomorrow. What kind of foam did you use to cover the hole?

[jimfocus]

I used the gray foam 2" thich with adhesive on 1 side (usually in the insulation dept. @ hdwre. store, or for filling the gaps in a window with an a/c unit. I didn't cover the hole I put it on top of the lid like a heat shield that seals to the hood.

[RonMaiden]

It's an awful sound especially on a slow car;sound cool for 5 minutes then you look like a ricer;an intake shouldn't be louder than the exhaust.

[Brabs_Weather]

The funny thing is that COBB came out with an initial observation stating the airbox was not restrictive on the ST at all. This leads me to assume that a less restrictive filter will work just as well as the complete CAI, SRI. I cant wait to see how much the FORD's new snorkel well be.