Focus Fanatics Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Focus RS Airbox on Focus SE - Installed!

Jump to Latest
241 - 260 of 282 Posts
#241 · (Edited)
Well I'm 5'3 and a half but what's a few inches between friends... :)

I been using my phone so I don't type long stuff if I don't need to so maybe it reads as being smug since I leave out alot of words and am direct but its not deliberately meant to be condescending, sorry if it comes off as such... ;)

Anyway if we are going to wrap the pipes (which is what I would've done too) then we can also wrap the stock box and FRPP snorkel to get the same results/benefits, actually i mentioned the radiant heat problem and wrapping everything in heat reflective tape in a thread over at ST.ORG ... you also modded the grill opening for more air similar to newmission mod which could also be done for the stock box & open end filter setup. I should add that you also greatly increased the distance that air charge needs to travel from filter to get to the TB, like sucking something through a long filtered straw.

If we are just comparing the AEM to the stock setup with no additional mods to make them perform better as-is (other than getting rid of stock filter & snorkel), then i still stand by my previous price vs. performance statements. As I said it does look nice if that's what your going for and have the money to spend on dress up parts / bling, nothing wrong wit that other than price.

BTW, car looks nice!
 
#242 ·
#243 ·
20FocusDriver16 said:
Well I'm 5'3 and a half but what's a few inches between friends... :)

I been using my phone so I don't type long stuff if I don't need to so maybe it reads as being smug since I leave out alot of words and am direct but its not deliberately meant to be condescending, sorry if it comes off as such... ;)

Anyway if we are going to wrap the pipes (which is what I would've done too) then we can also wrap the stock box and FRPP snorkel to get the same results/benefits, actually i mentioned the radiant heat problem and wrapping everything in heat reflective tape in a thread over at ST.ORG ... you also modded the grill opening for more air similar to newmission mod which could also be done for the stock box & open end filter setup. I should add that you also greatly increased the distance that air charge needs to travel from filter to get to the TB, like sucking something through a long filtered straw.

If we are just comparing the AEM to the stock setup with no additional mods to make them perform better as-is (other than getting rid of stock filter & snorkel), then i still stand by my previous price vs. performance statements. As I said it does look nice if that's what your going for and have the money to spend on dress up parts / bling, nothing wrong wit that other than price.

BTW, car looks nice!
Click to expand...
So far I removed the the snorkel, removed and blocked off the "silencer" on the stock airbox and replaced the filter with a K&N.

Responsiveness has improved but it seems to idle rougher and can be "jerky" at times.

My next step is going to be cutting the flap. I thought about the RS box, but might just get a ST lower box and the ST snorkel.

The mustang TB is also in my future.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
#244 ·
allanh said:
So far I removed the the snorkel, removed and blocked off the "silencer" on the stock airbox and replaced the filter with a K&N.

Responsiveness has improved but it seems to idle rougher and can be "jerky" at times.

My next step is going to be cutting the flap. I thought about the RS box, but might just get a ST lower box and the ST snorkel.

The mustang TB is also in my future.

Sent from my SM-G960U using FF Mobile
Click to expand...
I would pull the neg ground, turn on the lights and hit the brake to drain the juice so the KAM can reset and the ecu can relearn the new setup. Make sure you run it hard so it learns the right way!

The Mustang TB should solve any responsiveness issue, but the filter change with snorkel delete should also be very noticeable. I will say when I installed the RS box and Mountune open end filter on my 16' N/A Focus it was a night and day difference from straight off the line up to redline. If you are able to WOT it off the line before any serious heatsoak sets in or even use that setup in the winter, then the engine definitely benefits from having access to all the immediate air openings to draw from as opposed to just sucking it through a long intake tube or from through the cross-member, Replacing that accordian section with a smoother silicone hose would also be beneficial.

Like I said previously, the RS lid and open end filter are not really a problem when WOT and moving at speed, its when you come to a stop and idle that it starts to draw in the radiant heat. You could always make a reflective barrier around the box and corner section where the open end of the filter sits to help keep the heat away from that area, I initially used a dense foam material to seal all the openings that the hot air could creep through like the space between the airbox and battery and also the front crossmember.

The ST snorkel is the way to go for keeping ambient temps at the airbox..
 
#246 ·
allanh said:
I thought about the RS box, but might just get a ST lower box and the ST snorkel.
Click to expand...
If you buy the RS box you ALSO get the ST lower and a filter for ~ $65.. you could always sell the RS top or use it in the winter.
 
#247 ·
20FocusDriver16 said:
I would pull the neg ground, turn on the lights and hit the brake to drain the juice so the KAM can reset and the ecu can relearn the new setup. Make sure you run it hard so it learns the right way!

The Mustang TB should solve any responsiveness issue, but the filter change with snorkel delete should also be very noticeable. I will say when I installed the RS box and Mountune open end filter on my 16' N/A Focus it was a night and day difference from straight off the line up to redline. If you are able to WOT it off the line before any serious heatsoak sets in or even use that setup in the winter, then the engine definitely benefits from having access to all the immediate air openings to draw from as opposed to just sucking it through a long intake tube or from through the cross-member, Replacing that accordian section with a smoother silicone hose would also be beneficial.

Like I said previously, the RS lid and open end filter are not really a problem when WOT and moving at speed, its when you come to a stop and idle that it starts to draw in the radiant heat. You could always make a reflective barrier around the box and corner section where the open end of the filter sits to help keep the heat away from that area, I initially used a dense foam material to seal all the openings that the hot air could creep through like the space between the airbox and battery and also the front crossmember.

The ST snorkel is the way to go for keeping ambient temps at the airbox..
Click to expand...
I'll have to try that to reset it. The ST snorkel is hella cheap so it's a no-brainer. ; even if the change is negligible.

20FocusDriver16 said:
I like the RS wing, I almost bought one for my 16' SE Sport, glad I didnt or it would have been destroyed when it got rear-ended.
Click to expand...
I love the look of the RS wing, just don't like how it has RS on the sides. [emoji6]

20FocusDriver16 said:
If you buy the RS box you ALSO get the ST lower and a filter for ~ $65.. you could always sell the RS top or use it in the winter.
Click to expand...
I already have the K&N filter and the ST lower is less than $20.


Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
#250 · (Edited)
20FocusDriver16 said:
You should see gains when moving at hwy speeds, it just sucks in that hot air at idle and takes a few minutes to get it back down.
Click to expand...
Why? Are you assuming there is a restriction in the N/A Focus stock intake piping (minus the snorkel) that the RS box removes?

Regardless, I would think that most people really want to have better low-end torque for pulling away from stops and accelerating around town than to have gains on the highway. I do at least, and that's why I went back to the stock piping after owning K&N and Steeda intakes. The drive-ability improvement from plugging my open element in hot weather is fairly dramatic. High IATs will cause ignition timing retard and thus poor low rpm torque.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 20FocusDriver16
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#251 ·
TboneZX3 said:
Regardless, I would think that most people really want to have better low-end torque for pulling away from stops and accelerating around town than to have gains on the highway.
Click to expand...
Same. With a stick, the car has just enough low-end grunt to make it fun. The last thing I'd want from a mod would be to lose that, or push hp/torque higher in the power band.
 
#252 ·
20FocusDriver16 said:
You should see gains when moving at hwy speeds, it just sucks in that hot air at idle and takes a few minutes to get it back down.
Click to expand...
This was a big thing in the Evo community when short air intakes and proper "cold air intakes" started coming out and tuners were testing them out on dynos compared to a stock snorkel and panel filter (stock and K&N drop-in panel filter.) Zero power difference. The real difference was if an intake had a proper venturi effect with a bell mouth.
 
#253 ·
TboneZX3 said:
Why? Are you assuming there is a restriction in the N/A Focus stock intake piping (minus the snorkel) that the RS box removes?

Regardless, I would think that most people really want to have better low-end torque for pulling away from stops and accelerating around town than to have gains on the highway. I do at least, and that's why I went back to the stock piping after owning K&N and Steeda intakes. The drive-ability improvement from plugging my open element in hot weather is fairly dramatic. High IATs will cause ignition timing retard and thus poor low rpm torque.
Click to expand...
I've run the different OEM style setups on the SE and now on the ST. Unfortunately I didn't have the Torque pro app with the SE so I couldn't data log but I do have it now with the ST and can monitor times, temps, hp/tq, etc. I agree with IAT's being high with the RS box & filter, I made a thread about it on focusst.org, I also have the rubber end cap that I used with the filter. But what the data shows is that once you get moving the Temps return to near ambient. I never had issue in the SE with off the line performance but I also built a barrier around the section where heat could enter, plus the intake sounds great with the box/filter combo. I'm sure there was some performance loss when stuck at a long light or after parking it for short time but that's a trade off I was willing to make on the SE.

I would hypothesize best performance would be sealed box and CAI snorkel (FRPP / Velossa Big Mouth / etc) with reflective tape around all tubing and box. At least on the ST this makes sense for increasing turbo & IC efficiency.

As for restriction, I think when you mash it and go WOT then it's better to have an immediately bigger volume for the surface area of the filter to draw from and it is less restrictive and more direct from the open end of the filter & rs box vs only through the tubing from the crossmember. I haven't put it on a flow bench but I would gather it shows an improvement over stock. Mountune utilizes the additional openings in their upgrades.

R&D

https://www.mishimoto.com/engineering/2016/09/respiration-focal-point-2016-ford-focus-rs-performance-intake-rd-part-3-data-time/
 
#254 ·
AdhesiveTeflon said:
This was a big thing in the Evo community when short air intakes and proper "cold air intakes" started coming out and tuners were testing them out on dynos compared to a stock snorkel and panel filter (stock and K&N drop-in panel filter.) Zero power difference. The real difference was if an intake had a proper venturi effect with a bell mouth.
Click to expand...
Most Dyno's arent going to duplicate airflow at speeds over 100mph
 
#255 ·
I should add that I also noticed better responsiveness WOT off the line in the ST with the RS box & open end filter vs completely sealed even with the higher IAT's. Personally, I think its the immediate access to additional air volume, but I do believe timing then starts to get briefly retarded until the fresh ambient charge coming in lowers the IAT temps but then the stock ic starts to heat soak so the cycle starts again.
 
#256 ·
allanh said:
I'll have to try that to reset it. The ST snorkel is hella cheap so it's a no-brainer. ; even if the change is negligible.



I love the look of the RS wing, just don't like how it has RS on the sides. [emoji6]


I already have the K&N filter and the ST lower is less than $20.


Sent from my SM-G960U using FF Mobile
Click to expand...
I thought you were talking about the FRPP CAI snorkel for the ST ($100), however the $4 stub is better than nothing!

$20 isn't bad, I also noticed everybody jacked up the prices on the RS box.. I would think a local dealer would price match the best online price to avoid shipping. I still think $65 is a good deal for the complete RS box and extra stock filter.
 
#257 · (Edited)
I wasn't aware that we were talking about STs here, and I'm not sure why we are. It seems that I'm reading a lot of speculation in regards to the NA Focus and how varying configurations might offer improvements. I don't think we can expect those configurations to mimic any improvements found on the ST, because there is a clear difference in the volume of air moving through them.

I know what my datalogs have shown me with each of the intake configurations I've had on my NA Focus regarding timing and IAT, and I will stick to the stock setup plus filter, minus snorkel. If I want a bit more sound, I pull the plug from my filter, but not in ambient temperatures over 75-80 degrees or so, and especially not when running A/C.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#258 · (Edited)
Most if the discussion is about the N/A focus, and as I said I have run all those setups on my 16 with no problems and as for data on it the car ran great in all configurations as far a i was concerned. I ran it in sport mode 99% of the time with the DCT and had paddle shifters for playing in the twisties. No problems with hesitation, responsiveness, top speed and it sounded great with the open end Mountune filter and RS box.

But i do agree that performance should increase with a sealed box so long as IAT's are being kept at ambient.
 
#259 · (Edited)
20FocusDriver16 said:
Most Dyno's arent going to duplicate airflow at speeds over 100mph
Click to expand...
At highway speeds the ambient intake temps between a SRI, CAI, and the stock intake box with a panel filter were negligible - it was recommended to just stick with a drop-in panel filter unless you wanted the sound. Good reliable tuners with proper dyno graphs showed no improvement of hp, tq, or boost threshold. At bolt-on levels, the design of the intake mattered the most in order to get the most accurate MAF adjustments. Bell mouths made a huge difference in high-hp/big turbo cars though.

On F/I cars, the charge air temp after the intercooler matters more than the ambient air anyways (which tend to correlate with ambient air temps anyways.)
 
241 - 260 of 282 Posts
About this Discussion
281 Replies
76 Participants
Last post:
Lawrencecar1
Focus Fanatics Forum
posts
5.8M
members
203K
Since
2003
A forum community dedicated to Ford Focus owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about SVT performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Technical Chat Ford Focus Builds & General Showroom MK3 Focus SVT Performance (2002-2004) MK1 Focus