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Old 03-26-2010, 02:19 PM   #115 (permalink)
chris410
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F.I. Inc. View Post
No you do not. If you run the HFC's and CBE your car will not become too lean. The ECU will correct and do it's job. Here is why the intakes change the A/F ratio's so much more than the exhaust system.

Inside your stock intake tube is a MAF (Mass Air Meter) As the air rushes by it, it samples that air. It works directly with the ECU and is calibrated specifically for the car. If you change altitude your cars A/F ratio will change. Meaning being at sea level opposed to driving in the mountains. In the higher altitude your car will actually be richer. Here is why, the air is thinner up there, your car naturally will take in less air. It naturally wants to lean out due to this and in most cases the ECU will compensate by dumping too much fuel and make the car rich. The MAF and ECU are designed from the factory to do this. However, they only work to a certain extent being that the elements from one place to the next are too different. If it worked perfectly your A/F would be optimum wherever you drove.

Now if you put an aftermarket CAI on the car that changes the location of the MAF or the tubing diameter it will change everything. The car is not calibrated for it. In the case of the Stillen Gen III intakes with exhaust & headers the intakes are causing the car to run way too lean. This is why you need a re tune so at the least amount you can bring the A/F ratios back to where they need to be. I know this how you may ask, over the past two days I dynoed a car that had Stillen Gen III intakes with our exhaust components and the car was borderline unsafe in terms of A/F. We re tuned the car, picked up alot of mid range power and low end torque just be getting the A/F back in the 12's. To be continued I am sure...

Thanks, Tony
Well said Tony, everyone needs to keep in mind that most dyno graphs of the G3 intake show a "peak" gain which means next to nothing for overall performance. The K&N drop-ins are your best route to go with the stock intakes along with a CBE and HFC.

However, like Tony said...if you change the location and process of how the car reads the air ratios, you are at risk of running lean because the car may not be adjusting the fuel ECU map correctly. You have two ways of determining this, either pull your plugs and read them (basically if you are running lean you will see a whiteish plug) or get to a dyno and get an a/f reading. If you are running lean, the car "should" pull timing which means you are losing power. Don't make your mods work against you!

You will not be able to put more power using an intake, HFC, and CBE IF the car can adjust air/fuel correctly. If you go the supercharger/turbo route of course the game changes quite a bit. So, for those of you going with the G3, you should at least get your air/fuel readings to make sure you're not going lean. Better safe than sorry!
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Current: 2014 WRX Stage I + SPT / 2013 Hayabusa 202HP
Former:09 370Z 7-AT PW/Ark Type 2 exhaust/Evo R lip/TSW Nurburgring carbon
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