Tuning Dynamic Air Induction

[NSMG]

Cheers,

Everyone here knows that the original air induction system for the barchetta is super restrictive.
Having had a chat in Italy some months ago with an ex-Abarth engine specialist (the REAL deal), which happens to own a Barchetta himself, he told me that he modified the original setup getting very good results and spending almost anything at all.
I was told that a very competent dynamic air induction system can be built :
- Using the original airbox
- Deleting all the rubbish oem bits (scoop and resonatores)
- Installing a silicone flexpipe in the inlet of the original airbox with an air scoop at the end
- This air scoop can be installed in 1 of 2 places : in the opening right below the fiat badge or a bit lower, at foglight height - Don't know which might be the better place....
A system like this costs 1/3 of the value of a BMC carbon-airbox setup.
Has anyone here tried this before ?
What is your setup (photos please) and feedback ?

Best Regards

 

[s130]

Modern air intake systems attempt to do the following (minimal list):

1) Reduce intake/induction noise
2) Provide longer term free-er flowing, less clogging of filters and better mixture control by larger filtering surface areas (double the surface area = better air flow & 50% less realtive clogging/restriction
3) Ensure better quality cooler and more even "flat/uniform/cool" intake area
4) Add compenstion for the pulsed intake "slurps" that can be affected at different RPM etc. over the intake lenght of the induction system. Resonators (those funny little boxes attached to the intake path tubing) help to compensate for inherit purity of flow issues.

With 4) Resonators are the equivalent of your base, trebble, equaliser audio controls.

With this all said there are compromises and altering of the manufacturer's setup is an option to exchange one item for another. e.g. more noise better flow, more flow possibly lower filtering, etc.

Trying to visualise our "B's" intake system but I'll roughly sumarise it as lengths of tubing originating from a cooler intake location into a rather massive large surface area filter/canister.

What your ex-Abarth? guy is suggesting is to dump the long intake system (pre filter) and feed the filter directly from underneath the car from another openly accessible area (fog light). Doinf this is superior to a "cone" filter located in the engine department purely because of the lower intake charge temperature.

Ram Air Induction, which is what you (your ex-Abarth guy) are talking about is a well proven technology with its own know limitations etc.

If I were to modify the induction system on our "B" then I would look to a full width under bumber scoop/intake and retain the original filter or an equivalent with large surface area and filtering ability. I want the purest air into the engine for the longest time possible as this produces best engine life and performance over life.

If you look at you "B" under the front bumper then there is a large steel plate some 15 inches deep across the full width of the car. This could be an ideal area/platform to adapt/modify/etc. As for turbulence under the front bumper edge then I have no idea.

If you wanted to go top-down then a ram air bonnet scoop might work but then again modern car aero dynamics try to smooth the air flow from front to rear so the bonnet area could be devoid of quality air!

I hope the above gives you a little idea into the intracies etc. of induction systems etc.

Often it is a gamble. Been there, seen that, done that so you have to be critical, self critical and dedicated to "play" (often expensive). And just becuase your mate says it's brilliant this may not be the reality. Just somone looking to justify something?

 

[KC3]

Hiya guys,

NSMG, I received your message and so will endeavor to add my input.

My knowledge of a vehicles original induction may not be as that of s130's reply regarding a cars induction system and so any following information is that of my own trial and errors regarding my own B and its modifications to that of the design I have currently assigned to now.

One of my very first modifications was that of removing most of the original plastic components around the top area feeding the intake and also the removal of the large cylinder filter housing. Leaving only the black ridged flexy hose, connected to the air flow meter and then reconnected and replaced this with a High flow GREEN FILTER.

Now from my own experience this makes the B a little less restrictive and to sound a lot more sporty and so you seem to feel faster. I believe you gain a little more torque and horsepower at the higher rev range. +6-8bhp gain is quoted on their website.

Some trials on the position of the filter from low to high will certainly change the noise feature obtained although common sense tells me that lower down will en devour to pull in a cooler air and placement higher for which may increase the direct air flow may also pull in hotter air. From my knowledge cooler air is preferred for a better explosion of gases so that more power is gained. Hence when you drive in cool evening conditions your car performs better.

This is by far the cheapest way round for a little more gain around mid to high rev range.

As time went on and I fitted a full super sprint exhaust system and was introduced to the GSR INDUCTION HOSE.

This is a replacement silicone hose which replaces the black twisty bendy hose and has been specifically designed and tested on the Barchetta to which gains of 10-12 hp can be achieved when coupled with a high flow filter such as that mentioned above and a few other mods and tuning is also done. My own tests on a rolling road will confirm this.

I believe the extra gains are down to the smooth surface area of the hose compared to that of the original ridged and bendy hose .

Now I have installed and made a few other modifications to my B but at the time of fitting the free flow Exhaust system from SuperSprint.

Coupled with the Silicone GSR replacement induction hose and free flow filter

At tests on a rolling road my B showed 146bhp but was lacking fuel at high revs so I then replaced my fuel pump to a Maboro high pressure and regulator and further testing and gains increased to 151bhp.
See pictures.

In search of more power from the B I have since then went on to have had a complete one off redesign of the original intake manifold built . Which was designed and built in the UK from Dave (MR FIXIT Engine Tuning) I have not been back on a rolling road to test this although I can confirm much more power was felt at mid to high end. Its easy to take the MPH needle over
See pictures .

A fellow B owner in Italy who has now also had this redesign intake made by Dave who frequently races his B is always out in front of the others B owners which proves the new design works and increases power.

Over the years I have tinkered with my B and since gone a little further with my particular set up and design and made my own intake pipe and coupled with a sealed air filter and direct air scoop which is designed to have a ram air effect. At tests on a rolling road it was still around the 150bhp at this stage so seems to work and perform just as the GSR system.

My own personal reasons for this design is that my B is not an every day driver and usually is just taken out for a blast now and then. The ram effect does seem to have an effect at higher speeds and pushes air through the enclosed filter cooling it before entering the induction system.
See My KC3 Project Silver pg 62 onwards. for pics and design.

My current set up and induction is as the last pictures show although i have no performance charts to confirm it performance at present although my feelings are that I have gained a further 8-10 bhp from the new design intake manifold which should have me around the 160bhp or more mark.

Along with a new ported and flowed performance cylinder head I have now had built by Dave with higher lift cams which of yet has to be installed, my intention is to have a 170bhp+ naturaly aspirated Barchetta .
Hope my input has helped in any way.

 

[s130]

Well guess what.

The KMC filter you are showing is not a poxy little cone filter. There appears (not that I have discected one) to be plenty of scope for large surface area and thus better flow rate and longer performance life.

The induction length is short and appears to take air from a front facing cool area and is shielded from engine bay temperatures, unlike a quick bolt on cone filter.

Lower air temperature = increased charge density = more power

I also note that the GMC filter requires the replacement of the standard battery with a smaller lower rated unit. This is fine in a race/track/occasional use car but for an everyday car, parked outside, colder winter temperatures, etc. may not be a practical proposition.

Not knocking it at all. Just emphasising that balancing the requirements is a game of give and take and sacrafice.

Nice post and pictures by the way.

 

[KC3]

Thank you, s130, great to know you approve of my design, and yes the battery is a lot smaller and as you say maybe not best suited to an every day driver, but then one could consider running new cables to the rear and fitting a battery in the boot. I had to experiment with a couple of small battery's but found this little beauty from Varta which has been very good.

With regards to the BMC enclosed filter I was once told by those that have dissected it, the actual filter inside unit is not so great and so may experiment at some stage with replacing it with something that could potentially flow better further improving the overall design & performance.

Also on the things to do list to further improve the under bonnet design and engine are to Ceramic coat the Exhaust Manifold to lower the under bonnet temperature and improve gas flow.

May i ask ? whats your thoughts with a water less liquid fluid for the radiator and cooling system .


Again it just a matter of time and funds at the moment.

 

[s130]

May i ask ? whats your thoughts with a water less liquid fluid for the radiator and cooling system.

I don't have any experience of waterless fluid for the cooling. What I read a while ago is that it is not a straight forward drain and refill exercise to change.

I guess if everything is carefully done "to the book" then the documented benefits appear attractive.

This article may interest you: https://www.pwmag.com/fleets/waterless-vs-traditional-coolants_o

If I were doing a complete engine removal and cooling system strip down with new water pump etc. then I would certainly consider waterless cooling as the extra cost and time investment is offset but all the other work being done.

A factor/point I would say is the a traditional water cooling system (preferably with distilled/de-ionised water) with well maintain and quality anti-freeze (change every 2 or 5 years for type of fluid) does exactly what it is supposed to do, corrosion will be mininal and the engines will normalyl fail at 100,000s of miles due to basic mechanical wear as opposed to corrosion or overheating damage.

 

[NSMG]

Thank you both for your extensive replies.

I have Evans waterless fluid in my car and no problems so far up to now.
It has been 6 months since it was put in. The procedure is quite simple.
There is a washing fluid which basically cleans the system and absorbs the remains of the old water-based fluid and has to be filled in the system and then flushed all out, prior to top up with the definitive waterless fluid.

p.s : KC3, you have PM !

Best Regards

 

[s130]

Am starting new thread in Technical for this. Is more appropriate there.

 

[Mad Matt]

NSMG contacted me about what I did to my Barchetta, sadly some years ago now....... I miss the Barchetta a lot.....

Anyway, I had a BMC filter on for a few years having ripped out most of the original Fiat gubbins going back almost to the throttle body, if memory servers. I then took air in from down by the front right (looking at the car from the front), a bit away from the radiator, high enough not to pick up junk from the road surface and also not in the direct air flow. So a cool but not turbulent place. I think I also ensured that the pipping avoided any hot areas of the engine, as much as possible anyway.

The theory behind my design is that cold air was:
1 More dense and therefore you get a bigger bang, meaning more power.
2 Shorter, wider tubing is better as air at the edge of the tube is not moving.
3 The car ECU manages less turbulent air better, or to put it another way a more consistent air flow is easier for the ECU to manage.
4 I wanted to avoid sucking up water and dirt off the road.
5 I didn't replace or move my battery.

A friend worked in aerodynamics at the time and his claim is that the ram air effect only really starts to work above 80mph as it's not until then that there's a possibility of creating more than normal air pressure.

I had a re-map done at the same time and eventually a cat-back.

I never had it on a rolling road but measurements on a flat section of tarmac indicated a good increase in power. I arrived at certain points a good few seconds earlier than with everything at standard. Not as scientific as a rolling road but better than just a feeling

What wasn't in any doubt is that the car sounded better!!!!

I don't claim that all the reasons for the design were correct or the "best way" and I may have misremembered but for what it's worth you have the details

It was also nice to revisit memories of my wonderful Barchetta.

 

[Dave-M]

Enjoying this thread, some very good info from all.
Mad Matt, would be interested in where and how you got a remap,
I am in the process of reviewing where my K&N is located, at the moment it is positioned near to my battery with a cool air intake, but for sure on really hot days the power drop is noticeable, so this winter I will be hopefully improving my inkake.

 

[Mad Matt]

I had my re-map done by Angel Tuning who sent me to Glasgow. I'm not sure if they still do it or not but they also worked with me to fit the CIA although I re-plumbed it a few times until I was happy.

I'm not sure if all Barchetta ECUs can be reprogrammed..... my memory isn't what it once was.

As an aside I also fitted an Eibach spring/Bilstein shock set which helped get the extra power on the road. I remember it greatly reduced the front end wheel spin... and also helped breaking......

I'm going to have to be careful or I'll start looking at ads for getting a Barchetta again........

 

[Dave-M]

Your right regarding the remapping of the Barchetta ECU, I took mine to Demon Tweeks, and despite a good few hours trying to read and transfer data from my ECU chip, they had to concede defeat.

 

[NSMG]

Thanks for the reply.

So the cleanest / coolest / less turbulent place for the air inlet, should be :

- At the opening at headight height, just below the fiat badge ? ( Which is more or
less the place in which the original inlet scoop was placed by FIAT )

- At foglight height, place in the grill ?

Please vote !

Best Regards

 

[Dave-M]

I've just ordered a Maxogen AB65C, airbox, it's a carbon fibre item from ITG. Will be plumbing this into my car but didn't really want a carbon item as I don't think it suits the Barchetta, but it should keep the temperature down around the filter.regarding the cold air intake, Ithink I will be getting that from the lower grill area

 

[Dave-M]

Also on the things to do list to further improve the under bonnet design and engine are to Ceramic coat the Exhaust Manifold to lower the under bonnet temperature and improve gas flow.

Hi Kiry,
I have had my manifold Ceramic coated, main reason was to lower the temperature from the manifold, so that I could discard the heatshield as I was fed up of it rattling at certain revs. Was hopping it would reduce heat under the bonnet, but to be honest I'm sure it hasn't.

 

[NSMG]

I've just ordered a Maxogen AB65C, airbox, it's a carbon fibre item from ITG. Will be plumbing this into my car but didn't really want a carbon item as I don't think it suits the Barchetta, but it should keep the temperature down around the filter.regarding the cold air intake, Ithink I will be getting that from the lower grill area

I just got all the parts needed to build a one-off dynamic air induction using the standard airbox.
Got inspired by old setups by french engine guru Daniel Ruggeri....Just check old Echappement magazines and see the agressive setups he produced for the road. Basically Group A engines driven on the street. Very nice.
Let's see how it goes.

 

[eramosa]

I see that the exhaust manifold heat shield has been removed in some of the pictures. I thought about this but it seemed to me that the exhaust pipe is extremely close to the lower rad hose. So, I assume this is not a problem or is there a rerouted hose available.

 

[Dave-M]

Yours right the task of the heatshield is to deflect the heat from the manifold away from the fan and plastic that is in the area.
I replaced my original shield with an original item. But that soon cracked and rattled at certain revs. I then made one, but that just looked ugly and cumbersome.
So I had my manifold Ceramic coated, inside and out. Does it reduce the heat, I have no idea. But as yet I see no melting of parts or issues with the shield removed.

 

[KC3]

hiya Dave, thanks for the reply, I have had good feedback from the guys who race cars over here in Cyprus re ceramic on the exhausts, believe it helps with power too as locks heat in the exhaust pipe. will see how it goes.

 

[Dave-M]

Hi Kiry, regarding the ceramic coating, I was wanting to have a coloured finish, but the advice from the guy who did mine said that black was the most effective for removing heat away, but also for better power performance.
So that I can fit my new filter I've finally got around to replacing my rusty battery tray. For now I've made it from aluminium plate, I will see how this performs regarding durability. The location of the battery tray I've moved back towards the bulkhead, not having ABS gave me the room to relocate the battery.