Cold air pipework

[martyb]

Well today i was replacing the viscous fan clutch which to ease the job involved removing the cover on top of the cold air feed from the duct at the front.

At this point though I noticed the sheer size of the protective foam surrounding the ringed mesh heat liner and also how it has worn over the years.

Has anyone replaced this?

I was having a quick look on ebay there and saw this universal intake which im wondering if anyone has used.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COLD-FEED-Air ... 19d7492c71

The reason behind my thinking is that surely if the current, old and worn, feed has slight rips tears and general wear than sitting so close to the engine would be allowing hot air to be travelling along the system. I know the difference may be tiny but im all about taking care of these type of things to satisfy the old head haha.

[swamper]

for that price its got to be worth doing anyway ...is it the m43?

[martyb]

its the m44 engine I have. Thats what i was thinking although the foam wrap is hugely padded so im wondering if id to put that flexi hose would it rattle and move due to the reductions in size? If you get what i mean?

[swamper]

you could always wrap more foam round it if that was a concern ?

edit...why not fit and induction kit if you want rid of the OE one?

[Del]

Have considered something similar myself. As you say the current ducting is disintegrating with age. Ideally you want some new flexi-ducting covered in something that both insulates from heat and which is also heat reflective – see attached – on my own ebay watchlist but not got around to doing yet. Ideally you want to keep the air coming into the intake as cool as possible – every little small performance gain helps.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VXR-GTE-GSI-S ... vi-content

[PCSAM]

and air-box mod and using the ducting would do it a lot of good ... I have a m44 standard air-box here you can have it for free

[martyb]

I know what you mean about the option of putting a k&n system in place but its not really about a large upgrade that would effect insurance etc. It's more about replacing worn parts and keeping the car running its best. I think I will probably get it and wrap some heat foam around to keep it in place like the old system like you suggested there.

PcSam I'm not sure I really understand this mod. I had a look at a couple topics but didn't really grasp it. Would you say it was a beneficial upgrade?