Your so brutally honest an that combined with the e46 content is why I subscribed

So after watching your video on cold air intakes I decided to order one along with a Turner silicone intake boot. And then I made a mistake….I made a post about it on Facebook. It started out ok with some likes and a few positive comments but then…the know it alls began to comment and were down right arrogant. I replied that that is their opinion and thanks them. Their rebuttals were that their opinions were facts. 🤦🏻‍♂️ so one again I thanked them and told them “it’s my car, I’ll do whatever I choose to do to it.” Jeeze know I understand you you spoke of. LOL Anyways I ordered a Mishimoto performance intake system and it’s on its way. Looking forward to installing it. Thank you for your content and knowledge. I just recently discovered you and enjoy your No BS videos and experience!

I recently wrapped the bottom half of the box and added an extra intake behind the bash bar . Nice little increase in throttle response for sure . And the noise with the k&n panel filter and my axle back exhaust is just loud enough to notice . I like it , has a nice throaty sound 👌

Hey there. I have the AFE one the same as yours apart from mine is the white cone that is not oiled as I didn’t want to possibly compromise the MAF. Before I fitted it I connected my diagnostics to monitor the AIT air inlet temperature to the MAF and my wife and I went for a drive that involved windy slow roads and long straights and monitored the temperatures at key points throughout. I then fitted the AFE and went for the same drive and I can tell you that in some cases the standard BMW was providing colder air by a couple of degrees C and others the AFE was by a similar amount. I didn’t buy it with performance in mind anyway but what I did want it for is induction noise. Below 3500rpm it’s fine you don’t know it’s there but when accelerating it’s fantastic - like a budget CSL and that I promise! The only two points I picked up on from your (excellent as ever) video is that if I was keeping the standard BMW intake I’d just use standard BMW paper elements rather than the K&N panel and also - did you know that BMW MSport do an induction kit for the E46 325? They do but it’s not very attractive so I went with the AFR and no regrets!! Cheers from UK :-)

Fitted the oil and cotton K&N filter to my e46330i and it made a big difference. Super responsive.. kept everything else standard.

Good insight on this topic. I am considering the Dinan box pn: d760-0007 or just moding my original airbox and dropping a dry afe filter to pair it with my turner intake boot and just call it a day. Keep the vids coming, cant wait to see how your build drives.

Hi, l like your videos and respect your knowledge. True cold air intake must be solely cold air, not just sticking a cone filter in the engine bay. The original design although limited, it's surely cold air. In addition you may call it Ram Air, as the radiator cooling and the air duct are predominantly the only escape for air from the vents. The area is confined unlike most cars.

I had Stage 1 tune done but held off on the AFE air intake for now. This video helped with great insight. Still considering. Thanks.

I love watching your videos and listening to all the cool e46 mods. Thank you!

Very very very very very very useful information good presentation thanks for everything

I did an an experiment on my old Audi A4 B7 2.0 tfsi… I put a ‘hot air intake’ on it so I put a ram air intake on my MAF sensors about 20cm from the K03 turbo and manifold. I didn’t experience any heat soak my IAT were one degree above factory but on the flip side when I created a shield I didn’t notice any benefits or cooler IATs the only real ‘ benefit’ to this mod was intake noises.

Mine is cold air intake (Dinan). Sits right behind the fog light duct!

Love the video! Im in the third group, and im confused. Now tho, i feel like i made a decision to like it or not :) Btw: K&n do have a chart on their webside with proof and dyno run of an e46 325CI :)

i havent researched this idea but i have an idea another way of getting cold air is making a sleeve that goes round the air intake pipe and put a co2 line to it and attach those co2 canisters to it like on a soda stream machine and spray the sleeve to make the air intake pipe/silicone pipe or metal induction pipe freezing cold. just an idea but what would you think about that? would be interesting i think👍🏻

Great videos. Can you do one on the vacuum line plug mod on exhaust forE46? It sounds much better exhaust note but unsure on performance

And they look kooool too 😊😊

Great video mate! Horse power increase or not my Mishimoto intake sounds amazing 😍🔥

Great analysis but what about the computer and the mass air flow sensor. Isn’t it programmed to read a certain air flow and start throwing up the check engine lights and possibly lead to other problems?

Great video as usual!

Well finally some logical input. Thanks. Subscribed.

in my opinion, great for winter, in the summer put back your airbox to avoid heatsoak

Aren't you due for anothe CAI vid? Its been 5 months or so rofl. I'm just raz'n, great video.

Great video, thanks for the information

Here’s 1 example: Edward Johnson see, the thing is it's not opinion based, it's all factual and can be tested. From what I've seen it's essentially fruitless to change the intake because the engine is not demanding more flow. At the stock power level especially the stock box is more than adequate and free flowing. At 500hp you might want to change the intake boot to smooth airflow and accommodate more air through a less restrictive filter, but for these cars all it will do is add noise, so if that's what you want, you'll get it. If you expect more response and power, it's unlikely there will be any measurable difference especially with no tune

I have had cold air intakes previously in Subaru Turbo models, and they seemed to be effective…..My approach to my E46 is to use the existing system with a K & N filter, and to replace the piping to the throttle body………This seems to free up the system without it being an obvious mod, and price-wise is a good result………

first mod i ALWAYS do is add a cone filter. only this time i modded the factory box to fit the cone filter and act as a heat sheild, and was able to fit the lid on it so its acting as a ram air still the same. i noticed an immediate difference. but considering the filter i removed was HORRIBLE AND DIRTY (car was free claimed blown engine, fan bolts backed out allowing it to smack the clutch pully, and the intake hoses were both cracked and rotted) 60 bucks later ive driven her near 5k miles within a month and a halfs time? not counting other small stuff and repairing the disa valve o ring on my 3.0L so that sucked scraping it off. but im all for cold air intake systems. most just dont notice a difference and jus like you said, they dont like modding a BMW its against their religion lol

I think the summary is that CAI systems do provide benefit to power and throttle response, when installed under ideal circumstances with material, placement, and supporting mods like an exhaust and new tune. But if you just install a generic budget cold air intake without it being designed for your specific engine, and you haven't done all the prerequisite upgrades or supporting mods, you're better off keeping the factory airbox. So unless you put a bunch of qualifiers and conditional statements and asterisks, just installing a generic standalone cold air intake will not be an improvement.

A very good analysis on the subject, I’d install one just for the increased induction noise!!!!😜😆😆😆

so does that mean, if i am sitting in traffic and i have a Performance air intake installed, there won't be a smoother air flower for the Engine and there are chances of overheating?

I have a very simple answer to the main question here, does CAI work? Easy, Dyno before and after then check the results!

there is a bad attitude on CAI you aint wrong about that

Interesting, Was think of installing a custom intake.

Cold air intakes are really hot air intakes.

These are all great theoretical arguments, but unfortunately nobody will be convinced either way without cold hard facts, (myself included.) Unless it can be proven that a "performance" intake has a) colder air intake temps, b) greater air flow rate, and ultimately c) more power on a dyno compared to a *new* stock air filter, nobody is gonna change their mind. Hope you can do some of these experiments in future 👍 Edit: that is not to say anything about cold air intakes on other cars... but like you say there is no "cold air intake" available on the e46 and I suspect there is a reason for that. I am surprised that AFE claim a 6hp gain. If that can be proven, I will be convinced! (And promptly buy one 🤣)

Boîte à air BMW motorsport

Video is hard to watch mate. Edit less and try to not do a new take every 4 words.