Good tips to keep your car running fine for a long time: - 1st off yes - cold air does make a difference because you change the density of air meaning you can press more air into the cylinder even thou the cylinder remains the same size. The ECU then adds more fuel to the mixture and that is the reason you get a bit more power. - Never do a cold air intake that sucks in air from the road, especially when it is raining. The complicated way of letting the air in OEM style is exactly for that reason. Cone and similar filters do not filter water and other miniature crap that comes with it as well as any regular paper filter which works on a dry basis and when a drop hits the paper then it is going to absorb that moisture and dry pretty much two seconds later with new air comming throu. Oiled filters can't do that the same way. Not saying they can't at all but the difference is not negligible - Once you are ready to do a cold air intake mod start considering adding a radiator into the front bumper that will cool air as you drive along. Something diesel engines have but you would have it on your petrol car. That woud cool down air even more adding even more power to your engine. All in a natural and non destructive manner. Just be carefull not to bottle neck your setup by chosing inproper hoses that would limit your intake capability. Also do not oversize them too much because it would limit airflow. Imagine yourself having a regular straw, a vaccum cleaner hose and a collecting duct where you could fit your head in. Now try to imagine yourself trying to suck air so you could hold a ping pong ball on the other side. How much energy would you need to create to hold that ball in place? On a smaller size almost none while on the biggest you wouldn't have a chance to create a vaccuum that strong. And that is pretty much the problem with the intake. But not completely. Because not only the diameter plays a role but the lenght as well. Take a garden hose and cut it...lets say.... 2 meters long and 10 meters long. Leave some water in it and try to blow it out. The short one will take little to no energy while on the long one you will have to push your lungs really hard to get that water moving. In terms of air intake this means creating a vaccuum inside your intake. The bigger the vacuum is the better your power range in the low RPM will be. But the bigger your vaccuum will become the lower your higher RPM will become. For that reason BMW created the DISA valve. To steer the lenght of the intake dynamically :) BMW put some tought into that as well. And not only there. But you'll find out other areas once you get interested into the car enough :) As for now I would suggest to try the easier mod with the cone filter and drive it only on dry and sunny days to keep moisture and road crap off the engine. And if you feel this is something for you start collecting money to get a proper setup for your car and make the most of it. Again - naturally without damaging the car in any way. No chip tuning or else. Just simply cold air. Next thing to consider: tire and rim weight. Rotational weight or also known as unsprung weight will steal your power as well. You won't get that much better power improvement when you remove 10Kg weight off the car as when you remove 1Kg off your wheels. Go and put your rim and tyre on a scale and see how you are doing. If your combo is over 20Kg then it is time to start looking for a change. BTW the higher the size the worse the weight savings. Best savings are in 16'' and 17'' wheels. 18'' and more and you will have a hard time get a good and light set of rims and tires. Oh and the rubber is not the same as well. Check the internet for tire weights before you buy some. The same size can have different weights when the manufacturer is different. But even the same brand can have different weights on different tires. Like Sport Maxx RT2 or just Sport Maxx and you get different weights. Thats all for now :) was it long? Yes. Was it usefull? Definetly.

I "feel" like my M3 performs much better after I wash and wax it. I can really "feel" a performance increase after I stop and have a shot of Crown and a couple Beers.

I put one on my 330ci and I noticed a little difference but the sound it made was AWESOME !! I feel like a 17 year old again

For those looking to fab their own intake, a tip about the intake boot. You don't need to force it to an "unnatural" angle. Just loosen the clamp in the middle of the two boots (not the one at the MAF) and you can twist the upper boot around to an angle better suited to your application. Then re-tighten it and you're golden. If you don't like the angle of the MAF harness connector after this, just loosen the MAF clamp and rotate it so it sits better.

lengthening an intake generally increases lower end torque due to a bunch of stuff I'm not qualified to explain and Google has it on tap.

This channel is amazing, I just got an E46 325i and it gives me so many ideas. Thank you!

After my cold air modification on an old 2003 530i I took a trip from Houston TX. to Las Vegas NV. and was astounded to see an average mpg of 28. Blew my mind. And I was traveling at the state max MPH speed. I love my old 530i. I work every day to keep it in tip top shape.

When I bough my E46 325 I replaced the spark plugs, mounted a Mishimoto CAI and in the process also cleaned the MAF sensor. man, the difference it made... Throttle response was on a whole different level and I have to confirm the low-end power gains. Also, the sounds is different, more to my liking now (and fuel consumption is slightly better too) Watching your UUC lightweight flywheel review I can't wait to swap the whole clutch system to the UUC one and give my M54 a decent ECU tune, see what it's made of! 😊

2:12 it might not actually *be* faster but it *sounds* faster

I did a cold air intake similar to this one and I painted it with heat resistant paint to keep the heat from the engine away I noticed a little more power but liked more the sound it made at high RPM

"this is so sofisticated. The air comes in here and goes into this thing, and goes in there, and then there's that other thing down there that does stuff, that I don't understand how it works but it has curves and shapes in it". Holy shit I literaly lol'd!

Ha love the way you explain how things work 10/10 👌🏽

Open a hole in the airbox at the upper part of it. Open a round hole in the hood and make a short "tunnel" between them with a pipe. Install a scoop at the bonnet and here you got a ram air.

Very good vid. E46 uses a DISA valve to send the intake air through a longer distance to improve the low end torque. This is called the RAM effect. At higher speeds the intake distance is shorten to reduce the air resistance. By lengthening the intake pipe the RAM effect is increased, better low end torque, hence less throttle, hence less consumption. Further more your air filter is away from hot areas, better air density. Best over most cold intake conversions where the intake is still in the hot engine compartment, separated only by a flimsy and not air-tight box. They are almost completely useless, effect could be worse the the original intake.

try building an intake box around the cone under your fender properly supported with a small enough entrance or detachable cover to add DRY ICE & u will remember me & be blown away at how much increase in throttle response & HP you gain.

For only 9k subs u really have great production quality

doing the intake alone Is ok, doing it along with the exhaust system is the icing on the cake. Very noticeable torque, performance gains at low, mid, and hard throttle.

It does work!... did it to my car some 3 years ago and the results were similar to the ones on the video.

I have a 325ci and I fitted a K&N 57I-1000a couple years back and it cost me £200. The reason I opted for that specific one was because it came with a heat shield and it also made use of the factory snorkel to help force fresh cold air into that region. I know companies claim they make power but I wasn't too concerned with if it gained power, I just didn't want to loose power. I will come to why I installed one later. After a drive there definitely is significant temp difference between the inside of the heat shield and outside it so it seems to be doing it's job but stopping hot air getting in. Tbh I don't remember how it drove before the mod. I think it felt like it went through the revs quicker but I just put this down to a placebo. Like I said I didn't buy it for performance. Now, the noise, this is why I bought it. The noise it makes absolutely transforms the car. The induction noise above 3500rpm and all the way red line is intoxicating. You get the straight 6 howl which sounds absolutely amazing and it sounds like a sports car. When I'm in first gear and I take it to the redline it turns heads in any public area because it sounds like a full on sports car and often people just assume it's an M3 because of the sound but again I iterate the noise. With the top down it sounds amazing.

So imagine one from a higher end company that’s been tested to give the best performance

pro tip to people out there about to run to home depot for parts to make this: The reason you spend a couple hundred dollars on the professionally engineered kit, is that it has that CARB exemption certificate, which means your car will pass emissions inspection in all 50 states. Homemade assortments of parts do not have this exemption and will fail the visual inspection, unless you know a guy that will ignore it for an extra 20 bucks...

Subbed! Just got my E46 today. More videos please! Awesome channel

A proper cold air intake will gain power via two ways, lower resistance to air induction through the filter and intake path and colder air temperatures than the previous stock system. A properly designed CAI kit will improve both, in order to do so whats important is to retain the stock MAF diameter (so no reducers or adapters between the MAF and the piping, instead it needs to be tapered, in such a way that the intake path is like a trumpet, where air can stabilize and gain speed before going through the MAF. Most DIY Cold Air Intakes fail to accomplish this and thus end up loosing power in the bottom end, even some "professionally" designed systems lack this feature. Some intake kits will feature this trumpet like shape on the plastic/silicone base of the air filter, like Spectre air filters or ITG, other kits like AFE will incorporate this into the piping, where the diameter goes from say 4" into 3" with a reduction in diameter. Sure the price most CAI kits is ridiculous for the power increase they provide, but a quick search through ebay or BMW forum classifieds, you can buy a used one for half the price and with a new filter you will enjoy a proper kit for less than brand new.

you do know that the stock airbox gets air from just as “cold” locations...

There only two factors that are in effect with “cold air” intakes: greater surface area of the filter, and ease of flow with the plumbing. These two factors allow the engine to pull in as much air as possible during intake. From the invention of cars the factory air boxes have been restrictive. It’s why hot rods had open breathers (& they look cool.). There is not enough temperature difference to have denser air and thus more oxygen to enter the engine. It’s a none factor. Add a lower restriction exhaust system and you’ll see a little more power and efficiency gain as well. How an engine breaths matters!

Placebo. You would need 25 hp or more to gave a dramatic power difference that's noticeable.

Just replace the element with a better one like k&n. Cold air intakes only make any substantial difference in turbocharged engines. Fancier isn't always better. But to each their own. If you enjoy doing these types of modifications then do them. I'd rather make modifications that will actually improve my E46's driving ie. braking and steering upgrades, short throw shifters, upgraded tires etc. Or even just keeping everything running as it should. Interval maintenance is one of the best ways to keep performance up. Make sure the air filter element is clean so it can BREATHE, use quality spark plugs, keep your cooling system in line and BUY QUALITY GASOLINE! You don't need this shiny stuff.

Great Videos man!! I just bought my 2001 330xi a couple of days ago, and your videos are a God Send. looking forward to more!!

subbed just for using liters when measuring fuel consumption, plus i'm getting an e46 soon and I can't wait to do all sorts of stuff to it

i have the explanation for the increased pep the car has and better throttle response, bmw makes luxury cars, in a luxury car you aren't supposed to hear really anything from the stock intake or stock exhaust. on my 328i, i have 3 resonators, one right where the manifolds collect into one pipe, 2 more and a muffler at the end, quiet car = more luxurious. same with the intake, if you actually look in the airbox, the way the air comes in, it gets bounced around in a bunch of different channels to slow the air down and deaden the noise it makes, put an aftermarket exhaust on you get more exhaust note and better flow = more power, same with the intake, you get increased induction noises and more power / smoother

Great vid. Wish you'd thrown an odb2 reader on it to compare air temps =)

just made my own tonight. gonna see how it goes today

For all those people saying that “oh yeah nice eBay trash. I mean what would those BMW engineers know that eBay doesn’t?” Just gonna point out that the BMW engineers had to confine to strict regulations. They have to make the car fit to emissions regulations and obviously they de-tune these cars so that they can up market the higher end versions.

Just stumbled across you. Love your humour. Haha classic whatever your name is. Subbed for sure!! Keep it up mate, love your work

As much as air boxes can get, drop in filters are ideal for non-turbo cars. Cones are fine for forced induction. Heat wrapped or ceramic exhaust manifold and gold wrapped intake is even better.

Yeah people always argue this but. Even on a NA car.. it's cheap and if you clean your filter when you should, just the sound is worth it. Do you get performance? Just don't expect you will be getting any. Not saying you will or won't. But I like it. Edit. Get rid of that hood liner. It muffles the noise of the engine.

Maybe u got better low end and flatter high end rpm because of the long tube. It stabilizes the air flow at low rpm, but at high rpm, the air cant travel fast enough.

The stock intake has no "physics" behind it, or else they would have avoided sharp angle bends and uneven obstructions in the airstream. It was designed to fit the space allowed, not to a performance spec. It does a fine job for an air intake, but CAI does allow for a more stable air stream entering the intake manifold where the actual engineering comes into play, IF you get an aftermarket silicone boot to go with it and ditch the ruffled rubber unit that comes stock. if you leave the stock boot you only get the better sound, no real HP gains

I don't normally subscribe to people's channels. I enjoy hearing an educated review, keep it up.

I think a bigger k&n filter would also help you out. try cutting the pipe back if it wont fit in this configuration. also be sure that there are no edges internally where the couplers fit together. the turbulence can really hurt performance. I've seen many tests that show k&n filter media is the best out there. its worth the 50 bucks for a nice 3inch cone filter

AFE stage 2 cold air intake and their air scoop highly recommends lets her breath alot better, if i had 2 k id buy the dinan intake that has bigger air meter housing,

The difference with a CAI are great compared to the stock filter and airbox, but you can also get very good and similar results with a good K&N drop in filter. In a CAI you need to make sure to have a good quality filter and not anythig from ebay, when I bought my car (second hand) the previous owner used to have a cheap ebay filter and it was getting sheredded, falling appart and going into the engine, I inmediately changed it for a K&N cone, and has been perfect since then.

Your gain in low end torque is easily explained. You've lengthened the intake tract which means that the frequency (read: RPM) at which the intake system resonates is lower. To wit: look at a pipe organ and note which pipe lengths result in a lower frequency note.

The answer to the torque charge is simply the change in intake geometry

The cold air intakes do work, I've seen a couple hp gains on the dyno...but that's not the whole story because there is no circulating fresh air in most dyno shops. It's definitely noticeable

smoother air passage to the throttle body makes for better throttle response and faster flow at top end

Dont let the oem design fool you. The oem air intake system is sophisticated because it's designed to reduce the intake noise.

I think the reason that some people see gains and some don't is because if you allow more air in you need a tune to level out the air/fuel ratios. Some cars self correct and some don't

explanation: longer intakes (cai) often shifts power in lower parts of powerband, while shorter intake often boosts top end power if its calculated well.

my concern would be that your filter has less material, and would let in more particulants. Although, the old ring filters were about the same, and the electronics still work, so I guess I'd have to see.

only came across your channel today, slowly catching up with your videos, I've got a ram air kit with heat shield in the engine bay in my 330ci sport convertible, had a carbon gruppeM in my old e36 328i sport, main reason for why I like them is the roar, specially on the e46, I found my car way to quiet when I put my foot down, I've done the "golf tee" mod to the exhaust, with that coupled to the induction kit I'm now very happy with the sound on the car :) . great videos by the way..... im envious of your alcantara steering wheel.... might get myself one in the future..... there's some nice ones on eBay at the moment although a tad pricey!

Sound like The cop saying I’m fast asf boi lol 😂

I know there are differing opinions out there on these...BUT I noticed similar improvements on my Mitsubishi n/a motor. There was a noticeable tone change in the exhaust note and the throttle felt more responsive as well. Thanks for the easy to follow video~

Just got a 325ci and you end up in my suggestions lol Subbed!

hahah! red bull f1 team! nice

Without a heat shield separating the piping from the engine you'll lose quite a bit of efficiency from heat.

It merely made your throttle response a little different. It didn't really add a lot, if any HP. But the factory box was designed by engineers to be efficient, quiet and give the best performance it can with all parameters involved.

Short rams are worth it.. the problem is *heat isolation* Yes you ARE opening it up for some more AIR and POWER.. side effect is you are also opening it up for more HEAT from the engine bay. Heat creates expansion of air molecules --> less oxygen per square inch --> less combustion --power loss. You can try a longer pipe.. the PROBLEM then is loss of pressure due to the longer path needed for the air to travel. I've been there and done that long pipe.. ended up losing about -7 hp than sticking to the short ram.

Nice job. Any air intake will work better if it's an area of high air pressure. On yours there's an easy way to do that without risking water ingestion in a flood. Cut a U shape into the side of brake duct with the open part of the U facing the rear. Push the flap you've just made half way or more into the brake cooling duct, secure it with a long bolt if needed. This will bleed higher pressure air into the space where your filter lives. One of the biggest mistakes folk make with this kind of mod (you haven't) is to place the intake in a low pressure area. On my E30 I kept the factory airbox but opened up it's intake hole and used a toilet waste pipe (2.00 GBP!) between it and the panel behind the headlights, it even came with rubber seals. Made a noticeable power difference at high rpms. Did something similar on my Z3.

It realy works, I tested my stock G35 and running stock on quater mile time I used to get 14.8sec but now after installing Cold air intake I do get 13.8sec, it depends on the cars

Put a vacuum gage on your engine and run down the road at 60 MPH. Record your reading and note temperature of day! Reconfigure and run down same level road at 60 MPH and same RPM's at same outside temperature and see if you have increase in vacuum? James

Try adding a header to get a proper horsepower gain the exhaust manifold with the cold air intake By the way you did a smart job a lot colder intake You're absolutely right those big ones the other cold air intakes are extremely marked up Great job! but like I said if you put a exhaust manifold header on it you will really get your wows!

I feel like the original air filter you had in the stock box was way past due so when you put a new filter in with your homemade cold air the engine was simply able to breath freely compared to an old dirty filter.. even if you gained 5-10 hp, I highly doubt you would be able to "feel" the difference. Like stated in this video on a dyno you could see a tiny gain but nothing you would feel from daily driving.. that being said I believe this is a prime example of a placebo effect, in combination with the cone filter being new lol.. I feel like all you gained was max 5-10hp, a new easy flowing filter, and some intake noise.. cool video though

Okay fair enough, only asked because as you know only a insignificant improvement if any is achieved. Thanks for the answer, because I've have a 330 and thinking of doing the same mod.

been a couple of months how are the numbers now,, is it still getting better mpg,,, ?

YT blessing my feed with a baby thomas video from back in the day 😪

I have a question about the sound the come when you are revving 6:58 . It sounds like something is opening before the engine builds up the revs, is that normal? I started to get the sound when my engine heated after my expansiontank cracked a while ago. Nice video, keep up the good work! :)

i got a ram intake on my e46 and it did make a change and the sound is great xp

Nice job! Not really surprising that there is a torque/power gain to be found as the original intake is compromised by noise regulations as well as requirements set by assembling the car originally.

nice one, mate!

Two questions: 1. Would removing the corresponding foglight be better for flow? It seems like the opening in front of the wheels doesn't have much flow on its own. 2. How would it be if the filter was located way over on the passenger's side? Too low flow rate?

I have the E34 and I've had these filters on and off more times than I care to remember and I always end up taking them off and the reasons are that they do sound great but yes but the reason I like the straight 6 BMW is for the sound so why change it? Also I felt it takes some of the torque out and that's another thing about the engine that I love not to mention that BMW's air box isn't restrictive so for me it was souly for the noise which as I said for me it wasn't worth it ,nice video though and nicely explained 👍🏻🇬🇧

"does this work in the real world" lol

Nice work, I think it looks boss and if it saves money, makes the car run better and improves performance too...

Can anyone supply some links for this ?

i think cold air intakes makes minimal to no power or even less power at times..all cars are different and depending how manufacturers made their cars...for most people it's more noise. at the end of the day all this car boltons don't do much unless you tune your car with a reflash. witch sometimes it's way cheaper than those fancy overpriced carb legal intakes...also remembering that it can be scary having a long ram intake in rainy days in fear of hydrolocking your car.

The sounds your e46 will make is all you need to hear to convince you lol

i reckon your car wasn't running too great before as i have a standard 330ci and it pulls in 5th gear at 30mph/50kph with no problem at all, but i know these cars can vary quite a lot

good place for a air cleaner as it definitely stops heat from the engine bay going through it... Luv the honest review..............BUT ..$220 dollars will go along way on a BMW E46 ....hahaha ... What E46 are you driving ??????

did you take off your middle muffler ?? that will increase you high end output !! more air in .. need more spave out ...

I recently just purchased a Canon short ram intake for my 2002 Honda Civic I've had cold air intakes on my other civics you're right in the sense that it has more of a low in Greenwich but it's up to you what you want if you like more sound like I do in a little bit of performance in Greece like I do then or colder intake could be your best bet if not then that's up to you

Good video, sounds like it's worth the effort. Just wondering how much more difficult (if any) is it to access the filter for changing? Looked like the stock air box was more accessible, seems like it could possibly be a real PIA to have to remove the splash guard in the wheel well each time?

Haha I want a cold air intake for my 04’ X3. Between this and the muffler delete I’m hoping for a pretty sweet sound. I have already upgraded the filter in the stock air box. I love the M54 engine.

Awesome video mango! What about two cone filters???

Dude great video! suggestion for your next upgrade. "oil catch can" I got mine for $80 US dollars. I got ADD w1 oil catch can. check it out! :)

Put one on my Challenger 3.5 V6, I got better throttle response and sure sounds nice! Got off Amazon for less than $90.00

Excellent video. But i think everyone should know that the magnitude of the results vary based on your car and its throttle body.

should have plugged a scanner in to see the IAT

Hey! I really like this video. I'm thinking about doing it to my 128i. Would you be willing to tell me what the names of the parts you found and where to buy them so i can do roughly the same thing for the same price XD Thanks so much!

I did it as well. Not much difference on 2006 Honda accord 2.4L. However, I like suckig air sound that is louder than stock air box & filter. Actually, who likes to drive in quite car I would not recommend this. Doing this you can gain are : D.I.Y SKILL LEVER UP & Satisfaction of Open pod.

How is it better or smarter to put the air breather near the bottom of the car? Won’t it get wet? Have to take off the tire just to get to the filter is crazy. But a great video.

Hmmm how about this challenge for everyone...Put a double ram air intake in a vertical position, one end make it long with a pipe at the fender whatever like in the video, and the other end shorter. You get less lag with the shorter one one and more air mass with the longer one. Then replay to this comment to see the results.

4:40 - friken nascar pitcrew brah

it's a more than just smoothing out turbulence, different sized intakes will have different resonant frequencies which will change the power band. The use of a Helmholtz type resonance chamber is another way to tune the rpm at which the intake will make the most power. The longer intakes will work better at low rpm and shorter at higher rpm. I'm not surprised with a long intake like you installed that you gained low end and mid range.

Why didnt you dyno it to be more scientific. Your feelings means nothing in such small differences.

Maybe some advice can be given I picked up just a filter from Canadian Tire and slapped it onto the stock intake boot, just before the sensor where the original airbox attaches too I know I'll have troubles with engine bay heat causing hotter air to enter my vehicle thus not getting cold dense air like I would want, I plan on building a clear shroud around the filter so it's visible under the hood but making this shroud attach to the original set up on the grill so that way I get my cold air this way, But curious to know if just leaving it in the engine bay alone will cause loss in power rather then just simply the same to what it would have been, I would like to imagine yes but you seem very educated I would like your input! Same car btw love my 2.5l BMW 3 series, she's a 2004

hey man if you want to feel more of a Difference get some Gold reflective heat tape or get sliver it will make the air even cooler. it basically will keep the pipe from getting heat soak.

hahaha "so full of physics". Man that tickled me!

Splashes are one thing, but hopefully you don't get much flooding where you are, or don't drive if there is.

Nice video man!! I just have one question because i'm going to do this. How do I find a piping kit with the bracket? None of the ones i found seem to mention having one. I ask because if it doesn't come with a bracket, there will not be any existing place to attach it to the car.