PD160 Intake pipe - the definitive thread?

[Gti Fly]

I thought long and hard about doing this mod (As my car too smokes a tiny bit up hill with foot to the floor)

So instead I drilled 3 50p sized holes into the base of the airbox (I know it's pikey).

So far the smoke has gone (if people tailgate me as I boot it up the hill at night, I now see NO smoke in the mirrors)

However at idle standing OUTSIDE the car there is a pronounced rumbling (bassy) noise coming from the engine bay, which sounds a bit like a broken exhaust....

This noise isn't apparent inside the car.

It's very very slightly apparent when the car is cold, and as you pull away from idle you hear a bit of a deep rumble (not to my liking), but overall there isn't any other difference.

I can't say I've felt any difference in the power delivery at any point in the RPM rev range.

MPG seems to be the same as before

Just seem to get less (no) smoke now, and a bit of broken exhaust sound if you're standing outside the car

[duck]

A couple of interesting articles from a very good car modifying site, based on a Roomster 1.9tdi but applicable to the Fabia as well, the PD160 is mentioned as well as an interesting way to make a DIY intake to avoid the cost of the Seat parts:

autospeed 1

autospeed 2

Make your own conclusions from these articles :yes:

[Richard-vrs]

Very interesting. But as he says performance is lost unless you get remap. Doesnt the ecu automatically tune itself after a few miles or is a remap needed everytime?

[Gti Fly]

There has to be a reasoning for the restriction in the air pipe, VW might not have overseen this area of development so easily... Come on they build the entire car ffs!

IF anything, he has not delved into the idea that by opening up the air intake you are infact possibly slowing down the air flow? which is maybe a reason why you are infact loosing power

[Richard-vrs]

Maybe if you kept the standard pipe but opened the intake panel at the front of the car you increase flow and pressure

[wilsy7]

i think you need that it he cut off of the air ox itself to keep the pressure of the air and almost direct it. with his there would e less pressure in the airbox as the air is just blowing into the botton. hard to explain lol i dunno, they must have seen it fit on the pd160, still an upgrade i think

[Richard-vrs]

Is there actually any physical ecidence i.e rolling road test that shows this improves anything. Lots people on here say fitting pd160 and green filter improve accel slightly and power delivery but others say it does nothing unless you get remap. So what i want to know is if theres any physical proof or its just people thinkin that in theory it should work and creating a placebo effect.

[Benjiman]

Is there actually any physical ecidence i.e rolling road test that shows this improves anything. Lots people on here say fitting pd160 and green filter improve accel slightly and power delivery but others say it does nothing unless you get remap. So what i want to know is if theres any physical proof or its just people thinkin that in theory it should work and creating a placebo effect.

I fitted it to my K&N'd, but otherwise standard (at the time at least) '07 Vrs. There was definately a noticeable difference. I like the OEM look under the bonnet (says me with a bright red strut brace now )

Is it worth £90? That's only a decision you can make. I'm glad I did it, and reckon it does give something back.

However, if the car is otherwise standard, I'd recommmend getting a RARB over this any day.

[adogillo]

I used to have a VW Bora 150 TDI, and fitted a Merc MAF not sure what type this was a few years ago, has anyone changed their MAF on VRS?

[Dempsey]

I've fitted PD160 intake and Pipercross panel filter to my car, and the only difference I can notice is less smoke.

[Static]

How about this as an alternative....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEAT-LEON-IBIZA-ALTEA-AIR-FILTER-INDUCTION-KIT-AIR-PIPE-/150589595125?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item230fd6ddf5

Then just need to buy the seat trumpet

6LL 129 621 - £16.18 + VAT

Attach piping , not using the blue metal connector, to the seat trumpet...

Other end connect to the air box by making the hole bigger, slotting the blue connector in from the inside of the airbox..

as shown here:

http://us1.webpublications.com.au/static/images/articles/i1122/112211_24lo.jpg

(link mentioned further up in thread - http://autospeed.com/cms/A_112211/article.html)

Then attach other end of pipe, once its stretched out and measured , cut to right length.

Im sure the more knowledgable of you will tell me if im barking up the wrong tree....

Edited 15 April, 2011 by Static

[Matt_Dixon_VRS]

I rang my local seat dealers and they quoted me over £90 for both!!

[mstride]

i did this mod ages ago and not overly convinced but more air must be of benefit

i heard someone mention a PD160 airbox? but the search only reveals 3 mentions in the same thread.... is it a myth?

also, sticking my fingers (i know, never a good idea) in from the front of the car there is a piece of plastic, which i'm guessing is to stop rain/debris going down the pipe?

[sepulchrave]

i did this mod ages ago and not overly convinced but more air must be of benefit

How can you be getting more air?

How does this mod increase your turbo boost or reduce the pressure drop across the intercooler?

It's your £90 but I reckon you'll be wasting it on this mod.

Whatever next, an electric supercharger! Every little helps? Do me a favour

[Richard-vrs]

When he says more air am guessing hes working on the pricipal that if you go from a walk to full sprint how much air do your lungs take in? Do the same thing through a straw in your mouth and see how restrictive it is. Transfered to a car the air box is your lungs and the intake is your mouth. Am guessing someone will post if i am wrong

[sepulchrave]

When he says more air am guessing hes working on the pricipal that if you go from a walk to full sprint how much air do your lungs take in? Do the same thing through a straw in your mouth and see how restrictive it is. Transfered to a car the air box is your lungs and the intake is your mouth. Am guessing someone will post if i am wrong

Oh boy, and you seem to be working on the principle that the standard air intake is somehow restricting the turbo's ability to suck air in. Can I see your calculations please?

I am NOT saying that this mod is a BAD thing which will actually lose power or do any harm, only that it cannot make any difference unless you have a VERY highly modified engine with dramatically higher airflow requirements and that it is therefore an utter waste of your money.

Sprinting is an anaerobic activity, so as long as you removed the straw when you slowed down again so you could breathe deeply to repay the oxygen debt, you'd be good. People and cars work completely differently.

Edited 24 June, 2011 by sepulchrave

[Richard-vrs]

Never said the standard was restrictive. Just the pd160 is bigger so more air can pass through. If allowing more air to flow easier is pointless why have most of people on here swapped the oem paper filter for cotton ones (green, k&n, pipercross). Is it worth £90 no!!

[sepulchrave]

Never said the standard was restrictive. Just the pd160 is bigger so more air can pass through.

In fact exactly the same amount of air will be flowing through both inlets, only the flow velocity will change which in this case is meaningless. The PD160 inlet has the POTENTIAL to flow far more air but your engine can't use that potential.

If allowing more air to flow easier is pointless why have most of people on here swapped the oem paper filter for cotton ones (green, k&n, pipercross).

As I just pointed out more air is not flowing so I have absolutely no idea why they waste their money on these useless items, they certainly don't do a very good job of filtering unless frequently cleaned and oiled and may actually damage the MAF in some cases. They're expensive, messy, time-consuming to maintain and offer absolutely no benefits over the OEM filter whatsoever.

Is it worth £90 no!!

Agreed.

Please try and understand this; unless you actually DO something to your engine which DRAMATICALLY changes it's pumping efficiency e.g. by enlarging it's capacity, fitting big valve head & cams, fitting a bigger blower, nitrous etc. then you don't NEED to change anything at all because your engine is NOT actually being 'restricted'.

I'm old enough to remember when fitting an aftermarket exhaust manifold/system and CAI/airbox/filter to a car like my old 2.0L Cortina actually DID make a difference to performance, such a difference in fact that I actually had to change the carb as well! This is because manufacturers used to be so lazy and cheap and engines were really inefficient as a result.

Edited 24 June, 2011 by sepulchrave

[Patriot1]

A mate of mine uses a completely standard air filter and filter box on his gpA EVO rally car and swears by them, just the same as when he had his sierra cosworth rally car he ran standard coverting it back from Pipercross filters. The same mate has a GTDI 150 Golf and reckons it runs better in warm weather as opposed to cold day's, i have heard this before from another friend from the rallying world, so my theory is then that the bigger induction pipe could let more air in, but the smaller one when feeding air through a smaller pipe could the air in turn heat up as it's going in thus helping the car run better altogether?

One other thing is, do the turbo's have a restrictor in which case cancelling out the effect of a bigger intake pipe altogether?

[sepulchrave]

...when feeding air through a smaller pipe could the air in turn heat up as it's going in thus helping the car run better altogether?

Unlikely since there isn't any restriction which could cause the warming.

One other thing is, do the turbo's have a restrictor in which case cancelling out the effect of a bigger intake pipe altogether?

There is no restrictor and the bigger intake pipe is more an exercise in underbonnet styling than anything else.

[Newera]

Unlikely since there isn't any restriction which could cause the warming.

There is no restrictor and the bigger intake pipe is more an exercise in underbonnet styling than anything else.

Killjoy. lol

[Fabia_19]

Is it worth doing? I have a pd100 and possibly remap with the next few months... Would a pd160 ait intake benefit me and how?

Need answers ASAP as I need to confirm on whether to buy one... Within next few hours

[Huxley vRS]

I got myself on at the full £83 from tps, I noticed an improvement in response and if nothing else it sounded alot nicer

[sepulchrave]

...it sounded alot nicer

There it is, that's all it does.

The improvement in response is the improvement in YOUR response to the new louder slurping noise, it cannot make any difference to performance.

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Why did they bother with it then? Why not just stick with the 130 intake on the 160 engine?

Matt