Well, I just finished installing my K&N Typhoon. I'm not as mechanically-inclined as many of you, so it took me over an hour, but I'm satisfied. I have some beef with their installation instructions, but I made it through it. I was too tired to drive it around the block so I can't comment on sound or performance, but take a look at my pics and tell me what you think.

One odd thing I saw was the black plastic tip thingie on the vacuum switch. It has a Mitsubishi logo on it. :p

Front pic

Side view

Weren't they supposed to start offering a cover/heat shield for this? Is that available yet?

jds

Looks nice,but I think that filter looks a little big. How is the "butt-dyno"?

You can never have a filter that is too big.

Rotarygod... isn't that beer or...

It applies to beer too!

hey the pictures i cant see ...

hey rotarygod..do you have any experience with HKS Foam hypermax foam filters??i heard they have much better air flow but get dirty much faster...do you think it owuld make much more of a difference?i know on piston engines they make a small difference compaired to your traditional k&n type filter..

Damn Right! theres never to much of a good thing. That K&N filter, if it would only hold beer! aaahhhh!

It's hard to hotrod to work in Atlanta traffic. The butt dyno didn't report much unfortunately, but when I hit 6000 RPM's, the engine is screaming. You can really hear the difference. I like the sound, which is mostly my reason for getting it.

bureau13, I recall seeing someone with a heat sheild installed, but I can't find it on the K&N site, so it may have been custom. I'll have to search the forums too.

Originally posted by XDEEDUBBX
hey rotarygod..do you have any experience with HKS Foam hypermax foam filters??i heard they have much better air flow but get dirty much faster...do you think it owuld make much more of a difference?i know on piston engines they make a small difference compaired to your traditional k&n type filter..

You do not want one of those! There is an air filter test on the a Supra website somewhere that shows comparisons between different types of air filters based on how well they flow and how well they filter. The tests were run on a bench so these weren't guesses. The results are kind of scary. The HKS foam filter not only flows less than the best performing filter in the test but it also filters the worst out of the test group. The foam filters in general did really poorly whether they were oiled or not. The K&N filters did quite well and I believe came in 2nd. I forget what type of filter did the best but the winner not only flowed the best but also flowed the most which was very interesting. The K&N did very well against the competition and I have personally used their filters for a long time in other cars. You have to understand that higher horsepower cars show greater gains from a filter than lower power cars. 10% more flow on a 350 hp engine is more than a 10% gain on a 200 hp engine. This is why Hondas don't get any faster when a typical filter kit is installed. They get louder which translates as faster to the brain. There are ways to make them work though.

What does make a difference is the length of the tube that the filter is on and where the filter is located. I'm willing to bet that the long vs short RE intakes have different powerbands and not only because of "ram air". Ram air doesn't work the way everyone thinks it does. On my little Honda Civic that I use as a daily driver, I experimented with different lengths of intake tubes to arrive at a power boost where I needed it, on the low end. When I experimented with a short tube like most of the ricers use I found that power seemed to go down. I fabbed up a 3" pipe and ran it down to below the car and placed it directly in the airstream. The growl was much deeper and the power seemed to improve on the low end where I wanted it. This is verified since my original gas mileage in that car was about 28/32 before the mod. After it became around 32/35. Gain where I wanted it. The savings in gas alone paid for this. For a mod to be feelable it typically has to add about 10% more power there. If I could get a verifiable feelable gain on a little 127 hp Civic through a little experimentation, imagine what is possible on a 238 hp car, or a 350 hp car with a little effort. It is sure more than 6 or 7 hp. I'm not saying I added 12+ hp to my Civic but rather about 10% at the gain area. I suspect overall top end power (if you can call it that!) didn't change much if any. What I did accomplish is to get a better average across the board.

The whole point of this is to show that the intake design has a bigger affect than the filter. If a filter can flow well enough to supply the engine with its needs, then changing to a different filter will not do any better. Someone needs to redesign the factory type of box to use a bigger filter that still has a couple of different tuned passages for intake air. The total area just needs to be worked on a little since the factory intake area is smaller than the throttlebody. This is why aftermarket intakes are only giving a few more hp to the RX-8. It is because of flow. They have lost the tuning benefit though. Figure out both (which isn't difficult) and you'll have the best intake around.

i am also interested in getting the typhoon but only if i can buy a heat shield that is compatible with it anyone know where????

There is a heat shield in the works but it won't be released until mid-February.

Anyone try a cold air intake or and extension for the typhoon that can go to the grill area of the car? is there enough room to work around the radiator? At the least getting cooler air would help.

JimW,
Someone has done this and posted a picture here somewhere. You could see the tip of the filter poking out behind the grill. A search may find it, but it was a while ago when I saw it.

NO...there is not a heat shield in development at K&N they have no plans for one...if you want proof i'll go diggin; through my .pst and find the email from them...

**NVRMIND***

with all the BS and skepticism on this board i went ahead and dug it out..
__________________________________________________ _
Charles,



The Typhoon systems do not come with heat shields and there are no plans to change them. The Typhoon system is designed to improve the under hood appearance of your car while still producing a performance intake for your car.



Thanks for writing

Fred
__________________________________________________ _

Originally posted by rotarygod
You can never have a filter that is too big.

LOL !!!

so you cant put the stock lid back on with the typhoon inside the box?

there is a heat shield out. It's nice looking and not hard to put in. Do a search on google for : RX8. Search through for a whil and you'll see a titanium rx8 with a silver box where your current filter/intake box is. Click on it and the site will come up- i forget the name of it, but it looks well thought out.

I have a question-- I just ordered a K & N filter (33-2284) and i was wondering, am i going to have to reset my computer and dsc when i install it?

With the factory airbox, isn't their a second opening in the box that only opens up after like 6500 RPM? If so, this mod removes that....what are the remifications of this?

I guess to put it another way, the secondary port in the air-box opens up to allow more air at higher RPMs.....is their something in the intake design that doesn't want more air at lower RPMs? And if so...what does removing it do to lower RPM performance/reliability?

There are two intakes hidden behind the front bumper and the stay in place even with the K&N installed. The longer of the two intakes is tuned for better low end response and the shorter one called the "fresh air duct" opens at 5.5k RPMs to help out with the higher revs.

Here is that site that has the air box mod:
http://www.rotaryextreme.com/rx8intakeinstall.html

Heat shield or no heat shield......

Wouldn't the open element design of the K&N inhale MORE heat from the engine bay than the stock airbox? The stock airbox's plumbing extends outside the engine compartment where cooler air is found. K&N pulls engine bay air in. With a heat shield......it would only keep some of the direct radiant heat away......but wont change the engine bay air source.

I see what your saying.... I did see two alternatives. One: is a new hood that actually has an intake installed, or two: use the front bumper design that has an external intake right next to the mazda emblem in front of the car.----I like the hood better

Originally posted by Speed Racer
There are two intakes hidden behind the front bumper and the stay in place even with the K&N installed. The longer of the two intakes is tuned for better low end response and the shorter one called the "fresh air duct" opens at 5.5k RPMs to help out with the higher revs.

Even if these are still in place, there is no longer a sealed box around the filter so any tuning benefits of different length intake tubes is now gone. It would be far easier for the engine to suck in air from other places around the filter within the engine bay. It is more likely that these tubes are now merely decorative. Air may still flow through them but removing them would do the same thing and may even free up more room for potential incoming air. They were designed to work as a system and the system was gone once the K&N was installed.

OK just to clarifiy a few things. First, K&N is producing a heat shield for the car. One in poweder coat black (Aluminum) and another in carbon fiber. The aluminum will be available soon and so will the carbon. The carbon fiber version will only be available as an aftermarket accessory while the aluminum will be included in the kits to come. For those that have the intake now the carbon will be available about mid Feb. For those who are sceptical or just curious, the intake on my car works fine and the car runs strong. The extra inake tubes and ducting found in the bumper are no longer useful as the K&N pulls in a larger volume the way it is. Yes the engine gets hot, we all know this. I've had the intake on for a while now including a few road races with out issue with out the heat shield. Most people will never race thier car nor take it to the temps that I have on the track. I guess the bottom line is this. If you like the intake and want the xtra power and sound then get it. I don't think you'll be dissapointed.

Originally posted by VividRacing.com
OK just to clarifiy a few things. First, K&N is producing a heat shield for the car. One in poweder coat black (Aluminum) and another in carbon fiber. The aluminum will be available soon and so will the carbon. The carbon fiber version will only be available as an aftermarket accessory while the aluminum will be included in the kits to come. For those that have the intake now the carbon will be available about mid Feb. For those who are sceptical or just curious, the intake on my car works fine and the car runs strong. The extra inake tubes and ducting found in the bumper are no longer useful as the K&N pulls in a larger volume the way it is. Yes the engine gets hot, we all know this. I've had the intake on for a while now including a few road races with out issue with out the heat shield. Most people will never race thier car nor take it to the temps that I have on the track. I guess the bottom line is this. If you like the intake and want the xtra power and sound then get it. I don't think you'll be dissapointed.

Huff my Brutha... AMEN!!! I agree 100% :D

If simply flowing more air all the time were the goal, wouldn't Mazda have left out the different intake tubes and maximized flow at all times? My understanding is that they didn't because that is not ideal for lower RPM behavior. Maybe I am misunderstanding something, but it seems to me intakes such as this should sacrifice a bit on the low end for more peak power...but that doesn't match the dyno I think I remember seeing, and it doesn't really match the "butt dyno" impressions people are giving.

jds