This
is how you remove the noise regulation required intake restrictor. The
snorkel is intended to increase the air speed under full throttle to
prevent induction sounds from exiting the vehicle. However, this does
add some restriction and the induction sound is fantastic and should be
allowed to be heard. It only makes a difference at about 3/4 throttle
to WOT. On the 987 there are a few parts to this. The snorkel tube and
the plate behind the grille. On a stock car, you can only see a black
plastic plate behind the grille.
1) remove the outer grille (pry 2 clips with screwdriver)
2) remove the grille support (5 clips)
3) remove the blocker plate (a few clips) and discard
4) remove air filter to access inside of snorkel.
5) pry the bottom of the snorkel tube to release catch and pull snorkel out through grille opening.
6) reassemble.
Reducing the air velocity will help reduce the amount of water that is pulled in with the air during rain. The reduced restriction might give you a tad more power at WOT near redline. The biggest difference is probably the lovely induction sounds you can now experience.
This does come with a risk! If you are driving in heavy rain, or any other situation where large amounts of water could enter the air intake, you could risk damaging the MAF sensor. One of the functions of the OEM setup is to remove the water from the air stream. The modification described above does make it more possible for water to get past the air filter and damage the MAF. In very extreme cases, if you ingest enough water, you can hydro-lock the engine which can cause catastrophic damage. Even with the snorkel and the outer plate removed, the air cleaner still has good protection from these risks. The risk is higher at high air flow too so if you encounter heavy rain, avoid heavy throttle. I am thinking I will make an active water separator device later to mitigate this risk completely. You can also keep the panel in the car and if you are going to drive on the track in heavy rain, pop it back on.
1) remove the outer grille (pry 2 clips with screwdriver)
2) remove the grille support (5 clips)
3) remove the blocker plate (a few clips) and discard
4) remove air filter to access inside of snorkel.
5) pry the bottom of the snorkel tube to release catch and pull snorkel out through grille opening.
6) reassemble.
Reducing the air velocity will help reduce the amount of water that is pulled in with the air during rain. The reduced restriction might give you a tad more power at WOT near redline. The biggest difference is probably the lovely induction sounds you can now experience.
This does come with a risk! If you are driving in heavy rain, or any other situation where large amounts of water could enter the air intake, you could risk damaging the MAF sensor. One of the functions of the OEM setup is to remove the water from the air stream. The modification described above does make it more possible for water to get past the air filter and damage the MAF. In very extreme cases, if you ingest enough water, you can hydro-lock the engine which can cause catastrophic damage. Even with the snorkel and the outer plate removed, the air cleaner still has good protection from these risks. The risk is higher at high air flow too so if you encounter heavy rain, avoid heavy throttle. I am thinking I will make an active water separator device later to mitigate this risk completely. You can also keep the panel in the car and if you are going to drive on the track in heavy rain, pop it back on.
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| Snorkel removed. That black plastic piece inside the oval is a cover on the tip of the air filter to prevent water from getting on the filter element. |
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| Air filter |
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| Inside airbox |
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| Grille pieces |
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| This shows the grille in place and the snorkel still installed.I removed the snorkel later. |
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| With grille and panel removed |
Here is the intake sound after the modifications and a K&N air filter.
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteGreat write up. I just performed all this to my 2010 Cayman S. I've yet to drive it as rims are off and getting new tires and a K&N filter is on the way too. Will be interesting hear the difference and see if there is any performance gain.