Wanted to get a quick update here on the blog to go over some of the details on our intake development for the FB20 and FB25 powered Subaru platforms.
To get everyone up to speed, we have been doing road testing on a variety of naturally aspirated (non-turbo) vehicles starting in late 2018. We have had intakes on a variety of FB20 powered cars (1st Gen Crosstrek, 2nd Gen Impreza) as well as a few of the earlier EJ powered Imprezas to get some long term testing done to qualify fuel trims (whether or not the intake is properly measuring the air that is coming past the sensor) in a long term series of tests before moving forward on finalizing color options and airbox placement for a number of other vehicles which use the same or similar engine packages. So far things have gone great for the FB20 and FB25; we have plans to move into the 3.6R vehicles as well as the FA24DIT powered vehicles like the Ascent and 2020 Outback XT.
DESIGN
The intake series we are working on features a T304 Stainless mandrel bent intake tube connected to the throttle body and MAF Housing using a pair of 4 layer reinforced silicone couplers. Clamps are American made low profile liner clamps which prevent pinching or cutting of the hose when they are being tightened.
Something our system offers that no other intake system on the market provides is a precision machined billet aluminum MAF housing. This allows us to have repeatable results on every intake we develop. We use a variety of technologies to quickly establish and qualify each of our MAF housing designs for a vehicle. Whether it's a factory fit design intended to improve flow but keep MAF scaling similar to factory design in order to allow use without a tune on naturally aspirated vehicles, or a large bore MAF intended for use on an upgraded turbo application with an oversized inlet on the compressor housing, we have the ability to either quickly CNC machine or 3D print housings on the spot that can be functionally tested on the car.
Getting into the fender, we have a 5051 Marine Grade aluminum panel that is precision CNC formed for perfect fit to the factory mounting holes every time. The result is a super clean intake design that has a lot of opportunity for customization either by the end user at a local powdercoating company or through selections on our website for the standard color configurations we plan to offer. Up next time - some videos of the parts and the color configurations so you can get a firsthand look at the design quality, look and feel of the parts.
Up next we will be sharing information on the various color configurations and option sets we plan to offer in our initial round of cold air intake product releases, as well as some updates on dyno work and thermal testing. Want to see your vehicle make it to that first round, or have an idea for a color or design option that we should be seriously considering to roll into this phase of development, submit those ideas and suggestions here. That link also gives you an option to put your name onto the list for updates, request any questions you may have be answered, or simply let us know that you live nearby and would like to be involved in our development testing on the new products we are going to be building right here in our shop in Woodland, Washington. Have a suggestion for the blog, toss it in there as well.