stuartm

Im not claiming the screen or dividers make any difference to power, I am about cleaning the maf sensor.BTW I didn't disconnect the battery.
As for knowing(not just feeling) the difference, I always use the same stretch of road for testing cars, from point a to b. After cleaning im traveling 5mph faster at the given distance & I don't have to go down as many gears to overtake. Even with the first screen removed the idle is smoother than before. Can I go over this point, I cleaned the maf & this is all im claiming
Maybe I should edit my first post to clear this up, I only removed them for the hell of it jeez.

p.s. I drilled the pulleys & gained 15bhp

Charles R. Hill

iTrader: (7)

The reason I suggested to others to remove the inner panels was because they came damn close to the air filter(like 3/8") and could possibly obstruct air flow across the filter. I never stated any gains could definitely be had but I did state that it couldn't hurt. Sounds like RB and I are in agreement regarding the screens. Additionally, what is it about Mazda's velocity stack that renders it "incomplete" while RB's horn is "complete"? One thing I find about naysayers around here is that they seem to never offer up any other suggestions except to say that Mazda engineers know what they are doing. That's true but it is not always a focused pursuit of power that leads to implementation of a certain design. Legislative and market forces have much more to do with the challenges designers must face when they are part of an OEM design team.

Stuart, don't feel bad about the way you have been received here. It takes a long time before anyone is given credibility on this forum. The only reason anyone cares what I think is because it is like driving past a car crash. They are all waiting for me to blow my engine!

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

hey - I was going to say that too - just not as eloquently as you put it

Mazda-Rati

Charles-what I meant about the RBs horn being complete and the OE being incomplete was put better by '4 years to supercharge' by saying RB has a full horn where as the stock's horn is partial and uses 2 screens to smooth out airflow across the MAF.

From RBs website:

We determined early on that it would be necessary to incorporate at least one mesh intake screen in our intake system. Mazda originally planned to use just one screen, but during late testing they determined that they needed to add one additional screen to provide good idle stability. During development and testing of the our intake we determined that we needed only one screen because the REVi entrance into the MAF sensor was very "balanced" – that is air enters into the inlet air horn uniformly form all sides. In the stock air box, Mazda chose to cut away a portion of the air horn to get a longer tuned length. This compromised design caused the flow to "swirl" as it entered the bell and continued swirling as it passed the MAF sensor, resulting in an unacceptable variable output reading. Tests showed that the use of one mesh screen in the stock box reduced this "swirl" condition; the addition of a second screen eliminated this from occurring.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

TeamRX8 grabs drill and heads toward garage ...

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

To me - This gives further evidence that it is OK to remove a screen .
If you take one screen out & you are happy with the way it idles - there is no harm done .......

Charles R. Hill

iTrader: (7)

I just cleaned my sensor, still use one screen and no panels, have the latest flash and my idle is as stable as a rock at 800 rpm's. I find that with all of the reflashes going on and the three years worth of trouble most of us have had that there is very little we can conclude when it comes to mods. I would also argue in all of my ignorance that the small area of the radius horn that was omitted when Mazda designed the intake was strictly in an effort to get the proper radius to fit in the air box while also making room for the filter and hampers none of the airflow past it. Don't even try to tell me that Racing Beat, as much as I love their products and respect their wisdom, are the final arbiters or last distillation of truth when it comes to the Renesis/RX-8. Hell, even Mazda seems relatively clueless about this stuff. Why do you think we seem to know more than the dealerships when our cars have problems?

Phantom Menace

Brettus,

LOL! Why, thank you Brettus. Thanks for noticing my mods. And you are right. Mazda engineers do know better than me. That is why I do not make "homemade" Mods such as this. I bought my intake, for example, from RB. They, however, made Mazda's airbox more efficient. Mazda had to make some compromises as it is a mass produced car. Does not mean the OEM airbox is THE most efficient...but a helluva lot better than just gutting what you "think" the car may or may not need. Furthermore, my "mods" are not anything significant and I have never posted them to be. Mostly, they are cosmetic and audiable mods for my own taste. I'm perfectly happy with the way the 8 runs in OEM form. I just like to add a little here and there to make it "my own." I'm not trying to alter it by gutting and scraping...

But then again, I'm preaching to the choir, aren't I? Truth-be-told, you've got plenty of real mods and stuff in your 8?!

Swoope,

I don't have any "serious" mods. Just the RB intake setup and some braking components. You know I'm not an "aggressive tuner..."

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

sure I have plenty of mods - this one was the easiest to do & the only free one

hey - stuff like this is how we go forward . In a year or so everyone will do it because us pioneers took a risk and crossed the rockies - oops i mean took out the screen .

Phantom Menace

Yes. I agree. Experiments like this is how we get progress, but the "butt dyno" does not measure minute improvements of this nature. Maybe, and this is a big-*** maybe, if the guy changed the gearing/ratio in his differential or drilled some holes in his flywheel--his "butt dyno" would "feel" a difference. But intake? C'mon man, even with RB's dyno tuned and exhaustive research (no pun intended) on their intake and ram air duct, it's 2-3HP tops...

A screen? One friggin', insignificant screen? "Feel the power?" C'mon, man...Let's keep it real.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

but a gtimer and data logging will...

beers

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

I never said I could feel anything - just that the RB dyno test showed a slight gain .

No downside - small gain - no cost . No brainer as far as i'm concerned

Do you think a Nascar team would say - hey its only 1 hp lets not bother taking that screen out - we won't be able to 'feel' anything .

Phantom Menace

Brettus,
LOL! Nascar engines are torn apart and rebuilt before and after EACH race! Is your Renesis? Nascars, also, don't pull double duty as a "street" car. Nascar engineers ONLY concern is making it through the race. You can squeeze and squeeze HP out of a car because you'll put another eninge in for the next race...with this mentality I could probably get 500HP out of my car...500HP for 20 feet, if that....so, bad analogy.

And the downside is listed by RB. It's a rougher idle...

There are NO mods without downsides. ALL mods are exchanges--something for something else. The only REAL "free" mod is ram air.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

bad analagy maybe - but you get the point don't you ?
As for the downside - of rough idle . There are at least 4 people (including me) have posted about this saying the idle is just fine thanks.
No mods without downsides - agree to a point but often the only downside is "it made my wallet lighter " or "I scraped my knuckles getting the f'n screen out".

Phantom Menace

Brettus,
I'm not trying to be argumentative as I have said, I agree with your broader point. True, if you make 30, 1HP mods you will be on to something. However, even something as arbitrary as loosing MPG, gaining extra ambient noise, loosing top end power, loosing bottom end power, etc. could be counted as downsides.

My main point is, if you (not you personally, I'm writing rhetorically) are this serious about squeezing every drop of work out of your car...might as well:
a) Force Induction
b) Gut the car for all it's worth--back seats, hell...passenger seat, radio, interior, etc.
c) Buy another car



P.S. I was not quoting you when I wrote "Feel the power." I was paraphrasing the author of this thread.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

In the meantime i'll just enjoy knowing that my car has 1 hp more than yours -

VarneyMazda

Im really going to say, horsepower is not sound.
i wouldnt take the chance its a stupid mod.

mysql101

I have zero screens and a turbo. Guess what your 1 hp means to me?

VarneyMazda

owned

Red Devil

Just as long as you're going well more than 100+mph to get that "ram" effect.

mysql101

btw, Brettus - wasn't trying to insult you or anything. Just having a little fun

stuartm

As said before, im commenting on regaining power not gaining more. This was from cleaning the maf, not removing a screen or dividers. I actually removed the dividers for more noise. The regained power was noticeable therefore more than 2-3 bhp. BTW I have my butt dyno calibrated every 6months

BoosTED

iTrader: (2)

Where do you get it calibrated?

Phantom Menace

Ohhh. Okay, now I see what you are talking about. From your 1st post, I read as if you were attributing a power "difference" to the screens...

You cleaned you MAF and freed HP you were being robbed of, no? Well that makes sense...Though I don't know how much power a dirty MAF could rob?

You never said what you used to clean it with? How long did you have the car (miles) before you did this?

I DO NOT even wanna know where you get your "butt dyno" calibrated or what logistics are behind such an undertaking...

stuartm

The car has done 44,000 miles, I bought it at 36,000miles almost a year ago. I cleaned the sensor with brake cleaner. I fitted a k&n panel filter 3-4 months ago, most probably oil from there. The point I was trying to make was I thought everything was spot on & it wasn't. I'll make a point of cleaning the sensor everytime I clean the filter.
Maybe it's not power im being robbed of but throttle responce, before the pedal felt disconnected & I put that down to drive by wire. Now the car instantly responds. Although I don't have to rev so high to make progress this would be related to power though.