"Screens" for ITBs

In reply to Keith Tanner:

I'm in the same situation with the Europa - I'm using 2" hose to hold the stacks into the ITBs. My plan is to cut holes in the backing plate just big enough for the stacks, but not the coupler hoses. I can then take a 1/4"-thick piece of hose and slide it up the outside of each stack as far as it will go, then slide each stack down through the backing plate, and sandwich it against my 2" couplers.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: I think maybe i need to clarify something here... I was looking for screens because they're the easy button and fit within my timeline. I don't expect them to be a long term solution, but however they will help me hit my end-of-the-month deadline to get the car to the tuner. I do not have time (or the skills more than likely) to build an airbox or a plenum or any of those things. I'm fully aware of their shortcomings and i'm ok with the risks, especially since this motor isn't expected to live long anyways. Unfortunately, i really just have time to slip 6 filters of some sort over 6 stacks. I DO appreciate the input that i've gotten in this thread, but most of it doesn't really address the original question. This is my fault, since i didn't really qualify why i was looking for what i was looking for. The extent of the work the hood will be receiving at this stage involves a cutoff wheel, a sharpie, and 10 minutes.

If you're just looking to keep the larger bugs and twigs out, you can make your own really quickly by just getting some screen and wrapping it over the mouth of the horns. Bonus points for sandwiching foam in between for actual filtering. The screen can either be held in place with hose clamps or the bent screen itself, depending on how stiff the wires are. If you want easy button, you could have done this in the time it's taken to post and read this thread.

Keith Tanner wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: I think maybe i need to clarify something here... I was looking for screens because they're the easy button and fit within my timeline. I don't expect them to be a long term solution, but however they will help me hit my end-of-the-month deadline to get the car to the tuner. I do not have time (or the skills more than likely) to build an airbox or a plenum or any of those things. I'm fully aware of their shortcomings and i'm ok with the risks, especially since this motor isn't expected to live long anyways. Unfortunately, i really just have time to slip 6 filters of some sort over 6 stacks. I DO appreciate the input that i've gotten in this thread, but most of it doesn't really address the original question. This is my fault, since i didn't really qualify why i was looking for what i was looking for. The extent of the work the hood will be receiving at this stage involves a cutoff wheel, a sharpie, and 10 minutes.

If you're just looking to keep the larger bugs and twigs out, you can make your own really quickly by just getting some screen and wrapping it over the mouth of the horns. Bonus points for sandwiching foam in between for actual filtering. The screen can either be held in place with hose clamps or the bent screen itself, depending on how stiff the wires are. If you want easy button, you could have done this in the time it's taken to post and read this thread.

Heh, touche...

I've heard/seen people sandwiching panty hose between layers of screen. Terrible idea?

I'd hate to bring a car to the tuner with the screens only to upgrade to something that lets it breathe later on and need to get it tuned a second time.

DaveEstey wrote: I'd hate to bring a car to the tuner with the screens only to upgrade to something that lets it breathe later on and need to get it tuned a second time.

I agree that it's not ideal, but retunes are cheap, and we're already planning on tuning it 3-4 times already. First time conservative just to break in the setup and see what sort of quirks we've got. 2nd time in an effort to see what the stock bottom end will actually do. 3rd time for break-in of the next motor. Then 4th for the glory shot.

And really, i just don't have time right now. The Jeep needs some attention and i can't get to it until the Escort is out of here.

Pantyhose might work, although I'd prefer something that will actually trap dirt so it could be cleaned. But at least it would keep out smaller bugs

Keith Tanner wrote: Pantyhose might work, although I'd prefer something that will actually trap dirt so it could be cleaned. But at least it would keep out smaller bugs

Alright, and one last question: Any particular sort of foam i should be getting? Is there anything that works particularly well that i can get at a local hardware store?

I think I still have a roll of the same stuff I built a filter for my 4wheeler(didn't want to pay the $88 for the suzuki one)

it is 1/8 or 1/4" thick iirc

I'll bet there's a lawnmower filter or something you could find that would work. It's usually a fairly coarse foam that's sprayed with a sticky oil to catch the dust.

I read that pantyhose is as bad for airflow as a fine mesh screen. I'd go with foam + chicken wire + clamps given your time/budget constraints - though I'd be tempted to tune with them removed, because I have a hunch your performance with some type of airbox/plenum will be far closer to open stacks, than having them covered with foam/mesh.

if a WRX scoop does not fit.. how about an STi? it is taller

mad_machine wrote: if a WRX scoop does not fit.. how about an STi? it is taller

Sorry, that's the one i looked at. Width is an issue as well.

There's a book called 21st Century Performance that has a lot of good tech info in it. In that, he shows some dyno tests that show a well-designed plenum outperforming open stacks from what I recall.

Keith Tanner wrote: There's a book called 21st Century Performance that has a lot of good tech info in it. In that, he shows some dyno tests that show a well-designed plenum outperforming open stacks from what I recall.

Cool i'll try to track that down, thanks!

But at the moment, i can't swing $325 for a book.

In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac:

I can send you an article on designing bellmouths for intakes. It won't help with your current problem though.

He writes for Autospeed. I suspect some of those articles would be found in their archives.

93EXCivic wrote: In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac: I can send you an article on designing bellmouths for intakes. It won't help with your current problem though.

If there's a section in that article that takes into account turbos.... shoot it my way anyways!