DIY- Ram Air / Cold Air Intake from Fog Light Opening
#1
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Morgan Hill, CA
Posts: 452
DIY- Ram Air / Cold Air Intake from Fog Light Opening
Note: I take no responsibility if you damage your car trying this. This is posted for other Fit owners to gain from my experience.
So I've had a broken fog light for a while and decided to make something happen today. Decided to try this and I am very pleased with the results. First step is to remove the housing and broken fog light. Then buy a roll of this from Home Depot for $13. You get enough for $13 to do several cars.
There is a piece of plastic blocking where I ran the duct through. Remove that small plastic piece. You'll see it if you are looking for it.
Run the duct up through the fog light opening. You'll have to squeeze the duct a little to get it through to where the intake is.
I ran the duct straight into the filter so the air has nowhere to go but into my motor.
Zip tie the plug for the fog light so it doesn't become an unknown noise.
Here is how it looks.
I think it looks better than a broken fog. Kinda race car style.
Driving Impressions
Okay right away I felt more throttle response. I didn't want to get too excited and come to an unrealistic butt dyno. But it is definitely noticeable especially in the top end. The intake is louder. I now hear it over the exhaust completely when in high RPMs. This tells me that it is passing a lot more air through.
On the freeway it is faster too. It seems to work better the faster you go. Makes sense I guess, the more air that passes through the better. The temperature of the air will be colder too.
So I've had a broken fog light for a while and decided to make something happen today. Decided to try this and I am very pleased with the results. First step is to remove the housing and broken fog light. Then buy a roll of this from Home Depot for $13. You get enough for $13 to do several cars.
There is a piece of plastic blocking where I ran the duct through. Remove that small plastic piece. You'll see it if you are looking for it.
Run the duct up through the fog light opening. You'll have to squeeze the duct a little to get it through to where the intake is.
I ran the duct straight into the filter so the air has nowhere to go but into my motor.
Zip tie the plug for the fog light so it doesn't become an unknown noise.
Here is how it looks.
I think it looks better than a broken fog. Kinda race car style.
Driving Impressions
Okay right away I felt more throttle response. I didn't want to get too excited and come to an unrealistic butt dyno. But it is definitely noticeable especially in the top end. The intake is louder. I now hear it over the exhaust completely when in high RPMs. This tells me that it is passing a lot more air through.
On the freeway it is faster too. It seems to work better the faster you go. Makes sense I guess, the more air that passes through the better. The temperature of the air will be colder too.
#5
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Morgan Hill, CA
Posts: 452
^^ Thanks. I had a SVT Focus a while back. I made this heat shield where I worked.
The concept was borrowed from another company, who borrowed the idea from Nascar.
The engineers at SVT made a snorkel that fed air under the filter.
The SVT snorkel connected to this black plastic piece in the middle of the picture. I made the other aluminum piece that connected the snorkel to the grill.
This set up was great and I loved what it did for the car. That is why I made something similar for the Fit.
The concept was borrowed from another company, who borrowed the idea from Nascar.
The engineers at SVT made a snorkel that fed air under the filter.
The SVT snorkel connected to this black plastic piece in the middle of the picture. I made the other aluminum piece that connected the snorkel to the grill.
This set up was great and I loved what it did for the car. That is why I made something similar for the Fit.
#7
Nice job on the focus. Where I work, we make the intake boxes and intakes for any SRT vehicle really, but the big one we do is for the Viper trucks. We powdercoat everything. Really going to look into it. The whole deal, intake box, intake, and whatever else I think I a can make for it.
#8
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Morgan Hill, CA
Posts: 452
Thanks^^. I was pretty stoked on the initial drive. Glad I didn't bring the wife on the test drive, she probably would have said I was runnin the piss out of it.
#10
Nice work. it pays to get creative.
for those without a broken fog who'd also like something like this - you could run the duct down to the vent that's right next to the driver's fog light in the black trim/airdam in the lower middle part of the bumper.
Just go look to the left of the driver's fog standing facing the front of the car and you'll see what I mean.
Since the ducting is flexible I imagine there shouldn't be too much for clearance issues.
for those without a broken fog who'd also like something like this - you could run the duct down to the vent that's right next to the driver's fog light in the black trim/airdam in the lower middle part of the bumper.
Just go look to the left of the driver's fog standing facing the front of the car and you'll see what I mean.
Since the ducting is flexible I imagine there shouldn't be too much for clearance issues.
#11
there was someone who asked me to test the inches of water of pressure that are present at the foglight and i still haven't been able to do that...
my only concern at the fog, or even the lower grille, is during the winters that area can become packed with snow and cut off airflow...
#13
I did something similar with my A-spec CAI a while back. I called mine "ghetto ram air" LOL Instead of removing the fog light (mine aren't broken, yet) I Dremeled out the little vent to the right of the fog-light and attached the duct there instead. Yours is very well executed, and should keep your IATs lower by a bit. Get a Rogue cowl scoop to complete the effect.
#14
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Morgan Hill, CA
Posts: 452
Thanks for commenting. The wife agrees that the car is more responsive. I bought a rubber elbow that I attached to the fog light housing. Now it looks a lot cleaner from the front. I will post another pic soon.
#19
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Morgan Hill, CA
Posts: 452
Its a 3" rubber 90 degree elbow from the same isle at Home Depot as the Aluminum duct. I had it duct taped to the back of the fog light housing. Within 1 week the duct tape failed because of the pressure of air coming through! I used a lot of duct tape too.
I am working on the car today, installing new carbon fiber trim right now . I will fix the elbow attachment later and post pics.
If you stick your hand out the window going down the freeway you will feel the amount of force the air pressure has against your hand. This mod definitely allows the engine to breathe better and the results are quite noticeable with my current setup.
I am working on the car today, installing new carbon fiber trim right now . I will fix the elbow attachment later and post pics.
If you stick your hand out the window going down the freeway you will feel the amount of force the air pressure has against your hand. This mod definitely allows the engine to breathe better and the results are quite noticeable with my current setup.
Last edited by TFB Designs; 08-12-2010 at 02:19 PM. Reason: spelling error
#20
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Morgan Hill, CA
Posts: 452
I think it worked out pretty well with that rubber elbow. The zip ties seem to be sufficient and I didn't have to alter the fog light housing.