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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > N55 Turbo Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications > INTAKE TESTING: Detailed Review, Data Analysis, & Comparison – MPPK vs. Dinan vs. CTS
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      03-08-2022, 02:52 PM   #133
thejeremyman9
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Originally Posted by AmuroRay View Post
One thing anyone installing any intake should do, is reset the MAF, idle and fuel trim adaptations.
I thought about this and was prepared for rough idle or something after install if i didnt, but i didnt have any issues or weird symptoms. I did make sure to drive 100+ miles though after each install to ensure any adaptations were relearned before doing my testing/logging.
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      03-08-2022, 03:40 PM   #134
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Originally Posted by thejeremyman9 View Post
I thought about this and was prepared for rough idle or something after install if i didnt, but i didnt have any issues or weird symptoms. I did make sure to drive 100+ miles though after each install to ensure any adaptations were relearned before doing my testing/logging.
You know, I wouldn’t have thought anything about it until the rough idle I had carried over to the new intake install.
I think it was caused initially by water on the MAF (cleaned the dry filter) and the car wouldn’t unlearn the behavior after x cold starts.

Now it’s flawless.
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      03-17-2022, 09:40 AM   #135
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Originally Posted by AmuroRay View Post
I've also experienced the trifecta (actually quadfecta) I bought the car with a BMS - which made loud sucky sucky noises - then I went to Dinan with the M2 airbox, which made less. The car seemed to drive better with the BMS - but it always would have a rough cold start, The Dinan had a little better cold start but always had a weird inconsistent throttle. The AFE drop in with the M2 airbox had been the best "intake" I've had yet - always good throttle response, it felt more powerful and less laggy than the Dinan or Stock airbox (Stock/AFE filter) and it had decent sound.

I picked up a CTS intake from mike@x-ph.com and I'd have to say it's actually better than the AFE/M2 combo. It makes louder sucky sucky sounds, but it's actually not as loud as I thought it would be, which is probably because of the heatshield.
But the sounds come in 3rd phases: light throttle sounds like stock like, press harder and get spooly boi sounds with some DV flutter, and finally aggressive s u c c s o u n d s for WOT. It does sound nice, and it's not too obnoxious. It's entirely possible to commute without hearing anything.

Outside of sound and stupid Gen Z speak, It has actually very good throttle response - I tested it last night (45F) and today (74F) and it was always sharp. Cold start up was actually smoother than the AFE/M2 (I did clean the MAF before install, so that could help)
Torque seems to be up, in addition to a better tip in performance from a stand still. I notice I can use less/no throttle modulation on the clutch better with the CTS. (disclosure - my flywheel/clutch stutters less since this install :shrug

It also feels "smoother" through the rev range with less perceptible "drops" and a strong pull all the way up to 7000RPM. I used to be able to feel 5whp differences, I can't really tell too much here, but I did feels more low end torque and possibly more high RPM power. As I said before, the pulls to redline felt every bit as strong at 5000 RPM that it did at 7000RPM.

The biggest faults are the packaging and the intake itself. The intake came in a box and was so poorly packaged, I thought I received a used product. If that's what they are doing to keep costs low, I'm relatively unbothered. It came undamaged, and the performance plus low price make it a good value. It terms of "quality" I honestly don't really care about the "perceived quality" and bling factor, but some people might. The tube itself is fine, but I hate the heatshield. First, it required me to remove the wiring harness cover by the strut tower., Maybe with a little bit more design work, they could have made them work together.

Next, there are too many parts. The heatshield comes in 2 parts that you have to put together with a bunch of tiny bolts and nuts, and it didn't really "hook up" to the front snorkel/inlet, but sits next to it. The "arm" mount under the CTS intake tube which is attached to the heat shield was a tad annoying to position - This could have actually been mounted to the tube directly, and connect the tube to the heat shield. It also sat a tad high (in my car) likely due to the arm mount, which caused my hood to remain a tad up on that side. It finally fits flush enough.

Finally the MAF tube feels a little rough to the touch. It's lighter than it looks and appears to be raw cut/machined aluminum. I like it, but some people may think it feels unfinished. It's actually the star of the show, as it helps the CTS give stable readings, clean pulls - my car started up first time and settled down almost perfectly.

Edit: The filter - is it oiled? Is it dry? Is it a fish? I HAVE NO IDEA. I might replace it with a larger universal filter for more 420YOLOSWAG spooly boi sounds (Sorry, couldn't resist)

And as I said above, I did some driving around and could immediately tell the difference in throttle response, and the low end torque does feel stronger. This actually lines up with some of the data I've seen. I might try to data log tonight, but I have a lot to do, so we'll see.
I love my CTS intake, I've had it in for almost 5 years! And not a single issue. The sound is definitely addicting. In regards to the filter I believe it's dry, I ended up buying a second one form CTS and swap them out every 6 months. Just wash with soap and water and let it air dry.
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      03-17-2022, 11:24 AM   #136
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seba77W View Post
I love my CTS intake, I've had it in for almost 5 years! And not a single issue. The sound is definitely addicting. In regards to the filter I believe it's dry, I ended up buying a second one form CTS and swap them out every 6 months. Just wash with soap and water and let it air dry.
One of the best intakes on the market, thank you for the feedback
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