[tardboi]

Originally Posted by Seba77W

Great write up! I've had the CTS intake on my car 435i for over 3 years now and I love it. What do you mean too loud!? . I've never had any CELs or drivability issues. Also running MHD Stage 2+ tune. And definitely thinking of maybe adding the upgraded inlet and air scoop like you mentioned.

You've been running without the wire cover it looks like?

[Seba77W]

Originally Posted by tardboi

You've been running without the wire cover it looks like?

Yes as per the install instructions. For over 3 years now and no issues.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by Seba77W

Yes as per the install instructions. For over 3 years now and no issues.

I don't remember the install instructions saying to remove it/leave it off. I was annoyed that it didnt fit back on and (from what i recall) no mention of it in the instructions. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't leave mine off, its just a bit deformed to fit. Most people trim it, but i might remove the intake so i didnt go that far yet. It's probably not a big deal, but running without it long term might make those wires/plastic even more brittle.

[Seba77W]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

I don't remember the install instructions saying to remove it/leave it off. I was annoyed that it didnt fit back on and (from what i recall) no mention of it in the instructions. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't leave mine off, its just a bit deformed to fit. Most people trim it, but i might remove the intake so i didnt go that far yet. It's probably not a big deal, but running without it long term might make those wires/plastic even more brittle.

Well it has been over 3 years lol so I don't remember exactly what the instructions said but yes it does not fit back on after installing the intake. I guess what I meant is when the instructions showed the picture of the completed install the cover was not on.

[thejeremyman9]

Bumping a couple months later. After driving with the CTS for a while, i decided i needed to go back to stock to see if i could tell any difference when going in the opposite direction, and perhaps more importantly, to see if i missed the sound or was happy to be back to the more subtle stock intake noises. I didnt do extensive datalogging here so this was more a subjective 2nd review and essentially just for me to decide if i am going to keep the CTS or not.

In terms of performance... the car feels exactly the same, as expected. I had kindof forgotten how good the car can drive with the stock intake. Not much more to say here.

In terms of noise, i am pretty sure i am going to end up keeping the stock on and selling the CTS. There are already two people in line to buy it if that happens to be the case, i just need to sleep on it and drive the car a few more times to be convinced. The CTS has a few annoying qualities IMO. One on the top of the list is how it makes a high pitched whistle/whine sound when you are at low part throttle. Doesn't matter if you are accelearting gently from a light or on the highway in 8th gear - its the DV bleeding off a little air and its clearly audible with windows down or up, and its not a "good" sound. Also even louder if you are accelerating and let off slightly but continue accelerating. The other thing is that the air/suction sound from the CTS and mid-high throttle is so loud that you basically forgot what the engine sounds like. It more or less overpowers the grunt/growl you get from the engine when accerlating and listening to the RPM rise. My exhaust is pretty quiet (stock with res delete and fabspeed catted DP), and with CTS, i basically couldnt hear it at all. Now with stock i can get the growl, exhaust a little, and dont have annoying whistling/whining almost 100% of the time. With the MPPK opening in the stock box, you still get some DV dump sound if you let off, but only if you are say, over 10psi or so. The closed configuration just suits the car better IMO.

I think i would have came to this conclusion earlier but with only driving the car once a week or once every 2 weeks, the novelty of the CTS was somewhat appealing and the annoyances didnt get old. I think if I was still dailying the car i would have probably gotten annoyed sooner. Also, its really hard to remove a mod from the car lol, even if i know its not really negatively impacting anything.

To be clear, nothing against the CTS. It performed well in all aspects, absoutely zero issues with idle, cold start, part throttle, WOT, etc, even with never resetting adaptations and letting the car sit for 2 weeks at a time with E30. This is purely a noise-based decision. From the moment i installed it to when i took it off, the car ran perfectly with it.

Putting back the stock intake and driving around a bit basically made me remember the key thing for intakes on this platform - you don't need to make a bunch of air noises to get functionality.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by ZM2

Very nice write up.

Something else to keep in mind is air filtration performance for engine longevity.

I just switched back to the stock air filter after getting high silicon levels in my Blackstone oil analysis when I tried the aFe dry drop in filter.

That's interesting. I've had the opposite experience. I'm at 40k miles and have been running the aFe Pro Dry air filter for the past 25k miles. I just my first Blackstone oil analysis and it came back perfectly fine.

Did Blackstone blame the aFe filter?

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by johnung

That's interesting. I've had the opposite experience. I'm at 40k miles and have been running the aFe Pro Dry air filter for the past 25k miles. I just my first Blackstone oil analysis and it came back perfectly fine.

Did Blackstone blame the aFe filter?

They blamed proper air filtration and the only change I had made was the aFe filter.

But, as I mentioned to someone else, my car isn’t a daily driver at the moment and spends a lot of its time at WOT when I get a chance to drive it on the highway or track. And maybe my environment is more dusty, IDK?

So, I went back to stock paper for now. I’m a few months out before my next oil change and will check values then.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by ZM2

They blamed proper air filtration and the only change I had made was the aFe filter.

But, as I mentioned to someone else, my car isn’t a daily driver at the moment and spends a lot of its time at WOT when I get a chance to drive it on the highway or track. And maybe my environment is more dusty, IDK?

So, I went back to stock paper for now. I’m a few months out before my next oil change and will check values then.

That's puzzling. One of the aFe Pro Dry air filter users did educate me last year that the filter never really appears dirty, but needs to be washed regularly. Now I do it about every other oil change maybe 3 times/year. I curious to hear how your next Blackstone turns out.

This may help someone considering the aFe Pro Dry air filter:

I took a clear plastic storage container and soaked the aFe filter in warm soapy dish detergent water with some water bottles on top to keep it from floating. I couldn't believe all of the fine black particles that dropped out. I rinsed it really well from top down to push any remaining particles out in the direction that they came. Then I allowed it to air dry.

Tip: if you first position it with one corner pointing down, then most of the water will run out and it will dry quicker. I usually pop the original filter back in for a day while the aFe dries.

[XutvJet]

Over the past 4 years or so, I've tried a combination of the following intake setups:

- stock airbox
- M2/MPPK lower airbox
- OEM air filter
- AFE dry air filter
- AFE intake snorkel
- Removed plastic mesh screen in intake tract near radiator

I've toyed with every combo imageable over the years. I've run them with a stock tune, stock tune and catted DP, Dinan Sport and catted DP, and currently Dinantronics Stage 2 and catted DP.

The AFE intake snorkel is a waste of time and money and in theory, probably does more harm than good because it likely reduces some of the pressurization affect of the intake tract at speed.

I think the M2/MPPK offers the best of everything because the motor seems a bit snappier and there's a mild increase in induction noise, diverter valve noises, etc. The AFE air filter increases these noises probably by another 30%. I've found the M2/MPPK airbox and stock air filter offers the best driveability with the 6MT, especially in the lower rpms and offers smoother 1st gear take-off. With the AFE, the throttle feels snappier from a roll. I go back and worth between the AFE and stock filter because I have my concerns that the AFE filter isn't filtering nearly as well as the OEM filter.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Over the past 4 years or so, I've tried a combination of the following intake setups:

- stock airbox
- M2/MPPK lower airbox
- OEM air filter
- AFE dry air filter
- AFE intake snorkel
- Removed plastic mesh screen in intake tract near radiator

I've toyed with every combo imageable over the years. I've run them with a stock tune, stock tune and catted DP, Dinan Sport and catted DP, and currently Dinantronics Stage 2 and catted DP.

The AFE intake snorkel is a waste of time and money and in theory, probably does more harm than good because it likely reduces some of the pressurization affect of the intake tract at speed.

I think the M2/MPPK offers the best of everything because the motor seems a bit snappier and there's a mild increase in induction noise, diverter valve noises, etc. The AFE air filter increases these noises probably by another 30%. I've found the M2/MPPK airbox and stock air filter offers the best driveability with the 6MT, especially in the lower rpms and offers smoother 1st gear take-off. With the AFE, the throttle feels snappier from a roll. I go back and worth between the AFE and stock filter because I have my concerns that the AFE filter isn't filtering nearly as well as the OEM filter.

Are you running stock inlet?

Also, long term, are you running without the plastic mesh screen? I read about that a long time ago. I think with stock airbox it could theoretically make a difference due to opening up additional area for flow, but once you go to mppk box with the extra opening, I can't imagine it making a difference, except to slightly increase the fraction of air that comes from the front vs the 2nd opening.

[Munchi435i]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Are you running stock inlet?

Also, long term, are you running without the plastic mesh screen? I read about that a long time ago. I think with stock airbox it could theoretically make a difference due to opening up additional area for flow, but once you go to mppk box with the extra opening, I can't imagine it making a difference, except to slightly increase the fraction of air that comes from the front vs the 2nd opening.

Not sure if it matters but the mppk lower intake box has a funnel type red trim that IMO might help create a smoother path for air to travel. But that is purely speculation. But that it would offer significant benefits vs just cutting a hole/holes in the oem lower intake box.

[aps]

Originally Posted by Munchi435i

Not sure if it matters but the mppk lower intake box has a funnel type red trim that IMO might help create a smoother path for air to travel. But that is purely speculation. But that it would offer significant benefits vs just cutting a hole/holes in the oem lower intake box.

Is there a way to buy just the lower MPPK intake box? I'm assuming not, but wondering if anyone has done it.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by aps

Is there a way to buy just the lower MPPK intake box? I'm assuming not, but wondering if anyone has done it.

Yes, ECS and others sell it, but its like ~$220 IIRC. I recommend doing the mod i did, which is to cut a hole that mimics the MPPK opening (don't just drill holes; that's a little ghetto IMO and can create turbulence in airflow). Sure, it doesnt have the red "mouth" on it like the real MPPK, but im going to wager that doesn't make a difference.

See the album in my post here with images how i did mine: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...&postcount=173

[Munchi435i]

Originally Posted by aps

Is there a way to buy just the lower MPPK intake box? I'm assuming not, but wondering if anyone has done it.

Yes you can and I have it on my car. I've reached out to MHD in the past regarding upgrading the stock intake for my PS2 build but they replied saying it wasn't necessary. But if anything just to get the mppk lower intake box.

[badbread]

Fantastic thread, thank you for doing this!

[akgambino]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Yes, ECS and others sell it, but its like ~$220 IIRC. I recommend doing the mod i did, which is to cut a hole that mimics the MPPK opening (don't just drill holes; that's a little ghetto IMO and can create turbulence in airflow). Sure, it doesnt have the red "mouth" on it like the real MPPK, but im going to wager that doesn't make a difference.

See the album in my post here with images how i did mine: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...;postcount=173

Do you have a thread on here with the step by step diy for your version of the mppk air box mod? I'm a bit confused as to the steps after looking at the pics you provided a link to in the thread you linked here.

Looking to do this mod just want to triple check and make sure I get it right before cutting into anything. Thanks!

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by akgambino

Do you have a thread on here with the step by step diy for your version of the mppk air box mod? I'm a bit confused as to the steps after looking at the pics you provided a link to in the thread you linked here.

Looking to do this mod just want to triple check and make sure I get it right before cutting into anything. Thanks!

No, no formal writeup. I basically just printed out a few pictures of the MPPK airbox, looked at those and where the air is actually coming from under the hood, and drew the lines you see in my pictures, then cut it. Its intentionally cut at an angle because there is part if the car blocking airflow if you were to just cut a square for example. I could do a more detailed write up but I think that and then if you look at my pictures is good. You can use any saw/Dremel/rotary tool to do the cut. The key thing is that you mimic the shape/size of the MPPK opening (which i why i printed some pictures out for reference when tracing my outline).

Oh and the other thing is the snow "bucket" mod. I basically cut it so that all of the "bucket" part of it is removed, but the actual flap on the spring is retained to cover the hole and function as normal. You can see in the pictures how I did that and well. Without doing this mod, it's actually blocking right where the air would flow from the front intake portion. It might not make a huge difference with the MPPK opening, but why not. Also, note that this is completely deleted on the MPPK airbox, so it's not even needed anymore. Instead of doing this, you could just delete this opening.

Let me know if you need any more info.

1. Trace MPPK opening shape on your airbox

2. Cut that shape out with tool of choice (clean edges and plastic shavings)

3. Pop out snow bucket

4. Cut all parts of the bucket off so you just retain the flap and its clips that hold it in place

5. Snap the flap back into place and reinstall everything

[akgambino]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

No, no formal writeup. I basically just printed out a few pictures of the MPPK airbox, looked at those and where the air is actually coming from under the hood, and drew the lines you see in my pictures, then cut it. Its intentionally cut at an angle because there is part if the car blocking airflow if you were to just cut a square for example. I could do a more detailed write up but I think that and then if you look at my pictures is good. You can use any saw/Dremel/rotary tool to do the cut. The key thing is that you mimic the shape/size of the MPPK opening (which i why i printed some pictures out for reference when tracing my outline).

Oh and the other thing is the snow "bucket" mod. I basically cut it so that all of the "bucket" part of it is removed, but the actual flap on the spring is retained to cover the hole and function as normal. You can see in the pictures how I did that and well. Without doing this mod, it's actually blocking right where the air would flow from the front intake portion. It might not make a huge difference with the MPPK opening, but why not. Also, note that this is completely deleted on the MPPK airbox, so it's not even needed anymore. Instead of doing this, you could just delete this opening.

Let me know if you need any more info.

1. Trace MPPK opening shape on your airbox

2. Cut that shape out with tool of choice (clean edges and plastic shavings)

3. Pop out snow bucket

4. Cut all parts of the bucket off so you just retain the flap and its clips that hold it in place

5. Snap the flap back into place and reinstall everything

This is very helpful and adds exactly the context I was looking for in your pictures!! Now to do it and hope for a bit better air flow and higher maf readings on my shitty stock pwg lol

[paimon.soror]

The only thing i wish that the CTS intake had was shrouding like the MST intake for a cleaner looking install.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by paimon.soror

The only thing i wish that the CTS intake had was shrouding like the MST intake for a cleaner looking install.

I thought about building a semi-enclosure by covering the top as well. Never did it though since i decided not to keep the CTS. I was consdering it to try to reduce noise, not so much the look.

[LA1Z24]

I have some minor information to add to this thread.


I had a DINAN intake and it sucked. It threw lots of codes, and at high RPM the car would fall on it's face and misfire really badly.

3 days ago I installed an aFe Momentum. It is rock solid. No CEL, No misfire. Car is smooth.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by LA1Z24

I have some minor information to add to this thread.


I had a DINAN intake and it sucked. It threw lots of codes, and at high RPM the car would fall on it's face and misfire really badly.

3 days ago I installed an aFe Momentum. It is rock solid. No CEL, No misfire. Car is smooth.

What airbox bottom did you use with the dinan? MPPK (with the 2nd opening) or stock? I didn't experience those specific issues, but even so, Dinan said you are supposed to use it with stock airbox bottom. So, curious which you used it with, although i am skeptical changing the airbox bottom would have had any effect on your issues.

Also, are you running BM3 or MHD, and do you have any logs with the dinan? (Want to see MAF in particular)