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I decided to get a little creative with the intake on my 960 over the weekend. The snorkel looks very restrictive as it tapers from a 3 inch diameter hole at the air box to 1 inch by 2 inch where it goes by the radiator. I replaced it with a 3 inch piece of flexible aluminum tubing from Home Depo. The tube follows the same route as the old snorkel but it only narrows to 2.5 inches at the radiator. I attached the end of the aluminum tube to the grill so it faces forward into the oncoming air as im driving. I butchered an old pasta strainer to make a screen that will keep out rocks and leaves. I kept the MANN air filer stock.
Inside the dirty side of the air box I cut out some of the plastic that blocks the air from taking a more direct route to the air filter. This includes the entire thermostat mechanism.
The air box intake is set to permanent cold air from the front.
At the MAF sensor, I removed the down stream metal screen. I kept the up stream one. In the 960 the screens are a separate metal piece that can be removed and reinstalled without requiring any cutting.

Then I drove the car from a San Francisco to LA just for kicks. This included about 200 miles of dense fog on I5 so the engine ingested its fair share of moisture.
The results? The car feels a lot more responsive at low speeds. It goes from a stop light to 3000 RPM in no time at all with less throttle input. At freeway speeds the difference is more dramatic. Throttle response is instant. The car leaps forward with the same jolt you feel turbo lag when it finally kicks in. At 70 MPH in top gear the car accelerates faster without having to down shift. Part throttle acceleration is improved at all speeds. I haven’t had the chance to accelerate at full throttle yet. Mileage is about the same. I averaged 22MPG over 300 miles at 75-80 mph using 91 octane. After driving for a while the air box is ice cold compared to the rest of the engine compartment. It used to be just as hot.

The stock bottom end in the air box is still restrictive and the corrugated aluminum tube is not all that great either. I want to make a more permanent installation with a double intake that I can switch quickly in case of rain. Also the holes in the 940 turbo grill on my car taper as they get closer to the radiator. In the future I’m going to make a 4 or 5 inch intake behind grill out of a funnel or something. The intake will connect to a smooth 3 inch tube that will go back directly into the air box.

Has anybody else tried this?
Are the smog check people in CA going to have a cow over this?

Justin
94 956