[Jewelz1161]

Happy Holidays everyone!

Since there will be a lot of info down below, some of which may be unnecessary, there is a TLDR at the bottom. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due and fully explain things for people who care. Also mods, if this isn't allowed here, please move

Over my few years of ownership, I won't lie and admit that I've probably spent way more money than I should have trying different intake mods (Elevate J-Pipe resonator delete, GFB DV+, Snabb air intake kit still using the stock airbox, iPd high-flow panel filter with that setup, etc) all in search of a bit more induction/turbo noise on my '15 S60 T6 RD. Obviously performance was a thought as well, but most of these won't gain anything without tuning, and I was aware of that.

I also won't lie in admitting that none of those things drastically made any more pronounced induction noise obviously due to the stock airbox doing what it was designed to do. To do anything about that is where options become limited and far more expensive then what I see as reasonable, especially given most of these are not gaining any power (and some may lose a small bit of power), and the big benefit is usually just sound.

So, with that bit of backstory out of the way, fast froward to me seeing some thread somewhere about someone making a 3D printed intake for the 3.0L cars. I ended up tracking down @emgrock1 who was the original creator of the 3D file and had him send me it over. I had a 3D printer so I printed it out and through some conversation with him, realized that the wiring for the MAF sensor stemmed off the main harness in different spots on different model cars (S60 T6 vs XC60 T6 and so on) so I repositioned the MAF flange to what I believe is an ideal spot in order to not strain the MAF wiring on different model cars based on Emgrock1's pictures with this intake on his V60, XC60, and on my own S60. I've only verified fitment on my S60, but again, based on Emgrock1's pictures and his accounts, he has used the same design just with slight variations in MAF placement pre-bend as well. Now that we both became aware of the reasoning behind that, I believe I put it in an optimal spots that should work for all different models, but again, I only can 100% guarantee fitment on S60 3L's. So, if you have something else with the 3L powertrain and are interested, use the pictures and your own vehicle's MAF wiring length to gauge if it would reach. It really isn't far off the stock location which is why I think it should work on all models.

With that out of the way, I got in touch with a local fabricator I know of and asked if he could make it using metal, given its a pretty simple piece. He told me he could, and it would be significantly cheaper to make multiple since he would be cutting the MAF flanges from single pieces of billet and welding that to the intake pipe bend. So, that's where all this backstory and explaining comes in. I'm trying to gauge interest in anyone else who might like to be part of a group buy for these intake bends on 3L cars. I don't know exact pricing yet, but he said likely even 5 pieces would get them to under $100 each, which is 4X cheaper than the cheapest intake box replacement I know about on these cars. You would just need to buy a 3" POD filter to put on the end of it. You can choose to remove your stock lower airbox portion, or just leave it in and let it act as an air guide to the pod filter you have above the lower half of the airbox. The other end should hook up to any aftermarket intake kits (all 3" from what I've seen), or even the stock intake tube. There is also a fair bit of wiggle room in positioning of the filter in the stock lower airbox portion if you buy an appropriately sized one, as seen in the pictures.

TLDR: I've attached pictures of a 3D printed intake slightly modified from an original file created and sent by EMgrock1 for test fitting and demonstration on my '15 S60 T6. With 100% verified fitment on 3L S60's and about 98% sure this would also work on other 3L turbo variation cars (P3 V60, XC60), I decided to take the file to a fabricator I know to ask if he could replicate it using aluminum pipe. He said he could and that he would make the MAF flange of a single piece of billet and weld that to the intake bend. He mentioned to me that if I could get an order for multiple of these, that would cut the $/pc down significantly. They would also be powdercoated according to him, but I haven't asked about any details on that. He mentioned that even 5 PCS would likely get the price to $100 or less, compared to the $150-175 I would be paying for just a single piece for myself. Total price will depend on interest, so if this is something you'd think you might want to participate in a group buy with, let me know below.

 

[William H]

Very interesting @Jewelz1161, can you confirm, is the item itself is just that piece with the MAF sensor connection on it? Or is it the entire piping from filter to turbo (not including the pod filter)?

 

[phish]

So this fits within the stock air box? Interested if less than $100

 

[abcdefghii]

Right, if it's less than $100, I'll be very tempted.... But, I've got a do88 intake, any idea if it would work with that?

 

[Jewelz1161]

Yes, the item would be the just the intake pipe with the MAF sensor flange welded to it. Whether it fits in the lower airbox depends on the filter you buy, but if you choose one that's short enough, as seen in the pictures, yes, it will fit in the stock lower airbox. The filter I bought and fits is 6" in height, and the 3" diameter. Basically a way to go open air filter and get more turbo recirc noise and induction noise without breaking the bank.

do88 intake should work as well. Given both the Snabb kit I have on my car, and the do88 kit can both hook up to the factory airbox (which is also 3" OD just as the fabricated piece will be), this should work with any intake kit, or the stock intake pipe that normally goes behind the engine. You can measure the silicone pipe to your airbox to make sure its 3", but if it hooks up to the factory airbox, it definitely is.

 

[William H]

Gee I am very tempted, as I deliberately left the stock airbox on to avoid issue should Highway patrol decide to look under the hood. My only concern is the it gets terribly hot under an S60 hood with nothing to separate the pod filter from the rest of the engine bay

 

[Jewelz1161]

@William H You're right, and honestly, even with some of those other kits that include a "heat shield," I think no matter what you do, if you eliminate the stock airbox, you will probably see an increase in idle air temps, but this would mostly dissipate as you start moving, especially if you do leave the stock lower portion in place that will sort of keep the air around the filter fresh with any speed due to the stock airbox's front grille duct likely acting as a bit of an air guide for ambient air. But, as I mentioned, this is for people who just want the sound aspect, knowing that there likely won't be any performance gain, and idle air temps sitting in traffic or something may get higher than the stock airbox (which I believe to be true with any kit that eliminates the stock airbox).

It may also be possible to modify the top airbox cover to act as a cover/shield with some clever dremel work, but I would ideally want to try on a spare airbox lid and not my actual one. Probably something I'd get more serious about after I actually have the metal one in my hand and we get out of winter

 

[Marvel_Man_24]

If it would be under $100, I'd definitely be in. Is there any advantage to doing this with metal fabrication vs the 3D printed version, since there's not really any performance gain to be had?

 

[Jewelz1161]

Metal is just for more precise tolerences on the MAF flange and gets rid of any risk of it melting or severely softening with high summer underhood temps. When I test drove my car with it for a mile or two in summer and then parked it, it was already quite a bit softer and if the engine bay were allowed to heat-soak, definitely would have collapsed. Last thing I think anyone wants is their intake pipe collapsing or your turbo taking in strands of plastic. If you are comfortable printing out of Nylon/ABS/PC, that melting risk shrinks, but those require higher-end printers and have their own material property disadvantages (shrinkage, warping, thermal cycle resistance, etc).

 

[Marvel_Man_24]

Metal is just for more precise tolerences on the MAF flange and gets rid of any risk of it melting or severely softening with high summer underhood temps. When I test drove my car with it for a mile or two in summer and then parked it, it was already quite a bit softer and if the engine bay were allowed to heat-soak, definitely would have collapsed. Last thing I think anyone wants is their intake pipe collapsing or your turbo taking in strands of plastic. If you are comfortable printing out of Nylon/ABS/PC, that melting risk shrinks, but those require higher-end printers and have their own material property disadvantages (shrinkage, warping, thermal cycle resistance, etc).

Ah, gotcha. I appreciate the insight. I'm not that familiar with the ins and out of 3d printing, hahaha. I live in the southeast, so underhood temps in the summer are definitely a big risk for me.

 

[t6.mohamed]

I’d be down if it were a cold air setup, but this looks more like a hot air intake…

 

[Marvel_Man_24]

I’d be down if it were a cold air setup, but this looks more like a hot air intake…

It's not any more of a hot air intake than the stock airbox I'd wager. As @Jewelz1161 mentioned, it's mainly for getting the intake noise to be more pronounced. But I can see ways to actually turn this into at the very least a slight power bump too. Elevate has a similar setup that they sell, claiming a +7whp and +12wtq gain. This pipe is basically the exact same thing as theirs. We should then be able to modify the stock airbox to allow for better airflow, as well as add heat shielding, and make it the total package.

 

[Loganryan911]

I'm very interested, been looking for something like this for a while now.

 

[Loganryan911]

I’d be down if it were a cold air setup, but this looks more like a hot air intake…

As Marvel said, as long as the snorkle is still in place intake air temps won't be an issue. I have a similar intake I fabed myself on my S60 and using my code scanner I've tracked temps and found that during idle and other points when the car isn't moving there is heatsoak (110F at its worse) but as soon as you start moving it drops way down. While cruising around at 60 I was seeing intake temps that were only a few degrees above ambient. This is without a heat shield, which I'm sure would help under prolonged heavy usage, but for stoplight pulls I'm not sure it's a game changer.

 

[MCMike37]

For under $100 I would be down to give it a shot for some more whoosh noise.....

 

[Jewelz1161]

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem I have enough people fully interested at the moment to justify the group buy or to get the under $100 price. I can still tell my fab guy to make additional pieces, and that still will help price, but it would likely not be under $100 since we don't have 5 fully invested, but more so in the range of $125-150. Because I've been working with everyone who shows interest, I still can't give a final number needed to him, so instead, I asked him if he could give me a price breakdown based on QTY ordered. Just waiting for his response, I'll update when possible.

 

[Loganryan911]

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem I have enough people fully interested at the moment to justify the group buy or to get the under $100 price. I can still tell my fab guy to make additional pieces, and that still will help price, but it would likely not be under $100 since we don't have 5 fully invested, but more so in the range of $125-150. Because I've been working with everyone who shows interest, I still can't give a final number needed to him, so instead, I asked him if he could give me a price breakdown based on QTY ordered. Just waiting for his response, I'll update when possible.

$150 is still worth it in my humble opinion.

 

[fastman]

I'd be interested if someone could help with shipping it to Canada. It beats me trying to jury-rig some less than professional looking piece of kit that kina works.

 

[MCMike37]

It seems like we have more than 5 folks here interested so that seems to not be an issue unless I am missing something

 

[Jewelz1161]

Still just waiting on the quote. I've had custom exhaust work done by this person, and his work was really good, but he also does it as a side job only on weekends, so response time is not always immediate.

Initially, most that were interested couldn't give a definite yes due to unknown exact pricing and uncertainty about intake air temps. While the temperature estimation I made earlier seems to be somewhat supported by other's accounts (probably a bit warmer sitting and idling, but no difference when moving), I guess all of that is still "unsupported" for this exact part you'll be receiving. But there has been others who have showed interest after that fact and when I have an actual quote along with others account's, it may still be a possibility.