keep your airbox?

I think it sounds like this guy has done more research than I have.
I wonder, though, if our XJs have tuned airboxes or just whatever the factory thought was cheap. I suspect, given the uniformity of airboxes from 80-something to 01, that we have the sort of airbox systems that can benefit from after-market cutting, modding, replacing, etc.

You wouldn't catch me hacking up the air cleaner on an Infinity G35 or a 09 Camaro, but the XJ? I doubt they had performance in mind when they threw the box in these things.
 
I'm keeping my stock airbox with my bored our engine and header. To me I'd rather have a restrictive air intake that actually filters the air then a free flowing one that doesnt considering i'm building a prerunner lol
 
I'd like to use that space for a second battery.
 
I like to keep the stock box on most vehicles i have whether the jeep or the vw. When you cut them up (which i did to both), sounds pretty close to a short ram / cold air intake and gives comparable performance. Especially with puddles and/mud is it worth the extra couple hp to have an exposed filter (without heat shield)?
 
mine sees trail duty I'll keep my airbox thank you :D
 
I just took my stock box out a drilled a number of holes in the bottom of it... best of both worlds.

Peace
 
DCB, I think i did something similar to you,I cuted a hole on the base of the airbox right through the metal wher it stands and covered it with mesh, i guess I'm getting fresher air from under the mudguard,I know the problem should be water but I use my XJ in the street mostly,If this doesn't work I can cover the hole easily ,I also plan to use one of those less restrictive factory type air filters(not the conical's I mean),so far it works fine,didn't drive it long enough to tell if there is much difference,just wanted to experiment a little getting colder air into the factory airbox.
On the other side on my 93 Grand ,I just had a piece of PVC pipe and insulated with that heat resistant material and put it through the box's hole ,but the pipe goes all the way to the grill,that seemed to work since the engine runs now usually one notch below 210(it use to stay at 210 all the time),and it's hot here,again water should be the problem but the pipe is at the top of the front grill ,more than enough for me as I don't get much into water...
 
That is an idea I am tossing around on my XJ.. but different. I'm looking at after market intakes and thinking about cutting a hole in the horizontal area where the stock air box mounts. However, using the stock air intake still leaves that corrugated flex tube in place, which has been cited as the main restriction in the intake. Don't know for sure though but makes sense.
 
Talyn,If I understood right you want to make a hole where the airbox stands,as I did, but put a conical filter to breathe air from there,just above the wheel...I think this would be good as for what I read the K & N type of air intakes are not really "cold intake filters" as they still breathe hot air from underneath the engine bay...I didn't know the corrugated hose was so restrictive,is it by the material,shape or both?
Maybe i could change this hose for a K & N type one, and still leave the airbox,would that make any sense?
 
I got 1 mpg average better after I did mine. I also did the same thing on my van... same results.

Peace
 
pierrexj said:
Talyn,If I understood right you want to make a hole where the airbox stands,as I did, but put a conical filter to breathe air from there,just above the wheel...I think this would be good as for what I read the K & N type of air intakes are not really "cold intake filters" as they still breathe hot air from underneath the engine bay...I didn't know the corrugated hose was so restrictive,is it by the material,shape or both?
Maybe i could change this hose for a K & N type one, and still leave the airbox,would that make any sense?
Click to expand...
Its the shape of the corrugation or bellows that allow it to flex that makes it restrictive. I don't think you could fit a K&N (unless you are talking about the drop in panel type) with a K&N FIPK. The K&N FIPK does come with a heat shield, although a simple one. I believe that there is a CAI that keeps the bottom part of the air box.. but I can't recall which one does that right now.
 
XJRunner said:
I'm keeping my stock airbox with my bored our engine and header. To me I'd rather have a restrictive air intake that actually filters the air then a free flowing one that doesnt considering i'm building a prerunner lol
Click to expand...

Finally... someone who makes sense.

1-5 more HP VS more + smaller particles filtered.

Hrmm. Thats a hard one.

Nothing will filter better than a restrictive OEM paper filter.
 
on my 88 i build a cold air intake with a heat sheild, cut out behind the headlight, and made it with a smooth pipe all the way the the throttle body. all of it is heat shielded. i run a A&M filter on the end with a pre-filter sock on it. i saw a 5 hp gain and lots more pick up. its my street toy

my 99 is the trail beast and i went another way with it. i made the tube from the throttle body outta smooth intake piping, ran it in to a stock airbox that i sealed at the front fut out breathing holes on the top and mounted an A&M filter inside the box. i did it that way so that the box could protect the filter some from the muck and funk while wheeling, but when its all highway stuff, i disasemble it and remove the bottom of the box compleatly and now i have a some what cold air intake. makes a coupla extra mpg.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Rebuilding a AW4
Replies
6
Views
245
ChillyB
C
I
1993 XJ Rough idle
Replies
6
Views
353
ifoundastick
I
OnTheRocks
Only Two Days Left
Replies
1
Views
51
Phil
Phil
S
96 xj diesel swap
Replies
7
Views
224
silverpearljku
S
M
March Membership Drive 2025
Replies
2
Views
63
MEMBERSHIP
M
Back
Top