Another Quick n Easy DIY Volvo Performance Mod
georgeleedom » I toyed with the idea of trying the dryer hose, funnel system that Matt posted, but the clearance getting up past the battery is tight in my S70. And once you remove the weather guard from the stock intake, which is a pretty straight shot, I don’t know if it would make all that much difference.
I did want to put on a performance air intake. The drop-in K&N filter that fits in the stock air box is a reasonable option, but I wanted the look and especially the sound of the SRI for my mid-life crisis machine. The IPD and Eurosport kits run around $150. I bought a K&N filter and fashioned the box out of a $13 piece of aluminum and some 1/2″ pipe insulation. You can judge from the photos, but I think it came out pretty nice for $60. I haven’t had the chance to measure any mpg increase, but that sound I wanted is definitely there.
I recommend making a cardboard template. I Wasted a lot of time fitting, cutting, re-fitting, re-cutting. Although time fiddling with my Volvo is never really wasted.
Q & A
mindshadow » Stupid question:
If the point of a short ram intake is to deliver more air at a better temperature wouldn’t having the intake behind the battery actually introduce more hot air than the stock intake? Or is your concern here more about the volume of air entering the engine?
georgeleedom » actually, you’re using the battery as one side of the “box” that surrounds the intake. Cold air is being forced in from the grille through the stock tube that goes from the radiator to the air box. The most important aspect is shielding it from the engine heat itself. It’s an exact copy of the unit sold by IPD. If you go to their site they have a video about how it works. It’s called a ram intake as opposed to a cold air intake, because it doesn’t drop the ambient temperature that much over stock. It does draw a lot more air into the turbo, though.
I also removed the weather guard from in front of the intake tube at the grille. This for more air and I’m really not concerned about water or debris being drawn into the box. It would be too dense to be pulled into the filter. I hope this answer helps.
