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MG MGF Technical - Great induction mods for TF 160 !!

The other day I finally found the time to install my Green replacement panel filter onto my TF 160. While doing so, I discovered that there was even more that I could do to improve the breathing of my engine...

Since the TF has these braces over the engine bay (and the airbox is bigger) it was not possible to replace the filter through the engine inspection opening in the boot, like one can do with an F, so I raised the back of the hood and removed the engine cover completely. Having done that, I then opened the airbox to remove the old filter and I immediately saw that I could do even more than just replacing the panel: As you probably all know by now, the TF airbox has two intake ducts feeding the filter with air. One positioned above the rear subframe cross member, like on the F (except that it goes straight into the airbox, without first passing a resonator box), and one entering the airbox at the front. Both these ducts can be modified to increase the flow of cold air!

The rear duct does not end when it enters the airbox. It actually continues inside, in the form of a rather narrow plastic pipe which almost stretches all the way to the opposite side of the airbox, clearly restricting the free flow of air to the filter above. I dealt with this by cutting off the whole upper half of the plastic pipe (like removing the upper half of a "baguette sandwich", if you see what I mean... ;-) ), leaving the lower half in place, since it is screwed to the bottom of the airbox and keeps the rear duct from falling off.

The front duct is even more interesting: at the factory, that duct is tied down onto the left hand side of the airbox, with the end of the duct facing backwards inside the warm engine bay. Clearly, this is done to allow the car to pass "drive-by" noise regulations, keeping the induction roar heard from outside to a minimum. What I did here was that I cut off the plastic "cable ties" holding the duct in that position and I then re-routed the duct to the left hand side engine bay air intake hole. The extraordinary thing is that this works perfectly, with just the necessary room to re-route the duct and just the right length of duct to allow its plastic "ram pipe" end to rest comfortably and securely in the lower part of the air intake hole, without any kinks or un-necessary bends (and without blocking off the whole of the air intake hole)! This works absolutely perfectly! It looks like this front duct was always meant to get nice cold air from that side intake, but then had to be attached somewhere else to allow the car to comply with current legislation. As a matter of fact - just like the "TF exhaust mod" and its "open" default position, which seems to have been planned all along by enthusiast engineers at MG - this airbox duct seems to have been engineered on purpose in a way which allows the enthusiast owner to easily optimise his induction system, without having to do any major surgery to his car!!

So, what is the end result of all this? Well I have now done several hundred miles since the changes and my impression is that the car definitely feels more responsive and powerful at the top of the rev range, even in the heat we have currently here in Belgium. But before people start jumping at my throat, saying that the expected extra 50 bhp are nowhere to be found on their car, I must say that the change is rather subtle and clearly at the top-end of the rev range (6-7000 rpm). It is of course hard to tell exactly which mod really makes a difference between the panel filter, the altered rear duct or the re-routed front duct (or, for that matter, how these mods interact with the "TF exhaust mod" which I have also done on my car), but the end-result for me is clearly that the combination of all these small and easy mods have provided me with a car whose breathing is now very close to the optimum achievable with the OE airbox and exhaust! An added bonus is that the sound of the car is now much sportier (for onlookers by the side of the road, rather than from the driver's seat, where the change is marginal, at least if you have already done the exhaust mod).

I would be interested in hearing from other people who may want to try these mods, to see if they come to the same conclusions.

Per

Per

Per,
You say you are not sure if the improvement in response is due to the replacement filter or the rerouted ducts.
I tried a similar mod on my F and initially put in a replacement panel filter with little noticeable effect.
I then rerouted the ducting to the left hand side intake and had similar results to you found,improved throttle response and more induction noise.
So I suspect the ducting has more eefct than the filter (although with a standard filter the benefits of rerouted ducting may be lost!).
It would be nice to think the MG engineers thought of the darkside mods and designed them in, but I think that is unlikely - but who knows, maybe there is a supercharger mounting system already installed, just waiting for the unit to be bolted on. ;-) LOL
Jason H
Jason H

That reminds me of a story that I heard some years ago...

In the early seventies the US introduced laws that required that the bumper was at a specific height (this led to the MGB being raised by over an inch and the fitting of rubber bumpers). Lotus got round this legislation by redesigning the suspension on one of their car models (don't know which one). This modification increased the height of the car so that it would pass the type approval process. However, the design allowed for part of the suspension to be reversed, thereby lowering the car back down to its former height.

This story may be apocryphal.

Ralph
Ralph

Or the story of the Alfa 156 in the BTCC a few years ago. They could only have boot spoilers as fitted to the road cars, so rather than fit large spoilers on the road cars which would affect sales, they raised the standard boot spoiler on the race cars with some aluminium brackets, and then suplied these brackets with every new alfa 156 supplied with a boot spoiler. I think they were clipped inside the boot and many owners did not realise they had them, or if they did then they did not know what they were for!
Jason H
JasonH

Nice work again Per - I wondered about the rearward facing duct being repositioned to the nearside vent as well. Good to hear about the positive results :o)

Need to get yourself off to a rolling road now! :o)
Rob Bell

I was wondering how long it would take a TF owner to try this ! I noted the upturned flexipipe of ths TFs on display at my dealer and though "hang on, this is all wrong, it should be directed to the air vent". Well done Per.

Let us know if you do a RR test ! As soon as I get my TF airbox from the MGF centre (when they're back from holiday) I will fit it and take mine to the RR :-) Although being an F the power gains on the road may not be so big because the side vent doesn't give any "ram air effect" as it does on the TF. Also this is sumemr and with the air temp 30 degrees centigrade the power gains may not be that impressive.

I also wanted to order a Greenfilter. Was a bit put off by their P&P charges though (20 pounds!). I'll probably get one after all anyway...
Anthony Braham

Anthony, why not get a piper X replacement element for the Trophy airbox, MGF Centre sell these too. At least it would all be wrapped up in one P&P charge.

Tim
tim woolcott

@ Per,

nice to hear that somebody already tried this now, because I think about this modification from that time on as I opened first time the engine cover too, to install the green replacement panel filter.

Can't really imagine how your mentionend modification with the rear duct (half baguette sandwich?) will look, perhaps you have some pictures soon?

Or if you speak german language maybe you would be so
kind trying to explain this to me via email?

BTW the first mod on my TF135 was the disabling of the exhaust flap, as I've read your thread here and in the X-Power Forum.

@ Anthony, Switzerland

You can also try to order this green filter in Germany, perhaps the P&P will not be so high to Switzerland. I've paid in Germany for the Filter panel #P950375 (€62,00) including the Green Clean&Oil-Set NH01 (€16,00) via COD € 83,75.
order-source: www.green-filter.de (via email: Mrs. Claudia Kühne --> kuehne@green-filter.de)
Hope this helps.

Regards
Marco Peter
Marco Peter

Hi Per,

Very interesting and the following I am sure will be interesting for you and others.

The side vent for drawing air from, and forget any ram effect as it is simply not a quantifyable issue here, is viable as you may recall from the mods I did on my old MGF back in 1999/2000. This was to remove the 'cold' air pipe from the rear subframe detatch it from the resonator and then attach direct to the air filter body with the open end now reaching into the direct area of the side vent. 6bhp more at peak power and 9lbs ft more at peak torque points was the result, with a measured 12 degree drop in intake air temp. (3 degrees change sees 1% power change so 4% of the gains was temp related.)

In my current role I have frequent visits to Longbridge (and elsewhere) along with many conversations. It is interesting to note that earlier this year during one conversation was a comment that the Twinned cold air intake system could benefit from relocation of the two pipes and that in testing up to 10 bhp extra was seen. Interesting comment obviously!

Further, whilst I was following the assembly of my TF160 down the line during March 02 when the air filter assembly was fitted (early in the assembly process) I was curious why the pipes were laid where they were and I was told it was to do with induction noise. Mind this was from someone not speaking from direct knowledge, but from an understanding of passed on information.

Personally, I am in the process of trying to take some intake temperature readings before and after relocating the pipes. I certainly believe there is an advantage to be seen as early morning starts show the engine response to be so much crisper than after 30 mins driving. Changing just one thing at a time removes the complication of trying to decide to what degree changes have affected the power when more than a single element is altered.

Rog
Roger Parker

Hi all,
have had this on my "F" for some time now,and can echo what´s said above ! But funny that no-one mentions all the dirt that enters .. Much more frequent cleaning of the filter is recomended! At least so on LHD cars.

BR, Carl.
Carl Blom

Per, now you have to get that RR session sorted! LOL

That you don't feel all that much is not entirely surprising. If the gains that Roger is discussing are evenly distributed over the power range, then you are unlikely to feel a huge difference...

Best test is probably in gear acceleration. Get the car rolling at 50mph, and floor the throttle, and see how long it takes to get to 70mph in both 3rd and 4th gears, both before and after. I think you'll be able to spot the difference between the two set ups then. :o)
Rob Bell


lets just hope that it doesn't suck up a lot of water on a rainy day or you go through a big puddle and the air intake sucks up water into the engine, water that can not be compressed and will kill your engine in a split second. I've seen it happen on a friends diesel engine.
bill

You'd have to wade through a pretty deep puddle to encounter that particular problem Bill!
Rob Bell

After reading this topic yesterday I decided to do this air filter modification asap too.

Per is absolutely right and precise in his descriptions and so it was very easy (...except of the story of opening the engine cover on a TF with the difficult accessible 3 screws under the t-bar and with removing the 2 engine braces, to open the airfilter-box...) for me to re-route the front air-induction-pipe of the OE airbox to the side intake.

I left the 2nd pipe at the place over the rear subframe member bar and after opening the airbox I can now imagine, what Per is meaning with the cutting of an "half baguette sandwich", too.
@Per, did you already cutted it inside the airbox or did you left it in as it was?

I'm really wondering, why this air duct is nowhere mentionend in the official and actual repair manual of the TF, you can only see the 2nd (rear) pipe over the rear subframe member bar in every drawing and description.

For the time beeing I cannot tell anything about the performance changes, 'cause I've driven since then not more than 30km. But I felt that the engine is now more noisy or audible, that gives you a more sportier feeling.

BTW having the chance to clean and re-oil the GREEN panel filter, after using it for approx. 5.000km (Cote'd Azure-Trip) since installing, I noticed that it was not much dirty. I think this will change now with the air induction pipe inside the side intake...

Later I'll try to link a photo with the air duct inside the side intake.

Hope to hear(read) more comments on this topic.

Regards
MacPeter
Marco Peter

Thanks for the info Marco, I'll try !

Tim, I'll determined to get a Piper X too, but in a year's time when the factory warranty on my F runs out. Didn't know the MGF Centre sold them too, cheers.

Roger's comprehensive post has now convinced me it's worth redirecting the rear air intake (meaning the one at the rear of the airbox) too.
Anthony Braham

Anthony,

A piper X replacement filter element shouldn't invalidate your warranty. The filter element is a consumable and can be replaced with non-OE. I think that the Piper X element is about 20 quid or something so about the same as the Green panel filter.

MGF Centre do a whole range of other bits and pieces both new and used and are just about to launch some new side skirts.
tim woolcott

Here is the promised picture, ho it looks like:

http://www.xpower-mg.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=4408&size=big&password=&sort=1&thecat=


Rgds
MacPeter
Marco Peter

This is the preferred routing which I would like, however getting that bloody box out from behind the intake is a bit of a is near impossible. I may have to resort to the tried and tested brute force and ignorance method.....
tim woolcott

Nice picture Marco :o)

Tim - someone said that they were able to remove the resonance box without recourse to voilence, but if you read through the archives, hacking the thing out has been the commonest way of achieving the desired goal.

You'll need a sheet of alloy to cover the gaping hole in the wheel arch when you've completed the job: the reasonance box comprises a significant part of the wheel arch liner!

Perhaps a second hand TF splash shield would do the job?
Rob Bell

Cheers guys, it's interesting to read your comments on these mods and their benefits!

Roger,

Your observations and comments from Longbridge are highly interesting! Maybe I should look at relocating the rear duct altogether as well. Although there is no obvious place to relocate it to, since the front hole in the airbox (and the left hand air intake) are already used. Maybe replacing the rear duct with a longer one going all the way around the engine to the right hand air intake would be the solution !? Any ideas? In any case, it will be very interesting to see the results of your "step by step" approach to identify which mod really makes a difference!

Bill,

As regards water ingress, I thought about that, but then - based on my experience with an S1 Lotus Elise 111S - I came to the conclusion that there was no risk! My Elise had, as standard, the air intake duct directed at the left hand air intake (and that duct was facing forward even more than can be achieved on the MG TF). That duct had a vertical section (where it passed over the bracing strut running from the top of the rollover bar to the rear end of the left hand chassis side rail) preventing any (very unlikely) big wave of water to flow straight into the airbox. The duct on my TF now also features a sizeable vertical section (since the air intake is quite a lot lower than the airbox) making it very unlikely that any water could reach the air filter.

Rob,

Speaking of water ingress: you mention a splash shield on the TF to replace the missing resonator box. I was surprised to see that, on my car, there was no such shield at all to keep water out, just a gaping hole in the wheel arch and a perfect view straight onto the gearbox! Are you sure there is supposed to be such a shield? I would be very interested in hearing from other TF owners about this. Maybe I can add another blunder to the long list of defects afflicting my car... :-( ( Roger, by the way, I would appreciate if you could kick some butts for me, next time you go to Longbridge... ;-) ).

Peter,

As regards the plastic pipe inside the airbox, I took it out completely to cut off its upper half - much easier than trying to do it with the thing "in situ". Regarding the fact that the TF Workshop Manual doesn't even mention the front air intake duct, I think that this is simply because MG Rover did this manual "on the cheap", keeping as many sections and illustrations as possible from the latest F manual and changing only the parts which really needed changing (like suspension, front lights, etc).

Per

Per

>>Are you sure there is supposed to be such a shield?<<

errrrrmmmm.... no. I thought that there would be one, but I don't know this for definite.

Anyone else confirm whether there is a gaping big hole in the LHS rear wheel arch, or whether there is a cover there?
Rob Bell

Rob, Big hole - I removed the air intake resonator allowing the 160 air box to fit. However it left a hole. Took a peek at the dealer’s TF and there was no guard where the resonator use to sit, double checked with the parts catalogue - nothing shown.
I also have fitted the front air intake as shown in the photo – however I’m a tad concerned it may partially block the cooling air for the engine bay – time will tell. I deliberately didn’t fit it under the car as it could became a water scoop! Cheers D
Dennis

Thanks for that confirmation Dennis. I need to check out a late MY2000 MGF and see what the wheel arch of these cars look like...

Regarding engine bay cooling - not sure whether the air intake will cause a problem, but I've certainly noticed that the engine bay cooling fan comes on far more frequently now that I've removed the K&N air ducts. I think I may replace them, just for the purposes of keeping the engine bay cool!

Might be an idea for your car too Dennis - putting an air scoop under the car will keep the engine bay cool, and there will be no worries regarding engine water ingestion! :o)
Rob Bell

Tim, I thought you meant the whole induction kit. The piper filter element wouldn't fit in my 2001 car, it has the bigger airbox. The only aftermarket filter I can go for is the Green one.

Per, I would redirect the rear air intake downwards so that it sucks up cold air in the same way as the air ducts for a KN. This is theoretical, I haven't tried yet but hope to do so this w/e.

Rob the inside of the wheel arch on a MY2001 is protected by a plastic element that covers the whole inside area from front to back (a picture would be better, I have one which I'll post later). That part has been ditched on the TF so Per, no, it's not just your car, they're all like that.

AB
Anthony Braham

Ah ha, thanks for that bit of info Anthony! :o)

Next job will be to track down the part number (or Victoria @ the MGF Centre! LOL)
Rob Bell

Rob it seems my recollection wasn't exactly correct. The part is not plastic, it's some sort of compound (ather like insulation materail). And it only covers the front half of the inner wheel arch. This picture I took some time ago shows most of it
http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/bc/aebraham2000/lst?&.dir=/MGF&.src=ph&.view=t
Anthony Braham

Sounds like the liner on the other wheel arch Anthony. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to view that image you posted because of some form of access problem?

Cheers :o)
Rob Bell

Anthony

Your file is 'protected' must have owners password.

Ted
Ted Newman

Sorry. I could have sworn I unlocked it. Anyway it should be working now.
Anthony Braham

Yup, now visible, thanks :o)

How is it attached? I presume by some self-tapping screws that are obscured from view in this shot?

This looks as though it could be an ideal mod for TF owners wanting to keep their engine bays clean (here's assuming that MG didn't delete this panel for reasons other than cost-cutting!)
Rob Bell

they look like plastic screws to me. Self-tapping ? how can I tell if they are (sorry for my ignorance). Is the same type as those that hold the plastic cover over the front bulkhead under the bonnet? That might be the case because I tried to unscrew one of them and it seemed to revolve endlessly without coming out... .

Anyway the good news is that I not only found a shop in Lausanne that sold Green filters but they even had one in stock. I had to get the TF part of course even though I have an '01 F... . Cost: 89.- SFr, (about 38 pounds or 60 Euros, same price as on the Greenfilters site, but without the P&P charge ! ).

Fitted it yesterday. Results? well, I wasn't expecting much, to be quite honest. But there is a difference. The cars picks up better at low revs on 1/3 or 1/2 throttle. And between 6 and 7000 rpm it's more eager. Of course a RR test would be good. But I'll wait until I've fitted the TF airbox for that.

Incidentally it's obvious even to my inexpert eye that the Green filter is less restrictive to air flow that the standard paper one. You can see through it whereas the paper one is completely opaque. Also it's much thinner. I'll post some pics later on.

FAO Per
I cut out the pipe inside the airbox just as you suggested, and I suspect that must be helping the airflow too. I was wondering if it really needs Green oil or would WD 40 be good enough?
Anthony Braham

Anthony,

The Green panel filter should be pre-oiled when new, so you don't need to oil it at all. You will need to do that only after having washed the filter after X thousand miles (will be interesting to see if it indeed gets dirty quicker with the new duct routing).

Have you tried to find some other place for the rear duct? I was thinking that one possibility might be to keep it attached to the subframe cross member, but pointing straight down towards the road. My only concern with that position is that it might end up too close to the cat, sucking in very warm air...

Rob,

Maybe MG left the big hole in the LH rear wheelarch because it allows more cool air into the engine bay?

Per
Per

Thanks for the info on the fixings Anthony: sound like pretty standard plastic trim screws. :o)

Good news regarding the impressions with the new airfilter - enjoy, and I look forward to seeing the pix :o)

Per, no idea why this trim panel has been deleted from the TF. It could be for purposes of engine cooling as you suggest. But it might also be for cost-cutting...
Rob Bell

bump
Norman

Am I wrong to believe that everything that is said here is also viable for the Trophy Airbox ? As far as I know it also has 2 induction sides.
T

You're not wrong T - all the above applies to all post MY2000 MGFs with dual air intakes - including the Trophy 160SE :o)
Rob Bell

I suppose many TF owners will want to wait until their cars are no longer under waranty to start modifying them. So, it will probably be another year or so before these breathing (and exhaust) mods are tried out on any wider scale. Still, it's well worth the wait... ;-)

Per
Per

How should this alter the warranty ? (I have another 2 years on my Trophy).

You merely try to change the point where it sucks air, I don't see how this should alter the life expectancy of any part on the car?

On Dieters "Forum" I read that the rear induction pipe ends just 2-3 cm over the rear Exhaust, is this a positive ?

If so shouldn't it be wise to reroute that one to, I can't imaging it sucking that much warm air at traffic jams. Maybe that's why we have the pipe getting thinner (ref: cut like a sandwich)at the end of the induction pipe. -> To limit the very warm air it sucks in, but then again does that make sense ?

I would be ready to do all mods above and to have it measured on what you call "rolling road", however for me it is 100Euro *per* test. So euhm, I guess I am somewhat limited.
T

T,

I suppose MG could say that since the re-routing/alteration of the ducts raises the power of the car, this puts greater strain on different components than with the OE setup, which, in turn, would make failure of these components more likely, hence the voiding of the warranty.

I'm not saying that MG would be right in acting in this way but it would be an easy way for them to avoid paying for some failures which may have occured anyway under the warranty.

Regarding a test on a rolling road of these mods, Roger said above that he wanted to test them one by one to assess which ones really make a difference. It would indeed be interesting to see the results of such a test...

Per
Per

> Regarding a test on a rolling road of these mods, Roger said above that he wanted to test them one by one to assess which ones really make a difference


I fitted my panel K&N on Saturday along with my modified air intake and I'm going to get it rolling roaded this weekend to see how its affected it. A definite increase in my opinion and also had a friend in it on Friday night after I had fitted it and he noticed an increase in performance straight away. Hopefully I'll have some figures early next week.
Bob

Look forward to seeing those results Bob. If you can, reverse the mods to see how much of a gain the panel + cold air intake re-routing makes. :o)
Rob Bell

After about three weeks the power increase sems to have improved still. Even though noise-wise the filter doesn't make much difference.

It's not so much the top-end performance that is amazing, it's more that I can now potter around in 4th gear and the car picks up very easily. I find myself changing down much less often. And fuel consumption has gone down by a good 0.5 to 1 litre / 100 km. Sorry that's about a 5mpg saving I think.

This is probably because the MEMS has gradually adapted to the different filter, I reckon.

Thanks for the info on oiling, Per. On the warranty issue I can imagine that if I had HGF Rover would try to find any way to wriggle out of its warranty - the non-standard filter would probably be an argument in their favour.

A service is coming up soon and I wonder if I should replace the standard filter subrepticiously just for the service, or leave the Green one, warning them not to touch it (you never know, they might throw it away and say: "sir, your filter had a peculiar green coulour, we changed it for a new one" !). Per, have you had a service yet with the green filter on?

Sorry, haven't had a chance to post pics yet :-/

Short of the Rover airbox mod depicted on Rob's site a freeflow filer is IMO a cheap and effective way of perceptibly increasing the F/TF's performance.
Anthony Braham

Thats the car booked into the rolling road for 10am on Saturday. Charge is £40 per hour but the guy said it wont take that long.

For those of us in Scotland and particularly the West Coast area I'm getting it done at Strathclyde Auto Clinic in Irvine. Seems to be a shortage of rolling roads on Scotland and certainly over my part of the country. They can be contacted on 01294 277 729 if anyone else is ever interested.
Bob

Anthony,

I haven't had a service yet with my Green filter on, but I must say that I would be very surprised if they noticed anything during the first service, since they are not supposed to change the filter then anyway. Moreover, to actually go and check it on a TF entails removing the engine cover, which I don't think needs to be done at the first service.

Per
Per

634 km with one tank of petrol... my record yet, and I was revving it up to 7k frequently enough. This Green filter is really good :-)).
Usually in this hot weather - 90 deg Farenheit - I would be cursing the F for its poor performance. But no, it's more responsive than ever.

I'm almost beginning to feel that the 52mm TB and Trophy airbox + pipes I ordered from the MGF centre will be superfluous.
Anthony Braham

This evening I carried out the airbox modification on my Trophy 160 and fitted the Green panel filter. The front pipe was relocated to the side vent when the car was at Techspeed having the suspension upgraded. All I need to do now is move the other pipe out of the engine bay. Will let you know how I get on.
Blue Pocket Rocket

Hi,

Which green air filter did you order?
When I asked they said that there was not one listed for the Trophy!
Is it the same size as the TF one ?
Could you please let me know the part number so I can
order one.

Thanks

Paul;
Paul Waine

Paul

It's the same one as the TF and the part no is p950375. You could try Auto Inparts Ltd on 01525 382713 as they supply Need for Speed if you order the filter over the internet.
Blue Pocket Rocket

>>I'm almost beginning to feel that the 52mm TB and Trophy airbox + pipes I ordered from the MGF centre will be superfluous.<<

Well, if you think that things are good now, just wait and see....! ;o))
Rob Bell

>Well, if you think that things are good now, just wait and see....! ;o))

I won't have to wait much longer now, Rob: received my Trophy/TF airbox + the TB from the MGF centre yesterday :-)

One problem: the front pipe is calf halfway down, so I'll have to extend it with another length of pipe. I suspect I can find that easily. Can anyone recommend how I can attach two pipes together without restricting the airflow too much?

re. Green filter:
>It's the same one as the TF and the part no is p950375

For those with a MY 2001 MPI or VVC, you also have the new airbox so you need to order the TF part too.
Anthony Braham

Re-routing the pipe to the LHS Air Intake....does this necessitate raising the car???? I wouldn't mind having a go at this mod, but am a bit short of facilities...........
SimonKE

Simon, yes, you need to jack the car up and remove the wheel.
You can then do everything through the large hole in the wheelarch.
Steve White

>the front pipe is calf halfway down

oh dear, those typos....
I meant "cut halfway down"

so, how can I join two pipes without squashing them? A bracket obviously wouldn't do the job ... or would it ???
Anthony Braham

What a pity that the front pipe has been cut Anthony :o( Use a collar, and lengthen the tube.

Why do you want to joint both pipes? If possible, push both pipes into the air intake... (easy for me to say - ofcourse it may not be that easy!)
Rob Bell

>Why do you want to joint both pipes?
I meant joining a new pipe to the short length of pipe that's left.

I'll try using a collar, thanks.

I hope to get it done this weekend. And then I'm off to a Rolling Road !
Anthony Braham

Look forward to hearing how things go Anthony :o)
Rob Bell

I've described some of it in the "swapping throttle bodies" post.

I'm really pleased with the results. The combination of panel filter, Trophy airbox and Trophy throttlebody have turned my VVC into a really fast car.

Here's a link to the pics of the induction mod on the '98 MPI. The owner of this car says it has transformed the performance of his too.

http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/aebraham2000
theh click on "MGF"

Unfortunately neither of us will know the figures ... the cheapest RR test I foundcosts 135 francs per car (about 60 quid) and they won't even give us torque figures because they're allegedly too imprecise on a test like this... Anyway, we're pleased with our cars and that's what counts :-)
Anthony Braham

Nice one Anthony. Shame about the rolling road - but as you say, if you are happy with it, and the performance benefit is there to be felt - then terrific! Mission accomplished :o)

Nice pix - just been looking through them. What have you done with the rear air box intake? I can see that you've routed the front one to the LHS air vent, but can't see what you've done with the rear.
Rob Bell

Pics are of my mate's '98 MPI. I didn't post any pictures of the setup on my VVC, because it's really a standard Trophy/TF setup, except that I've routed the front pipe to the nearside vent.

Rear pipe remains along the back of the engine bay as standard but I cut out the end of the pipe in the airbox as described by Per above to allow more air in. I've just uploaded a pic so you can see what it looks like.
Anthony Braham

From what I've read over the past months, it seems to be a major issue getting cool air into the engine bay.I know it's pretty drastic, but has nobody ever put air-scoops on the top of the rear wings{No I don't mean nailing a couple of biscuit tins on! I mean a proper job}.Or a couple of those flush triangular jobbies{NACA ducts? were they called?}.Apart from Roger Parker's Toyota air scoop, underneath, there doesn't seem to be any alternatives.Just a thought on a sunny afternoon. Regards.
H.R. Bridge

Exactly my idea, even made an appointement at a local dealer to get a quote. However he couldn't guarantee I wouldn't fail what you call (i believe) MOT, for that sum of investement, I'll leave it for that.

@Rob Bell : That was the idea I wanted to do the photoshop on. A premade part for this would be more then neat.
T

H.R , look at Dieter´s site under "Modifications by Carl ". This mod. gives such an airflow into the engine-bay that I got problems with the rear hatch lock! It had to be re-adjusted to keep shut at higher speed... A good way to measure the amount of pressure in the engine bay while on the move is to release all bolts in he engine cover and notice at what speed and with what amount of pressure the lid opens ! You will be amazed by the low speed needed to raise the lid as well as the force to pull the lid back in place...
IMO the problem here is not air entering but too small areas for the air to vent out !
Are there any more "escapes" for the air on the TF compared with the F ? Same number of vent openings in the hatch ?

BR, Carl.
Carl Blom

Nice pix Thierry thanks. I guess that your MoT/TUV inspector may have had 'problems' with a non-homologated protusion from the body work. I think that there may be strict rules about this for production cars (which our "Max Power" friends tend to ignore)...

Carl, I remember you talking about this mod before - to cause problems with the catch, you must be getting a great deal of pressure in the engine bay! LOL
Rob Bell

Carl,

The number of air escapes on the TF is the same and of the same sizes as on the F. Only the side intakes have been re-profiled to let more air in. However, there is a panel missing in the left hand side wheel arch (where the resonator was on the F), which might serve the purpose of letting some hot air out that way.

Per


Per

This thread was discussed between 06/06/2003 and 10/08/2003

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