DIY FREE INSTANT Air Intake Performance Improvement

[PhreakdOut]

Car intakes are designed in similar fashion to the inside of a muffler. At WOT or aggressive driving, the intake will develop a particular frequency that is a problem. (Usually a low frequency less than 150Hz)

Many car companies will develop a branch tuner tube which is usually a tube running perpendicular to the flow. The length and diameter of the tube determine the target frequency to be cancelled. The objective is to be able to generate the same frequency as the problem frequency. When the two "like" waves collide, they cancel.

Under a constant acceleration, branch tuners do not cause issues for flow. Removing them simply permits the low frequencies to remain in the intake. (Giving the car an aggresive "growl" upon WOT acceleration.)

I haven't fully examined Toyota's design (V6 or 4cyl) to determine if a branch tuner exists. I can assure you that if you ever are able to go to a CAI or short intake, that the acoustics of the intake will go up. Keep this in mind if your custom exhaust is barely legal for sound. You may make the overall noise increase on acceleration.

[stockae92]

this will be the first mod i do when i pass 1k miles [soon]

[stockae92]

Update: I did the mod, it cost less than $4 for the 6" hose and end plugs and less than 5 min. (just re-route the air hose, didn't mess with the filter)

the throttle response gotten a little better. the mode made a difference. but still not as good as i wish it to be. part of the "lag" seems to due to the transmission in D mode.

the gas milage seems to be down by just a little bit, especially during city driving.

the engine seems to want to hold revs a little bit longer than before when your foot is off the gas

but freeway milage seems to be around the same

[LatinDragonXJC]

Does this work for Gen1 at all? Has anyone tried it with their Gen1?

[solaris]

i just re-routed the hose but didn't messed with the filter. throttle lag is gone now. what do you think is the long term effect of this mod? what is the vsv for anyway? btw, i have 2006 v6... thanks

[dvdchris45]

i just re-routed the hose but didn't messed with the filter. throttle lag is gone now. what do you think is the long term effect of this mod? what is the vsv for anyway? btw, i have 2006 v6... thanks

If you have a 2006 I highly doubt you should have the lag problem...it was something that plagued the '04s more. But I dunno, anyone else have the lag problem on their 05-06?

[solaris]

i just re-routed the hose but didn't messed with the filter. throttle lag is gone now. what do you think is the long term effect of this mod? what is the vsv for anyway? btw, i have 2006 v6... thanks

If you have a 2006 I highly doubt you should have the lag problem...it was something that plagued the '04s more. But I dunno, anyone else have the lag problem on their 05-06?

well, unfortunately some of us 2006 owners do. what is the vsv for anyway? will this mod do damage to my engine in the long run? again, thanks.....

[PhreakdOut]

i just re-routed the hose but didn't messed with the filter. throttle lag is gone now. what do you think is the long term effect of this mod? what is the vsv for anyway? btw, i have 2006 v6... thanks

If you have a 2006 I highly doubt you should have the lag problem...it was something that plagued the '04s more. But I dunno, anyone else have the lag problem on their 05-06?

well, unfortunately some of us 2006 owners do. what is the vsv for anyway? will this mod do damage to my engine in the long run? again, thanks.....

OK there are two issues regarding lag on the V-6. There is the transmission programming and then there is the "flapper" door on the intake. This addresses the later.

The flapper door really isn't a "lag" issue, but over-riding it does improve the performance slightly.

The intake draws air from a duct opening located on the radiator support. (Driver's side.) The air enters here and can flow in two different paths. On light throttle, the "flapper" door will remain closed. Forcing air to be drawn the long route which goes immediately down and the up into the bottom of the air box. This is a small diameter path and allows little air flow. (Because it is used for idle or light throttle.)

Under heavier throttle, vacuum is built up and an actuator opens this door so air flow has a straight path right into the airbox.

What this mod does is provided a constant source of vacuum to the actuator to keep the door open. Throttle response off idle is quicker and some of the lag issue seems to be helped.

Read DocJohn's postings as they probably explain it better than I did.

[Lone Solara]

well, unfortunately some of us 2006 owners do. what is the vsv for anyway?

The VSV can mean several things, but most commonly it stands for Vacuum Switch Valve.

[stockae92]

oh don't get me start on the transmission programming and the manual shift mode ... -_-

[KansasSolara]

I just did this mod to my 06 and the performance improved right away, specially while driving in stop and go traffic and when reducing speed (like approaching a stop light) and then hitting the gas prior to making a full stop. The only draw back is increased engine noise, but I kindda like it. I'll see what it does to my milleage over a week and report back. So far I think the car is more responsive and more fun to drive in the city.

[stockae92]

please post mpg after the mod

my mpg seems to be down by a little less than 1 mpg (when calculated by me, not the computer)

[KansasSolara]

I seem to be getting about the same MPG as before the mod. I have been a bit of a lead foot this week, which for sure affects the MPG.
I like it, this Mod is a keeper.

[Hsakuragi]

can someone who did this mod and provide an update as of today with the caR??

[swindler]

I bought my SLE V6 in June '05, and took it to the dealership after about 500 miles. Found out it already had the TSB, and he claimed that he had the same complaint with every car they sold, and Toyota was never going to fix the problem because it's a byproduct of the modern designs.

First I swapped out the air filter for the K&N, and at the same time popped out that secondary filter out of the top of the air intake box. Not much difference. Finally, about September '05 I finally did the DocJohn mod and did notice a substantial improvement. I won't say hesitation is gone, but in most circumstances it is. I don't squeal tires at every light, though.

I thought air intake noise would be bothersome, but I can't say I've noticed much difference there.

My fuel economy, if anything, is better. I'm averaging aroud 23.5 to 23.8 on most tanks, and I have very little highway driving. I was averaging just under 23 before. For reference, my average MPH is usually around 28-29.

One thing I'd recommend is to disconnect the negative battery cable after doing the DocJohn mod, to reset the ECU and have it re-learn the response characteristics. That may explain some complaints I've heard of inconsistent performance.

I must say that I don't think there are any negatives to this mod - only positives.