My new B-Line Motorsports True Cold Air Intake

Anyone who was at the CalCoastal canyon drive raffle last Sunday knows how excited I was when I won the cold air intake system that was donated by Deka Improved Motoring/B-Line Motorsports and Tino (bboxer). Earlier in the week before the event I was looking to get a closed air intake setup since I have the Comptech supercharger. The PO had installed the HKS open intake with the basket filter that was sucking in hot air. But when I saw later in the week that Deka had donated their system for the raffle I decided to wait to see if I might get lucky. Well the NSX Gods were looking down favorably on me that day as I won it:smile:. Now it gets better as Giancarlo from B-Line Motorsports offered to install it for me. So this past Saturday Giancarlo and his brother Luciano gave up some of their weekend to do the install at their San Pedro shop, what a couple of great guys!! After the install I took it for a test drive and turned a few heads when got on it. Not only could I feel the extra horses but OMG the sound. Since the filter is in the driver side air vent I could clearly hear it make it's awesome sound when I stepped on it. On the drive home I turned off the radio(something I never do) and left it in 4th gear so I could hear it everytime, about 30 times:biggrin:, I got on it. For anyone who has a supercharger or even those who do not, this is a MUST have mod. It is only $295 on the Dekamotoring.com web site. It is fairly easy to install or for those in SoCal you can take it to B-Line Motorsports. Finally here are some pictures of the install.

Very nice looking kit. I would be worried about the filter getting soaking wet in the rain. I've also heard the K&N filters let more contaminants in, which is a very bad thing. The PO put the same K&N filter on mine (I'm about to go back to OEM on advice from the vets here) and I never turn the radio on - ever. My sound volume is controlled by the pedal on the right.
Happy Motoring!

pgilliam1 said:

Very nice looking kit. I would be worried about the filter getting soaking wet in the rain. I've also heard the K&N filters let more contaminants in, which is a very bad thing. The PO put the same K&N filter on mine (I'm about to go back to OEM on advice from the vets here) and I never turn the radio on - ever. My sound volume is controlled by the pedal on the right.
Happy Motoring!

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It is NOT a K&N filter. It is a special design by B-Line Motorsports to be more water resistant than K&N or any other. Giancarlo at B-Line can give a much better explanation than I. 310-519-9126.

I really like the concept but being as this is my daily driver and we have frequent rain this isn't a good idea for me. Any chance of putting some sort of water deflection device in front of the filter? Hard to tell how much space is in there.

My initial idea was to purchase an air scoop and then connect a BMC CDA to it. Would be totally safe from water and still a true CAI.

ForceFed said:

I really like the concept but being as this is my daily driver and we have frequent rain this isn't a good idea for me. Any chance of putting some sort of water deflection device in front of the filter? Hard to tell how much space is in there.

My initial idea was to purchase an air scoop and then connect a BMC CDA to it. Would be totally safe from water and still a true CAI.

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I had the same concerns about it getting wet but Giancarlo said it should be fine except in extreme conditions. For the few who drive daily where the the rain is extreme this would probably not be for you but for the rest it would be just fine. But please contact him at the above number or by email on their web site for questions as he is the expert.

Cool thanks for the observations. I will be lookin more into it. May just need to make a snap in screen for when it starts coming down pretty hard like its been the last few days.

I think even some thin mesh would be enough to contain a lot of water which can bead off before making any contact with the filter.

Looks great and I am sure it sounds as good as it looks . Maybe if I roll next to you in neutral I'll be able to hear it :tongue:. What a great way to end a CalCoastal day though! For a SoCal car, I don't think you'll ever have to worry. However, in the NW a 'snap-in' screen or back cover could be beneficial for super hard pour downs. Though I am sure B-Line did their R&D and figured out what works best. Well done Les!

SFDreamer said:

Looks great and I am sure it sounds as good as it looks . Maybe if I roll next to you in neutral I'll be able to hear it :tongue:. What a great way to end a CalCoastal day though! For a SoCal car, I don't think you'll ever have to worry. However, in the NW a 'snap-in' screen or back cover could be beneficial for super hard pour downs. Though I am sure B-Line did their R&D and figured out what works best. Well done Les!

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Even with your car in neutral you won't be able to hear it over your beast:tongue: You will just have to go for a ride in my car:biggrin: B-Line has done 2 years of testing in Giancarlo's NSX.
Yes it was a great way to end the day:smile:

very cool, i love now neatly it fits so nicely behind the vents:tongue:

I've had it on my car for three winters so far with no issue at all. The material is water repellant to a good degree. Great product for any price; way better than the HKS/RM type I had in the past.

Very cool! Looks like a high quality product. I was about to jump you for it as you were walking out with that box but I think your wife would have taken me down before I got anywhere close to you!

If in the very small chance you do get some water in there just think of it as a crude water/meth system for your CTSC. :biggrin:

I currently have the HKS and being as its rated as one of the worst filtration devices I need an upgrade soon. I will see what I can do as far as a snap in screen and go from there. We get some week long downpours like we have had this last week.

steve and les, your girl friend is going to get jealous if you guys keep flirting like this. :biggrin::biggrin:

bboxer said:

I've had it on my car for three winters so far with no issue at all. The material is water repellant to a good degree. Great product for any price; way better than the HKS/RM type I had in the past.

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Tino,
You know as well as anyone how good this product is. Thanks!!

RYU said:

Very cool! Looks like a high quality product. I was about to jump you for it as you were walking out with that box but I think your wife would have taken me down before I got anywhere close to you!

If in the very small chance you do get some water in there just think of it as a crude water/meth system for your CTSC. :biggrin:

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Regan,
I think my wife probably would have let you take it from me as she was mad at me for saying that I would leave her there if the box would not fit in the trunk and needed to put on the passenger seat to get it home:biggrin:. But I would have fought you to the death for it:tongue:

ForceFed said:

I currently have the HKS and being as its rated as one of the worst filtration devices I need an upgrade soon. I will see what I can do as far as a snap in screen and go from there. We get some week long downpours like we have had this last week.

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Kyle,
It would be worth finding a way to fit a snap in screen for those bad weather days just to have this product in your car. You should contact Giancarlo for ideas as he is a fabricator and has an NSX.

HGL1668 said:

steve and les, your girl friend is going to get jealous if you guys keep flirting like this. :biggrin::biggrin:

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Hugo,
Are you trying to get me in trouble with the wife by mentioning a girl friend here:tongue:

It looks really nice and I bet it sounds great but, like some others, I'd be very worried about rain and the tire kicking up loads of crap. What would be really cool is a system that is molded around the air intake that would almost act like a ram air set up with the filter protected from the elements a bit better.

Aluminsx said:

It looks really nice and I bet it sounds great but, like some others, I'd be very worried about rain and the tire kicking up loads of crap. What would be really cool is a system that is molded around the air intake that would almost act like a ram air set up with the filter protected from the elements a bit better.

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I still maintain you do not need to "protect" this filter from water unless you happen to be in Louisiana when the levy breaks ) We get a fair amount of wet driving here in socal, especially lately, and both Giancarlo and I have had our unit on for over two years with no issues.
The custom filter element includes an integrated velocity stack that makes things even better.

I liked the semi similar dali version but rain also scared me away

http://www.daliracing.com/v666-5/catalog/index_browse_part.cfm?focus=2056

People please contact B-Line about your concerns of it getting wet in the rain and get the facts before you post a reply here. You may be hurting potential new sales of their product with your comments without doing your homework. Unless you have one installed and have had a problem with it getting wet you are just making assumptions here. Again just contact them first:smile:

I'm sure it sounds good, but it has been Dyno proven that the OEM box flows the best and there is little to no actual gain by replacing it with another design.

DF's scoop with a UniFilter claims 3-4hp.


I can guarantee that you can not feel the difference with 3-4hp.

DF's ultra $$$ Stack Intake claims 8.2 hp gain which has never been independently verified and even with that you will most likely not be able to actually feel a difference.

I'm sure the new intake sounds better, but the "Not only could I feel the extra horses " was a plecebo/butt dyno effect.

CL65 Captain said:

I'm sure it sounds good, but it has been Dyno proven that the OEM box flows the best and there is little to no actual gain by replacing it with another design.

DF's scoop with a UniFilter claims 3-4hp.

I can guarantee that you can not feel the difference with 3-4hp.

DF's ultra $$$ Stack Intake claims 8.2 hp gain which has never been independently verified and even with that you will most likely not be able to actually feel a difference.

I'm sure the new intake sounds better, but the "Not only could I feel the extra horses " was a plecebo/butt dyno effect.

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While I do believe this to be true with a stock NA NSX, I don't fully agree that this is the absolute truth with LMR's Comptech supercharged NSX.

I haven't done any testing, but I'd image that the supercharger is pulling a higher volume of air that Honda didn't anticipate when developing their OEM airbox. I don't believe I've seen any tests that show that the OEM airbox is better (nor worse) on a Comptech S/C'd NSX. I'd just assume the performance gain would be better on the S/C NSX over the NA one.

I have the DF airscoop and it does a few things really well. It opens up the intake sound, to produce a nice growl. It probably produces some power, and it also makes my airfilter dirtier quicker.

For people concerned with water. . .why are you driving your NSX in the rain!?!?! :biggrin:

For those concerned with water, get some of these to wrap your filters. Les, I'd recommend you get one too, the "PreCharger". . It'll keep those bugs and big pieces of dirt from getting wedged into the filter folds.

http://www.knfilters.com/search/wrap.aspx

That doesnt seem more extravagant than some fine mesh, could easily just attach some of that to the back of the stock fender vent. Will be on my to do list this weekend.

Im sure the filter chosen does great with repelling water. This is purely so that I can sleep better at night, not even saying its necessary I just like to be over cautious.

Hapa88 said:

While I do believe this to be true with a stock NA NSX, I don't fully agree that this is the absolute truth with LMR's Comptech supercharged NSX.

I haven't done any testing, but I'd image that the supercharger is pulling a higher volume of air that Honda didn't anticipate when developing their OEM airbox. I don't believe I've seen any tests that show that the OEM airbox is better (nor worse) on a Comptech S/C'd NSX. I'd just assume the performance gain would be better on the S/C NSX over the NA one.

I have the DF airscoop and it does a few things really well. It opens up the intake sound, to produce a nice growl. It probably produces some power, and it also makes my airfilter dirtier quicker.

For people concerned with water. . .why are you driving your NSX in the rain!?!?! :biggrin:

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If the diameter of the tubing is the same size or larger than the throttle body for both the OEM airbox and this Cold Air Intake, then the throttle body is the bottleneck in the system and thus the restriction for power gains. Going bigger in piping won't necessarily result in any gains.

Since the Downforce scoop has a relatively air tight seal to the stock airbox, it can potentially have a ram-air effect and increase power at speed.


0.02

stuntman said:

If the diameter of the tubing is the same size or larger than the throttle body for both the OEM airbox and this Cold Air Intake, then the throttle body is the bottleneck in the system and thus the restriction for power gains. Going bigger in piping won't necessarily result in any gains.

Since the Downforce scoop has a relatively air tight seal to the stock airbox, it can potentially have a ram-air effect and increase power at speed.


0.02

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Again I see this true for a Naturally Aspirated motor. But again, as i stated before, LMR's car is SUPERCHARGED, so comparing airflow for a system with a pressure gradient of a N/A motor to one that is Supercharged is difficult to do here.

The supercharged motor has a ~6psi difference between the atmospheric pressure and what's going into the motor. If you believe that the throttle body is the bottleneck in the system and thus the restriction of power gains, how does the Supercharger generate an additional 6psi (or more) of pressure within the motor? It does so by pulling additional air in via a belt driven fan (so to speak). The air comes from the same place the N/A motor is getting it from (through the airbox/filter or intake).

Secondly, you're also forgetting the restriction level of the filter element and the surface area of the filter. If you take two identical systems, both with the same tubing size and one has a filter on it, and one does not. Which will flow better? The bottleneck therefore becomes the filter, not the tubing size. Getting bigger piping, a larger filter surface area, and a freer flowing filter is used to counter this inherent reduction in airflow so that the restriction is now more on the throttle body and not the intake system.

Lastly, the Ram-Air effect, though could work on a N/A system, is practically gone with a forced induction system. Any additional "ram-air" flow is negated by the turbulence created by the turbo or supercharger rotor/screws.