Saturday, February 11, 2017

Project V50: Redline Goods Steering Wheel

A good friend in Germany sent me the first Redline Goods steering wheel for nothing more than the cost of shipping. Since then, it has been installed in my S40, my C30, my previous V50, and now the new V50XC.


The perforated leather stays significantly cooler in the summer and the white stitching adds a sporty touch to the interior of the car.

The following video shows the installation process:

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Project V50: Modified Mototec Intake

We picked up a Mototec intake for $100; quite a bargain compared to the $299 price tag.
-I like that it has an integrated MAF housing, similar to the Injen intake on my C30 and S40.
-I do not like that it reuses the factory rubber hose between the IP and turbo...


The pictures of the Mototec are a bit deceiving. It is NOT a cold air intake. It draws in the warm of of the engine bay, just like all the others do. This is just a hose which attempts to direct some fresh air towards the open filter.


I found an aluminum funnel which fits perfectly in the carbon fiber canister's opening.



I cut the funnel down to fit over the included 90° hose.






I then took some rubber door ding guard trim and used it as a "seal" between the funnel and the filter canister.




The outside of the funnel was painted textured black to match the rest of the hard piping. I used a self adhering tape to seal the gap between the funnel and hose.


Then put a hose band clamp around the tabs I cut, which holds it solidly in place.


The end result is a completely enclosed intake, similar to the factory air box, but with 3" diameter piping and a higher flowing filter. I'm not super thrilled about still using the factory snorkel part, but it is still better than drawing in warm air from the engine bay. The bumper will be coming off for an upgraded front mount intercooler install soon, at which point there will be some additional modifications to the funnel in the grille area, similar to what I had done on my S40.



Since I bought the intake through classifieds, it didn't come with an ECU bracket.
I purchased an 8" 90° metal bracket from Home Depot and cut it down to fit the ECU.


The following video shows removal of the stock airbox and installation of the Mototec. Most new intakes will come with detailed instructions for these steps, so the video is kind of vague.


Here is a before/after recording to hear the difference.


Overall impressions: Like most intake modifications, throttle response has greatly improved. Lots more induction noise and a nice little whistle when you come off the throttle. I'll have the car tuned later this year, which is when we will really see the gains from it.

Build quality is good, clearance is good on the M66, but fitment is a little weird. I had to do some modifications to make it sit the way I wanted.

If I could do it again, I'd probably choose the Mototec intake over the Injen, simply because it was not too involved to make it a cold air intake. But the Snabb intake pipe still appears to be the best option, mostly because it replaces the rubber hose going to the turbo.