ARC Intake pipe vs Mx5 Mania pipe - opinions please

[ZenArcher]

Just wondering if anyone is using the ARC intake pipe. The one that connects the intake to the airbox. If so what do you think of it compared to the standard one or the MX5 Mania intake.

I am considering getting something made up. I think I might be stuck with a custom job now that I have the 1.8 with the 1.6 thottle body and the 1.6 thermostat housing. Looking at the intake, my top radiator hose that goes to the thermostat would be in the way of a straight cross over pipe. Along with the fact that the 1.6 thottle body has an adaptor plate that extends the whole unit forwards about an inch and it now doesn't dip downwards like the 1.6 intake and comes straight forwards.

So before I spend bucks on an intake pipe, just wanted to know what others who use them have thought of them. Want to know what power, torque, and induction noise is like. The ARC intake chamber is very large and thought this might negate the need for the 2nd resonance chamber that Mazda install. Do the MX5 Mania intakes allow the resonance chamber to be connected?

Any information would be welcome.

[CT]

Not sure why you'd want to re-install the heimholz resonator (I think that's it's name - if not someone will surely correct me). The mania intakes performance proves that it's really not required. To be honest, I've never seen any proof either way, hence why most of us have never lost any slept over it.

[ZenArcher]

When David finished the 1.8 installation he left the resonance chamber off as there wasn't time to work out how to fit it up with very limited space.

When the motor fired up, the first thing I noticed was the that intake now sounded very different. Almost like a quiet supercharger type whine or some sort of quiet sounding vacuum cleaner soudning humm. I didn't think much of it at the time (hey it was like 8:45pm at night and I had a 3.5 hour trip back to Canberra to look forward to)...NOT.

On the way home I noticed the the car at any speed was very quiet inside except for this weird throbbing whine type sound. I noticed it mostly between 100 and 110. Over that and it wasn't there. But over the past week, driving to work, the whining sound is there at most speeds from 60kph up. It basically starts soft and then loud and back to soft again etc. Got really annoying on the trip home so I sat well over the speed limit until I found a speed where the noise went away. At least the drive home was a bit quicker

I thought the resonance chamber (lack there-of) may have been the cause of the noise, but it seems to still be there even with the chamber connected back up, but not quite as loud.

The only other thing I could think of is a noisy drive belt, so I bought some spray on belt conditioner today and sprayed some on the belts, but have yet to go for another drive to see if the noise has gone. Other than the humming noise I love the 1.8 .

[93_Clubman]

not sure if you'd have sufficient space in the na6 for afm & pod filter but i liked bevan's recent solution:

http://www.aus-cartalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=19103

if there's enough space it would solve your crossover pipe problem & there'd be no intake noise from a hotside drilled cai. indeed, in that corner it's as far away as possible from the cabin intake in the cowl, & you could always put a ducted headlight cover on for some cold air.