De-snorkeled my Box 5 minutes max

[mptoledo]

Probably the easiest mod yet. I know this is remedial to most of you. I do this for people like me who aren't a true mechanic. Hopefully they can learn from my mistakes and save a few $$$

WHY?: Mostly sound. You can judge for yourelf. Some have claimed increase of HP of 5-7 and moderate Torque gain. I am still looking for some hard proof.

Tools: phillips screwdriver, maybe some paper towels

Difficulty: 1 out of 10 Cake!!!

Time: About 5 minutes.

MY car: 2001 "S" 3.2L 62k miles

Here's the way I did it: You can follow this website as it has great pictures.
http://www.pcars.us/10min-boxster-de-snorkel-hack-t3401.html
1.) Remove screw on driver side air vent and remove
2.) Remove Black(or painted) grill by gently pulling plastic arms forward out of their clips. Be gentle as they are a little fragile.
3.) Grab the long black tube and rock it side to side and pull hard until it comes out. there are no screws holding it in, just a small clip on the inside top of it. You can try pressing the top, but I just yanked it out.
4.) Optional, I sprayed some windex on a paper towel and cleaned out the inside.
5.) Put it all back together and go test drive it.


Projects completed:
1.) Serpentine belt...........$25 Gatorback w/ac
2.) Sparkplugs..................$42 Ngk-Ix-Iridium
3.) Radio replaced............$225 JVC HD50 (BB install)
4.) Tires............................$700 Sumitomo III Local shop
5.) Oil Change/air filter.....$94 catro syntec 10W40,napa gold,K&N air
6.) Speakers....................$143 Infinity Kappa F=4", R=6x4 plate
7.) Throttle body clean.....$5 Throttle body cleaner
8.) De-snorkel..................$.10 A few paper towels

Projects to do:
fuel filter
Battery (spring).

[JFP in PA]

Not to deflate your enthusiasm, but why bother? This mod has been beaten to death on multiple sites; yet those that have bothered to test before and after have found that most cars lose power as well as gas mileage with the baffle out; so, like most headers, all you get is noise. It’s your car, so do as you please, but be aware that not all mods have a positive outcome……..

[mptoledo]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Not to deflate your enthusiasm, but why bother? This mod has been beaten to death on multiple sites; yet those that have bothered to test before and after have found that most cars lose power as well as gas mileage with the baffle out; so, like most headers, all you get is noise. It’s your car, so do as you please, but be aware that not all mods have a positive outcome……..

I haven't read anything about losing gains, except an article back in 2005. It was discussing if Hot air would get in and cause a decrease in power. More post have supported it than have condemed it. But as i said in the op, "this mod is mostly for sound".

Now you have peaked my interest that this may be detrimental to mpg and power. I need to do some research on it. I see the potential for power gains as you have less restrictive air flow, but then the other side has merit with their hot air versus cold air theory.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by mptoledo

I haven't read anything about losing gains, except an article back in 2005. It was discussing if Hot air would get in and cause a decrease in power. More post have supported it than have condemed it. But as i said in the op, "this mod is mostly for sound".

Now you have peaked my interest that this may be detrimental to mpg and power. I need to do some research on it. I see the potential for power gains as you have less restrictive air flow, but then the other side has merit with their hot air versus cold air theory.

You are not “losing gains” just losing slight HP and more particularly gas mileage. This mod will also do nothing to change the temp of the intake charge, that would require other modifications. You may want to check the archives over at PPBB, there have been multiple threads on this, all came to the same conclusion, it is not a positive move unless all you are interested in is more noise.......... If memory serves, one of the catch points started when those that removed it noticed a slight drop in gas mileage, which initiated the before and after testing. Also believe is has been covered, ad nauseum, on RennTech as well……………….

[ChefCarnivore]

Thanks for the post. I always wondered what desnorkeling meant. I like the sound the car makes now. If it improves performance I'm not sure.

[mptoledo]

The sound after desnorkling is pretty cool, especially at the 3000k range and up. I have read 100's of post in numerous threads and it seems the mpg loss mostly comes from people changing their driving habits to here the new sound of their engines. I have only seen 1 guy who claims his mileage went to 10mpg on a 40 mile trip. I consider that post worthless and without merit as there is no way you will drop 40% to 50% in mileage.

I still haven't seen any concrete data, just opinions. For now I will keep it off as the sound is pretty cool. I do monitor my MPG on every fill up and will report my findings.

[mptoledo]

Ok, I found this post on here from a guy who dyno'd his 2001 "s".
He found a 5.3 hp gain and 2.7 torque gain.

He owns his own dyno and has great credentials. " I am an engineer, tuner and enthusiast, and have designed parts for NSXs, S2000s, and even factory supported FWD drag race teams. My race program involved many secured world records...but I digress."
http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9671&highlight=Snorkle

Now, the dyno doesn't test the car under true driving conditions and wind speeds @ 50mph. So take the info as you want. I am still searching for the truth, as I know its out there! Most the claims of loss of mpg came from the 987 not the 986.
exerpt "Wow..this is so sad...so much happened on the board while I spent more time beating my poor S on the dyno today. I have repeated the results on 17...yes 17 passes with and without the "snork". The data remains the same. For what it is worth, this mod produces 4.6~5.5whp at high rpms. Whew!"


I am not trying to blindly support my decision. If i am wrong I would be the first to admit it. I just don't take some other guys response of "it felt like i loss power" as a scientific conclusion.

[JFP in PA]

Sorry, but I still don’t buy it for multiple reasons. Interestingly, he ran his tests on a hub design dyno that is well known for always giving considerably higher readings (10-12% are not uncommon) than conventional roller units in side by side runs. I know the manufacturer claims this is because it’s unique design which “eliminates the “roller effect”, but at the end of the day, the rollers are in much wider use. In any case, while I am not going to challenge the veracity of his test; I can tell you that two different cars that I watched being tested showed a slight, but measurable drop in HP and Torque when tested on the rollers. When combined with consistent comments that multiple cars saw lower gas mileage with it out, but recovered the mileage when it was reinstalled; I think you are “tilting at windmills” here……………

[mptoledo]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Sorry, but I still don’t buy it for multiple reasons. Interestingly, he ran his tests on a hub design dyno that is well known for always giving considerably higher readings (10-12% are not uncommon) than conventional roller units in side by side runs. I know the manufacturer claims this is because it’s unique design which “eliminates the “roller effect”, but at the end of the day, the rollers are in much wider use. In any case, while I am not going to challenge the veracity of his test; I can tell you that two different cars that I watched being tested showed a slight, but measurable drop in HP and Torque when tested on the rollers. When combined with consistent comments that multiple cars saw lower gas mileage with it out, but recovered the mileage when it was reinstalled; I think you are “tilting at windmills” here……………

Again, I am still in the wait and see camp. I check my MPG after every fill up. I do like the sound with it off. Even using an inferior dyno, it should give a consistent before and after reading even if they are both high. Enough of that. As I said in the OP, HP and torque gains(if any)are negligible and aren't the reason I did this.

I am glad you brought up the MPG issue, as to me that is way more important than any small gains or losses in hp or torque. I will definitely keep an eye on them over time and report my findings, as unscientific as they may be. I still think most people rev up and wind out through the gears more to hear the noise, which makes sense why they would see lower mpg.

[DANMKII]

Originally Posted by mptoledo

I have read 100's of post in numerous threads and it seems the mpg loss mostly comes from people changing their driving habits to here the new sound of their engines.

Hm- that makes ALOT of sense. Personally, I know I would get lower mpg from trying to hear the intake.

I've been reading this thread with some interest because I tried to de snorkle my '99 Boxster following the instructions you have posted here and couldn't get the snorkle to budge. I wiggled it and at one point had both feet on the car pulling on it but it wouldn't move an inch so I gave up. My mechanic wants me to put in a cold air intake system and he says it should come out if the intake system is to work correctly. All the reading I've done on the pros and cons are as varied as the experiences of the drivers. Some say an HP increase some say not, some say better sound some say your fuel system regulator will eventually compensate for the change and the sound goes back to normal. Although everything I've read about the snorkle goes along with the Swedes getting a knot in their shorts over the noise, and I'm no expert on air induction, it would seem to me that the tube shape of the snorkle would have an effect on air turbulance as the air is forced down the tunnel of it. It may even have the effect of increasing PSI on air entering the air filter box. It would be interesting to really see something definitive on this topic because although it has been widely discussed there doesn't seem to be any agreement on its benefits or drawbacks.

[sd_boxster]

Since a bunch of you have desnorked Boxsters that have the cup - has anyone ever found it full of debris? Seems like a question that bears asking...

[t2-bxtrs]

well i guess after much debate and everything else.... it is what, what it is .. gain or no gain.. it's just more sound (noise) !
so to each his own... if you're happy with it (do it at your own risk) if not ... so be it!