It's the Autoexe Ram Air Intake.
Before:
After:
This intake is made to spec for Autoexe by GruppeM of Japan, who are a 'premium' manufacturer of intakes for a number of sports cars, most notably Porsches and the like. And a few of the cooler Japanese products like the Toyota Altezza and Mazda Roadster
It uses a 'ram air' scoop to pull cold air from inside the grill, and in typical GruppeM fashion, pools this air around the intake so the engine has plenty of cool, non-turbulent air to pull from on throttle opening.The intake is a standard pod-type filter from K&N.
For those who don't know me, I've been being behind the wheel of a couple of NA's and NB's over the years. The one thing that dissapointed me about the NC was the 'soft' throttle response. I put this down mainly to the fact that my model is the one with DSC. Most cars with electronic systems attached/running the throttle tend to have that delay in response. EVO writes that Lotus are one of the few manufacturers they have dríven who seem not to be effected by this.
So, I was particularly pleased to find this intake markedly improved the throttle response in my NC, right from that initial throttle opening. It's much, much better. Heel & toe downshifts are now even more enjoyable.
The other big improvement is in the only other area i would really criticise the stock NC - top end power delivery. The stock car seems to plateu above 5000rpm. It feels like it runs out of puff, but really it's just not giving you much more than you've been getting via that solid mid-range of the MZR engine. Now, it's got a much nicer pickup above 5K, and really charges towards the 7000rpm cut out. I much prefer the power delivery now. My 'seat of the pants' dyno doesn't seem to detect any power/torque loss in the mid range, but really this is best determined with a before/after dyno run, which i didn't have time for this time around.
All in all, an excellent quality intake for a daily driver like my car, as it would want to be given the cost (i was fortunate enough to get hold of a 'near new' second hand one).
In summary:
Improvements:
- better throttle response
- marked improvement in power delivery above 5000rpm
- enclosed intake for defect-free enjoyment.
- basically invisible externally.
Compromises:
- some cutting of the plastic lining behind the bumper required (not visible outside)
- $$$
- sound (not the intake for someone looking for some big induction noise)
)
