whunter, thanks for the McMaster link; I can have some fun there

However, I really don't want to stick with the OEM setup. This is for a few reasons.

First, the T-shaped bracket is not as strong as it really should be, and although I've heard that people have successfully welded a second bar to beef up the strength, I see that as a Band-Aid.

Second, I've been living with my air cleaner being partially broken since I've had the car. Maybe it's different when all three of the mounting points are usable (the rear mounting point had broken off prior to me getting the car), but I've been replacing the rubber mounts fairly regularly, and on the center (outboard) one, I get maybe 500 miles of use out of it before it breaks. The mounts may be cheap, but it's an annoyance (especially in the couple of instances where the threads have been damaged prior to the rubber breaking) and in all honesty I'm getting tired of it.

Third, if I were to stick with the OEM setup, I would need to replace my air cleaner housing. There's a nice crack at one point where the housing's been hitting the valve cover, and I'm amazed that my valve cover isn't damaged in that spot. I could get a replacement housing from a junkyard, but IMHO it's more trouble than it's worth, and given the junkyards around here, I doubt that it would be all that cheap.

Lastly, I figure that the more direct of a route the air flow to the turbo is, the better. This may not increase power by itself, except that it may allow the turbo to spool up somewhat faster. It might also lower EGT's by allowing more air to get into the engine. While some open-element setups have the filter going directly onto the turbo housing, I agree that that's not the best setup simply 'cause you're sucking hot air. However, the setup that TomJ had pictured had the air filter offset slightly so that it's forward and to the passenger's side of the turbo, so the air won't be as hot. Also, the filter had a connection so that the factory intake hose (the one going from the "ram-air" to the air cleaner) could be utilized.

So, the open-element setup would eliminate the mounting problems with the air cleaner (AFAIK, I'm not alone in having problems with this setup) as well as eliminating the U-shaped pipe going from the air cleaner to the turbo intake and making for a straighter shot. Do I have my info wrong? Either way, why don't you like the setup? I will admit to not really wanting a K&N filter, but I think that paper cone filters exist; I just have to find one. Even if I used a K&N, I think it's about the same price as the bracket for the OEM setup, and everything else I would need could be gotten pretty cheaply at OSH or the Home Despot. So, given what I would need to replace, I don't think that sticking witht the OEM setup would even be cheaper in the short run, and it certainly wouldn't be in the long run...

Or do I have it all wrong? Not trying to be facetious; I really want to know...

Thanks!