[I put on the shades so I won't be blinded by any flames]

The 4.5, 3.8, and 5.6 engines with CIS have a GIANT air filter housing with a GIANT air filter element, the rear 1/3 of which is totally blocked from flowing any air by the fuel distributor. I'm wondering if approaches used on other cars might be better (blasphemy, I know!).

1. After removing the stock filter element, what would be the effect of hanging a cone shaped filter on the end of an extended air snorkel so the air the intake gets hasn't been warmed as it passed through the radiator? Example: ricer rockets.

2. Using the stock air filter element but modifying the hood and air cleaner lid so air from above the hood could be ducted into the air cleaner housing (snorkel removed and resulting opening blocked off), what effect would the extra intake air pressure have on the CIS? Example: '70s muscle cars with cowl induction.

Rainy day, curious mind, Devil's playground, etc.

With the cones on the end of the snorkels,I've seen it done.. The effect, couldn't tell ya. However, I disagree that the air is warmed "by passing through the radiator." Those scoops go around the side of the radiator, not through it. On older cars like the 450s, those scoops weren't even there, with the intake opening being inside the hood. Let's say those scoops weren't there and all the air on 116 and 117 motors was being brought in from inside the engine compartment, wouldn't you say that that air would be a heck of a lot warmer than the air that is being brought in from behind the grille? I guess you could position the scoops lower away from the radiator, but then you would run into the problems BMW has had with water being sucked into the engine and then ruining it. So I think MB has about the most efficient setup as far as where the air is being initially sucked in. The airbox, I think the only thing that could have been improved is the shape and volume. But since no aftermarket items like that are made, we're pretty much stuck.

Cutting an opening in the hood like a 70s muscle car...hmm. I guess if you made some system like a pressurized airbox, kind of like a ram-air you might see some results. But with a stock motor, the results probably won't be drastic enough to warrant cutting apart a perfectly good MB!

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'86 420SE Euro
904 Midnight Blue, Gray Velour
Dad bought it new, now I own it.

"A Mercedes-Benz is like a fine wine, it only gets better with age."

Nice picture, but those snorkels aren't extended as I was asking about.

I'm thinking of a 6' long snorkel if necessary to go from the air cleaner housing to the front of the engine, through the radiator support panel (as in a 560SL), with the cone style air filter between the radiator and grill (or some such place).

My concern in both the long snorkel plus cone option and the cowl induction option is that the CIS will get confused by colder air, more air, higher pressure air, or whatever might be different.

If you figure out something, PLEASE post it ASAP because I'd like to get as much filtration for my baby as I can too! So far it seems kinda limited but I'm sure something can be done (I just don't know)

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1997 E320
1986 560SEL
1983 300SD
1972 220D
1970 250C SOLD
1971 250C SOLD

This photo shows where the (unheated) fresh air enters on a 560SL (a rectangular opening just left of the top corner of the headlight surround and another the same size below the first one). Those two openings feed into a funnel, then into a single 3" diameter tube which connects to the driver side snorkel of the air cleaner (SL's do not have a passenger side snorkel).

And this shows the funnel and extension tube from the other side of the radiator support.

If the tube were extended through the radiator support instead of being attached to the funnel (hole in radiator support might need to be rounded and enlarged a bit), a cone filter could be hung on the end, between the radiator and grill. That's what I've been meaning by the phrase "air the intake gets hasn't been warmed as it passed through the radiator."

And regarding the other idea (cowl induction), there's no reason to cut up a steel (or aluminum) MB hood when it would be pretty simple to make a fiberglass (or carbon fiber, if you can afford it) copy and cut the holes needed for cowl induction in that.

So now that both ideas are understood (I hope), would either be expected to produce better results or cause any serious problems with the 117 motor's CIS when compared to what comes stock?