147 - Autodelta sport intake or K&N (or equivalent)

Hi guys,

Well I'm loving the 147, but as I have done with all my other cars in the past I've been bitten again by the modification bug. (though subtle non garish ones, I'm not a fan of "look at me" mods... though I did shove a rather large turbo charger to my last car )

I have already placed the order for the autodelta exhaust, and I am now looking at air intakes.... After they are both fitted it'll be remapped (from what I read there's a lot of potential from a remap even standard - for example the autodelta ECU remap claims up to 10bhp?! Surely that can't be right... though the raised limiter and fly-by-wire increased responsiveness is appealing).

Anyway, back on track.... I took off the air box for a brief blast just to see how it sounds and it sounds fan-bloody-tastic - so with a decent induction kit/uprated air intake system it'll really howl nicely. Though stock it already makes a wonderful noise.

The autodelta kit isn't badly priced and because it's designed with Alfa's in mind I'm tempted to go that route instead (though I reckon their claim of 5bhp may be a little optimistic). However from my tuning experience in the past (which I have a fair bit) a well fitted and a well designed air intake system does add crispness to throttle response and improved midrange torque - as well as a slight power increase (well so far they have anyway!).

I said above K&N but I'm open to other suggestions too.

Anyone here had experience with the autodelta one or others?

It's a 147 2.0L (not Selespeed).

Coilovers have been ordered. Brakes have already been upgraded - time for power now!

Thanks for your advice and suggestions.

The Autodelta kit does not provide value for money in my opinion, I bought it not really knowing any better and I am planning on replacing it with a CDA + Cold Air Feed this year.

If it's the same kit as your looking at all you get is a Foam Panel filter and a bit of pipe that replaces the cold air feed into the airbox with instructions on how to remove the airbox resonator that keeps it nice and quiet.

Thanks for the input. Where you getting the CDA & cold air feed from?

DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT GET A K&N!

I have nothing against the make but on an alfa it will kill the maf sensor!

Your best bet is a bmc cda intake that takes air from the front grill. Angel tuning sell and fit these and can remap the ts with very impressive results, 14bhp from the remap plus a few from the cda.

Autodelta intake - not worth the cash (its a plastic funnel).

Autodelta remap - way too expensive. Go see reddot in watford when all your other performance mods are done. save over £100 and get a map done to YOUR car and get it tweeked on the rolling road to your needs.

Nice guys at auto delta but products are overpriced for what they are. Better to shop round. Plus If you sign up to AO you will save 10% of your red dot bill (about the same as the membership).

I met with the guys from ramair filters a number of years back.

They told an interesting story...

you are better off with a standard performance panel filter such as K&N, ramair etc in the standard air filter box, as long as you drill lots of holes in the box to get the increased air in. This worked better than a cone filter which would often suck in hot air, even when fed with cold air ducting.

When they fitted one to my car they blew out all the excess oil with an airline - this is probably why the chap above says avoid K&N. The oil will foul the airmass. Ramair filters were covered in oil.

Don't expect any more than 2bhp on a vehicle similar to yours.

The guys who worked at ramair never cleaned there filters, they threw them out after 15k or so and put a new one in.

Everyone complained about a drop in erformance for the first few thousand, then it got better after that. This is due to the excess oil, so blow it out with an airline.

- Summary - Blow off the excess oil, K&N or similar air fine once excess oil is removed. Don't expect anything great other than more noise, cone filters are no better than a properly sorted panel filter on most standard cars.

why pay hundreds when 40quid and an airline will do as good a job?

Thanks for the information, especially with regards to reddot. I shall investigate this further! This is my first N/A in a while but I've always been of the belief that breathing mods are never a bad thing. It's a shame the exhaust manifold is at the front of the engine, but with it being N/A it doesn't require as much heat shielding as good ol' tubby motors IMO and doesn't suffer as much heat soak from my experience.

Since I'm changing the exhaust it makes sense to change the air intake system too, heck even if it's just to release a little midrange torque and make a better noise it's good enough for me.

Thanks for the advice on the autodelta stuff, yeah it does look pricey though the price comparison for a custom made S/S exhaust was negligible so just went with theirs.

Fantastic information in this thread thank you all very much. Oh and don't worry I just said K&N as it's a well known brand and I like to stir emotional responses!

I have a K&N filter in my car and have had no problens at all.I understand what Marko is saying,but i think most problems with these filters are from being over oiled when cleaned.I had a CDA before hand (also an oiled filter) and imo not worth the money.Autodelta do a foam filter that needs no oil for around £35.

I've come to the conclusion that the AD isn't worth it at all from what you're saying.

The CDA is still worth it, though a "home mod" of drilling the airbox with an uprated panel filter is also regarded as a good alternative. Bearing in mind there will be some tuning done surely it's worth getting proper bits of kit?

Originally Posted by marko

DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT GET A K&N!

I have nothing against the make but on an alfa it will kill the maf sensor!

That's a loada bollicks man. I have a K&N panel filter in my Alfa which is 8 years old and I have put 8k miles on the car with the oiled panel filter on it. My father has a 147 2l with a K&N oil panel filter that has done over 70kmiles with it on and we have cleaned it and the MAF is still going strong with nearl 100k miles on the clock

I have a 2.0 ts 156 and like my other cars looked at air filters as the first performance step. I am running with the Autodelta replacement element and have taken the central cone out of the air box and am now getting better fuel economy, better induction noise, without being chavy and better performance. Avoided the K&N route given MAF issues and the fact that the Autodelta filter was cheaper!

I'm getting a CDA and remap from Angel in my 147 on Tuesday next week so i'll let you know the results Will

Originally Posted by Graham P

I'm getting a CDA and remap from Angel in my 147 on Tuesday next week so i'll let you know the results Will

Fantastic - I look forward to hearing your feedback

wouldnt a k&n be better with a prper heat sheild?

I tell you what. Removing the airbox is a pain in the backside job!

She sounds lovely now - with the remap she definitely has more torque and is more responsive throughout the rev range. Just waiting for the exhaust to be delivered and I should be done for a while!