2.8 30v MAF mod- do it!
I google searched the MAF mod and it brought me to this link
http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?t=233755
Found the proper MAF (part # 078 133 471A) on ebay for $46 w/ free ship and thought what the hell. First I plugged it in to see if it worked. It did. Felt nice and smooth, but after a few days my check engine light came on. So I put the stock maf back on. Light gone after a few hours. I took the new maf to my local small block machine shop had him cut out the metal maf protector inside and bore the hole to 3". He polished it up afterward and only charged me $50 bucks. Took him 40 minutes or so. I installed it immediately and noticed some difference but not as much as now that it is broken in. No codes yet after 3 weeks. The sensor IS now unprotected so be careful not ruin it with an oily filter or debris.
Now bear in mind that I do have a chip tune, intake, and exhaust. AND personally I don't like to get caught up in arguing hp numbers, but I'd say that this thing feels like it added a solid 10-15hp. It's so smooth that I don't feel like I'm going faster but previously my 2nd to 3rd gear shift at about 4000rpm was at 35mph or so. Now it's 42+ and I get more power past 4000rpm whereas before it would flatten out.
I highly recommend this mod for all 2.8 30v owners. YOU CANNOT USE THE STOCK AIRBOX WITH THIS MOD. I have a universal plate maf adaptor with a 3" mouth and an aftermarket cone filter. MY car had a stock Hitachi maf. In the link the guy talks about some velocity stack he charges to do. I didn't do it and it works great.
http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?t=233755
Found the proper MAF (part # 078 133 471A) on ebay for $46 w/ free ship and thought what the hell. First I plugged it in to see if it worked. It did. Felt nice and smooth, but after a few days my check engine light came on. So I put the stock maf back on. Light gone after a few hours. I took the new maf to my local small block machine shop had him cut out the metal maf protector inside and bore the hole to 3". He polished it up afterward and only charged me $50 bucks. Took him 40 minutes or so. I installed it immediately and noticed some difference but not as much as now that it is broken in. No codes yet after 3 weeks. The sensor IS now unprotected so be careful not ruin it with an oily filter or debris.
Now bear in mind that I do have a chip tune, intake, and exhaust. AND personally I don't like to get caught up in arguing hp numbers, but I'd say that this thing feels like it added a solid 10-15hp. It's so smooth that I don't feel like I'm going faster but previously my 2nd to 3rd gear shift at about 4000rpm was at 35mph or so. Now it's 42+ and I get more power past 4000rpm whereas before it would flatten out.
I highly recommend this mod for all 2.8 30v owners. YOU CANNOT USE THE STOCK AIRBOX WITH THIS MOD. I have a universal plate maf adaptor with a 3" mouth and an aftermarket cone filter. MY car had a stock Hitachi maf. In the link the guy talks about some velocity stack he charges to do. I didn't do it and it works great.
i'm going to have to shoot this down. the mod like you said is do at your own risk but the shifting part is wrong. what gear you're in at what speeds is determined by tranny gearing, not how much power you have. just because you have more power with a MAF mod doesn't mean you can shift later or be at a faster speed at the same rpm in the same gear.
again i have nothing against your mod but the speed and gear info is wrong.
again i have nothing against your mod but the speed and gear info is wrong.
okay. I don't doubt that. But without a dyno it was the reference I had to go off of.
Don't knock it till you try it. Many have tried and tested it before me. My intake didn't make much of a difference over the stock box until now. A forum is about sharing, not criticizing, so???
Don't knock it till you try it. Many have tried and tested it before me. My intake didn't make much of a difference over the stock box until now. A forum is about sharing, not criticizing, so???
This has been done before, and can and does work with a stock airbox. If by "metal protector part" do you mean metal MAF screen?
Either way, the purpose of the metal screen is not to protect the MAF sensor, it is to straighten out the air. A Velocity stack(Bell mouth) also straightens out the air, but without restricting the intake (with obvious obstructions in the air path). The MAF needs non-turbulent air to read correctly. Without the screen, many have reported CEL's.
If yours is working with a cone filter, I would guess that internally the cone filter has a sloping edge good enough to straighten out the air. On my other car, I have an HKS intake that is designed as an advanced velocity stack with a filter on it, so it has a dual purpose.
The downside to not using the stock air-box is that without an airbox, you now have a hot-air intake once the car is up to temp. Obviously it's more cost effective to keep the stock one than fabricate a new one.
I'm glad you took the initiative to do some work to the 2.8. The 30v can breathe a lot, it just needs a little work.
Either way, the purpose of the metal screen is not to protect the MAF sensor, it is to straighten out the air. A Velocity stack(Bell mouth) also straightens out the air, but without restricting the intake (with obvious obstructions in the air path). The MAF needs non-turbulent air to read correctly. Without the screen, many have reported CEL's.
If yours is working with a cone filter, I would guess that internally the cone filter has a sloping edge good enough to straighten out the air. On my other car, I have an HKS intake that is designed as an advanced velocity stack with a filter on it, so it has a dual purpose.
The downside to not using the stock air-box is that without an airbox, you now have a hot-air intake once the car is up to temp. Obviously it's more cost effective to keep the stock one than fabricate a new one.
I'm glad you took the initiative to do some work to the 2.8. The 30v can breathe a lot, it just needs a little work.
Personally, I would not run it without a velocity stack. The idea is really old; see vintage carb'd Ferrari race cars with velocity stacks coming out of the hood. By managing the air, you also increase velocity. Just a bigger maf is half the deal.
As for 10-15 hp, I don't think it's out of the question if done properly. No one seems to wonder why the MAF on the 1.8t, 2.8 12v and 2.8 30v all have the same diameter MAF at 2.5"" I.D.(hint, it's cost effective). One guy actually flow tested the 30v and he said it's capable of flowing twice as much as the 12v... but it has the same diameter MAF. It's not an issue for the 1.8T as forced induction over comes the MAF size, mismatched ports etc. But I'm surprised it hasn't struck too many as why a 150 hp car has basically the same MAF as a 190 hp car. With the screen, the usable area is more like 2.12". It's not crazy to see why the car hits a wall at 4000 rpm.
I'm too busy with other crap to take pics of mine, but it's been done before by a lot of guys on Audiworld. Since their changeover, most of the pics are lost though. But the RS3 MAF upgrade is done with the stock airbox and velocity stack. There's also a bored out throttle body and silicone intake... all together it makes a sweet upgrade. Better than a 500 chip IMO. Not just hp, but response it much improved.
As for 10-15 hp, I don't think it's out of the question if done properly. No one seems to wonder why the MAF on the 1.8t, 2.8 12v and 2.8 30v all have the same diameter MAF at 2.5"" I.D.(hint, it's cost effective). One guy actually flow tested the 30v and he said it's capable of flowing twice as much as the 12v... but it has the same diameter MAF. It's not an issue for the 1.8T as forced induction over comes the MAF size, mismatched ports etc. But I'm surprised it hasn't struck too many as why a 150 hp car has basically the same MAF as a 190 hp car. With the screen, the usable area is more like 2.12". It's not crazy to see why the car hits a wall at 4000 rpm.
I'm too busy with other crap to take pics of mine, but it's been done before by a lot of guys on Audiworld. Since their changeover, most of the pics are lost though. But the RS3 MAF upgrade is done with the stock airbox and velocity stack. There's also a bored out throttle body and silicone intake... all together it makes a sweet upgrade. Better than a 500 chip IMO. Not just hp, but response it much improved.
but seriously how can that make sense to you?
its a public forum, of course you're gonna get criticized.


