Cold Air illegal in SCCA street touring (it changes the MAF housing)?

[AtomicRacer]

14.10 ENGINE
Engine and transmission must remain unmodified, including emissions
equipment, except as noted below:

C. The air intake system up to, but not including, the engine inlet
may be modified or replaced. The engine inlet is the throttle
body, carburetor, compressor inlet, or intake manifold, whichever
comes first. The existing structure of the car may not be
modified for the passage of ducting from the air cleaner to the
engine inlet. Holes may be drilled for mounting. Emissions or
engine management components in the air intake system, such
as a PCV valve, or mass airflow sensor, may not be removed,
modified, or replaced, and must retain their original function
along the flow path.



Discuss this please.

-Paul

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[PhilC]

The mass airflow sensor is the part held into the stock intake system by two screws. You remove it from the stock intake and put it unmodified into the new intake where it retains the original function along the flow path. No problems.

[KSwrxWAGON]

Agreed. The intake is before the turbo compressor inlet and is legal in ST*. The MAF isn't altered.

[crystalhelix]

so you could run a big maf because it retains the stock sensor still?

just theorizing..

[fliz]

Originally Posted by crystalhelix

so you could run a big maf because it retains the stock sensor still?

just theorizing..

I would say yes. You're allowed to reprogram the ECU to alter how it reacts to the MAF. The MAF function doesn't change. If you asked for a clarification, this rule is to prevent you from eliminating the MAF and going to a MAP system.

[GSRNick]

You would need clarification on what exactly the mass air flow sensor is. And I assume that would come from your FSM. If the FSM says that the "mass air flow sensor" is simply the wire connector and the wires suspended in the path of the air, then sure you can put it in a bigger housing. But if the FSM says that the housing and wires are all part of the "mass air flow sensor" then you cannot do anything to it at all.

[RacerMike]

Originally Posted by fliz

I would say yes. You're allowed to reprogram the ECU to alter how it reacts to the MAF. The MAF function doesn't change. If you asked for a clarification, this rule is to prevent you from eliminating the MAF and going to a MAP system.

The answer here is no, you may not run a bigger MAF. Search sccaforums.com for MAF in the ST forum. This rule went out for member comment last year and I stood up and flailed my arms because going to a larger MAF is a common upgrade on the M3 and many other cars, but I was apparently the only one who wrote.

Mike

[Snakebot]

Originally Posted by RacerMike

The answer here is no, you may not run a bigger MAF. Search sccaforums.com for MAF in the ST forum. This rule went out for member comment last year and I stood up and flailed my arms because going to a larger MAF is a common upgrade on the M3 and many other cars, but I was apparently the only one who wrote.

Mike

Well, it depends on what you term as a "bigger" MAF. Paul, Terry, Jason and I discussed this issue Sunday. From the looks of it, the MAF sensor section on the E36 M3 is bolted to the "housing" with two torx screws. So following the 14.10.C rule it would be logical to say that the "housing" can be replaced with a larger diameter part as long as you retain the origninal sensor.

But, after researching it today, I discovered that the MAF sensor/housing is NOT available from BMW as seperate parts. This is not the case with the turbo buggys or the RX-8, the SRT-4 uses a MAP so the rule doesn't apply to it.

So the question now is what constitues as the "MAF Sensor". If the sensor itself and the housing is only available from the manufacturer as one assembly should that be considered the "MAF Sensor" or should the "MAF sensor" be considered the whole intake track reguardless of if the sensor is available as a seperate part? It's this that 14.10.C is not clear on.

Personally I think the E36 guys should be allowed to replace the housing with a larger diameter part because it's appears that you can unbolt the sensor from the housing. So, then the housing should be considered a part of the intake track reguardless of the fact that if it's an engine management component or a emissions control component.

I've asked the STAC/SEB for a clarification on all of this.

Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse, but honestly I haven't had the time to keep up with all of the member comment requests lately.

Henry

[TeamRX8]

a subject very near and dear to me heart there really is no need for a clarification

This all came up prior to the new intake wording that went into effect this year. It all boils down to the factory parts system. If it's just a bolt-in sensor that's the part you have to re-use. If the factory replacement part includes an integral housing that's the part you have to use, in it's entirety.

The discussion regarding some vehicles being forced to maintain a restriction in their intake essentially fell on deaf ears. The ST rules still fall back on the Stock rule set. You're not allowed to modify an OE part unless the rule specifically states that you can.

Since BMW considers the housing to be part of the MAF it has to be re-used just as supplied new by the dealer. To do any different will require a rule change, something that most of the decision-makers were not willing to consider at the time. If you want to write a letter to the SEB/STAC, asking for that rule change is the likely subject. I'm not sure that the general feeling has changed since the last time though.

That's part of the reason I dumped the BMW E30 M3 STX project, it has the old flapper MAF that is even more restrictive than the newer ones ... and nobody heeded my advice to write in about it all last year. Silence is an answer too ...

Mark Sipe

[KC]

Who let ^^^ in here? Damn n00bs... think they know everything....

[TeamRX8]

pay attention old dog