In this blog series we will show you the process of developing an intake for a B48 G20 BMW.
Among others you will read about our 3d scanning, design, test and manufacturing process.
So let's start!
B48 G20 BMW:
B48 G20 is the current 320i BMW. It uses an inline four cylinder turbocharger engine. The perfect playground for performance upgrades!
The part we want to improve is the intake system. Although BMW engineers did an exceptional job designing the intake system of the G20, they had to follow budget, marketing and noise constrains. That means there is plenty of room for development-power, something that all automotive enthusiasts are after.
Strong Points of OEM design:
Medium size airbox.
Large intake pipes.
True cold air system.
Weak points of OEM system:
Unnecessary curves introduced into the system.
Two big resonators.
Not high flow air filter.
Extremely quite!! (weak point for enthusiast)
Doesn't utilizing a second air feed from the wheel well.
Our plan is to eliminate all resonator chambers and create one continues intake pipe from the airbox to the turbo. That not only will increase the induction noise but also it will create a smoother inner air flow eliminating unwanted turbulence.
In total we want to develop 3 products.
PRODUCT 1:
A carbon fiber resonate delete intake pipe combined with a high flow panel air filter.
PRODUCT 2:
A full carbon fiber intake pipe form the turbo to the airbox, integrating all the original vacuum take offs with a high flow panel filter. Billet aluminium inserts will be used as takes off. This version will replace all the intake pipes and resonate chambers but will keep the factory airbox.
PRODUCT 3:
Last version will be a complete redesign of the factory air box, in order to increase airbox volume, utilizing a second air feed from the wheel well, combined with a carbon fiber intake pipe.
Our process:
First we 3D scan the engine bay and the intake components. That way we have all the reference points in our computer.
For better scan quality the engine bay need some prep work. A mat white spray (specific for scanning) is used over the area of interest. This specific spray will disappear after 4 hours, without the use of any water or any effort from the user. It is completely safe to use even inside the interior of vehicles!
For this specific 3D scan we used an Einscan Handheld Scanner. With a maximum resolution of 0.1 mm, it is an ideal portable solution.
*For high end applications (mold inspection, engines etc) where increase resolution is needed we use a portable CMM (0.05mm - 0.03mm). Please contact us for more information.
In total we did 6 scans:
Scan 1: Engine bay.
Scan 2: without the airbox.
Scan 3: without resonator pipe.
Scan 4: OEM Airbox
Scan 5: Resonator pipe
*Photo does not do justice ... it is nearly the size of the airbox !
Scan 6: Part of bonnet.
Actually we only scanned the bonnet area just above the airbox. We did that in order to have a better picture of our limits towards the bonnet. The bonnet is then become a part of an overall assembly with the rest of the scans.
Then we create an assembly from these 3D scans. That way we have all the files in one, but we can hide specific components according our needs.
All these scans ensure we have all the points we need to take from the factory intake system, like:
Brackets, diameters, positions, mounting points, vacuum take offs etc.
Additionally we have a clear picture of interference with the bonnet and the rest of the engine bay.
Product 1:
Carbon fiber resonate delete intake pipe.
So the first product we will release, is a carbon fiber resonator delete pipe. On the left you can see the part we have replaced. This configuration is ideal for people that want to increase a bit the intake noise plus the airflow towards the turbo. The delete resonator pipe will come with a high flow panel filter.
To test and verify the dimensions we did a 3D print model of the resonator delete pipe.
From this dummy model we will create a composite mold.
ABS brackets will be integrated for the cable management as from factory.
Stay tuned for Part 2 , where we will show you the carbon fiber resonator delete pipe and our progress with product number 2 full carbon fiber intake pipe, from turbo to airbox!!