k + n air filter

chriscarterstevens · Post by **chriscarterstevens** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:34 pm

hi chaps,

is there any merit in putting a k + n air filter on a bx 14 tge?

i have sourced one and the car needs a service in any case

DavidRutherford · Post by **DavidRutherford** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:40 pm

Other than the fact that you can wash it out rather than changing it each time, no.

Certainly you won't get "!WOW! +200% BHP's!!" as any seller on eBay will try to claim.

chriscarterstevens · Post by **chriscarterstevens** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:44 pm

righty ho, thats settled, possibly worth £25 quid asking price?

also, re: exhaust where are you located?

thanks

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:46 pm

Not really. It'll sit on the carb at the back of the engine bay and suck in as much hot air as it can, which will lose you power

It is less restrictive than a standard airbox however, but with respect the standard BX 14 TU carb can't pass enough air to allow the engine to suck much more in....it's tuned for economy.

The AX GT/205 XS which used the same engine had a twin-choke carb fitted with bigger water-cooled inlet manifold, which at full throttle could pass alot more air than the BX unit. So putting the filter on that could provide a small improvement....provided you can channel all the hot air away.
Not easy when it sits at the highest point, at the back of the back bay

On a TU, just ensuring it's freshly serviced, and making sure the valve clearances are right will give you as much performance as it'll be willing to deliver. TU's are bomb proof and delightfully simple, so there aren't usually any reasons for them to lose power. If they do, it's nearly always the carb.

To realise power in the BX 14, you could.....

Fit the AX GT carb and inlet fannymould to the BX. They're easy enough to source and a bolt-on part. Not getting into max power type territory with BHP figures, but a BX 14 left the factory with around 72bhp. The AX GT has 85bhp and 88lb ft of torque. Some would argue the cam is different....truth be told I'm really not sure myself yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Otherwise the engine is the same. The gearbox on a BX is taller though, and the car carries an extra 200kg or so over an AX GT, so don't expect 0-60mph in less than 9 seconds

However a claim that it would keep up with a 16 or possibly an average TD would be a fair one IMO, having owned a car running this spec.

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:53 pm

Oh, and as far as having to declare you have a "modified" car goes, provided you use a standard airbox system (which in fairness would be the ideal way really) the engine bay will look no different, and if you were unfortunate enough to be involved in a completely unrelated RTA I'd bet my entire bank balance there isn't an insurance engineer/assessor in the world who'd notice/care enough to notice the small alteration. I would even bet if you outwardly told them, they still wouldn't care as chasing up an investigation into it is not worth their time.

A V6 lump? They probably would, and you probably would crash! A small carb....no. They'll write the reg no down on the claim fax, copy the chassis number and mark "T/L" next to it without asking anyone else. They'll probably mark it as an AX or ZX too....they really don't pay any attention to any automatic T/L unless the car was a stolen recovered. This is assuming you let your car go to the bodyshop after such an event!

I'm not telling you to go and get in trouble or bend the rules, but life is too short etc.....

chriscarterstevens · Post by **chriscarterstevens** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:54 pm

thanks sir kitch

sounds like my next job!

needs a wee bit more power

chriscarterstevens · Post by **chriscarterstevens** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:57 pm

any ideas where i could source said parts?

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:57 pm

Well I've got an AX GT head here with the cam in if you need it. I can give it to Doc on the weekend if you want?

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:58 pm

Try ebay or AXownersclub for the carb and inlet. Be wary though...some carbs need rebuilding as the jets wear meaning they don't perform as well as they should, or in some cases (like mine!) at all.

chriscarterstevens · Post by **chriscarterstevens** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:00 pm

wouldnt be entirely sure what to do with it

it will get fitted one way or another, how many 'bank of england beer tokens would you like'?

ta muchly

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:12 pm

Don't worry about it, it owes me nothing anyway and I'll never have a need for it.
You'll find bits on the AX forum go very cheap too.

This was the engine bay on my last AX GT:

Looks similar to yours, but the carb is slightly bigger, and the plastic bellows that goes from airbox to carb is slightly larger and smooth....the ribbed ones are smaller.
Has fancy plugs, a Raceland 4-2-1 exh manifold/downpipe, Piper Group N exhaust, Catcams fast road cam, ported and polished head with a light skim. It made 106bhp on the rollers, and cost less than £400 to get to that spec.

I'm so tempted one day to build a 1400 BX that will keep up with a valver.

It wouldn't be as hard as people might think though.

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:14 pm

Forgot to say that the air intake is a larger modified type that sucked air from down behind the front bumper, and the air filter was indeed a K&N but it was the replacement panel filter, which is altogether a better bet (although it came with it....I'd question the effectiveness over an OE one for the extra money they cost new)

When you get to these levels of engine play...best to let the ol' friendly insurers know so they can rip you off some more

chriscarterstevens · Post by **chriscarterstevens** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:19 pm

well, id be tempted by a valver beating bx14 tge.

fancy getting involved?

wont be long before were both nailed to the baby changing mat

hee hee[/b]

chriscarterstevens · Post by **chriscarterstevens** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:31 pm

kitch,

the following number plates are available at dvla for £390 all in:

C17 TGE

and

C17 BXC

a bargain methinks

Mike E (uk) · Post by **Mike E (uk)** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 12:04 am

If you do fit an AX GT carb, I have one of those K&N filters Kitch mentions.

It came off my 205 XS, and it was an improvement.

You need to change one carb jet up a size to keep the mixture correct.

(I wish I had kept the whole engine when the car got written off, would have make a great economy BX)

Mike