Pipercross GR86 Intake kit

Pipercross Toyota GR86 Full Intake System

The Pipercross Intake System has been designed and engineered to directly replace the OEM airbox and corresponding intake plumbing on the Toyota GR86 with the 2.4L boxer engine

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

• Large filter heatshield
• Bespoke Pipercross cylindrical air filter featuring 23% filtration surface area increase
• Thick-walled silicone intake hose for optimal internal airflow
• Stainless steel hardware for long-term corrosion protection
• Designed, prototyped and iteratively refined using latest 3D scanning and CAD technology
• flow tested to confirm 95.61% maximum, 89.45% average airflow restriction decrease vs. full OE intake system
• Dyno tested with increases of +15.6 WHP & +12.49 ft.-lbs. WTQ maximum power gain

OEM INTAKE ASSESSMENT

The OEM intake system on the Toyota GR86 2.4L engine has several hallmark features that exemplify the simplistic and functionally focused engineering expected of Toyota vehicles. While this intake design ethos serves the 2.4L boxer engine well in most all scenarios, it also presents several opportunities to enhance both the sound and performance of the engine, through select intake modifications.

The Pipercross engineering team identified the OE intake filtration media type/total surface area, OE airbox and the convoluted intake hose as areas of potential system performance improvement. Additionally, the elimination of the OE sound suppression chamber was slated as a design goal, purely to enhance the engine intake sound. Alternatively, the OE fresh-air ducting, OE airbox mounting points/grommets and OE MAF sensor location were deemed critical to maintain/reproduce in the Pipercross kit - based on specific part size/functionality and Pipercross engineers’ experience with overall performance intake design across a multitude of chassis/engines.

Filtration media/surface area was to be improved via a custom cylindrical, foam-based air filter. The OE airbox was to be wholly replaced with an aluminium heatshield, utilising the OE fresh-air ducting as well as OE mounting points/grommets. The OE intake hose was to be reproduced as a silicone intake hose, to maintain proper flexibility and retain the heat-resistant properties of the OE hose. All Pipercross components were to be maximised within the space, without compromising clearance standards or repositioning the MAF sensor (relative to the throttle body) – all required for the long-term functionality/durability of the Pipercross kit and the 2.4L boxer engine.

AIR FILTER

The heart of the Pipercross intake kit is the Pipercross cylindrical air filter. This filter utilises Pipercross’ time-tested and proven air filter construction methods to achieve the targeted airflow performance of the kit, while maintaining the OE-tier air filtration required for the long-term health of the engine. The bespoke Pipercross foam mesh blend strikes the perfect balance between increased flow and air filtration, while the coated steel backing and formed-then-coated aluminium base draws from decades of successful in-house Pipercross filter manufacturing. Furthermore, the filter provides a mounting location for the MAF sensor, to locate the sensor in the same position as OE (relative to the throttle body). This further ensures the long-term health of the engine, via correct air metering and resulting fuelling/ignition timing values. To increase intake performance, the Pipercross filter increases filtration surface area 30% over the OE panel filter - serving as the foundation for all performance enhancements of the kit.

HEATSHIELD

The Pipercross GR86 heatshield was meticulously designed to accommodate the largest air filter possible, while adhering to all other original design specifications set forth. The heatshield is CNC laser cut from corrosion-resistant 2mm aluminium sheet, then powder coated for additional corrosion resistance/aesthetic appeal. Functionally, the part utilises all engine bay volume provided by the OE airbox, completely partitioning the large 189mm filter from ambient engine heat while maintaining OE MAF sensor positioning relative to the throttle body. To further increase filter performance, the Pipercross shield utilises the underside of the bonnet as a part of the heatshield (via EPDM bulb edge trim) while also continuing the use of the OE fresh-air ducting. This design creates a semi-closed container around the filter, that is consistently supplied by fresh external air and supplemented by a pressure relief feature. The CNC laser-cut logo at the back of the Pipercross part acts as this pressure relief for the enclosed volume, preventing any high-pressure buildup from the external air supply (which can briefly restrict the air available to the engine under low engine load conditions). This semi-closed, vented configuration also offers an excellent blend of intake sound. The cylindrical filter, removal of the OE resonator and heatshield pressure relief all amplify engine intake sound, while the enclosed style heatshield slightly damps this amplification, just enough to produce subtle, performance-focused intake noise during everyday driving.

INTAKE HOSE

The Pipercross intake hose compliments the performance features of the air filter and heatshield, rounding out the overall performance of the Pipercross kit. The thick-walled, silicone construction of the Pipercross hose is both more heat resistant and more flexible than alternative aluminium hard pipe options. The thermal resistance of this part is crucial in the GR86 application, to manage intake air temperatures during aggressive vehicle operation. The OE intake hose also features this type of heat-resistant polymer construction (though the flow-destabilising flexible convolutions are eliminated with the Pipercross part). Similarly, the Pipercross hose mimics the flexible characteristics of the OE hose, ensuring other Pipercross/OE parts do not contact or bind during significant engine movement. Unlike the OE hose, the exterior of Pipercross part is finished in a smooth, gloss black with a prominently featured white logo - adding a level of “OEM+” aesthetic to any GR86 engine bay.

DETAILS

The subtle details of the Pipercross Intake Kit are what elevate it beyond the competition. The Pipercross heatshield utilises the OE vibration-damping airbox chassis mounts, in addition to fixed mounting points (via additional bolt-on brackets) for part stability and trouble-free operation throughout the life of the vehicle. All stainless-steel hardware is provided to ensure corrosion, oil and other adverse engine bay environmental factors have no effect on the Pipercross kit’s function or aesthetic – no matter how hard the vehicle is driven.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

All Pipercross products are designed in-house, utilising the latest 3D-printing, 3D-scanning, CAD, CFD, airflow testing and performance testing product development technologies. The Pipercross GR86 Intake Kit saw several design stages/iterations, to integrate the largest air filter and heatshield possible, while maintaining required design criteria. Bench airflow testing was conducted on the full OEM intake system and multiple Pipercross prototype intake design iterations, using Pipercross’ in-house, custom designed and built airflow test apparatus inside a controlled environment. Performance testing of the OEM and final OEM+/open cone Pipercross intake designs was completed at a third party, independent, environmentally regulated Dynojet dynamometer cell; to ensure unbiased, final performance gain data was captured.

AIRFLOW TESTING DATA

Two intake configurations were tested on Pipercross’ in-house, custom built stationary airflow test apparatus to acquire final performance data for the Pipercross kit. To develop an initial performance benchmark, the full OE intake system (complete OE airbox, filter and intake hose) was flow tested to a maximum airflow value of 759 CFM. The entire Pipercross intake system was then tested, to gauge the resulting airflow and performance increase.

The graph below summarizes the results of this testing and serves to confirm the performance benefit of the Pipercross intake kit. In addition to the 95.61% maximum/89.45% average decrease in airflow restriction, the Pipercross intake can also support airflow values up to 1,022 CFM (to the OE kit’s maximum 759 CFM), allowing sufficient airflow for any number of future engine performance upgrades.

PERFORMANCE TESTING DATA

As detailed above, the final configuration of the Open Cone GR86 Intake Kit was tested on an unmodified 2023 Toyota GR86, to acquire data on the actual performance gained by the Pipercross kit. This testing was conducted utilising a third-party, independent Dynojet dynamometer within a temperature and airflow-controlled test cell. To ensure the data captured only quantifies the performance of the Pipercross intake; only the intake systems were changed between tests. Additionally, all tests were conducted on the same day, within the same cell and the vehicle was allowed to cool between testing sets.

The data graphed shows the average of three runs for both the complete OE intake system, as well as the complete Pipercross Open Cone Intake system. As the data confirms, the Pipercross intake provides considerable performance increases throughout the engine speed range, with the largest gains yielded at the end of the range (to be expected, given the 2.4L naturally aspirated engine). Additionally (and not clearly demonstrated in the data provided) is the consistency at which both the OE and Pipercross intakes performed. Each intake configuration posted data within ~5% for all three testing runs, indicating that both the OE and Pipercross intake configurations are markedly resistant to the adverse effects of high engine bay temperatures (which is likely not the case for some competitor intakes with aluminium plumbing components).

MANUFACTURER:

PIPERCROSS

Manufacturer Part Number:

PK447

Quantity Per Package:

1

Filter type:

Air Intake