What are Induction Kits?

March 24th, 2007 by Shenron

The primary function of an induction kit is to clean air before it is charged into the system of a turbo-charged car. To accomplish this, an induction kit serves as a filter, which screens out dust and other debris from entering the engine. In this manner, it also serves to protect the engine. In the absence of an induction kit, the compressor is attached to a stock air box, which partially restricts airflow preventing a turbo-charged car from achieving its optimum power output. This is a common problem even among induction kit designs, for not only must an induction kit be able to remove impurities from air, but allow sufficient air to flow through it as well, and thus a well made induction is one which is able to filter out dirt effectively, but also allow as much air to pass as possible.

Because the motive behind the installation of an induction kit is increased power, careful consideration must be made to ensure that an appropriate design is used with the internal piping of a car. If installed properly, an appropriate induction kit will lead to improved turbo reel up, throttle’s faster response and superior top end power. If done incorrectly, however, the result is often higher intake heat, poor drivability, lean running, and in some cases even engine damage. For this reason, if a turbo-charged car performs less efficiently with the installation of an induction kit, it is much better to find a more suitable brand or revert back to the stock air box. When a turbo-charger system is installed in a car, usually a standard induction kit already comes with it. An induction kit only works properly if the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) is configured properly with it. This is why in most cases, it is much better to stick with a standard induction kit, than customize with a different one. Several issues must be taken into consideration when choosing the piping layout of system. For one, the air scoop of the induction kit needs to be mounted high enough to prevent it from scooping puddles during wet weather. Secondly, if the piping needs to be modified to work the induction system, the ECU would need to be reconfigured as well.

There are many brands, which provide induction kits for turbo-charged cars. The most popular of which are HKS, Apexi, Blitz, and K&N. Each of these brands costs £200. The HKS design (HKS Mega Flow) is a wet foam type filter made up of multi-layered polyurethane and a special oil to prevent dirt from passing through. Among the four, this brand is known to sell more kits overall and is considered to be the first choice in UK. The Blitz design (Blitz Sus) is a dry metallic mesh type filter, which requires zero maintenance due to the fact that it is metallic and that no oil is used to aid the absorption of dirt. This brand is also widely used in the UK, but only ranks second to HKS in the number of units sold. The current Apexi model (Apexi Power Intake) is an improved version of the Apexi Super Intake Filter. Its design is a dry mesh filter which makes use of a dual funnel in its upper and lower portions. This type of filter also requires zero maintenance. The K&N design (K&N Filtercharger) is made of cotton fabric sandwiched between aluminum screen wires, and is also saturated with oil for more dirt absorption.

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