Subaru Enthusiasts Car Club of the Sierras - View Single Post - GrimmSpeed MAF Block Off Plate

knucklesplitter · 2009-07-07, 09:02 AM

Nice product. I almost came out with the same thing but decided there wasn't enough demand for it. The blow-thru MAF thing has kinda peaked IMO, but still it is nice to have this piece available. The speed density crowd are also potential customers for this too.

Couple important comments:

I think the curved end to help flow is silly overkill. Consider a couple things... What diameter is it curved for - 65mm, 70mm, 73mm, 76mm, 83mm? Also more importantly what depth is the curve at, as you will find intakes vary quite a bit from size to size and manufacturer to manufacturer? I have 50+ part numbers for intakes and I can tell you that what works for the stock intake will not work for others. This is pretty nitpicky and it would be easy for somebody to just sand or grind down the end or add stacks of washers under the plate.
The shaft looks way too long. It will protrude into the airstream on many (if not most) aftermarket intakes, and that kinda negates the whole curved-end advantage. It will surely protrude into a LegacyGT stock intake (which is 70mm) - prolly almost 1/8". On an APS 70mm intake it will protrude almost 1/4". On a KSTech 73mm intake it would protrude more than 1/4" into the airstream. The curved end won't help in these (many) cases.
The location of the o-ring is too far down the shaft. When people grind down the end so that it doesn't protrude into the airstream they will sometimes need to grind farther than the o-ring groove and that is a problem. Stacking washers under the plate to raise it up is a better option than grinding. The location of the o-ring will also cause sealing problems on many aftermarket intakes anyway because it is down near the hole in the tubing which is rough cut before the machined flange is welded on.
Basically based on the points above, I think this piece will only work without modification on the stock WRX/STi intake (which is 99.99% never used on BTM or SD cars that need it) and some aftermarket 65mm intakes. It will protrude a little on KSTech 65mm intakes and probably on the APS 65mm and AEM CAIs. It will protrude on any LegacyGT 70mm intake, both stock and aftermarket. It will protrude on all "big MAF" aftermarket intakes like the KSTech, Perrin, and APS. I could be wrong, but keep in mind I have every intake mentioned here in my office within 10 feet of where I am sitting right now.
Based on the above I would include washers and instructions on how to stack them to get the piece's fancy "logical" curved end out of the airstream. If people start grinding then some will run into trouble with the o-ring. This all takes more than the 2 minutes quoted to do btw. Personally I think this is kinda cheesy and it would have been better to keep the shaft short (and flat to save cost) to work for all intakes without the trouble.

Oh, and that's a nifty logo but personally the first thing I would do is hit it with the belt sander or spray can to get rid of it.

2009-07-07, 09:02 AM	#3
knucklesplitter EJ205 Real Name: Matt Taylor Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cousin-Fck, Carolina Posts: 1,474 Wish in one hand and sht in the other...	Nice product. I almost came out with the same thing but decided there wasn't enough demand for it. The blow-thru MAF thing has kinda peaked IMO, but still it is nice to have this piece available. The speed density crowd are also potential customers for this too. Couple important comments: I think the curved end to help flow is silly overkill. Consider a couple things... What diameter is it curved for - 65mm, 70mm, 73mm, 76mm, 83mm? Also more importantly what depth is the curve at, as you will find intakes vary quite a bit from size to size and manufacturer to manufacturer? I have 50+ part numbers for intakes and I can tell you that what works for the stock intake will not work for others. This is pretty nitpicky and it would be easy for somebody to just sand or grind down the end or add stacks of washers under the plate. The shaft looks way too long. It will protrude into the airstream on many (if not most) aftermarket intakes, and that kinda negates the whole curved-end advantage. It will surely protrude into a LegacyGT stock intake (which is 70mm) - prolly almost 1/8". On an APS 70mm intake it will protrude almost 1/4". On a KSTech 73mm intake it would protrude more than 1/4" into the airstream. The curved end won't help in these (many) cases. The location of the o-ring is too far down the shaft. When people grind down the end so that it doesn't protrude into the airstream they will sometimes need to grind farther than the o-ring groove and that is a problem. Stacking washers under the plate to raise it up is a better option than grinding. The location of the o-ring will also cause sealing problems on many aftermarket intakes anyway because it is down near the hole in the tubing which is rough cut before the machined flange is welded on. Basically based on the points above, I think this piece will only work without modification on the stock WRX/STi intake (which is 99.99% never used on BTM or SD cars that need it) and some aftermarket 65mm intakes. It will protrude a little on KSTech 65mm intakes and probably on the APS 65mm and AEM CAIs. It will protrude on any LegacyGT 70mm intake, both stock and aftermarket. It will protrude on all "big MAF" aftermarket intakes like the KSTech, Perrin, and APS. I could be wrong, but keep in mind I have every intake mentioned here in my office within 10 feet of where I am sitting right now. Based on the above I would include washers and instructions on how to stack them to get the piece's fancy "logical" curved end out of the airstream. If people start grinding then some will run into trouble with the o-ring. This all takes more than the 2 minutes quoted to do btw. Personally I think this is kinda cheesy and it would have been better to keep the shaft short (and flat to save cost) to work for all intakes without the trouble. Oh, and that's a nifty logo but personally the first thing I would do is hit it with the belt sander or spray can to get rid of it. Last edited by knucklesplitter; 2009-07-07 at 09:32 AM.