Just thought I'd throw this out for you guys as well, very pleased with everything about it. Keep in mind this is written for a couple local BMWCCA newsletters and websites so don't make fun of the author, me, if it seems a little cheesy or written for the non-car people. With the E36 M3 becoming a true performance bargain and attracting a more "mod-friendly" ownership, we are having some very affordable alternatives to Dinan for modifying our cars. I am on my 6th E36 and I have modified all of them to various states, but every time it becomes cheaper to do so as prices are driven down due to more competition vying for our scratch. My latest M3 is a 1998 M3 convertible with a 5 speed transmission and was completely stock, so I am using this as an opportunity to try out some of the more affordable mods to show just how cheap it is to twist some extra power from the 92+ M50/S50/S52 power plants. This review is on a very affordable intake offered by the Virginia based company Cosmos Racing. I had heard mention of these "cheaper" intakes on several of the more prominent BMW boards and contacted the company president Jerry Crabtree to see what makes his intake different from the others. There really isn't allot of rocket science involved in cold air intakes, the engine works better with more abundant and cooler airflow and there are two key difference in getting it. Both approaches remove the air box and replace it with an open cone style filter but one
places the air filter close to the air flow meter with a clever heat shield sealing the area around it to keep hot engine air from entering the motor. The approach Cosmos Racing takes is similar to the one by Dinan but significantly more affordable. Cosmos Racing uses a longer mandrel bent pipe covered in a heat resistant wrinkle finish that places the large K&N filter down in the engine bay between the frame rail and fender where it can grab the colder and denser air close to the ground as its compressed under the car at speed. The thing that appealed to me about this kit was the larger diameter pipe, 3 3/8" inside diameter, and the 12"+ straight run of pipe that acts like a velocity stack as air is easily drawn into the motor. After talking to Jerry and paying the very reasonable price of $122 I waited a couple days to get the new toy. It came very nicely packaged with just 4 components and instructions with color pictures that make it easy enough that anyone should be able to install. From start to finish it took about 30 minutes to complete with the only real hiccups being the relocation of one of the horns and a busted knuckle. Once finished the car started, idled, and drove through my neighborhood as stock with no CEL's or ill effects. As I goosed the throttle onto a major road I was greeted with a little stronger pull and a little more growl from the engine bay. One of the side benefits of an open element intake is that by removing the air box you are removing a muffling device for valve train noise, you can hear the valves sing once you swing past 3k rpm's. Cruising along in any gear and you are rewarded with a noticeably crisper throttle response and a strong punch when you floor the loud pedal. Cosmos Racing's kit makes the car more responsive and enjoyable to drive while letting the engine breath easier and work more efficiently, to quote Martha "Its a good thing!". The Cosmos Racing 3 1/2" intake kit is a direct bolt on for all E36 6 cylinders and they are likely adaptable to other models, worth the effort for such a low price. Cosmos Racing is an example of the affordable upgrades available for these cars that provide the same tangible benefits of products at 2 or 3 times the price but with less panache. There is still a market for the more expensive products required to maintain warranties and offer a package approach to tuning BMW's but for those of us on a tighter budget, and with no warranty to worry about, companies like Cosmos Racing are there to offer an affordable alternative. The Cosmos Racing intake is a very upscale looking product that looks almost OEM under the hood and sounds great,
check it out and be pleasantly surprised at what you can get for under $200. Contact the president of Cosmos Racing at crabtree2@cox.net for any questions or if you would like to order this product.
