With hot summer temperatures here in Arizona, I noticed my boost to be much lower and the car felt more sluggish overall – I read reviews on the 034 Motorsports Turbo Inlet Pipe from a few other B7 Audi A4 owners and thought I’d give it a whirl – it’s definitely worth the $75! While the differences are subtle at first – a slightly more noticeable spooling sound and possibly spooling a few hundred RPM sooner – the real difference is when the car has been running a while and the engine bay gets super hot – I’ve noticed less of a loss in power after long drives or track days, which is AWESOME and worth the $75 itself. The 2.0 FSI tends to have really bad heatsoak in our cars – you can run the car for just 5 minutes and its already hot enough in there to roast a chicken. Anything to help the engine breathe easier when it gets so hot is worth it in my eyes.
You can see in the picture above that the new product doesn’t have all of the bends and accordian style tubing the OEM inlet pipe does – it’s also silicone which is less prone to collapse and flex in high temperatures than the cheap rubber/plastic compound used by Audi and is a more efficient design. It also looks a lot nicer!
Install was a snap – you only need a screwdriver and some pliers, and it shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes even for novices. Make sure your engine has cooled down first before attempting to do this, there are a lot of very HOT parts in this area! In the pictures you’ll see my Carbonio Intake but the instructions are the same for an OEM air box as well. As always, attempt this at your own risk and I’m not responsible for any damages or problems, I’m just providing this install guide as a reference only!
First remove the plastic air intake from the grille to the airbox so you can access everything.
Then remove the OEM clamps on either end of the OEM plastic inlet pipe. Be careful not to drop ANYTHING in the piping as that will go directly into your turbo then get shredded up and spewed into your engine!
Next grab the new silicone pipe, install one end to the turbo and the other end to the air box and secure the hose clamps – I opted for the hose clamp upgrade and its definitely worth it – the OEM hose clamps are a pain to deal with. You’ll thank yourself when you go to change your air filter out…
This pipe works with the Carbonio airbox just fine, you just have to install the pipe first with the Carbonio loose and out of place – then adjust the Carbonio to tuck under the fender and hood only after you’ve got the silicone inlet pipe fully fastened and tightend on both ends. Once you’ve got the Carbonio fit back into place, just insert your air intake pipe back on and you’re done!
And last but not least, a picture of me really testing this thing out at Inde Motorsports Ranch in Willcox, AZ in about 85 degree heat. It’s an amazing 2.5 mile course with off camber turns, elevation changes, etc. I think the improved inlet pipe helped sustain performance as the engine temperatures grew hotter and hotter and most importantly I had a lot of fun!
Dude! You’re the Fu*kin man! You’re cars beautiful. I have one just like yours except non s line and awd. Your blog is great. Keep up the good work. Ill be doing this tommorrow. Can’t wait!
Thanks Anthony! I really appreciate it! Happy modding!
Nice setup man !! Your DIY guides really help!! can this DIY be applied to the B6 1.8T Setup ? I have the Carbonio intake as well and im looking to change both throttle body and turbo inlet pipe
Thanks!!
To be honest, I’m not sure if it would apply to the B6 or not – the best way to find out would be to email 034 – they’re very repsonsive. I emailed them prior to ordering and they confirmed it would work and gave me a few pointers for the install (which I then included in my DIY for installing it). I doubt the B6 is much different, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to double check fitment & installation before ordering 🙂
Hey NICK i just ordered the intake but this inlet pipe u posted w the link, is that the exact pipe that i should buy? Like that link above take me directly to it right?
and also did u buy the clamps too? or just the hose
sorry bro and one more thing. what did u think about the red one?
I bought the clamps too an definitely recommend them, the OEM clamps are a huge Pain to work with, so the install is much easier with the 034 clamps. You can’t really see the pipe much but if ya want it red then go for it!
Correct tht link will take you right where you new to go.
thank nick i just stuck w black. looks sleek. I installed the entire thing intake and pipe just finished it. only thing it says in the installation inst at the end to let the car idle for five to ten minutes right. So i did and i walked away for a few minutes and when i came back it was smoking a bit. Is that normal? What is it? So i looked around and i couldnt tell exactly where it was comming from my car def never smoked before i put this whole thing in. I turned the car off and then tryed again and after a few minutes it started again. Only not as much this time and then it just went away. And i left it on for half hr and never came back. It was the weirdest thing. Only i havent driven the car yet even though it stoppped i was scared until i talked to someone. What do u think?
Dave,
Can you pinpoint where the smoke was coming from? If it was coming from the area that you installed the inlet pipe in, is it possible you dropped something in the pipe, or in the turbo? Or, is it possible you got anything wet, or dropped any fluids anywhere?
You could remove it and reinstall it to make sure nothing fell in the pipe, intake or turbo if you’re worried about it. A simple changing of a plastic/silicone pipe should not cause smoking….
Yah i know it shouldnt have been smoking. I dont get it. Ive had my cra for a while now and i taKE good care of it and its def never smoked anywhere in the engine bay. But yah i saw it comming from the area where the inlet is i thought for a second that was it but it wasnt. or didnt seem to be. it actually looked like it was comming from around this long piece thats next to inlet that sits below the spark plugs but above the engine. i thought i saw it seeping out from there. But no way no how did i drop anything in the turbo i was careful. What do u think
damn dude i just took it for as ride i just took it for a ride anyway. I like it. pretty cool. Almost like a whooshinggg sound its rad. What do u think about it. I def dont think its very noticable unless ur listening for it but it does sound cool. Kinda seems a bit more stable when it switches gears. Not stable wrong word but more consistant doesnt sputter i dont know. Oh i wanted to ask u too. The front piece of the oem scoop that connects to the carbon fiber one right. So that second piece thats almost like a slinky its the extension that actually fits into the carbon fiber scoop, when i feel under it theres like a but of a gap. On the top it looks fine looks like it fits perfectly but when i put my hand on the other side that u dont see i can a gap between that oem slinky piece where it connects to the apr scoop. IS THAT NORMAL? And theres really no way to make it fit perfectlly to where its complelty closed i tryed and theres a little gap no matter how i try to fit it. Is that normal? Does urs have that too?
Dave I’m not totally sure on that one. I wouldn’t be surprised. Make sure the front end of that plastic intake is fitting in to place correctly into the grille/front supports, there is a groove it kind of snaps into, and if that is out of alignment the rest of the intake will be too.
well it cant fit any other way really i actually had trouble when they say to assemble the entire thing together and lower it in so i split it up and did it that way. but the front end cant fit any diff i found the slot it back into and put the screws back in and they went in perfectly. ony thing is the oem flexible middle piece. it fits its just theres a little gap on the bottom and it shifts a little it doesnt see to be a perfect fit in that carbon fiber slot
Love the DIY/Review man. Gonna pick mine up tomorrow and have it installed along with the revo tune thursday, can’t wait to see how my cars gonna perform now!
Awesome, the tune should make a big difference. The Turbo Inlet Pipe is a nice touch too, but the tune is the big power adder!
I found one thats a little cheaper its only $70. http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B7_A4-Quattro-2.0T/Engine/Turbocharger/ES2848069/
Thanks Nick,
just ordered my intake hose for my wife’s A4 b8 quattro with Unitronic Flash