I just had a chance to check this car out at the Wayne Mazda car show and I thought some of you might be interested in the design of its air intake. It uses a conventional air box and panel filter but the box and consequently the filter are mounted vertically instead of horizontally as is the case in most cars. Thus the air flow has a straight shot from the inlet, into the air box, through the filter, into the MAF sensor and on into the intake manifold. The only bend in the system is a gradual one between MAF sensor and throttle body. The air inlet itself is placed ahead of the engine compartment in order to draw in ambient temperature air but no apparent ram effect is utilized.
Contrast this with the number of bends in the Protege OEM system. Three 90 deg bends from air inlet to air box. A fourth 90 deg bend for the air to flow up through the filter and a fifth and final 90 deg bend for the clean air exiting the filter to flow into the MAF sensor.
From a quick inspection of the room available in the Protege engine bay (at least in the M/T cars), lowering and changing the angle of the rubber intake tube between MAF sensor and TB, and possibly changing the intake snorkel as well, would make possible the fitment of a vertically oriented air box and filter. This would eliminate at least two of the 90 deg bends and improve air flow. Why go to all the trouble to do this as opposed to going the AEM or Injen route? Because such a redesigned system would still preserve the function of the Helmholtz resonator and allow a forward facing inlet to take advantage of ambient intake air and any possible ram effect.
It's not likely that anything like this will ever be engineered and produced for our cars but at least it's interesting to learn what other manufacturers do to improve performance and to speculate about possibilities for our own cars.
Contrast this with the number of bends in the Protege OEM system. Three 90 deg bends from air inlet to air box. A fourth 90 deg bend for the air to flow up through the filter and a fifth and final 90 deg bend for the clean air exiting the filter to flow into the MAF sensor.
From a quick inspection of the room available in the Protege engine bay (at least in the M/T cars), lowering and changing the angle of the rubber intake tube between MAF sensor and TB, and possibly changing the intake snorkel as well, would make possible the fitment of a vertically oriented air box and filter. This would eliminate at least two of the 90 deg bends and improve air flow. Why go to all the trouble to do this as opposed to going the AEM or Injen route? Because such a redesigned system would still preserve the function of the Helmholtz resonator and allow a forward facing inlet to take advantage of ambient intake air and any possible ram effect.
It's not likely that anything like this will ever be engineered and produced for our cars but at least it's interesting to learn what other manufacturers do to improve performance and to speculate about possibilities for our own cars.