Who wants a Kip Ewing carbon fiber High Flow Air Filter Box?


ChipBeck

GT Owner
Staff member
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 13, 2006
5,788
Scottsdale, Arizona
Gentlemen,

Now that we've solved the problem of warped clamshell top & side vents, it's time to tackle a bigger problem. Supercharged automobiles are very sensitive to air inlet restrictions. The stock Ford GT airbox with its multiple 90° turns, small filters, and relatively small inlet area, results in a throttle body area vacuum strong enough to partially collapse the very rigid Accufab inlet support on cars running the new Whipple 4.0 L supercharger. A less restrictive/flow bench tested airbox would be an easy source of additional horsepower on all Ford GTs and especially those with high performance modifications.

A trick looking carbon fiber unit engineered by Kip Ewing would be especially desirable. I have contacted Kip and he has agreed, (as soon as time permits), to flow bench test the stock Ford GT airbox and see where improvements can be made. I am most interested in this modification. Who else would be interested?

Below I have copied my original post from the 4.0 L Whipple thread which I forwarded to Kip along with a note and I have also copied Kips response.

Chip
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Hey Kip,

Below is a copy of a post I wrote in the 4.0 Whipple thread. It appears the stock FGT air box is very inefficient/too restrictive. We need a Ewing solution. Can you build us a less restrictive free flowing carbon fiber air box?

Chip
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Gentlemen,

The Ford GT air box is something I am quite surprised has not been addressed by our community up to this point. I am also quite active in the Shelby GT500 and Shelby GT communities. With engines quite similar to our own in the GT500, it is well-known that any decrease in inlet restriction on those supercharged cars will lead to a noticeable increase in horsepower. There is more than enough expertise among Forum members to address this shortcoming on our cars and once a proper ultra low restriction air box is designed I intended to badger our carbon fiber High Dalai Lama, Kip Ewing (Ewing, Inc.), to build it! Add to this the new carbon fiber air intake tube that Kip is going to build for us that will replace the stock rubber unit with Accufab support and I can see a minimum 50 hp increase in our automobiles in addition to the cool carbon fiber visuals these items will provide our engine compartments. Here we go.

Chip
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Hey Chip,

Great to hear from you!

I have been up to my neck in Double DINS and GTX1 roofs.
Too busy to keep my finger on the pulse of the Forum lately.
We'll have this first roof and all the tooling finished this month for the roof.
The double dins are cruising along right now.
Got another new product we are working on that will be pretty cool!

No problem with the air box.
We'd need to set up a stock one on a flow bench and determine what we need to improve from. After that we'd have to play around with the geometry and filters to see what will flow more.

Let me get the tooling for the roofs finished and get caught up on the double dins and we can get into it.

Cheers,
Kip
 
I'll take one!
 
I'd be interested.

Maybe Kip could do the Carbon tube as a short tem fix and the add-on of the full air box at a later date once developed?
 
I problem is not the tube being to limp, thus collapsing, but rather why is there a strong enough vacuum to collapse it. Beside the tube has to have some give to it. The motor moves relative to the air box a stiff tube of CF would fracture in a short time.
 
I'm more excited about the potential 50+ HP than carbon fiber under the clamshell. :cheers
 
Need more air!
 
I problem is not the tube being to limp, thus collapsing, but rather why is there a strong enough vacuum to collapse it. Beside the tube has to have some give to it. The motor moves relative to the air box a stiff tube of CF would fracture in a short time.


'Rubber mounting sleeve at both ends of the 'tube should solve both issues. :wink
 
I'm in for one.
 
My problem is that I like the OEM look. As long as it looks very close to the original I am in, but, I know that will be a challenge for Kip.
 
I'm in for a better airbox that flows more air, carbon fiber or not.
 
Hey, you forgot about Ed!

I've been posting for 3 years about a CF aibox. I've asked Kip also but no one heard me! Yes, I want one. Because of this I should be the first to get one.

Ed
 
Air Box

'Rubber mounting sleeve at both ends of the 'tube should solve both issues. :wink

Yep, that's the solution.

You've got to de-couple the relative motion between the engine and the airbox. There are a lot of high-temp silicone rubber couplings out there that can be adapted. They'll support the relative motion and not collapse under vacuum.
 
It seems to me the two inlets on either end of the air box are a limiting factor. I don't have the measurements off hand but they are only about 3" by 4". I think there needs to be a way of getting more outside air into the air box.
 
Kip, do you have a solution that will provide more filter surface area?
 
Im in for two,So when can he get started lol.

So is that definitely the proplem?
 
Get To Work Kip!

There's no rush Kip but can you get my CF airbox done before the Rally?

Ed

PS There's a beer in there for you if this works out! Hey maybe 2 beers (I'll get Tim C to get you the 2nd one!)
 
There's no rush Kip but can you get my CF airbox done before the Rally?

Ed

PS There's a beer in there for you if this works out! Hey maybe 2 beers (I'll get Tim C to get you the 2nd one!)

Hey Kip,

No pressure there:rofl
 
I'm up for one too! More CF to add to the bill :wink
 
Don't know...

Kip, do you have a solution that will provide more filter surface area?

Untill you figure out what the limiting factor is, it is tough to say.

I've learned to make my mind up slowly and be prepared to be surprised.

The whole thing needs to be studied as a system; from the clamshell through to the throttle body.
 
I am dying laughing...

There's no rush Kip but can you get my CF airbox done before the Rally?

Ed

PS There's a beer in there for you if this works out! Hey maybe 2 beers (I'll get Tim C to get you the 2nd one!)

Don't get your hopes up, brother.....

I am a little busy, right now.

A beer deposit for 2010 would be accepted, however....