After removing snow grate, I noticed improved spool & improved torque btw 1500-2000rpm. Car also shifts up 200rpm lower than before - improved torque?
I couldn't comment about the lowered shift points. Mine were tuned immediately so the shift points were already adjusted.
And to others, look at the snowgrate, it is a restriction in the intake track, personally I think it's an air silencer anyway, if you're getting snow that far into the intake there are bigger design problems, but anyway, it's a restriction in the intake tract, and a filter is also a restriction in the intake tract, a paper filter more so than a higher flowing/more porous filter. The oem box is NOT a restriction on stock turbo applications!
As any aftermarket cai, loses the snograte, and replaces the factory paper filter with a higher flowing more porous filter, it makes sense to remove it on the oem intake AND replace the paper filter with a higher flowing filter, when going for performance. If both these things are done, the difference between an aftermarket intake and the "modified" oem intake are negligible, performance wise. It's that simple, and it's been proven numerous times by the end customers in their cars measured at the track in times and mph.
Claims aftermarket cai manufacturers make are questionable at best but even if somewhat accurate, they are comparing their intake vs the oem box, paper filter, and snograte restriction left in place. Ever wonder why you never see any manufacturer compare their intake to the oem intake without snograte and a drop in high flow panel filter??? I don't I know the answer, and so do they, which is why they'll never do it and show the results publicly.
Or u can believe the marketing machine selling you fools gold for $300-1500+ Dollars, or you can spend $50 on a filter and throw away the snograte while your changing it.
And to the future smartass who will point out that I'm running a vwr600 intake, per my mods in my signature, I got it for free, so of course I'm running it, my other R 2016 is ecu/tcu UM tuned, drop in K&N filter only with the snograte removed.
