Silicone intake hose for 2TR-FE

So I'm sitting around idly looking at stuff related to my old WRX, and a light bulb just went off in my head.

Doesn't this:


Look a heck of a lot like this:


Above is the intake hose off a 2008-2014 WRX, below is the intake hose off 2nd and 3rd Gen Tacomas with the 2TR-FE...

So, that leads me to believe that you just might be able to buy one of these:

(Or any similar brand, I know of Samco, Gimmick, Mishimoto, etc. because it's a very popular application...)
Flip it over, clamp it onto your stock air box, and add a little under hood bling?

I doubt there is any power to be made from it, so let's not go down that rabbit hole...

I'm almost considering buying a second hand WRX OEM part, seeing if it jams onto my 2TR, and if so, getting one of these aftermarket hoses!

 

It'd be interesting to find out

 

Because its... pretty?

 

More durable too, but yeah, mostly for looks.

I dunno what the record is on the OEM Toyota ones, but I know OE elbows can end up tearing at those flex joints.


It's not an isolated thing either. BMW, Acura, Chevy, etc. all have boots that can end up tearing due to fatigue.

Silicon is usually intended for holding aftermarket boost, but it also happens to do quite well without it.

People argue round and round that the flex joints cause turbulence in the air stream, and you can gain power from adding a silicon hose, but I've yet to see any dyno proving it. If it did make a difference on a 4cyl taco it would be on the order of 0.000001%.

 

Epic thread necro from almost 2 years ago...

So I used to own a 2011 WRX, right? And I moved to Arizona and left a lot of stuff behind at my parent's house, which now just got delivered to me.
As fortune would have it I am opening a box labeled "garage" and what else do I see but a slightly-dusty after MAF hose for a 2011 WRX.
Finally, I can put this stupid idea to bed, right??

The footprints are identical.




The hose IDs, while not quite identical, are within ⌀2mm of each other (WRX is larger), which is easy enough for a hose clamp to take up and just makes install a little easier.
This is creepy, straight up creepy how much these parts match each other. The WRX hose is intended to be mounted in the opposite direction, so its little index tabs are mirrored.

SO THEN, will they interchange??
I present to you... probably the first time someone has put a WRX part on a 2TR!!


It's not perfect, stock for stock the WRX hose has a shallower and more pronounced "throat" for indexing the pipe, so the pipe gets slightly crunched up on install and is a bit of a pain. You can see this on the rear connection- the throat does not allow for the pipe to seat all the way down. Aftermarket silicone hoses don't have this issue as far as I remember.

Based on this finding, I'm thinking an aftermarket hose for a 2011 WRX could fit with minimal or no modification. Ain't that random.

So then, I reckon have some black friday shopping for a not-WRX to do.

 

The answer is.... "Sort of!"

So I had to trim about 1/4 off each end of an AVO turbo world silicon hose, but she fits and looks the business. As with all silicon hoses it is a bit of a wrestling match so you don't want to over-trim thinking you aren't getting enough slack. It's not a perfect fit and it will probably make air filter changes require yanking the hose off, but I would say it's nothing unreasonable for these types of hose.
(the air box clips do latch fine, I realized I had left them unclipped when I took this picture)

Power gains aren't a thing with this, I wasn't expecting that, but I could have sworn the truck suddenly got quieter the next time I fired it up... Could just be placebo, but I'd reckon "quieter" wasn't at all on my list of things I might notice so who knows.

And if you wanna do this yourself let me know and I will sell you the appropriate sized hose clamp set for like $5 and shipping, I had to order the stupid things in bulk. They're top quality SS liner style ones that have an extra bit to cover the "bite" of the worm gear slots.

 

This is a cool idea. Not to get to far off the original topic but does anyone know if there is something that would delete this whole section beyond just buying a CAI? Assuming that flat ugly thing over the motor is just some sort of silencer??

 

It does quiet the engine alittle but it's there for more reasons. You'll loose some top end if you remove it

 

Where have you heard that removing a resonator box will make you lose top end? That's certainly new to me.

On a bone stock NA motor with stock filter, you may notice a small negative change in MPG because resonators also help absorb the sound pulses coming from the pressure differential in ambient air vs vacuum from the motor, also affecting the scavenging ability.
Offset this with a higher flow AFE or K&N drop in, and the scavenging ability increases again. There's a reason intakes don't have the resonator, but ALSO a higher flow filter. You're increasing the flow to offset the loss in scavenging from removal of resonators.

 

It's been a while since I've heard it but it had to do with the vacuum created inside the resonator.

 

The vacuum is just the slowed down air as it fills the chamber. There's been plenty of dyno tests on vehicles with the resonators in place and removed (with no filter change) and there hasn't been any negligible performance increase.

I'd leave it unless you want it to look cleaner, which in my opinion it does look much better without.

BUT:
You'd need to get a crankcase breather filter, as it plugs into the back of the resonator.
You'd ALSO need to tap a vacuum fitting into new intake tubing, as that's also fitted to the resonator.
You'd ALSO need to re-mount the MAP sensor for the SAIS, as it's mounted to the resonator.

Long story short? Keep it in place unless you're going with a full intake system that already has these changes provisioned on the tube.

 

Thank you for all the information. I was just curious if anyone had done it, or what it would take. For me it would be purely for looks. I have a K&N drop in filter already from the previous owner. I don't really see the value in spending 300 on a CAI for no real gain. Figured if I could throw a tube or pipe on there to clean it up a bit it may be worth 20- 30 bucks but sounds like its more involved.. Oh well..

 

Well, if you have any mechanical ability it's quite simple- I had to make those mods when I went turbo.
1) Crankcase breather filter just clamps onto the crankcase breather hose on the motor - like $8 at Advance/PepBoys/etc
2) Vacuum tap - If you use intercooler piping, you can just put a 1/8' NPT tap in the side of the tubing. I believe they even make screw in ones where you don't need to tap the actual piping.
3) MAP sensor for SAIS - Just use the bolt that holds the resonator in place on the valve cover and secure the MAP sensor right to the mount that the resonator used. Simple.

Just also remember you'd need to buy a new silicon elbow that's 2.5" to 2.75" since our throttle bodies are 2.75" OD.
I'd say you can spend around $30 and make it happen.

In the pics below, you can see the MAP sensor mounted to the resonator bolt hole next to the turbo, with the vacuum line coming out of it. The 2nd pic, you can see the crankcase breather filter mounted to the stock breather hose. You can also see the silicon elbow that's needed to get you onto the throttle body. My FPR vacuum line is tapped in with my wastegate/boost gauge/boost controller, so disregard the vacuum t-taps you see. You'd be running it directly into the tubing as it comes across the top of the valve cover.

 

Doesn't look or sound to difficult. However I am now distracted by your turbo setup..

 

Thanks for the clarification. I remember wanting to remove it and deciding not to for some reason. I'm actually going turbo now so I no longer have mine connected lol. I may need bugging you with turbo questions soon once my manifold gets here.

 

The main downside to the silicone WRX hose is that it looks pretty stiff. If you watch the engine when you start it or rev it, there is quite a bit of movement from the motor mounts. The stock hose is like an accordion and can absorb the engine torqueing. The stiffer hose might not and could disconnect or cause something else to crack or come loose.

 

I can assure you the silicon hoses still flex enough that this isn't an issue. Lol

 

I think a lot of it has to do with misunderstanding the principle at work. Resonators, specifically Heimholtz resonators have a volume tuned to a specific frequency, and can be used to cover a torque dip at a very narrow RPM band. AKA scavenging, it's basically pulses of air to add power, but only works at a very specific point in the powerband. Like, the math gets down to when the air pulse will hit the valves as they are opening and is also based on the volume of your manifold and even the length of the runners...

Theoretically you could have a heimholtz that kicks in at 5,000 RPM or so, and it would be a "top end" resonator.

TL;DR it actually does have a small effect making your torque curve just a bit meatier and flatter. If you can stand to look at it for circa 3-4 HP at a very specific powerband, leave it on.



... also I'm going to have to ask you all to stop tempting me with the idea of turboing my 2TR.

 

psssst hey kid..........want some boost?

 

Heck yeah I do but I also don't wanna be the first 3rd gen guy to take the plunge... not sure how drivability would be affected with the newfangled 6ATs and all the new ECU mapping shit.