I’m currently stage II, APR chip & RAI Hi-flow Cat. A weakness with the car is its sound. Car sounds like a tractor at low rpms, some call it a diesel sound, which I believe is due to direct fuel injection. Exhaust is already loud enough with the Hi-flow Cat (it does sound funny outside at low rpms thou).

I read in forums, the Carbonio intake enhances the car’s sound, gives it more of a performance/GT sound. Dealing with a Carbonio doesn’t seem desirable to me because you have to clean the filter and re-oil it. (I don’t have a chemical wash at my house. Wife would kill me if I used the laundry sink.)

So… what exactly causes the enhanced sound of the Carbonio? Is there a way to enhance the existing intake to achieve the sound, remove a baffle, or? Is it the size of the Carbonio filter, the material of the filter? Would a KN drop in achieve the same sound since it’s the same material?

Thanks

 

Indeed it is just the sound produced from the Carbonio. There are several reasons I have gathered just from experience for this. First, the setup itself sucks in more air. This in turn produces more hp, less turbo lag, and in general the difference in air movement will cause a change in the tone of the exhaust. Second, the shape of the filter cones on those K&N type filters tend to resonate a nice hum to them. The sound of the engine itself seems to come out of not only the exhaust, but the filter itself as well. I had an 01 Jetta VR6 before my Audi A4 B7 and that K&N filter gave quite a nice hum during hard acceleration that it sounded like I had my own custom exhaust. Third, in general, the setup of the carbonio or any cold air intake for that matter is that it is more out in the open and less surrouned/protected by plastic. Its not all closed up and quiet. Another thing you will hear more of with the Carbonio is the blow off valve and just general sucking in of air the turbo produces. Its the best sound in the world. Throttle response is def increased. Give it a try, you wont be disappointed. Also, they dont need to be cleaned that frequently. you can get away with once a year, but i suggest twice. There is special k&n cleaning kits for sale online, not costly. just spray on, let it soak for ten mins, then rinse, let dry, and then spray on the special oil (but not a lot because you will ruin your MAF sensor that way). In general though, it does change the sound of your exhaust, and my friend who had a 2012 A4 got in mine and said wow this sounds amazing. I dont have a custom exhaust by the way. Hope this helps. Enjoy.