159 3.2 cold air intake?

[nickq]

Hi everyone,
I've recently and very happily acquired a 159 3.2 manual. Im loving everything about it however I'm finding that the V6 is quite muted compared to previous Alfa V6's I've had. The stock exhaust has a good amount of bass low down but higher up in the rev range the car just doesn't have that characteristic song in the cabin. I've seen some videos on YouTube about new exhaust systems but I don't want the car to get too much of a drone on the freeway and have seen the magic cold air intakes can do on other vehicles in the past. My main question here is has anyone fitted a cold air intake to their 159/Brera 3.2 before and does it help give the engine a bit more voice in the cabin or is the only way to enhance it getting a louder exhaust system?
Any advice anyone has is much appreciated!

[Colin Edwards]

Hi nickq,

The 159 comes from the factory with a cold air intake.  Any feed to the filter cannister external to the engine bay or upstream of the radiator is a cold air intake. 
Colder air = denser air = less viscous air = potential for more power.  Last place you want intake air from is the engine bay.

[nickq]

Thanks so much Alfatango and Colin. Is there any other recommendations you'd have to give the 3.2 a bit more song?

[Colin Edwards]

Hi nickq,

For a bit more engine noise as opposed to exhaust noise, give the following a try.
1.  New clean air filter - similar to genuine AR part - don't use a cloth / cleanable filter
2.  New spark plugs as per the manufacturers specification - lash out and get the best you can afford - NGK Iridium or similar.. I was amazed how my V6 still managed to run ok with buggered spark plugs.
3.  Have an Alfa Romeo EXPERT workshop clean the inlet tract / ports / valves with the magic solvent.  Best left to someone who has done it before.  Its a fair job on the V6.  Given its direct injection, the V6 inlet track is not cleaned with fuel mixture.
4.  Replace ALL the front upper and lower control arm bushes with polyurethane.  Another big job but worth the effort.  In addition to help direct engine bay noise and vibration to the chassis, the stiffer bushes will improve front end steering response a fair bit.  Make sure the new poly bushes support caster and camber adjustment via upper control arm eccentrics.
5.  Last resort.  Remove the sound isolation from the passenger compartment side of the fire wall.

The car will be in a better state of tune, handle better and probably be a bit lighter - win, win ,win!

[Stu159]

Hi Nick,

When I needed to replace one of my centre cats, I went for a high flow system from there back. It made a noticeable difference to throttle response and sound, but had a small amount of droning. Not enough to be annoying though. When I had to replace brake discs & pads soon after, I ordered them from Squadra Sportiva in Germany, as they had the best deal on offer. Much cheaper than I could get locally. They also sell a BMC sports air filter that I bought at the same time. It removed the drone sound completely and added a nice note to the exhaust. All arrived in x 6 days and they were more than helpful.
https://shop.alfisti.net/Tuning-Styling/Alfa-159/Motor-Sports-Airfilters/BMC-Sports-Air-Filter::6540.html

Stu

[Ascari32]

Hi nickq,

The 159 comes from the factory with a cold air intake.  Any feed to the filter cannister external to the engine bay or upstream of the radiator is a cold air intake. 
Colder air = denser air = less viscous air = potential for more power.  Last place you want intake air from is the engine bay.

Very succinct, and very true!

[torquemeister]

Hi Nic

I fitted a catback Wizard exo to my Brera 3.2. Makes a fabulous sound down low and lets the dogs of war cry when in the upper rev range. I wanted more of a Maserati sound and this seems to be the ticket. Next up will be full flow headers, a full flow cat and delete the precats. I have a K&N air filter upfront - much better throttle response. Last service had NGK Iridium plugs fitted - not really much change. As others have commented the 159 has a cold air intake. The main issue is that the snorkel is somewhat restrictive. I guess the only other option is an AutoDelta Supercharger kit? Tempting but problematic with the rest of the transmission as I understand. Been known to blow diffs etc.