Gambit
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Hi all,
I’m Tony, alias GAMBIT and I would like to introduce you to my Do it Yourself (DIY) intake kit. I’ll call it “Gambit’s FL5 intake kit”. A kit meant for the home DIY’er and done at a budget.
I have owned my FL5 since March 2023 and wanted to make my own intake kit for it since then. I also wanted to open source share with the community. In the hope that by doing so, it develops the intake further.
I know Acuity have developed a similar intake kit for a race car and yet to release to the public. I come from the old school days when we made home made DIY intake kits from nothing more than what was laying about and available in the garage as spares.
The benefit of this DIY kit for the community is that all parts are available on ebay or universally available online. You can mix and match whatever parts you have spare such as silicon hoses, clamps and pod filters etc.
You will have to remove your windscreen reservoir bottle and go without, as the kit sits inside the front right side wheel arch, behind the front bumper. In order to run a pod filter into that area, you will have to remove the reservoir bottle and at your discretion the right side brake duct hose.
I have tested this intake kit on my FL5 and there are no Check Engine Lights (CEL) too.
The biggest benefit to running this style kit is that there is no longer an issue with high Intake Air Temps (IAT). Either on boost, at idle or cruising speed. As the heat soaking that would occur with the over turbo pipe on every other kit or factory setup is non-existent.
In fact I was chasing a reduction in IAT and had purchased an Eventuri kit and added a secondary cold air feed. (I’m yet to buy and test out the new Eventuri over turbo pipe, which comes as an addition to the intake kit they sell). But here is my Eventuri kit installed on my FL5.
Because the 'Gambit intake kit' places the pod filter in the frontal wheel arch area, I had to seal up the bottom portion of the area with plugs. As you will see in the pictures, I cut out the open protrusions in the arch liner and used a combination of rubber grommets and push plugs. You could easily tape it all up or use some sound deadening material as an alternative too.
For a cold air feed, I used a dremel to cut a slit in the front garnish trim in order to feed cold air directly to the pod. I also removed the brake duct that collects air from the front air dam hole. These are the only openings to the area for direct cold/ram forced air. On the open road I can't imagine it would be an issue for cold air access but with a dyno tuning session, every little bit of open force feed air into the pod would help.
If you decide to run this kit, I'd highly advise you to not drive through flood water. Do so at your own risk!
A few notes on the Gambit intake kit parts:
The only other accessories needed are:
Anyhow here is a list below of all the parts, with description, what i paid and a link to the ebay item number. Substitute with what you can get locally. I'd be keen to see how creative you get with prices or parts.
Here are some further pictures of the 'Gambit intake kit'
The turbo inlet compressor flange as delivered:
The turbo inlet compressor flange after the ears have been removed and also opened up to a larger diameter:
Installed in the turbo:
The length of the MAF extension lead needs to be 43" long in order for the lead to run along the back and along the firewall and not across the turbo.
The length of the Emission silicon hoses need to be 30" long to reach the new location:
The #1 silicon hose from the inlet compressor flange points upwards:
There is also plenty of clearance between the #1 silicon hose and the auxiliary belt:
Emission hose line clearance when installed:
How the emission hose line is secured and connected:
A close up of the clearance over the top of the 3" mandrel bend:
Installation only required you to remove the right hand side front arch liner, as you can see this is where the pod sits:
In front of the pod and where i have cut the front garnish open you can see where cold air would be directed:
How the pod would be located and its orientation inside the front wheel arch liner:
And finally the Gambit intake kit, fully installed:
Overall impressions:
I can only compare it to the Eventuri intake kit and because in Australia we are Right Hand Drive, i can hear the turbo and intake sounds much more clearly, whilst the Eventuri intake is muted. (btw: the Eventuri kit is the best finished kit out there in terms of carbon fibre beauty, hats off to them for setting the bench mark in terms of a quality product)
Having said that the biggest difference is the Intake Air Temps (IAT). They are at a 50% less delta vs stock intake at (ambient temp vs IAT) across idle/stationary, cruising and on boost. The biggest difference was the speed of recovery/Intake air temp drop from sitting at a set of lights idling and then cruising to full boost/wide open throttle pulls, then back to idling. For the cost, i dont think there is a better solution to tackle the wicked problem of the turbo inlet overpipe running across the actual turbo itself.
Next steps is to send this first prototype 'Gambit intake kit' off for an independent evaluation against other intake kits in the market. I really do hope they also add a variable for comparison that includes price point, because bang for buck this kit is the best.
I also hope this concept gets developed and taken further across the FL5 community and people come up with smarter, cost effective alternatives to mix and match parts to make the best 'Gambit intake kits' out there.
Please share and open source this..
GAMBIT
I’m Tony, alias GAMBIT and I would like to introduce you to my Do it Yourself (DIY) intake kit. I’ll call it “Gambit’s FL5 intake kit”. A kit meant for the home DIY’er and done at a budget.
I have owned my FL5 since March 2023 and wanted to make my own intake kit for it since then. I also wanted to open source share with the community. In the hope that by doing so, it develops the intake further.
I know Acuity have developed a similar intake kit for a race car and yet to release to the public. I come from the old school days when we made home made DIY intake kits from nothing more than what was laying about and available in the garage as spares.
The benefit of this DIY kit for the community is that all parts are available on ebay or universally available online. You can mix and match whatever parts you have spare such as silicon hoses, clamps and pod filters etc.
You will have to remove your windscreen reservoir bottle and go without, as the kit sits inside the front right side wheel arch, behind the front bumper. In order to run a pod filter into that area, you will have to remove the reservoir bottle and at your discretion the right side brake duct hose.
I have tested this intake kit on my FL5 and there are no Check Engine Lights (CEL) too.
The biggest benefit to running this style kit is that there is no longer an issue with high Intake Air Temps (IAT). Either on boost, at idle or cruising speed. As the heat soaking that would occur with the over turbo pipe on every other kit or factory setup is non-existent.
In fact I was chasing a reduction in IAT and had purchased an Eventuri kit and added a secondary cold air feed. (I’m yet to buy and test out the new Eventuri over turbo pipe, which comes as an addition to the intake kit they sell). But here is my Eventuri kit installed on my FL5.
Because the 'Gambit intake kit' places the pod filter in the frontal wheel arch area, I had to seal up the bottom portion of the area with plugs. As you will see in the pictures, I cut out the open protrusions in the arch liner and used a combination of rubber grommets and push plugs. You could easily tape it all up or use some sound deadening material as an alternative too.
For a cold air feed, I used a dremel to cut a slit in the front garnish trim in order to feed cold air directly to the pod. I also removed the brake duct that collects air from the front air dam hole. These are the only openings to the area for direct cold/ram forced air. On the open road I can't imagine it would be an issue for cold air access but with a dyno tuning session, every little bit of open force feed air into the pod would help.
If you decide to run this kit, I'd highly advise you to not drive through flood water. Do so at your own risk!
A few notes on the Gambit intake kit parts:
- The 2.5” turbo compressor inlet adaptor flange I used is for a Garrett T28 turbo, the bolt to bolt distance is different. So all i did was use a hack saw and cut off the ears on the bolt holes and then had a friend open the flange diameter up to match up to the inlet compressor diameter. Hopefully someone can develop and 3D print a flange to match up, without having to do this. Like I said the aim was to source everything online myself and just make it work.
- The first silicon hose is a 2.5” to 3” 45 degree elbow, which routes the intake up and clears the auxiliary belt
- This then connects to a 3” 90 degree short leg mandrel bend cut to size. This arches the inlet downwards and towards the next silicon hose
- The next silicon hose is for an R32 skyline. I chose this hose because it had two holes to connect the two Emission hose lines and it was also cheap. I would recommend a PRL or equivalent silicon hose with the two holes. I had to cut this silicon hose down by about 30mm
- I used the MAF housing and Pod filter with velocity stack from the ProRam FL5 intake kit I had previously installed when it was first released. However, have linked to alternative substitution for the MAF housing. Using another MAF housing, make sure you measure the length of the silicon hose and cut it down accordingly.
- Next up is the 3” 90 degree silicon hose
- Which finally connects up to the ProRam 76mm velocity stack which attaches to the ProRam pod filter
The only other accessories needed are:
- 70-90mm hose clamps for each connection point on the inlet
- 10-20mm hose clamps for the EVAP lines.
- 10mm Inner Diameter (ID) silicon hoses x 2 and the most important and connector barbs
- MAF sensor extension lead. This lead can be sourced from Aliexpress with a link listed and you can make the lead yourself. You just need some wires and the length of the lead should be 110mm. If you're not up to it, just ask your local auto electrician to help you out.
- I purchased a spare OE front intake dam, to cut up as an intake feed. Totally up to you whether you're happy to cut your garnish up or cut a spare up. They are cheap enough from Honda.
- I removed my front brake duct in order to get a secondary cold air feed into the area where the pod sits. Thereby increasing the frontal area cm2 for cold air to be force feed into the pod, creating a ram effect. I believe with these twin openings of both the front garnish and the brake duct hole, the setup will be able to make good power on road and dyno.
Anyhow here is a list below of all the parts, with description, what i paid and a link to the ebay item number. Substitute with what you can get locally. I'd be keen to see how creative you get with prices or parts.
| Description | Cost AUD | Cost USD conversion~ | Link |
| Turbo Compressor Inlet Adapter Flange 2.5" Garrett For Nissan GT25 GT28 T25 T28 | 62 | $40.29 | https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/173524204236 |
| Silicon 2.5" to 3" ID 45 deg elbow reducer | 35 | $22.75 | https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/200516139919 |
| Silicon/Silicone (3/8 Inch / 10mm ID) Vacuum Hose Tubing - Black 1 Meter x2 | 30 | $19.50 | https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/200961925185 |
| Silicon 90 deg 3" elbow | 19 | $12.35 | https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/265601287649 |
| Pro Ram filter with 76mm velocity stack | 150 | $97.50 | https://ramairusa.com/proram-medium-cone-air-filter-with-76mm-od-neck-velocity-stack/ |
| 3" 76MM Aluminum Air Flow Sensor Mount Adapter For Nissan Honda Civic Ford MAF | 23 | $14.83 | https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/334516448133 |
| 3" Silicone Turbo Intake Inlet Hose Induction Pipe for Skyline GTS-T R32 RB20DET | 100 | $65.00 | https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/225726585933 |
| MAF sensor extension lead or make your own from AliExpress with a 5/20/50 Sets 4 Pin Way Sumitomo TS MAF Sensor Connector Waterproof Air Flow Meter Female Socket Plug for Toyota 6189-7401 | 25 | $16.25 | https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004688789635.html |
| OE front intake dam trim | 65 | $42.25 | Honda OE part number for RH side Front Garnish trim 71141T60J00 |
| 3" INCH 76.2mm 90 Degree Short Leg Mandrel Bend 304 Stainless Steel Exhaust Pipe | 40 | $26.00 | https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/254737567860 |
| 4x 10-20mm hose clamps | |||
| 6x 70-90mm hose clamps | |||
| 1x 25mm barbed elbow x15mm bsp male | |||
| 1x 15mm bsp female to 13mm barb | |||
| 1x 13mm bsp barbed elbow to 13mm barb | |||
| Total in Australian dollars | 549 | $356.72 | |
| 0.65 | AUD/USD rate as at 05/01/24 |
Here are some further pictures of the 'Gambit intake kit'
The turbo inlet compressor flange as delivered:
The turbo inlet compressor flange after the ears have been removed and also opened up to a larger diameter:
Installed in the turbo:
The length of the MAF extension lead needs to be 43" long in order for the lead to run along the back and along the firewall and not across the turbo.
The length of the Emission silicon hoses need to be 30" long to reach the new location:
The #1 silicon hose from the inlet compressor flange points upwards:
There is also plenty of clearance between the #1 silicon hose and the auxiliary belt:
Emission hose line clearance when installed:
How the emission hose line is secured and connected:
A close up of the clearance over the top of the 3" mandrel bend:
Installation only required you to remove the right hand side front arch liner, as you can see this is where the pod sits:
In front of the pod and where i have cut the front garnish open you can see where cold air would be directed:
How the pod would be located and its orientation inside the front wheel arch liner:
And finally the Gambit intake kit, fully installed:
Overall impressions:
I can only compare it to the Eventuri intake kit and because in Australia we are Right Hand Drive, i can hear the turbo and intake sounds much more clearly, whilst the Eventuri intake is muted. (btw: the Eventuri kit is the best finished kit out there in terms of carbon fibre beauty, hats off to them for setting the bench mark in terms of a quality product)
Having said that the biggest difference is the Intake Air Temps (IAT). They are at a 50% less delta vs stock intake at (ambient temp vs IAT) across idle/stationary, cruising and on boost. The biggest difference was the speed of recovery/Intake air temp drop from sitting at a set of lights idling and then cruising to full boost/wide open throttle pulls, then back to idling. For the cost, i dont think there is a better solution to tackle the wicked problem of the turbo inlet overpipe running across the actual turbo itself.
Next steps is to send this first prototype 'Gambit intake kit' off for an independent evaluation against other intake kits in the market. I really do hope they also add a variable for comparison that includes price point, because bang for buck this kit is the best.
I also hope this concept gets developed and taken further across the FL5 community and people come up with smarter, cost effective alternatives to mix and match parts to make the best 'Gambit intake kits' out there.
Please share and open source this..
GAMBIT
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