Intake Pipe Kit / Direct Intake Kit for Mercedes-Benz A-Class A45 W176 / CLA-Class A45 C117/X117 / GLA AMG C45 — TA Technix

A direct intake kit replaces the airbox with a short intake pipe and a cone filter. Two things change: airflow, because the airbox baffles are removed, and the intake sound, which is clear and very noticeable under load - this is often the real reason for buying one.

All the performance benefit depends on air temperature. A filter installed in the open engine bay draws in air at 60 °C or more: it is less dense and cancels out what it had gained. Proper kits come with a heat shield and a cold-air intake; without one or the other, the benefit is theoretical. Carbon conducts significantly less heat than aluminium.