Budget DIY P3 T6 “cold” air intake | SwedeSpeed

Hello everyone!
My name is Jared, and this is my first ever post. As the title suggests, this is going to be a diy, or rather an fiy (fabricate it yourself) for the T6 engines for P3 models. To clarify, this is for the 3.0 6 cylinder, not the drive-e. For example, this was done on my 2012 S60 T6.
Quick disclaimer, this is going to be extremely janky. I did this on a <$60 budget, and without using any uncommon tools. If you’re looking for an intake that looks pretty, this isn’t it. I’ll leave links for the parts I used at the end.
Now with that out of the way, let’s get started. The tools and parts you’ll need are:
Flathead screwdriver
Philips head screwdriver
T-25 and T-15 torx bit/wrench
Small saw. I used the saw on my Leatherman.
10mm wrench or socket (with appropriate ratchet)
3” straight silicone coupling
3” 90 degree bend
Shorty 3” pod filter
So to get started with this project, you’ll want to remove your upper portion of your air box. Meaning the part with the MAF and the captive screws. I’m sure there are plenty of DIYs on how to do that, so I won’t be explaining how to do that.
Once you have that removed, pull out your panel filter. In the bottom of the lower air box, there’s a tube that feeds in the fresh outside air. The bottom part of the tube is integrated into the air box, but the upper portion isn’t. Give the upper part of that tube a good yank to remove it. You’ll need the little bit of extra space.
Now, I went for full budget jankiness on this project. I went ahead and sawed off the integrated MAF tube with the saw attachment on my Leatherman. Is it pretty? Hell no. But it saved me a few shillings from buying an adapter. If you do this, make sure to remove your MAF from the housing BEFORE sawing. I can’t imagine plastic shavings are good for it. I believe it’s a T-15, but I can’t remember for sure. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
Next, if you happen to make the mistake of thinking the factory intake is 3” like I did, or if you end up buying the items I bought (and will link), then you’ll need to make room for the extra thicc-ness. What I did was saw a large section out of the upper air box. Or you can buy the correct adapter. I want to say it’s 2.75.” I had bought a 2.5” to 3” adapter, but the 2.5” was too small. Anyways, mine ended up looking like this

Obviously my calibrated eyeballs need to be recalibrated because that looks HORRIBLE. But if you manage to get it right, it’ll look much better. I was hoping to use the section I cut out and glue it in place to the lower air box as a filler for a cleaner look, but I digress.

Now that modifications to the air box are done, go ahead and clean out all the shavings, and reinstall your MAF into its housing, or into the MAF adapter if you chose to buy one. It’s back to the car we go.

It pretty much goes together how you’d imagine. 3” coupling on the MAF housing, then the 90, then the pod filter. Make sure to angle the 90 and pod filter as far into the air box as possible. It should look something like this

Now you install the modified upper box, and your end result is

Is it janky? Oh for sure. Power gains? Hah! No. More sound? Yes! And that’s what I wanted. I wanted some more induction noise with minimal power loss. I had the pod filter hanging out in the open, and there’s a noticeable drop in power. It sounded amazing, but it was slower. I didn’t feel like pulling $400 out of my butt for an IPD or Elevate intake, so I made my own.
Well guys, thanks for reading. I hope this helps at least give someone some ideas for an intake system that sounds great without spending hundreds of dollars. As promised, here’s the links for the parts I got. I call it the Amazon special.
3” straight coupler

Shorty filter

90 degree bend. I went with the cheapest one, which is plastic, but there’s obviously plenty of aluminum options.