"In this Special Series, I document my CSL airbox experience. These CSL airboxes are complex - the engineering & design expertise is not only for performance, sound but most importantly: reliability. 

I take you into my unboxing of the Haimus Racing CSL airbox, the hardware checklist, the tuning dilemma, installation notes and my driving impressions with proper sound clips.

In this entry, I document my initial unboxing impressions and specs of my CSL airbox from Haimus."
-Matt

Packaging impressions. 

The Bulgaria to Canada connection took 4 business days via UPS - and the box came in perfect condition. HaimusRacing packed this for a trip to the moon, I'm glad they did. 

This barely shows half of it. The cardboard boxes were corrugated and had every corners reinforced. There's easily 50 to 100$ in packaging materials here.

My specs.

A new finish & a unique touch.

I convinced Antonio to develop a matte "Frozen" finish for the S54 CSL Airboxes. I finally received it earlier in January 2022. What I immediately noticed is the matte finish and the optional Haimus Racing sticker applied under the clear.

I wanted the unique touch of color matched Phoenix Yellow stripes.

I handled it like jewelry at first - this is a piece of engineering & design porn.

 

The Carbon Work.

I've seen lots of carbon products and it's no secret I'm a big advocate of pre-preg & autoclave carbon.

It's what is used here - for its superior tensile strength & lightweight that allows a thin walled construction for optimal sound.

The 2x2 carbon work is impressive. The weave is optically pleasing and the seams are well done. I couldn't find any carbon flaws.

The Finish. 

There were a few areas where the clear coat has "popping" - commonly known as pitting, this happens when the 2 component clear coat traps some solvent used in the process in between coats and evaporates through.

Antonio is adamant I be up front about this. There can't be no perfect hand painted finish that meets the needs for customers to get their hands on quickly.

My OCD wasn't triggered, and I'm an acknowledged ass when it comes to carbon work & paint. The popping can't be fixed with polishing on a matte finish - but the areas are hidden from view.

Another interesting design detail is the rubber stripping used at the junction to bolt & unbolt the box for filter replacement.

The rubber stripping makes it *feel* better when installing, but also eliminates vibration issues and reduces probable scratches you'd induce as you service the box.

 

The Pragmatic Snorkel.

The kit I opted for comes with the ABS printed snorkel. It's a simple, effective design without the OE flap. I don't wish this was carbon, but I understand those that want the extra bling.

This is a simple, effective design made from 3D printed ABS. It doesn't re-use the OEM flap and connects with the OEM CSL bumper attachment, or can be fitted with a standard bumper.

The optional ABS printed snorkel is fitted using a sleeved bolt & nut carefully spec'ed to avoid any scratching issues with the carbon.

Up next: these CSL airboxes are complex - the engineering & design expertise is not only for reliability, but also performance.

I'll touch on the unique trumpet features in the next entry.