Ask the Editors: Do I need This Tube?
Is it a vital tube?
Dear ATVC: I have a 1993 Suzuki LT230 that I’m making a DIY airbox for because I have the materials. On the top left of the diagram, you see number 9, the smaller air boot that connects to one of the open tubes on the frame of the ATV. Would it hurt the performance of the machine if I don’t add this tube to the frame?
The purpose of the airbox is twofold – to provide vital air to the intake for the combustion process and to do its best to keep mud, debris and water from entering that same tract.
Based on this diagram it appears the tube in question is run away from the box to decrease the likelihood of airborne dust and crud from being pulled into the box during operation.
So in short, no the tube itself isn’t necessary so long as you can devise some sort of comparable protection for the opening that will still allow toughly the same air mass to enter. We have seen all sorts of creative solutions from kitchen drain screens to an old section of nylons.
