Elevate Volvo P3 T6 3.0L Billet Performance Inlet Manifold (Silver, No Logo)

$1,448.00

  • Reshaped inlet runners and plenum for maximum power
  • Fully machined, 6061 billet aluminum construction
  • Larger plenum volume increases throttle response
  • Power gains proportional to engine tune (more air demand, more power)
  • Leak and burst resistance to over 50psi (3.4 Bar)
  • CFD verified for increased air flow and balanced cylinder uniformity
  • Available in four different finishes with or without ELEVATE logo for a custom look
  • Includes custom Titanium mounting hardware, gasket, silicone hoses

Out of stock

The Elevate Volvo P3 T6 Billet Performance Inlet Manifold for the 3.0L turbo six cylinder engine has been engineered from the inside out to deliver both performance and amazing looks. We have invested over 2,000 hours in design, manufacturing development and computer modeling. This has allowed us to design an inlet manifold that delivers increased throttle response and higher engine output through optimized air volume and air flow. Each manifold starts out as 82.5lb (37.4kg) of 6061 T-6 billet aluminum and requires over fourteen hours to meticulously machine on a CNC mill, assemble, and then finish in one of eight color/logo variants to customize your Volvo engine bay. We include made-to-our-specification Titanium mounting hardware, silicone hoses with a powder coated aluminum hard pipe to accommodate relocation of the throttle body, custom head to manifold gasket, instructions, and other components required to mount the inlet manifold.

Some highlights of the Elevate T6 Inlet Manifold design include:

  • Increased pressure capacity and strength for higher turbo boost pressures compared to the stock plastic manifold.
  • Increased plenum volume (from 86% of engine displacement to 120% of engine displacement) for improved throttle response.
  • Relocated throttle body to the center of the manifold for better flow balance to each runner and reduced internal airflow stagnation compared to the factory manifold.
  • Reshaped inlet runner profiles for better flow and reduced pressure loss and increased air flow.
  • Reshaped plenum body for better air flow.
  • Raised plenum body for better access around front of engine and access to engine oil filter.
  • Restyled to look like a professional, purpose-built racing engine component.
  • Choice of eight different finishing options.
  • Billet aluminum construction won’t melt, deform or burst (verified to over 50 psi / 3.4 Bar).
  • Direct replacement for the factory manifold, installation takes about thirty minutes.

Approach to the Elevate Volvo T6 3.0L Manifold Project:

At first glance the plastic OEM turbo intake manifold on the T6 Volvo engine looks like a decent effort – smooth contours, an even matte finish and six parallel intake runners reminiscent of a pipe organ. The styling matches the rest of the under hood area and clearly indicates that an engine lies beneath the plastic covers.

However, upon closer inspection and analysis, some challenges with the factory design start to reveal themselves. The tight packaging of the manifold places the intake assembly very close to the engine with an offset throttle body and small plenum, presumably to permit a low hood line and maximum room for the cooling system and related plumbing. The plenum body does not have much internal volume and the inlet runners do not show any noticeable taper from the plenum body to the cylinder flange, causing a potential restriction and lagging throttle response. Most importantly, the throttle body mounting flange aligns laterally with the #3 cylinder inlet runner, creating poor airflow distribution.  Finally, some of the cylinder flange bolt holes don’t align with the cylinder head (the factory manifold has oversized holes to accommodate).

With these shortcomings of the factory manifold established, Elevate Inlet Manifold project goals were created:

1) Permit higher boost pressures than possible with the stock glued plastic unit to allow for higher states of tune – up to 50psi.

2) Relocate the throttle body to the center of the intake plenum for better flow balance to each of the six inlet runners.

3) Increase the intake plenum capacity for better throttle response – minimum 100% engine displacement, preferably more.

4) Reshape the inlet runner profiles for improved airflow.

5) Relocate the intake plenum body farther away from the engine for easier maintenance and better access to the front of the engine.

6) Restyle the manifold so it looks more like a racing engine component and less like a consumer appliance.

To accomplish our goal, we started by taking the factory intake manifold and carefully measuring and 3D modeling it in SolidWorks CAD, as well as the throttle body, MAP sensor, cylinder head bolt hole pattern and intake port profile. Templates were make of the area in front of the engine to determine the room available to reposition the intake plenum body and other components as necessary.

The baseline airflow performance of the OEM manifold was subjected to a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. The CFD run confirmed earlier suspicions and revealed additional issues to address:

A) The location of the throttle body was so close to the #3 cylinder inlet runner that it generated a high-pressure flow impingement, further reducing airflow to the other cylinder inlet runners.

B) The sharp transition from the throttle body inlet area to the plenum body leads to flow separation and generates recirculation regions rather than promoting airflow to the runners.  This transition will have to be eased using larger blend radii and a smaller entry angle.

The Elevate intake manifold design was entirely modeled in SolidWorks using the CAD data of the OEM manifold assembly and the template profiles as guides to repositioning the plenum body and relocating the throttle body to the center of the plenum.  The CAD assembly file revealed that sufficient room was available below the underside of the hood and behind the radiator duct and air conditioner hoses to raise the plenum body enough to place the throttle body above and forward of the alternator assembly.  Goals #2 and #5 and CFD flow issue “A” addressed.

The oval-section OEM runner profiles tapers very little from the cylinder head flange to the plenum body – less than 1.5 degrees per side representing an approximately 28% change in area over the effective runner length.  The new manifold design tapers up to 4 degrees per side as the original oval profile expands to a perfect 50mm circle, a 47% change in area over the same effective runner length. Further, the runner inlet to plenum body radii increases from R9.6mm to R32mm, about the maximum possible given the inlet runner spacing.  Goal #4 addressed.

The OEM plenum body (including throttle body inlet section) contains 2.58L air volume, or 86% of engine displacement.  Ideally the plenum body capacity is 100% to 150% of engine displacement to provide enough air to instantaneously supply the engine under rapid throttle applications.  Raising the plenum body permitted the expansion of the plenum body capacity to 3.6l or 120% of engine capacity.  Any further increase in plenum size was limited by the need to minimize billet material cost and in turn keep the final sale price of the Elevate manifold at a fair market price.  The new plenum design was expanded to the maximum available size that could be machined from two sections of 2”x6”x24” billet of aluminum for each plenum half.  Goal #3 addressed.

The Elevate plenum body design maintains the same throttle body inlet taper and distance to the inlet runner centerlines.  However, the blend radius from the throttle body inlet taper to the plenum body is increased by 160%  and the included entry angle is reduced by 8 degrees to help keep the airflow attached to the manifold wall and assisted by slight roughness of the machined finish (the OEM inner surfaces are very smooth).  CFD flow issue “B” addressed.

The walls of the Elevate manifold are 4.5mm throughout in a compromise to balance weight, maximum pressure capacity and rigidity under varying pressure conditions.  The three parts that comprise the new manifold – front plenum, rear plenum, and runner section – are bounded by 10mm thick by 10mm high flanges, located with 5mm dowel pins, sealed with high-temperature O-rings and clamped together with a total of (34), 5mm cap screws to insure sealing integrity under a lifetime of engine vibration and temperature changes. We had a custom gasket made to seal the Elevate Inlet Manifold to the head and selected a material to best limit heat transfer from the head to the inlet manifold. In combination with the stock throttle body sealing ring and our new cylinder head flange gasket design, the Elevate manifold assembly has been repeatedly tested to 50psi with no leaks.  Further reinforcement comes from the addition of supporting ribs on the underside of the runners to pass the weight of the assembled manifold (about 9.5lbs / 4.3kg) to the 10mm thick cylinder head flange. The inlet manifold to head hardware consists of (7) made-to-spec Titanium bolts with 18mm diameter flanges to effectively distribute the clamping load on the flange. The throttle body is secured to the Elevate Inlet Manifold by (4) Titanium flange bolts of our design. Goal #1 addressed and confirmed.

The black plastic OEM manifold assembly looks like an integral portion of the under hood group of parts and covers – not a prominent one.  The new manifold is designed to stand out and be the first item seen when the hood is opened.  Positioned 1in (26mm) higher than the OEM manifold, the entire plenum body is visible rather than just the top quarter. The array of cap screw heads, the crowning plenum shapes and the machined finish indicate the manifold was designed and built up to a performance standard, not down to a price.  Goal #6 addressed.

Naturally, some functional features on the OEM manifold had to be included in the new one. The snap on MAP sensor has been relocated to the underside of the plenum body so that it can plug into the connector without straining the wiring harness and features a stainless-steel clamp that securely keeps the sensor in place.  Another stainless-steel clip supports the manifold vacuum line in the factory location.  A vacuum line port is positioned above the throttle body in the same location as the OEM port. We added a second vacuum port (sized 1/8 NPTF) on the rear of the manifold to provide a signal for an add-on boost gauge or the like. The manifold ships with the second port plugged.

CFD analysis of the Elevate manifold design using the same SimScale software settings and airflow conditions as the Stock manifold were used to evaluate the project performance goals.  Relocation of the throttle body inlet and reshaping and enlarging the plenum body and inlet runners resulted in:

a) A visibly reduced high pressure flow impingement area opposite the throttle body inlet and elimination of pressure pockets in the plenum corners.

b) Visibly reduced airflow recirculation regions within the plenum body, visibly reduced airflow eddies through the inlet runners and visibly improved airflow attachment through the throttle body inlet to plenum transition areas.

c) Significantly improved flow rate distribution across the six inlet runners. The flowrate nonuniformity coefficient went from 0.068 to 0.039, an improvement of 42%. The flowrates were also balanced symmetrically across the plenum.

d) Total airflow pressure losses through the new manifold has been reduced by 20% over the OEM design.

This Elevate Inlet Manifold fits the 3.0L T6 engine found in the P3 chassis cars. It is offered in three different powder coated finishes (Silver, Gloss Black or Matte Black) or in a raw aluminum, as-machined finished for you to leave as-is or paint yourself. We offer the manifold with or without the ELEVATE logo. Take a look at the other Elevate Inlet Manifold pages to see the different color options and different views of the Inlet Manifold.

Note: DO NOT disassemble the manifold sections as the cap screws are thread locked into place and specific O-Rings are used to seal the three sections. Disassembly will void all warranties. Contact Elevate for questions about applying a finish to a raw aluminum manifold.


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