Description

“The Clamp” was developed as a collaborative project between Evolution Powersports and CA Technologies to prevent the OEM intake plenum from blowing apart and ending your trip. There have been many cases of OEM plenums failing on stock engines and modified engines producing even modest boost pressures. We have had countless failures on our in-house X3’s over the years and knew there had to be a way to solve this. EVP is excited to share a solution to this common issue. The Clamp is a lightweight but durable brace that “clamps” around the OEM intake plenum, preventing the premature failure of the plenum by reinforcing its weak points.

The Clamp was developed using the latest technologies, including 3D scanning to give it a perfect fit. Constructed of 6061-T6 aluminum, this CNC machined brace was designed to have optimal strength while being mindful to overall weight. It has been extensively tested on race vehicles and highly modified engines to ensure its effectiveness and durability.

Testing & Development

Simulated Test: We have conducted an extensive simulated testing regimen on The Clamp. The validation consisted of repeatedly applying pressure to OEM plenums - one with and one without The Clamp. As you can see in the video above, the plenum with The Clamp withstood ~70 PSI of pressure with no stress or damage. We then tested identical plenum without The Clamp installed. When tested in the same manner, it blew apart at ~35 PSI of pressure.

In this test we were able to simulate boost pressure, but real world factors such as heat, vibration, shock and engine pulsation could not be accounted for. This is why non clamped OEM plenums fail at much lower boost pressures. While 35 PSI may be an unrealistic amount of boost for you to push in your vehicle, keep in mind those other variables that play a part in real-world applications. Experience has shown countess plenums failing at boost pressures as low as 22 psi and some at stock (15 psi) of boost pressure.

Field Testing: The Clamp has also been tested in harsh racing conditions, including hundreds of hard miles in the Mint 400 and Iceman 500. Two race vehicles ran The Clamp during the brutal 400+ mile Mint 400 with no plenum issues. At the 2020 Iceman 500, we had two race cars running the identical X100 tune, one with The Clamp installed and one without. The car with The Clamp ran a flawless race with no damage to the plenum, while car without The Clamp had a plenum failure about 300 miles into the 500 mile race. We have also tested the clamp on our Dynomite 310 and Desert Storm 320 big turbo kits without issue.

Instructions

X3 The Clamp Plenum Brace