I found this:
GasSavers.org - Helping You Save at the Pump Hypermiling and Fuel Efficiency Forum - View Single Post - intake resonator
And learnt a little
.
Intake resonators are there to help charge more air in at certain RPM ranges. I wonder if that's why I feel my car kick and be better performing when I floor it past 2500 RPM?
Anyway, there are also bad types of resonators - purely for sound deadening.
Autospeed makes similar comments on their blog:
blog.autospeed.com/2003/11/30/those-funny-things-teed-into-intakes/
I still haven't finished getting the communications sorted so I can get some real time data from the car, and the tank is currently 3/4 full and it's just had an air filter change.
The tank will be due for a fill, and perhaps then I can arrange to take out the bottom resonator - leaving the top one on (I think that's the resonator that forces air in). Seal up the gap, and see how it performs.
In the mean time hopefully I can get some more definite answers on it's possible effect (or at least some way to clearly determine it's for noise).
Autospeed blog:
"Note that all of these devices are for noise reduction, rather than intake volumetric efficiency tuning. So if any of the volumes is likely to be causing a restriction to intake airflow (and that’s especially the case with a series expansion chamber), you can delete it without too much concern."
It should reduce pumping losses (suction to get air in)..
A turbo charger might be ideal then? Force more air in from the exhaust cycle, recycling the energy lost to exhaust.. ?
Else, removing the resonator would function like a WAI - though this does now question other WAI tests - where the stock tubing is removed, including resonator.