I have a 9" by 3" intake. Would a 14" by 2" be better? Just woundering because everybody seems to have one. thanks

------------------
92 Firebird
305TBI, Full exhaust, air intake, 16" wheels, Tbi spacer

 

Your 9x3 has 84.78 square inches of surface area.
A 14x2 has 87.92 which is a 3.5% increase, not much.
A 14x3 has 131.88 which would be a 36% increase over what you have now.

If you are buying a K&N, the price difference for example between an 11x2 (what I had) and a 14x3 (what I have now) is about 4 dollars. In my opinion a 14x3 would be best. It cost me $42 at Auto Zone.

 

There maybe more flow ability but to tell you the truth I could never tell the differnce when I switched. I had an old Spectre (?) that I got for 10 bucks a long time ago and then I switched to a K&N setup. Little, tinny differnce.. Was it worth the 50 bucks, no. Does it look cool, hell yeah (my car is red too so it matches the motor bay)

------------------
--Spyder--

1992 Camaro RS
LO3, T-56,centerforce clutch, ported and polished heads, Edelbrock Performer Intake, 14X3 Open Element w/ K&N, hiflow cats (and thats it), AC delete, alu drive shaft, 3.73 posi, 170 stat w/ fan switch, STB, Subframe connectors, KYB AGX, Eagle GSC, and poly bushings.

1982 Z-28
Project car, ZZ4 in the works.

 

go to 14 inch element. more air, more power

 

the more mods you do that make the engine want more air the more important the 14x3 will become. i would say just buy the biggest you can fit right off the bat then you'll be ready for more.

lata
tim

------------------
91 Camaro RS-LO3,Auto.
14.215@94.30 w/ 1.917 60'

Check Out The East Coast F-Body Nationals Home Page
www.geocities.com/njspeeder

My MAFB.ORG Home Page
www.mycar.net/mafb/registry/detail.cfm?id=299

DSI Racing Home Page

www.geocities.com/foff667

 

Seems like the current thread of logic is bigger is better. That doesnt seem right to me.

It should be based on logic. How much air does the engine need? Of course, the mods will increase the Volumetric Efficiency (VE) of an engine. So lets assume you have everything dialed in and you actually achieve 100% VE (Average for a moded engine is ~85%)

Lets also assume a redline of 7K. Your engine will use 305CI of Fuel/Air every two RPMs so at 7K youre using (305 * 3500) = 1067500 CI of F/A a minute. now to convert to Cubic Foot Minute you divide 1067500 by 12^3. 1067500/1720 = 620.6 CFM.

Therefore l believe the real question should be can a 9x3 filter flow 620CFM? If so, then you are set till you get a supercharger or turbo that make your VE actually greater than 100%.

lm not sure on the flow of air calculations, so l cant say if the 9x3 will flow. But thats what you need to find out.

Clayton

 

Filters get dirty over time, guys, and therefore, flow less. ALWAYS get the biggest you can reasonably fit, for the price, in the vehicle. I run 2 stacked 3x14's (non-stock hoods/scoops/customs) in all the vehicles I run blowers (or off-roaders) on and at least a 3x14 in NA vehicles.

BTW, K&N's are great, but for the money, buying a FRAM 3x14 and changing it every year is fine for MOST performance engines I have seen here. I say this because most people I know don't take the time to properly clean and re-lube their K&N's, unfortunately, because it's easier and cheaper to just drop a new filter in...

 

True, get the biggest that fits because you'll have less restriction at higher rpm because of the extra surface area.

------------------
, Jon (91 RS too many mods to list)

 

Thanks guys!

 

it is extremely important to have at least 3" of space above the mouth of the carb or TB so the air can make a smooth turn. Otherwise your flow will be decreased greatly no matter the diameter of the filter. Other than that, bigger is better, and cooler is best. Cool air makes more difference than just more air.