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I know this is an old thread but I've been looking at K&N's X-stream top lids and I'm not sure which one to choose. I was wondering if anyone out there has went this route and if so are there any lessons learned worth sharing and what part number would you suggest? Photos are always helpful!
I was wondering if the below item/link was a direct replacement to the stock air cleaner lid to a TBI set up? Would this lid allow me to keep my stock 12" round air filter element?
The reason I'm considering this is I did replace my 305 with a 350 and I have a cowl induction hood that would allow fresh air to be drawn in thus, in theory, provide additional cold air for the intake for a higher flow requirement.
Why would you want to let hot air into your engine?
A Cowl induction hood allows a LOT more air flow IN-&-OUT of the engine bay compared to a stock hood that's sealed along the cowl,... & ( I think / I'm guessing ) there's even more air flow thru the engine bay when the cowl hood is vented.
I used a full-sized version of the "X-stream" lid for a little while when my ride was still Carb powered. Pretty sure that I've still got it kicking around somewhere,... IIRC it's 14". My cowl hood is vented & I never noticed any issues; or noticed any 'seat of the pants' improvements.
I just noticed you've got a plate under your TB,.............. reminds me that I've still got a TBI spacer plate too; IIRC that thing isn't supposed to do anything for the 305, but it's supposed to make a difference with a 350ci.
Engine Masters tested them along with a bunch of other filters and they didn't perform well at all on the dyno. The lid design promotes some bad turbulence. Just FYI. They ran near the bottom of the test results.
I was wondering if the below item/link was a direct replacement to the stock air cleaner lid to a TBI set up? Would this lid allow me to keep my stock 12" round air filter element?
The reason I'm considering this is I did replace my 305 with a 350 and I have a cowl induction hood that would allow fresh air to be drawn in thus, in theory, provide additional cold air for the intake for a higher flow requirement.
Has anyone ventured down this path and willing to share their experiences? Any lessons learned you'd be willing to share?
That setup you linked is for the car/truck air cleaner with a taller filter. If you run the matching truck air filter it'd all bolt together, but the added 1" of height might rub the bottom of the hood.
Helped a buddy put the typical 14" open element filter and K&N lid on his TBI car. It made more noise, and the perception was slightly more power, but it was going from the stock paper setup to a much more open setup. It looked cool, and made more noise. It takes more than a filter to make a TBI 305 faster.
1. Every dyno test and "experienced" engine builder I'm familiar with, talks more about power LOSS with the filter in the air cleaner lid. I wouldn't touch one with a ten-foot pole. I should start a business selling eleven-foot poles.
2. Every PROPERLY ENGINEERED (i.e., not some do-it-yourself hack with too much money and not enough sense) cowl-induction system, or shaker hood uses an air cleaner sealed to the hood. No seal, instant FAIL. GM--Ford--Chrysler...if there's a FUNCTIONAL factory-fitted hood scoop, there's a special air cleaner with rubber or foam seals that prevent the "cold air" from spilling into the engine compartment. It's ducted to the air intake for the carb or other throttle body, NOT allowed to "roam free" under the hood, which SCREWS UP THE AIRFLOW THROUGH THE RADIATOR.
Save your money, don't screw-up stuff that works just-fine as-is.
Good to point out there's a difference between a "cowl induction" hood,... and a plain ol' cowl hood. VERY few Thirdgen cowl hoods are actually "induction" anything; usually just a raised cowl to gain a little room under the hood for a high-rise intake and big air cleaner. Air cleaner-to-cowl induction seal on an actual cowl induction hood = very important; hood-to-body cowl seal on a regular cowl hood = meaningless.
When I used the X-Stream air cleaner I also used a K&N sub-stack. All that stuff was installed after an stock LG4 to professionally built 350 HP engine swap, so if I lost a pony or 2 due to turbulence,............ I sure didn't notice. ( I also didn't use JUST a filter-lid on a stock air cleaner.) I wanted to leave the GM stuff but what was working 'just fine' wasn't good enough in my case.
I paid to have a well known local 'carb guy' jet the Carb but the engine always ran pig-rich so I wanted as much air to pass thru the carb as possible. I replaced the factory HO air cleaner and truck 350 air cleaner lid with an X-Steam lid & a K&N 14x3" air cleaner. Pulled-in WAY more air than the HO air cleaner could ever hope to. ( so significant, you could smell the obvious difference before and after swapping the air cleaner stuff.) The engine still ran a little rich,.. but MUCH leaner than it was.
