I've got a '91 RS (V8) I'm working on upgrading very slowly. One of my first steps will be the air filter. Now lots of people are telling me a lot of hot air is worse than a little cold air. So let me ask cause I want this settled, which is better, the uni-snorkel system have now or an open-element?

I was thinking of doing a project, where i could cut off the snorkel and then take out the housing of the air filter. Then i install the open element, and keep the snorkel there. But i attach the top half of the snorkel to the element cap. So it feeds cold air to the element, and the element still picks up alot of air from around it.

Would this work at all? Or is K&N really useless? Any better alternatives?

If anyone has dyno numbers comparing the two set-ups, i'd like to see them.

[This message has been edited by mostafa3k (edited February 16, 2001).]

 

K&N's are good, its just that if you go with an open element air filter then you will just mostly be drawing in hot air from the engine compartment, unless you have a cowl hood that is. Otherwise your stock setup is probably just as good or better than the open element.

 

I had an open element on my mostly-stock LG4 last summer, after making a few runs in the spring with the stock cleaner. I was consistently .2 sec quicker with the open element, even when the weather warmed up. At first, when it was still cool out, I had a slight off-idle stumble with the open element during commuting, but advancing the timing slightly cured that. During the summer in stop & go traffic, it would tend to grumble a bit when really warm, but nothing intolerable.

At the track, I'd keep the engine as cool as possible before runs (160), so the "hot air injestion" wasn't really a problem. The open element was definately less restrictive than the stock single snorkel.

Now, about K&N: They do flow better than the typical paper filter element. But, they do not FILTER any better - yes, they'll hold more dirt without restricting flow than the paper, but they are allowing the same size of smaller particles through because both are surface type filtering devices (must have holes in the element to allow air flow, and the dirt is trapped on the surface). An open-cell oiled foam filter will flow the same as a K&N, but since it is a depth-type filter (the particles are trapped as the air enters the filter media, being caught by the oil in the foam matrix), it can trap smaller and more particles. This is the best of both worlds, and they are typically no more than a similarly sized K&N, and often less expensive. I use the AMSOIL product (as if you couldn't have guessed that already), but there are others out there.

A dual-snorkel cleaner is a good alternative to an open element, since it will flow fairly well, and you can get cold air and possibly even ram air if you set it up correctly. Both AMSOIL and K&N elements are available to fit the closed cleaners.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/LB9 block, ZZ3 cam and intake, WP 305 heads ported & polished, Hooker headers & y-pipe, 3" Catco cat).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. 0.030 over 396, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" headers, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, 3.08 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1 @ 5800' Bandimere. Daily driver while Camaro was being put together.

 

If you chose to go with an open element, you might want to consider adding either K&N's Xtreme filter top or S&B's equivalent (p/n 77-1403/D). Also keeping the plastic accordian snorkel in place even though you have removed the restrictive filter housing will help bring a little cool air to the air filter. But the best would be to have a cowl hood in addition to the open element.

 

I just installed my open element and I will swear by that thing. I can definatly feel a difference. It sounds cool too!

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1992 305 TBI RS
Flowmaster cat-back exhaust, 14X2.5 open air element...and a T-5 on the way!

 

Ya anyone who says open element doesnt help doesnt know what theyre talking about. Sure its hot air being sucked in, but the stock cleaner is soooooooooo restrictive it doesnt matter that the air is cold. With the open element i felt a VERY NOTICEABLE difference. Plus it does sound much better. What i will be doing next though is adding cold air intake from air dam underneath, along with a cold air resevoir that seals out all hot air from the engine with a fiberglass heat resistant bottom that allows cold air to enter from the front of the engine bay and the rear hood seal. That should help even more...but as far as open vs. stock...spend the $60 and youll know that anyone who says it doesnt help is full of it.

 

Long story short:
Open element filter on;
Carbed or TBI= good, hot air will help atomize the fuel mixture.
TPI or MPFI=bad, fuel is atomized in cylinder, so you want cool air for more oxygen.

Josh, you would feel a better difference with an aftermarket cold air intake setup. That way you would get both low restriction, and cold air.
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1983 Pontiac Firebird SE
LG4-Based Chevy 400
700R4 Tansmission
Modified 4 Barrel Q-Jet Carb
Accel Super Stock 8mm Wires
Edelbrock Pro-Flo Air Cleaner
3.23 Posi Rear
14X7" Cragar SS/T Wheels
Clarion 45X4 CD/AM/FM Head Unit
100WX2 Amp
2 Pioneer 12" Subs in Custom Box
Third Gen Performance
"A four cylinder is only half an engine"

[This message has been edited by Ward (edited February 18, 2001).]

 

Ward, i have tbi so i dont think that they make aftermarket for mine...maybe they do i dont know..but i saw scauffiels pictures of his, and i dont think any aftermarket can come close. It basically creates a cowl effect, plus cold air induction from underneath, plus the cold air sits in a resevoir for the open element that goes from the front of the engine bay all the way to the rear, so theres plenty of air for the open element....there really no restriction at all.