This is probably not the right board to post this, but I couldn't find any other that applies.

When I look at the air intake on my car, the tube going to the air filter is very close to the wall of the front of the car, it seems like no air is getting in there. I am planning on a header/exhaust system but first i gotta do something about this air.

My question is, should I go with a package like the SLP cold air induction package or just do a DIY ram air type system where I run a pipe from the existing hole to somewhere where the air would come via more force (run a 3 inch pipe from the bottom of the car, or drill a hole in front of the existing pipe).

What would be the advantage of the cold air induction? The SLP site claims a 20+ HP boost at speed, what can I expect from just a DIY ram air system? I don't mind the cold induction, if it fits nicely in my car, if it will actually do something. I'd really like to see one installed, cuz judging by the kit (http://store5.yimg.com/I/afterthough..._1787_60095811) it looks close to stock except the K&N air filter, which I already have lying around here somewhere. What is so cold about a cold air induction package from SLP? thanx in advance.

 

Any cold air kit bases itself on the fact that it will draw in air that is not heated from anything under the engine bay. They should call them ambient air intakes because the last time I checked there isn't much cold air in july and august. Anywhoo, even ram airs kits are gimiky at best. There isn't really a high pressure zone built up in the front of our cars until crazy speeds are reached. The air is never really "rammed" in like it would be for boosted applications. Who is gonna need a boost at speeds that high? Gimmky at best. Most CIA are slightly influcened by the heat of the engine. They have to be pretty low and far away from the eninge bay to suck in air that is completely at ambient conditions.

 

So what are you saying, don't bother with it at all? Just leave the air intake stock and throw in a better filter? That just doesn't sound right, elaborate more.

 

I always thought they were called cold-air intakes because they allowed more room for the incoming air to cool. Although now that I think about it, I don't neccessarily see that logic... So the CAI's would be pretty much useless since the air routing (for instance, TA 89's) already sucks air from the front of the car?

Which also gives me an idea. What if you have a CIA jet-hot coated, so air from the radiator/engine would not be able to penetrate the hose/tube?

 

No, I think he's just trying to say that benefits of one over another are hardly noticable at best, and the claims some people or manufacturers make about the performance boosts with "ram air" or "cold air" are just a gimmick.

Basically, the more air you can get into your engine, the better. It doesn't matter if it is "rammed" in there... and while it is preferable to have cooler air, it's quite difficult to avoid engine bay heat anyway.

 

Well you can always route something to hang just in front of the air damn on the bottom of the bumper/radiator housing.
But what i think the original poster is getting at is that on the air filter housing, the can has a opening that faces front but there is a "wall there and about 1/2" clearance between the opening and the "wall" which could restrict flow.

 

My setup goes from my tb down to where I used to have a battery plate. I cut the plate out and have a cone filter under neath the engine bay about a 15" from the ground near the fender well so it is taking in cooler air even if it is in July...The hottest it gets here is about 100*. That is still a lot cooler than engine bay air. The air also serves to cool the plenum as well.
My ir is at ambient conditions and maybe cooler because it is pulling in air close to the ground...I dont need to go fast to pull in more air. I have a 1000cfm throttle body. It pulls all the air I need. You can design your own or buy one already made. Either way they work better than stock. Do a search here and you will find pics of other peoples setups. I cant load any cuz I am on probation otherwise I would show you mine.

 

Based on how CaptPicardsZ28 described his setup, it sounds EXACTLY like what I had in mind to do to my '88 Trans Am. But my temporary solution...

I removed my AC components including that extra radiator in front of the engine coolant radiator. That left a nice big gap between the engine coolant radiator and the front wall. I cut the little notch out of the bottom of the airbox and rotated the airbox 90* towards the center and now it grabs cool fresh air from the side of the radiator. I had to cut the 2-3" long inlet tube off the airbox by drilling out the 4 rivets.

 

Thanx guys, you just saved me $200, no way I am buying any kind of CAI now.. I'll just have to make my own ram air system with the present setup. I am still not sure what two of the posters did, the explanation is not adequate, but I figure i can just run a hose/tube down a few inches below the front wall where there must be more air comming in, and it will be cooler too.

 

Cold Air and Ram Air do virtually the same thing. Allow outside air, which is cooler than the air under your hood, into the intake manifold. Ram air is just another fancy name, what it is really is CAI. This is the very reason the Camaros were rated 5hp higher than the Trans Ams using the exact same motor. They had slightly better air intake system.

I would not believe SLP's claims of 20hp, but it will be an improvement. I can't see spending over $200 for something you can do much cheaper yourself.

You can actually get a decent improvement just by modifying the stock piece. Get a circle saw and drill some holes in the canister to allow more airflow. Throw a K & N filter in place of the stock paper filter and you just opened up your intake. The Trans ams already tried to put it in the coolest spot they could find and then placed that cardboard crap around it to block engine heat.

 

I'll get pics for you later..

 

Any aftermarket intake is better than stock! I didn't mean to confuse anyone there. Both are extremely beneficial in their own ways because they allow more air to be exposed to the motor. Stock intakes are typically restrictive in the fact that they can only let in a certian amount of un-pressureized air when the throttle body is capable of flowing more. A CAI will allow more of that un-pressureized air and feed the motor with more than enough air. From here the only way to get more air into the motor (besides internal parts) is to pressurize the incomming charge. What I was getting at are the differences between CAI and ram air kits. The differences in flow are negligable. The point where one becomes better than the other is at the speed where you should be slowing down.

 

Ok, so I have just cleaned my K&N filter and re-oiled it and repositioned it. But I really need to do something about the air intake itself. Like i said earlier, the hole where the air comes into the engine is only about 1/2" away from the front engine wall, and there are no holes or anything there, how in the world is this thing getting air at all? I looked around to see where i could make a hole to put a pipe of some kind in and can't really come up with any ideas, you guys seem to be more creative then me. Tools are not a problem, so if someone could show me what to do I'd be grateful. i was thinking of just making a hole right in front of the filter box intake hole itself, in the wall, but this doesn't seem to be a good idea. Any pics or something of the like would be appreciated greatly. Underneath the air filter box its all metal too, so i don't know what to do there. Making the air filter box hole bigger is the only thing I can think of right now.. HELP!

 

I have had the SLP cold air kit on my Trans Am for about 13 years. I have decided there is a better way. I also read on the CamaroZ28 formum that a guy dyno'd his 383 and got 20 more horsepower when he disconnected the SLP cold air system. This was enough for me. I'am making my own.

I'am going to use the Trick Flow LT1 elbow for starters. This installs off the throttle body with the proper length hose. It eliminates the stock ribbed hose and has a 3.5" outlet versus the less than 3" for the stock one. The oval part is the same size as the TPI throttle body so no problem there. For those with speed density you can then run 3.5" mandrel bent tubing over to where the stock airfilter goes. I would eliminate the stock filter and housing.

I also relocated my charcoal canister to the drivers side next to the battery. I had to do this for the SLP system. This frees up a lot of room for a big K&N air filter for those that have not done it.

However I have a MAF. So I made up a trick reducer out of ABS plastic that goes from 3.5" to the less than 3" of the MAF. This goes between the LT1 elbow and the MAF. On the other side I made up a reducer that goes between the MAF and the 3.5" tubing. The tubing then goes to a big K&N air filter where the SLP cold air box was. So the only restriction will be the MAF and it flows 711CFM with the screens removed.

By the way the reducers are tapered and are the same inside diamters as the MAF, Tubing or LT1 elbow. This way there will be no turbulance.

 

There are several different ways to make your own custom CAI. If you do a search you will probably find several pics of other peoples setups (including mine). Even though it may seem like your system is in a bad spot and you wonder how it can even get air dont worry. When the TB opens up it will do its job by sucking the air into the plenum and intake. Just remember that when you add more air you generally need to add more fuel as well but not in all cases. Minor mods to a stock CAI setup wouldnt require more fuel. The car likes to breathe......

 

I was thinking about using this setup.It would mount right in front of the radiator like an intercooler.http://www.cbwheels.com/images/1ar1intake2%20copy.jpg

 

The only down side to that is you are restricting air flow to your radiator and may notice you car running a bit hotter. Not exactly sure how much it would effect it since I have not done that, just something to think about. If there was no adverse affect to the cooling thats a great idea. Not sure it would be a whole lot better than any other set up though.

 

It would depend on how much room it took up there in front of the rad. My tranny cooler is there and it was ok but it has fins like the rad. If its small enough I wouldnt see a problem with it. If you have it out away from the rad it may cause a problem cuz you will be redirecting some air. Normally the air hits the air dam and comes right up into the rad to cool it. Any redirection of air turbulence and it may be detrimental to the cooling process. Also, if you put it up against the rad you now have the temp of the rad affecting the air temp going into the filter. Just use common sense in placing it somewhere. Remember, everything is setup from the factory to work a certain way, and if you change something it could (or will) have a negative effect on what you are doing.