is an open filter element better than the one snorkel my LG4 came with, or should I get ahold of the dual skorkel?

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LUDICROUS SPEED GO!!!

 

An open element will bring in more air, but since it is under-hood air,it is very warm air. The snorkel type air cleaners don't bing nearly as much air, but air from farther away from your engine. If you look at your LG4 snorkel, you see that it is trying to get air from the opening between the nose and the hood. This is highly restrictive and not really very cool air. unless you need to pass a visual inspection, I would get a highflow open element,preferably a K&N.

 

I put an open element on my LG4 and I could feel the difference, even over the recently purchased K&N. I would go for it, and just put on the stock air box for emissions testing.

 

The LG4 air cleaner setup just plain sucks!
Ive gone over this many times in my head.
The stock setup draws air from the front of the hood like TransAm383 said, But where? there realy is no air flow in the stock location and you have to add the radiator heat in also. Now an open eliment filter has more surface area and can draw air from 360deg hot or cold more is better.
SSC

 

I must disagree about the LG4 snorkel being restrictive. 99% of the time that single snorkel will flow more than enough air, assuming you are not constantly running at wide open throttle. (Of course, a dual snorkel system would be nice.) Moreover, one's car is moving the majority of the time and that is what ANY cold air induction or snorkel style air cleaner system is designed to take advantage of. You should seldom, if ever, run into a problem from hot stagnant air restricting your engine.



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1986 Camaro Sports Coupe
T-tops, power hatch, third brake light
LG4 305 V8, "Damonized" Q-Jet 4bbl, K&N filter
TH700R4 transmission
Air, pw, pl, pb, ps
Kenwood cassette, Pioneer component front speakers
Rockford Fosgate 6x9 Punch rear speakers
Aluminum slots and Goodyear 225x60R15 Eagle HP tires

 

Last summer I ran my Camaro for the season at Bandimere ('57 was out of transmission). I started with the stock air cleaner, changed to a 3" x 14" open element after about 3 weeks. I don't have my recorded run information in front of me, but I believe I picked up almost 2 tenths with that change alone, in the rarified air of Colorado. I always cooled it down before a run, so the under-hood heat wasn't much of a problem.

For daily stop & go traffic, it would affect off-idle when the engine got hot, and WOT wasn't anything to brag about. Overall, still, it was as good or better than the stock cleaner.

Since the '57 is back on the road, the Camaro had to give up the open element (it was borrowed from the '57, in case you hadn't guessed). I haven't run the Camaro at the track this year, but my guess would be it's back to it's old self again.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R4. 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/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam and intake, World 305 heads, Hooker headers & y-pipe, 3" Catco cat & 3" cat-back).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. '66 396, 9.7 CR forged TRWs, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, GK 270 cam, Magnum rockers, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders & 3" Warlocks, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, MegaShifter, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Idles smooth @ 600 RPM in D. Best 15.02/95.06 @ 5800' Bandimere (corrected 13.93/102.4 @ sea level).