I have been reading alot about both of them. I have an 88 with the MAF. Would I benefit from a speed density, and if I would how much would it cost?

 

Well, i dont know much of the plus's between the two, but im quite sure you wont get much performance out of it.. alot of people like speed density because you can throw a cone right on the TB, but i dont see how thats any good.. i would rather be pulling in cold air with a cold air intake.

Im quite sure you will have to use the harness and ecu from a map vehicle, but im not sure if there are any adaption kits out there now days.

John

 

With a a straight swap, you'll see little to no difference.

The difference will come from the range of tuning abilities & adapting to different temperatures/CAI, etc.

Why do you think GM went back to MAF for the LS1s? Better in the long run....

 

MAF in general is better than speed density, however the thirdgen speed density is better than the thirdgen maf. The thirdgen maf is small and will limit the amount of airflow the engine can get.
With your engine and the miniram I would say you could get another 10-15 horsepower from the switch. GM High Tech Performance magazine did a buildup a few years ago and they gained 10 hp at the wheels.

 

There is a learning curve with both, but a lot of guys start with the maf, get their feet wet, then move on to the SD. Look at the swap pages, ecm and some wire changes not too difficult. Tuning is the challenge. This has been done a lot, so there are many opinions, and lots and lots of info. Search..., so you do not reinvent the wheel.

 

From my readings. The Maf is better at high RPMS. Where a MAP is better down low.

But then, maps dont like lumpy cams with valve overlap.

I went to a system that uses both

 

Under boosted applications, MAF is very, limited. You will find on a mildly built engine, you can get away with MAF as it is much more adaptable and foregiving. If you start getting into wild applications and major engine overhauls, MAP is the only way to go. I don't quite understand the comment from thesargster4 about liking cold air intakes though. That is neither a MAF or MAP system but can be modified to work either way. Technically, my application would be a hot air intake then unless the cooler does it's job.

 

Neither one (stock) likes a real lumpy cam. Only after a good tune do they work.