[Stealth7]

All: I have seen all of the threads on aftermarket Air Intakes and am left feeling that:

1. There no concretely established independent gains. Will an K&N Drop in be just as good as a new intake?

2. No one product appears to be "best".

Any advice on adding an Air Intake with the following goals in mind:

A. More power than stock without loss of torque, on an otherwise stock car. A 10rwhp/5rwhp gain is not worth it to me.

B. Not necessarily more SC Whine, but ok if necessary.

C. Dry Filter--not oiled ones where I need to worry about too much or too little oil, etc.

D. Excellent quality.

E. Will not cause problems with Dealer or warranty.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[GA SS]

E. Will not cause problems with Dealer or warranty.

There are a lot more qualified folks on here than I am to answer those questions. I wanted to add the air intake and a catch can. After reading a lot on here I decided a catch can was a must have. I read a 45 page post on the Camaro 5 side where the OP had a catch can and air intake only. His vehicle lost oil pressure and his whole power train warranty was denied because any thing added can void the warranty and it was denied. It turns out the oil pump failed. I decided to wait on adding any thing until the warranty is up. My $.02 for what is worth.

[Can'tHave2MuchHP]

Ok so basically, anything that improves air flow enough to increase any more than a few HP is going to freak out the computers/factory tune and run lean with check engine lights and possible failure etc. This is well proven. That's why the Weapon X and Vengeance Racing ZL1 intakes don't work on the stock tune because they vastly improve air flow whereas most ones like Roto-fab, K&N, and Cold air Inductions have to work with the stock tune.

That said, I run a Roto-Fab dry on mine. I'm happy with it.

[nicktechla]

Originally Posted by GA SS

E. Will not cause problems with Dealer or warranty.

There are a lot more qualified folks on here than I am to answer those questions. I wanted to add the air intake and a catch can. After reading a lot on here I decided a catch can was a must have. I read a 45 page post on the Camaro 5 side where the OP had a catch can and air intake only. His vehicle lost oil pressure and his whole power train warranty was denied because any thing added can void the warranty and it was denied. It turns out the oil pump failed. I decided to wait on adding any thing until the warranty is up. My $.02 for what is worth.

i think it depends on the dealer.. I took my car to the dealer I bought it from, the service manager popped the hood. I was like, just curious, what are you looking for? Never had a service manager look under the hood. He said checking for an air intake. I said, oh ok, what if i had one? He said they would void my warranty.


WTF. I don't go to that dealer anymore.

[Stealth7]

Catch cans are not generally liked by dealers

[SJFGTO]

Originally Posted by Can'tHave2MuchHP

Ok so basically, anything that improves air flow enough to increase any more than a few HP is going to freak out the computers/factory tune and run lean with check engine lights and possible failure etc. This is well proven. That's why the Weapon X and Vengeance Racing ZL1 intakes don't work on the stock tune because they vastly improve air flow whereas most ones like Roto-fab, K&N, and Cold air Inductions have to work with the stock tune.

That said, I run a Roto-Fab dry on mine. I'm happy with it.

This^^^

[SJFGTO]

Originally Posted by Stealth7

Catch cans are not generally liked by dealers

Not my experience at all. I think that is kind of a overbroad statement which could discourage folks from adding a extremely useful mod on this engine.

[Stealth7]

Many dealers look at catch cans as modifying the emission system our car which could affect the motor and could affect how the engin runs.If there is then an engine issue, then you are potentially in Federal Magnuson Moss Act territory--warranty issues. Same with tunes of course. This of course may not be the case , but when the dealer sees an additional item to hanging off the side of the engine or the PVC valve modified this can start a discussion. Our dealers in California, and California in general, are stricter than most other places. This is not something I like and not something that I am proud of.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by Stealth7

Any advice on adding an Air Intake with the following goals in mind:

A. More power than stock without loss of torque, on an otherwise stock car. A 10rwhp/5rwhp gain is not worth it to me.

B. Not necessarily more SC Whine, but ok if necessary.

C. Dry Filter--not oiled ones where I need to worry about too much or too little oil, etc.

D. Excellent quality.

E. Will not cause problems with Dealer or warranty.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Yes, an aftermarket air intake is guaranteed to add at least 36 My Little Ponies and Unicorn Torques. If you put the sticker that comes with it on the bumper, that's another 382.

[nicktechla]

Yeah be honest with yourself.. Nobody adds air intake for power, its 70% looks and 30% sound :P

[ninetres]

Originally Posted by nicktechla

Yeah be honest with yourself.. Nobody adds air intake for power, its 70% looks and 30% sound :P

Facts.

[Mark R]

I have gotten rid of all K&N filters as a result of reading this study:

http://www.billswebspace.com/AirFilterTest.htm

I have a ZL-1 on the way, and I will retain the stock air box and filter, as I'm more interested in good filtration and air flow, not intake noise and supercharger whine.

Per the scientifically validated testing noted above, the stock paper air filters do a very good job of filtering air, holding lots of dust until the filter is changed, and not clogging due to holding that dust.

My car will remain stock, except for a catch can and ported stock throttle body, because I'm not going to track the car. It's a GT and weekend car for me, so modifying it has no appeal to me.

I understand the desire to trick out a car, as every one of my motorcycles is heavily modified. But my thinking is that unless one is going for big mods that will definitely void the warranty, an aftermarket airbox is potentially inviting a bit of trouble for not a heck of a lot of gain.

Just my 2 cents.

Mark R.
Albuquerque, NM

[FASTNUF]

Originally Posted by nicktechla

Yeah be honest with yourself.. Nobody adds air intake for power, its 70% looks and 30% sound :P

Agreed! I just wanted it more for the looks to blend into the engine bay and in my opinion, it kinda looks factory. I even took off the Roto-Fab sticker.

In talking to my longtime dealer, they didn't care about this nor my strut brace, but he stated they would void if a catch can or tune was installed without a doubt. I'm good with what this car delivers and really enjoy it, especially with the top down.

Cool to read about how everyone makes their's unique, that's the fun part!

Everyone has their reason, this was mine.

[FASTNUF]

Originally Posted by Mark R

I have gotten rid of all K&N filters as a result of reading this study:

http://www.billswebspace.com/AirFilterTest.htm

I have a ZL-1 on the way, and I will retain the stock air box and filter, as I'm more interested in good filtration and air flow, not intake noise and supercharger whine.

Per the scientifically validated testing noted above, the stock paper air filters do a very good job of filtering air, holding lots of dust until the filter is changed, and not clogging due to holding that dust.

My car will remain stock, except for a catch can and ported stock throttle body, because I'm not going to track the car. It's a GT and weekend car for me, so modifying it has no appeal to me.

I understand the desire to trick out a car, as every one of my motorcycles is heavily modified. But my thinking is that unless one is going for big mods that will definitely void the warranty, an aftermarket airbox is potentially inviting a bit of trouble for not a heck of a lot of gain.

Just my 2 cents.

Mark R.
Albuquerque, NM

Interesting read, but it was published in Sept 2004, or almost 14 yrs ago. Wonder if they have tested any recently?
I'm sure filter media alone has improved since then. I've never been a big K&N fan myself due to my own personal issues with the brand. Yrs ago, had a new pre-oiled K&N cause MAF sensor issues on 2 different vehicles. I'm sure that they may have improved, but if I stay factory housing, I usually use WIX because I've never had any issues AND downstream after the filter, never found any "dust" when wiped with a clean white rag as I have with other brands including some OEM factory filters.