C6-13thPilotCar

2012 Gran Sport LS3
What have you found to be the best cold air intake for this setup on a stock tuned motor?

PatriotsGuy

There is an ocean of cai claiming to be the best , imo i think k&n is one of the best cai on the planet. Rock solid reputation mid price range ,been around for decades and it come with heat sheild. Need to keep heat away from cai otherwise its not a COLD air intake. Also there are top of the line cai manufacturers such as: Stillen,Injen etc.K&N is the one thats im actually installing on my 08 C6 coupe as we speak. Dont go cheap.

Dano523

Double edge sword.

CAI claimed HP is not a gain number, but a save number if the engine starts to take in hot air that would cause the motor to pull timing to loose HP instead. Also, keep in mind that the air intake temp sensor is in the MAF, so although you may be pulling in cold air, the MAF can heat soak since it sitting in the engine bay with the car idling.


The second edge that can cut you, the new intake filter system has to keep a clean flow of air moving past the MAF at all times to not cause problems as well. Here is the glitch, and with some CAI systems, the car will require a tune to just work around the MAF flow problem to begin with.

So the question you need to really ask, which CAI is really pulling in cold air from outside the engine bay area, moves the MAF out of the engine bay area so the MAF will not heat soak at idle with low air flow through it, and one that will not have a MAF flow throw problems so you don't need a tune to work around that problem to begin with.

PatriotsGuy

Thank you for the data. So what should i do leave it off or install cai ? The reason im putting one on my vette is because im in north carolina ands its been upper 90s and im getting lag in acceleration , Extreme humidity like a swamp. My eyes dont work good enough to see chart.

wuzfuzz

I went from the oem setup on my 2011 GS to the K&N air filter and finally went to the Vararam VRSC1R Snake Charmer. A little bit of labour to modify the radiator baffle to allow the installation of the "scoop" section of the Vararam and my GS is now drawing outside air into the throttle body rather than trapped engine compartment heated air.
One word describes the change.............. WOW.

PatriotsGuy

Well now im torn between your results and the other guys data results . But im gonna install it anyways . Thanks for post.

Dano523

Might want to data log to see if its a increase in AIT to begin with, or just E-10/bad fuel that is causing the problem instead (kicking down to the low octane tables instead due to motor knock detention).

HOXXOH

Best CAI?
If you're talking power performance, then it has to be Vararam, which is used on more 10 second LS2/3 NA cars than all others combined.

If you want the best filtration, keep the OEM system. It's better than any aftermarket filter.

K&N doesn't make a CAI for the LS3 and the filter they use in their housing is the poorest for filtration. Do a search for filter comparisons.

0aFe POWER

aFe is soon releasing this intake kit for the C6 corvette's.

We are very proud of what the aFe engineers developed

http://afepower.com/shop/details_new...=C6&brandID=53

Tommy D

If you read Toms post regarding filtration & Vararam you have just installed the one of the best filters on your Corvette.


Most of us get confused with regard to what a cold air intake is. Any intake system that allows cold air to flow into the air box while blocking off heated air from inside the engine bay is called a cold air intake.


You want cold air at speed to enter the intake


Those that get cold air from fender wells or anywhere in the engine bay are really not giving you "cold air". If you look at the design of the vararam/ honker and etc... those designs go through the shroud and allow cold air to enter the intake reducing the intake air temp(IAT) to be very close to ambient temperature.


While the car will heat soak at a stop light once moving the IAT will drop improving performance.

Blizzerk

no love for the Calloway Honker.

theblue

there is no real proof that anything is better than stock + toggle bolts.

HOXXOH

Assuming you mean for power, then yes there is, but apparently you don't want to believe it.
BTW, the toggle bolt mod has been upgraded.

PatriotsGuy

Your wrong adout K&N not making cai for ls3
K&N absolutely does makes cai for ls3 they are the 63 series, 57 series sold on carid.com K&N store.com to name a few. But Im not crazy about there but I have heard stock filter is better though I dont see how a cheap paper filter is better than an oiled top of the line filter. It seems to me oil would trap more dust , but I have heard that it doesnt.

djbrun

I just looked on the K&N website, and the 63 has a different air bridge, but is not a cold air intake.

However, The 63 series for the C7 looks to be.

DJ

let er eat

I went lingenfelter...the price was decent and it's true cold air/"ram" air. Dont know if it did anything or not lol

Seadawg

And OP, if you want to help out the stock Grand Sport or Z06 system, do this. My vette did not pull timing on the dyno tuning after my header install, even in the Florida noontime heat. I'm planning to eventually supercharge, so this was best of both worlds for me.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ke-shroud.html

lebvette

I have the Haltech KillerB with the shield and a Vette Air. All kinds of good air.

EvanZR1

Blows me away that people keep looking at air intakes for the LS3 and especially 12-13 GSs. GM started using the LS9 air filter in the GS (and maybe base cars) in 2012, so you already have a really good setup. For a stock car (even with a tune) you will gain NOTHING from an aftermarket air intake other than making your wallet lighter. In many cases, they may actually make the car run worse (especially the ones that open up the shroud), causing surging issues at light/part throttle.

HOXXOH

The 63 series is just a different filter on a different mount and located in the same place as the OEM. I found no 57 series for a LS3, so provide a direct link if you have it. CAI means Cold Air Intake and unless the air is entering the intake from someplace outside the engine compartment, it's not cold air.

So you want visual evidence to compare "cheap paper" and "oiled top of the line" filters? The only way an oiled mesh filter captures dirt, is when the dirt hits a piece of mesh that has sufficient oil to contain that piece of dirt. When you can see direct light through a filter, you can also get dirt of the same size through that hole. The size of the holes on the paper filters are much smaller.