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Great comparison. I have the dropped base with K&N element. I got it when I saw (with my own dyno testing) that it was worth 5 hp more than the K&N top open filter element. Maybe someone will now design an L-88 Salad Bowl hoodscoop ?
That's what I was referring to. Maybe take all this with a grain of salt. Joe Sherman over on speedtalk says a k&N top filter cover will lose HP unless it is 4" or 5" above the carb from what he tested on a dyno. Looks like the snorkel guys are losing out even if they have a cai.
Oooo inflammatory
I can tell you this res..
On a 77 with the single snorkel and the stuff inside that snorkel for cold running, it can barely support the stock 180 HP.
However, take the stuff inside the snorkel out and add a 2" hole into the airbox with a hose to the area of the wiper tray and it can support 406HP with a K&N filter with no loss of power.
I did just that on my last iteration of my engine and tested it on the dyno.
There was no significant change in HP with the lid on drawing air through the snorkel(s) vs having the lid off. Actually lid on was about 2 HP more as I recall. But like I said, no real difference.
Dual snorkel L-82's I would expect to see no loss lid on or lid off.
CAI vs hot. I guarantee there would be a significant difference in power.
The Engine Masters series is awesome, as is the other Motortrend ON demand shows.
The air cleaner shootout they did was interesting, and pretty much backed up my own chasis dyno and track testing I have done with my car and multiple air cleaner setups.
The K&N extreme lid (with the filter media in the lid) actually lost 3HP on my engine dyno vs a traditional lid with a 1.5" drop base. And the dyno air turbine (basically a big velocity stack) made 10hp more then even the best air cleaner combo, and 15hp over no air cleaner at all.
Carbs DEFINITELY want a base on them to straighten out the air flow.
The air cleaner that Ken runs almost always makes the most power....the bubble top, deep drop base Speedway motors air cleaner, but with a 4" filter if you can fit it.
I run the L88/LT1 style, 2" drop base, with a 4" K&N filter. I only lose .5-1 mph with this air cleaner assembly at the track.
The base is not as smooth and doesn't transition into the throat of the carb as well as the Speedway Motors air cleaner base does, but it clears my fuel pressure gauge.
At the track, I run just the L88 base with a home made "hold down". This is usually good for .07 and .7 mph on average over running the filter.
1-3/4" drop under a stock '76 hood. The air cleaner assembly was from Allstar Performance. I did need to trim a small piece of the air cleaner bottom to clear the dist'r shielding.
I think logically and scientifically the deep wide drop base K&N air cleaner setup probably flows the best BUT for street driving and for big Gross HP motors, I seriously doubt I would notice the difference since I prefer the OEM/Sleeper look on my OEM looking L-82 355 roller cammed AFR headed C3......
1-3/4" drop under a stock '76 hood. The air cleaner assembly was from Allstar Performance. I did need to trim a small piece of the air cleaner bottom to clear the dist'r shielding.
Thanks, was wondering b/c same set up with a 3" element did not fit on mine ('69 small block hood). I suppose the manifold and carb height could be different too, but I think the older hood is lower.
Braswell makes a 2 inch drop base filter element that they say will beat any comparable set up. They taper the walls of the base inward and the lid is a little bigger diameter than the base so the filter element is pulled slightly away from the base. Going to try one on mine with the L88 hood.
They are slaves and salesmen for their sponsors. lol Had my big block dodge on the dyno, engine builder said grab your air cleaner toss it on made another pull, lost 10 lb ft of torque at 2900 rpm. Jetted down 2 sizes and gained 12 back on next pull. Didnt have to spend any money lol. just tune the engine correctly. That was with a 14x3 drop base chrome generic filter with K&N filter in it. Now switched over to this with functional ram air.
They are slaves and salesmen for their sponsors. lol Had my big block dodge on the dyno, engine builder said grab your air cleaner toss it on made another pull, lost 10 lb ft of torque at 2900 rpm. Jetted down 2 sizes and gained 12 back on next pull. Didnt have to spend any money lol. just tune the engine correctly........
You are correct on the tuning....any air cleaner will make the mixture richer. Best to dyno tune your engine with the air cleaner you intend to run for max performance.
Braswell makes a 2 inch drop base filter element that they say will beat any comparable set up. They taper the walls of the base inward and the lid is a little bigger diameter than the base so the filter element is pulled slightly away from the base. Going to try one on mine with the L88 hood.
How soon do you expect to pull the trigger on one? Pretty soon my avatar car will need to breathe more deeply and this set up looks like it could get the job done.
Les, I am going to give them a call on Monday and confirm the dimensions because I need every bit of the two inch drop. I will let you know what they say. There was a thread on Speedtalk I think, where they raved about this set up.
Les, I am going to give them a call on Monday and confirm the dimensions because I need every bit of the two inch drop. I will let you know what they say. There was a thread on Speedtalk I think, where they raved about this set up.
Great, thanks! With the single plane intake I'm looking at using, I'll need all the clearance I can get too.
The trouble with these efficiency tests is that they don't take into account how well the filter removes dirt from the air. Sure, you can have a low restriction filter, but if its letting all the dirt through do you really want it?
The K&N filters in particular are crap at filtering out dirt from the air. Plus if you're running a mass air flow fuel injection the oil in the filter (assuming you've actually oiled it as recommended) contaminates the mass air flow sensor and makes your car not run right.
I did my own comparison 10 years ago and found a 10 in K&N with a 2 in. filter with the Extreme top was good for up to 300RWHP after that with a bigger engine it was no good and had to change to a dropbase 14in.
11-20-2017, 04:10 PM
