MAF Screen removed
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 32
Likes: 3
From: Pittsburgh Pa
MAF Screen removed
Last year I removed the screen in the MAF on my 96 Collector Edition with the GS engine. Immediately I noticed more power at acceleration and at idle it was noticeably smoother. To date there have been no problems. My question to all is has anyone else tried this?
Unrelated is all the questions posted with issues owners are having with their cars. After I purchased mine the next purchase were the Helm Manuals on the engine and body. Without the information contained in those books I would never attempt to dive into anything as the consequences can be expensive.
Unrelated is all the questions posted with issues owners are having with their cars. After I purchased mine the next purchase were the Helm Manuals on the engine and body. Without the information contained in those books I would never attempt to dive into anything as the consequences can be expensive.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: Colonia New Jersey
Last year I removed the screen in the MAF on my 96 Collector Edition with the GS engine. Immediately I noticed more power at acceleration and at idle it was noticeably smoother. To date there have been no problems. My question to all is has anyone else tried this?
Unrelated is all the questions posted with issues owners are having with their cars. After I purchased mine the next purchase were the Helm Manuals on the engine and body. Without the information contained in those books I would never attempt to dive into anything as the consequences can be expensive.
Unrelated is all the questions posted with issues owners are having with their cars. After I purchased mine the next purchase were the Helm Manuals on the engine and body. Without the information contained in those books I would never attempt to dive into anything as the consequences can be expensive.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
PO did that to an 89 I had
Wound up going lean intermittently and eventually blowing the head gasket. Car always felt fine but wasnt til I tried dynoing it and saw the A/F ration figured it out.
Id never do it again
Wound up going lean intermittently and eventually blowing the head gasket. Car always felt fine but wasnt til I tried dynoing it and saw the A/F ration figured it out.
Id never do it again
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,735
Likes: 412
From: WV
.It sure moves some big air though..
...WW
Last edited by WW7; May 16, 2014 at 01:31 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,157
Likes: 554
From: Glenbeulah Wi
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,704
Likes: 8
it's an old trick, back in the 80's Corvette Challenge cars used it.
You can gain up to 100 cfm in air flow with screens deleted,obviously the thin wire inside the MAF is exposed to the risk of brekage.I think if the Maf is factory "tuned" to return back a voltage vs x airflow,if you add +100cfm to the max voltage you have an unexpected amount of air into the air fuel mix .Does the ECM work on the injectors pulse width to compensate for a lean condition?
You can gain up to 100 cfm in air flow with screens deleted,obviously the thin wire inside the MAF is exposed to the risk of brekage.I think if the Maf is factory "tuned" to return back a voltage vs x airflow,if you add +100cfm to the max voltage you have an unexpected amount of air into the air fuel mix .Does the ECM work on the injectors pulse width to compensate for a lean condition?
Last edited by tunedport85inject; May 16, 2014 at 02:50 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,221
Likes: 446
From: Overland Park Kansas
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,704
Likes: 8
plastic fins basically straighten the flow into the bore and the thin screens make it uniform
Last edited by tunedport85inject; May 16, 2014 at 03:27 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,973
Likes: 341
From: Adelaide South Australia
The research by superl98 is very interesting, dont you just love it when someone else does all the homework for you !
im tempted to put a screen back on the front of my maf just to see what happens.
At the end of the day tho it depends on what sort of driving you are doing, a screened maf is going to be good for street driving, but anyone who tracks their car will give up some smooth off idle control for that 25% more air flow, especially if their air intake is modified.
what we need now is someone who tracks their car to do back to back runs, with and without a front screen to see if there is any real world difference ?
im tempted to put a screen back on the front of my maf just to see what happens.
At the end of the day tho it depends on what sort of driving you are doing, a screened maf is going to be good for street driving, but anyone who tracks their car will give up some smooth off idle control for that 25% more air flow, especially if their air intake is modified.
what we need now is someone who tracks their car to do back to back runs, with and without a front screen to see if there is any real world difference ?
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,704
Likes: 8
The research by superl98 is very interesting, dont you just love it when someone else does all the homework for you !
im tempted to put a screen back on the front of my maf just to see what happens.
At the end of the day tho it depends on what sort of driving you are doing, a screened maf is going to be good for street driving, but anyone who tracks their car will give up some smooth off idle control for that 25% more air flow, especially if their air intake is modified.
what we need now is someone who tracks their car to do back to back runs, with and without a front screen to see if there is any real world difference ?
im tempted to put a screen back on the front of my maf just to see what happens.
At the end of the day tho it depends on what sort of driving you are doing, a screened maf is going to be good for street driving, but anyone who tracks their car will give up some smooth off idle control for that 25% more air flow, especially if their air intake is modified.
what we need now is someone who tracks their car to do back to back runs, with and without a front screen to see if there is any real world difference ?
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,973
Likes: 341
From: Adelaide South Australia
im referring to autocross, hillclimb, or circuit type racing where your off the throttle at corner (or apex) then back on the throttle, and having to squeeze it out on some corners before you get WOT,
it would be interesting to have a back to back comparison under those circumstances ?
if you were drag racing it would be better off with no screens.
it would be interesting to have a back to back comparison under those circumstances ?
if you were drag racing it would be better off with no screens.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,157
Likes: 554
From: Glenbeulah Wi
I road race my Firebird with a 406 and the MAF is descreened, I have had no issues with this set-up. My data logs on airflow look good, so at least in my set-up the descreened MAF stays linear and smooth.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,735
Likes: 412
From: WV
It's the blowerworks model, Greg Carroll "the owner" was a great help in getting it hooked up to use in my 89...A new stock Bosch unit is $735.00, it only cost me $75.00 to replace the MAF stick in mine if it ever goes bad....
....Tequilaboy "Pat Cardy" did the insert of the bin files into my tune for me.. This MAF unit is awesome,car runs and idles perfectly, plus unlike the stock unit it's pretty much unbreakable.. You can throw it on the ground and kick it around and it will still work, no flimsy wire to break....
........WW
Last edited by WW7; May 17, 2014 at 12:22 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
WW7 
After buying a stock replacement MAF with screens my times picked up as it wasnt going dead lean upstairs anymore.
I think that whole de screen bit was a hack move by some tuner (hmm) back in the80s that didnt do their homework.
what we need now is someone who tracks their car to do back to back runs, with and without a front screen to see if there is any real world difference
I think that whole de screen bit was a hack move by some tuner (hmm) back in the80s that didnt do their homework.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,221
Likes: 446
From: Overland Park Kansas
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
Mine 383 is tuned for my descreened MAF. I wouldn't expect a bump in performance by adding screens. Also, my idle/off-idle throttle response is off-the-charts. Of course, that's aided by a mechanically advanced cam -- but it also doesn't seem to be "hurt" with the descreening either.
When I look at the videos of the two options, it's not even clear what we are looking at. Personally, I think the pink represents turbulence. Without a screen their is less turbulence as the air flows thru. Doesn't tell us anything else, right?
I'd be reluctant to categorize the people who figure out bins and measure components -- to improve performance as "hacks". Yes...some proceed w/o enough thought. Others, provide the rest of us with valuable information. This thread would be an example.
Experimentation is good. Thinking outside the box is too....
Try this one...Why isn't WWF's oversize MAF screened -- if the screen is SO important?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,616
Likes: 111
Neither one of your Vettes were significantly modified...or tuned for the de-screened MAF. As such, it's not a surprise you ran better with the tune that matched your stock setup.
Mine 383 is tuned for my descreened MAF. I wouldn't expect a bump in performance by adding screens. Also, my idle/off-idle throttle response is off-the-charts. Of course, that's aided by a mechanically advanced cam -- but it also doesn't seem to be "hurt" with the descreening either.
When I look at the videos of the two options, it's not even clear what we are looking at. Personally, I think the pink represents turbulence. Without a screen their is less turbulence as the air flows thru. Doesn't tell us anything else, right?
I'd be reluctant to categorize the people who figure out bins and measure components -- to improve performance as "hacks". Yes...some proceed w/o enough thought. Others, provide the rest of us with valuable information. This thread would be an example.
Experimentation is good. Thinking outside the box is too....
Try this one...Why isn't WWF's oversize MAF screened -- if the screen is SO important?
Mine 383 is tuned for my descreened MAF. I wouldn't expect a bump in performance by adding screens. Also, my idle/off-idle throttle response is off-the-charts. Of course, that's aided by a mechanically advanced cam -- but it also doesn't seem to be "hurt" with the descreening either.
When I look at the videos of the two options, it's not even clear what we are looking at. Personally, I think the pink represents turbulence. Without a screen their is less turbulence as the air flows thru. Doesn't tell us anything else, right?
I'd be reluctant to categorize the people who figure out bins and measure components -- to improve performance as "hacks". Yes...some proceed w/o enough thought. Others, provide the rest of us with valuable information. This thread would be an example.
Experimentation is good. Thinking outside the box is too....
Try this one...Why isn't WWF's oversize MAF screened -- if the screen is SO important?
Well said..........Yes and for that matter, any of the newer platforms do not utilize screens, my brothers' 03 Cobra, utilizes a very large screenless MAF, and I believe the newer generation platforms, LSX.....do not utilize the screens either.....I would tend to believe this was something early in the electronic multiport fuel injection days GM utilized to overthink of keeping the wires and other elements in MAF's safe. The guys at TPIS not only take out the screens but also file down the other elements in there, although ALOT of care must be taken when performing that task.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,221
Likes: 446
From: Overland Park Kansas
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
http://www.gmtuners.com/pda/flow.htm
Anyone considering a bump to a 52/58mm SHOULD be looking at their MAF and/or air box first.
I find it surprising that the OP saw a bump -- of the car is stock.
Two different trains of thought....modifying for more power versus descreening for stock improvement. I would consider (guess) the later fairly fruitless.