I have a 1996 lt1 corvette. I have recently seen the ram airs for sale through this site. Does anyone have experience with the ram airs? Or am i better off with a open air box and a k&n air filter or some cool air intake with three k&n tips. If anyone has knowledge i would appreciate some of it.

 

I have an 89 Vette and i'm working on a cold air deal for mine. I hooked up the scanner and I'm reading 94F inlet air temps at 80MPH cruising in FL. That tells me one thing.... i need cold air. i just did some research and for every 10F drop you make about 1.8% more power. So if i can get my 89 to go from 94F to 70F i'll make 11RWHP. This is not ricer math either. GM put Ram air on those F'n LS1 trans Am's that **** me off. those things can make HP out the wazoo just b/c of that ram air italian nose. (my friends have them...i'd know first hand we raced bone stock TA's VS a stock TA with just a ram air hood. so that's 2 bone stock LS1 99 Auto TA's, only thing different is one had the aftermarket ram air hood and box on it.... HELLO. almost 3 car difference. even til about 60MPH... So.... back to my quest here. i am also switching over to a Speed density ECM and LT1 intake manifold (replacing the TPI SET UP and maf). I know the maf is absolete, along witht the factory TB. my next thing to calculate is the CFM of the factory Airbox. i have just a KN and open lid i cut now. works ok. I'm going to sit down and design a ram air/cold air intake for the C4. that one kit for $450 get real. so the goal here is to have a intake that flows no less than 750CFM, and picks up cold air and hopefully ram air. (which happens after 50MPH) SLP cold kit is a good piece and isn't to expensive. use it instead of the TPIS one. but SLP is making HP b/c they are adding COLDER air, they're increasing the size of the air box throat or anything. i will update you on my project. i have ram air brake cooler i made myself from good high quality blk flex pipe and cut 2.5" holes in the front spoiler. they work great.

 

I have the Breathless Performance one. I'm not sure if it gave me any gains or not but I think it looks cool.

 

ok ladies. Here are the facts of what i know so far. i'm going to need about 750CFM max for my engine set up. so a twin 52mm bored factory throttle body is going to happen w/ air foil. 2- to have a 750CFM intake the smallest Diamter can be 2.8". SO 3" mandrel system. Next. the factory air box i just took a look at is very restrictive in the "throat area".. i've done some porting with a dremel...but still it doesn't look impressive. Replacing the MAF will be a 3" exhuast pipe painted black and cut to length, i think i might have to cut upward on the Acrodian pipe to make it fit. remember 3"....3". so we have a 52mm TB, 3" pipe replacing the MAF. Now things get interesting. We have to look toward the C5 products. the "bridge" is the key here. i know for a fact 3" pipe over the radiator won't let the hood close. So I need to find out the CFM of the stock and aftermarket "bridges" to determine which one to used and if they fit. i'm 99% sure they will (we're gonna find out). Next. the front license plate is gonna be ripped open like a bag of chips at a drunk football party. lol. Getting the air from the radiator shroud area sux, good but sux. the C5's have a lot of options....bastards....lucky. I fell in love with a Haltech intake system. puts the air filter right behind the license plate cover. so if your at the track....2 screws....done. raining like H E L L..... 2 screws on. or you can dril some hold in the factory plat cover and always leave it on. that's an idea for the lazy people out there. this will require piping mandrel 3" pipe to the plate. will involve cuttin up the bumper, and some tinny cross members by the fog lights i think. to make the pressure even more effective on that air filter sitting in the plate hole.... i'm going to make a thin plate or backing to make it sealed off to the engine area. that way it can only get air from the front. I'll drill 1 or 2 small holes on the bottom for water to drain. I think this is going to be a very very sick looking and hot performing intake system. total cost i'm estimating here... 3" pipe $10, C5 bridge (stock $30) aftermarket $150?, 1 3" mandrel 45 or 90 degree bend $21 from NAPA.... and lets include a nice KN cone or something.... KN catolog.... $40 oh yea..and a thin piece of sheet metal to isolate the filter in that nose hole we just made... $5 Home Depot. SO Ladies... for $66 (or $186 w/aftermarket C5 bridge) we have a ...TRUE cold air, TRUE ram air, free flowing, CUSTOM built intake that looks bad AZS and flows Minimum of 750+ CFM!!!
I'll post pics soon. i have a pic of this system on a C5!! looks hot. if you wana see it email me at Fast_vette89@yahoo.com and i'll send it to you.... i dont know how to post pics on here.... dam.

 

I had the cold air that went in the license plate holder on my '94 383 - i guarantee it made a difference! You get up to highway speed and then punch it.. you can hear it sucking air in :D . Oh, and even an idle... you can hear it sucking in too ..

 

yup. haltech makes 2 different type of these kits for the C5's. ONe is throught the plate, other is under the nose. i prefer the nose. no radiator heat. direct ram effect too.

 

Interesting.. you have or know where there are any pictures of the under the nose one? I saved my through the nose one from the '94 to put on my new vette, but i really don't want to cut the fiberglass under the hood on my LT4 to install it. I DEFINITELY would have by now if it didn't require sawing the vette.

 

So how much does a stock C5 bridge flows?

 

working on getting that information. I just need it to flow 750+CFM. I'm gonna call a few places today and find out. i'll post up as soon as i find out. If anyone else knows.... please do tell.

 

i am a big fan of the one that goes through the front lisence plate area. i know some ppl dont like hte look but there is a guy here that has a zr1 that has one and picked up about 7 rwhp with it on the dyno with a leaf blower on it simulating wind from driving. i think they look plain awesome anyway. my guess is that if they are good enough for lingenfelter on the 427 TT then they are good enough for my C4!

 

:iagree: I love the look, and i know there are gains (like with the leaf blower) .. but i just don't want to cut up my car :nonod: Previous owner of my '94 installed it and he said it was a bitch to do too.


[Modified by GlockLT4, 9:29 PM 5/19/2003]

 

When you say the air intake was making a sucking sound (I take it that is a good thing?) How loud is the sucking sound. Also what kind of horse power are you looking at between either a cold air intake or K%n air filter with a open lid accessory what is better value?

 

you could literally hear the engine sucking air in... :D . At idle, just had to stand in front of the car to hear it. When you hit the gas you could hear it too :yesnod:

 

I'd like to buy it from you glock if you still have it. :thumbs:

 

Trust me, he wasn't kidding.

I can't hear mine sucking air. Then again, I can't hear anything over my exhaust... :crazy:

 

hehe... this was with a 383 :yesnod: - it used quite a bit of air :D

 

Doh! :) I'm saving money for a 400+ci motor at the moment... :D Maybe I will hear that sucking noise sometime in the future... :crazy:

 

did that previous owner buy that $500 kit or make is own custom set up?? oh.... sucking noises.... don't mean anything. CFM is what matters along with Temp of the air. I hear Honda intakes sucking up a storm... and they run what.. 15's....lol. the noises are not what you judge an intake on. (unless your drive a Vtec Honda.. :withstupid: ) I'm almost done with mine and i made mine from scratch. i started with an idea.... and a big drill bit and hack saw. Trust me... it's not hard. I'm just working on getting the CFM numbers on the stock C5 bridge... i've been busy with a bunch of things..

 

I know induction noise is not important, but I like the sound. :)

In my case it was a pain in the backside to do the cutting required for the Forced Air kit I bought. I bought the kit from another forum member because I am not too good with fabrication and I wanted a purty cover for the air intake. :crazy:

I totally agree with you that this is something you could easily build yourself.