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We had a Z06 engineer talk to our club in 2001 and he was discussing some of the changes. He mentioned the opening in the air cleaner for the z06 and mentioned they experimented with several size openings but there was no greater hp gains than about 2.5 hp with the opening. He said the current operating system was the restriction of adding more HP without getting outside ambient air. Maybe with proper tuning you might get a few more ponies but heated engine air will not allow more oxygen reach the combustion chambers and that is where measurable hp is made.
We had a Z06 engineer talk to our club in 2001 and he was discussing some of the changes. He mentioned the opening in the air cleaner for the z06 and mentioned they experimented with several size openings but there was no greater hp gains than about 2.5 hp with the opening. He said the current operating system was the restriction of adding more HP without getting outside ambient air. Maybe with proper tuning you might get a few more ponies but heated engine air will not allow more oxygen reach the combustion chambers and that is where measurable hp is made.
If there was no greater gain than 2.5 hp regardless of the size of the opening, what was/is the Z06's breathing problem? The typical aftermarket air cleaner/air bridge combination yields rather more than that, and they mostly take in engine compartment air. As an example, look at the K&N dyno results posted on their web site.
Last edited by jackthelad; 04-26-2017 at 04:26 PM.
While following this thread (which I started) I came across the following. Is it possible that this much power was gained simply from the zip tie mod? I am a bit confused.
It's picked up power in every example I have seen, not 20rwhp but usually around 10-12rwhp. The stock intake is restricting and opening it up makes breathing easier.
As mentioned, the downside is potential dirt and debris in the filter due to the location, so if you drive a lot you may want to get a better aftermarket answer.
I did it a while back. In all honesty I was more concerned with the cheap way it looked than anything else, so I got a Vararam and never looked back. It might just be me, but I really don't like the way air filters look sitting open in the engine bay, especially one with a zip tie.
I've run the zip tie mod for over a year now and like it. I spent no time driving around with the stock intake so I can't compare what the "SOTP gains" are from the stock intake to the zip tie.
I'd like to spend some time datalogging IATs with the current zip tie setup, then switch over to the "Flip Tie" mod as linked above. Expecting to see a nice drop in temps especially at lower speeds. Although I have no way of measuring it, I wondering if there is any "ram-air" effect at highway speeds.
There is a large difference between GM using an engine dyno to determine HP and someone using a chassis dyno. I know of a retired GM engineer (JH) who had his C7 dyno'd by a well known company and it produced more HP than the factory rating. They all talked about SAE standards and every thing else on it accuracy and he never told them it was stock other then an intake change. I have friends who have cars dyno'd at different events but still running an engine air system yet would go to the drag strip and still get the same trap speed.
Ram air at highway speeds....at 70 it was about .75hp gain but at 140 it was 4 hp, this was an aeronautical engineer on another forum years ago. Cannot remember the exact model he used but he had a long explanation on it using an early Veraram on a Z06.
Cleanliness of the filter would be my concern. At the least you'd need to install a front hood seal. An open element sits directly below where the leading edge of the hood meets the front fascia, and without a hood seal you'll see some debris in there.
Year of your C5 would also be a concern. If you have a pre-2001 car you would have the side fed air box, which I imagine would likely benefit most. 2001 onwards the air box was changed to the front feed style (with the Z06 having a larger opening).
Originally Posted by X2142
I'm still lost on what this zip tie mod is
This is a very old mod. Basically you remove the air filter box's cover, run large zip ties over the box to hold the filter in place. It's a thing that's been done for years now with LS cars like the C5 and 4th gen F bodies.
With a hood seal installed and 15,000 miles of all types of conditions on my zip tie mod, the filter has ZERO particulate on it. Only issue is opening the hood when the car is wet - water streams down the hood right onto the filter. I just make sure the hood is dry before opening it.
Well it seems that the overall response seems to indicate that the zip tie mod does indeed make a noticeable difference. No hard numbers except for one dyno tested zip tie mod on a Z06 which showed about 10hp gain.
I did read in a few places that the computers will have to 're-learn' the new arrangement. I kinda know what that means. But would love some details. If anyone can fill me in that would be great. what exactly will they re-learn and how long will it take?
Last edited by Ducati Guy; 04-27-2017 at 11:28 PM.
I did read in a few places that the computers will have to 're-learn' the new arrangement. I kinda know what that means. But would love some details. If anyone can fill me in that would be great. what exactly will they re-learn and how long will it take?
Airflow will increase so the computer has to add fuel and you'll make more power. Usually a few drive cycles has the computer good and you can make it quicker by pulling the negative cable so it starts from scratch.
Try looking for the flip tie mod instead of the zip tie mod.
The zip tie simply removes the cover and zip ties the air cleaner in place.
The flip tie mod turns it over, removes the cover, cuts a hole in the plastic to get a cold air source. The same price (almost free) and it turns it into a true cold air and possibly a ram air. and it looks cleaner too.
04-26-2017, 07:52 AM
Zip tie mod.....does it really do anything?
