Difference on Cold Air Intake
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 393
Likes: 7
From: Colorado
Difference on Cold Air Intake
Quick question. I know that there are two types of cold air intakes for the C5. There is the 1997-2000 model and the 2001-2094 model. What is the difference? Trying to see if I can use a black wing for a 2001-20004 on a 1997.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 355
From: Little Rock Arkansas
The differences are;
- The type of incoming air. '97-00 feeds in through the sides through a tube, while 01-04 non-Z06 and Z06 feed in through the front.
- 97-00 cars have a hose for the AIR check valve on the driver's side of the filter box. I believe '01-04 vehicles have this in a location separate from the box. Most aftermarket intakes will have the port for the hose but for later cars it's simply capped off.
- The type of incoming air. '97-00 feeds in through the sides through a tube, while 01-04 non-Z06 and Z06 feed in through the front.
- 97-00 cars have a hose for the AIR check valve on the driver's side of the filter box. I believe '01-04 vehicles have this in a location separate from the box. Most aftermarket intakes will have the port for the hose but for later cars it's simply capped off.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,366
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From: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
I'd like to explain a fact about cold air intakes. Unless the incoming air is ducted to the engine by some method of picking up air from outside of the engine compartment, for instance by cutting the radiator shroud or through the front air scoops, then you do not have a true cold air intake. Vararam, Callaway Honker, Breathless Vortex are cold air intakes I know of. Most other intakes are just fancier air filter systems but not cold air intakes. They are still ingesting warm engine compartment air.
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I could be wrong, but I believe the air duct on the 01-04 cars are larger than the earlier models. Also I agree that the Blackwing is not a cold air intake - it uses warm engine compartment air.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,804
Likes: 358
From: Northville, MI
Warm air from the engine department is all about the same whether you use a standard air inlet, twin snorkel, zip tie, etc. The air passing into the throttle body will still be warm. The engineers made the opening on the Z06 larger because the engine was turning higher rpm's and they did not want to take the chance the engine would lean out.
A true cold air intake, using ambient air, will be considerably cooler than engine air so the air entering the TB will have more oxygen molecules. This is what creates the additional HP the engine will make.
A true cold air intake, using ambient air, will be considerably cooler than engine air so the air entering the TB will have more oxygen molecules. This is what creates the additional HP the engine will make.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,532
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From: pueblo co
i agree with other's i find it funny when i go to car show's and see other vette's and i always am curious to what they have done mod wise and ask them, and will 9 times out 10 see a open filter sitting there to suck warm engine bay heat , and they are i have a high performance cold air intake system..lol...
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Racer
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 294
Likes: 15
From: South Orange Co. CA
I installed the Vortex soon after I bought my car. I had to cut a hole in the plenum to get access to the air coming in from the front. Otherwise, the intake gets the air after it goes through the radiator. Never really understood why Chevy did it this way.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,804
Likes: 358
From: Northville, MI
When GM was developing the C5 and LS engines in 1992, the engineers were going to and engine management system using both MAF and SD as engine calibrations. Also the state of the art computer chips were 16 bit PS2 computers. Using engine compartment air made for a more predicable environment for programming the PCM. Considering they were using the powertrain system on a 516K/16 bit system they decided to use save 96K for programmable functions and the remaining data was used as firmware that would be non-programmable. Also, the C5 had to operate from Death Valley to Alaska and still meet EPA requirements.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,989
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From: Carson City Nevada
I'd like to explain a fact about cold air intakes. Unless the incoming air is ducted to the engine by some method of picking up air from outside of the engine compartment, for instance by cutting the radiator shroud or through the front air scoops, then you do not have a true cold air intake. Vararam, Callaway Honker, Breathless Vortex are cold air intakes I know of. Most other intakes are just fancier air filter systems but not cold air intakes. They are still ingesting warm engine compartment air.
