Stinger Cold Air Mod (Dave68)
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,874
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From: Fishing Somewhere Cold
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '15
Stinger Cold Air Mod (Dave68)
Has anyone done the Dave68 Stinger Cold air mod?? I have the stuff and ready to get started but wondering if there have been any issues, probs etc...with this mod. Thanx in advance 
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,161
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From: San Diego CA
Dave and I did my car a few months ago and I haven't had any problems. The first week I noticed some surging when driving under light load conditions (flat ground, low RPM cruising) but it has since disappeared. I can't say I gained any performance from the mod but it didn't hurt anything either for the $20 I spent.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 19,304
Likes: 85
From: San Diego CA
I'm not sure if you wanted my input, as some may think I'm a bit biased about this, but for what it's worth, I'll comment on quite a few months of daily driving and my experiences, as well as a hand tip that Jim and I discovered.
For those of you who don't know what the mod entails, it involves cutting a rectangular opening in the lower radiator cover, directly underneath the Warhead (Halltech Stinger-R) or Blackwing air filter. A 316 stainless steel wire mesh sheet (<$15)(density similar to Z06 screens) is assembled over the cutout and screwd/RTVed in place. Cold, outside air is directed through the opening via an unbreakable polycarbonate "scoop", which is an office wall pocket ($8). This scoop is mounted on the other side of the radiator cover and all parts are fastened with stainless steel hardware. BTW, this scoop design has been track-tested to 175 MPH.
My first "test" of whether the mod was doing what it was intended to do was to physically check the temperature of the airbridge after driving at varying speeds on a hot (85F) day for 10+ miles. Before the mod, I would find the airbridge and filter covers to be extremely hot to the touch. After the mod, the temps felt much cooler - far cooler than any other component within the engine bay. It was then that I knew that the intake air was being kept well below the not-uncommon 140 degrees that I saw on an OBD II data acquisition readout, taken before the mod. Starting at approx. 100F, our engine's computers start retarding timing and hence, power. In fact, at that 140F, I WAS losing 10 HP.
No more!
Regarding the installation procedure:
http://www.corvettec5.com/installinfo.html
Jim and I found that the plastic pins (one at each side of the lower radiator cover) need to be pushed in and rotated before the cover is reinstalled (after the cutting and assembly is done). When you remove the cover, the plastic pins (which have two flanges, the back one being notched to aid in assembly) get pulled out of their respective holes and therefore need to be reinstalled later.
The other thing I'd like to comment about is the last step in the procedure - cutting a short piece of hood seal. The thought here is that enough excess air would be entering the engine bay at high speeds that there would be a high pressure area at the base of the windshield. Under normal driving conditions, and especially if you don't also have open fog light panels, this part of the mod is probably unnessary. I don't drive my car in the rain for any extended length of time, so I'm not worried about water intrusion, but those of you who do may want to forgo this step.
One last thing: For those who do not have Cold Air Intakes, have you ever noticed that your C5 is more "peppy" during the first few miles of driving? With a CAI, it's like this all the time. As Jim Hall is known to say, "Cold air rules!"
For those of you who don't know what the mod entails, it involves cutting a rectangular opening in the lower radiator cover, directly underneath the Warhead (Halltech Stinger-R) or Blackwing air filter. A 316 stainless steel wire mesh sheet (<$15)(density similar to Z06 screens) is assembled over the cutout and screwd/RTVed in place. Cold, outside air is directed through the opening via an unbreakable polycarbonate "scoop", which is an office wall pocket ($8). This scoop is mounted on the other side of the radiator cover and all parts are fastened with stainless steel hardware. BTW, this scoop design has been track-tested to 175 MPH.
My first "test" of whether the mod was doing what it was intended to do was to physically check the temperature of the airbridge after driving at varying speeds on a hot (85F) day for 10+ miles. Before the mod, I would find the airbridge and filter covers to be extremely hot to the touch. After the mod, the temps felt much cooler - far cooler than any other component within the engine bay. It was then that I knew that the intake air was being kept well below the not-uncommon 140 degrees that I saw on an OBD II data acquisition readout, taken before the mod. Starting at approx. 100F, our engine's computers start retarding timing and hence, power. In fact, at that 140F, I WAS losing 10 HP.
No more!
Regarding the installation procedure:
http://www.corvettec5.com/installinfo.html
Jim and I found that the plastic pins (one at each side of the lower radiator cover) need to be pushed in and rotated before the cover is reinstalled (after the cutting and assembly is done). When you remove the cover, the plastic pins (which have two flanges, the back one being notched to aid in assembly) get pulled out of their respective holes and therefore need to be reinstalled later.
The other thing I'd like to comment about is the last step in the procedure - cutting a short piece of hood seal. The thought here is that enough excess air would be entering the engine bay at high speeds that there would be a high pressure area at the base of the windshield. Under normal driving conditions, and especially if you don't also have open fog light panels, this part of the mod is probably unnessary. I don't drive my car in the rain for any extended length of time, so I'm not worried about water intrusion, but those of you who do may want to forgo this step.
One last thing: For those who do not have Cold Air Intakes, have you ever noticed that your C5 is more "peppy" during the first few miles of driving? With a CAI, it's like this all the time. As Jim Hall is known to say, "Cold air rules!"
Last edited by Dave68; Oct 9, 2004 at 04:59 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,874
Likes: 0
From: Fishing Somewhere Cold
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '15
Thanks Dave, actually I was hoping for your input. I don't drive in the rain much either (once in 2 years!) but living here in the Northwest you at least have to be ready for it. I am assuming that there are no issues with rain and driving with this mod as it seems less prone to take in H20 than the V'ram and many have that intake with no problem in the rain. Just looking for some real life exp. before starting the cutting! 
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 19,304
Likes: 85
From: San Diego CA
Scott,
Regarding Jim's comment about drivability: Before the computer learned about the newfound above-normal infusion of cold air, I would throw the tranny in neutral at 80 MPH and watch the tach go way down to about 200 rpm and then make its way back up to normal idle speeds within 20 seconds or so.
After the computer "relearn", doing the same thing would make the tach drop only slightly - 100-200 rpm less than idle speed. This is the only drivability difference I have experienced since May of this year. There are quite a few CF members who have performed this mod, so hopefully, some will chime in. Needless to say, if you have any questions before, during, or after installtion, feel free to ask.
Dave
Regarding Jim's comment about drivability: Before the computer learned about the newfound above-normal infusion of cold air, I would throw the tranny in neutral at 80 MPH and watch the tach go way down to about 200 rpm and then make its way back up to normal idle speeds within 20 seconds or so.
After the computer "relearn", doing the same thing would make the tach drop only slightly - 100-200 rpm less than idle speed. This is the only drivability difference I have experienced since May of this year. There are quite a few CF members who have performed this mod, so hopefully, some will chime in. Needless to say, if you have any questions before, during, or after installtion, feel free to ask.
Dave
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,250
Likes: 0
From: Katy TX
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Don't hesitate to do this. You will feel the difference in hot weather. Believe me, it gets hot in Houston and I saw a big difference after engine temps got to 180. I removed the filter (Haltech) to clean it 2 wks ago. Everything that comes thru the opening stays on the filter in that location. I'll just clean my filter a little more often. But its worth it. 
