I'm going to be installing a VR-2B intake on my 2000 Coupe. My question is how important is it to replace the stock air bridge with a high flow air bridge? If I don't replace the air bridge am I defeating the purpose of the ram air induction? Also will it require a high flow MAF?

 

You have to give the engine what it wants, which is COLD air. Cold air is more important than more air. Cold air is dense air which means more molecules to give your engine a dence charge. To cool our air GM came up with a novel idea... a flat Air Bridge to speed up the air and cool it down. I am sure GM looked at a lot of different sized air bridges and settled on the one that cooled the best. Blow air on your hand and you will note that it is cool. Fast air is cool air. Call it a wind chill but as the winds pick up the air cools down. The air bridge being flat speeds up the air to cool it down. All the guys on the forum are buying these big expensive fat Air Bridges that actually are good a flowing air but a failure at cooling it. The reason is that it is not flat enough. Makers of these larger bridges are just trying to get you to think that bigger is better. If bigger was better, GM would have made the air bridge bigger. The opening in the stock air bridge is the same as the Throttle Body. It works perfectly. Leave it alone.

Now for the intake. Yes, stock is restrictive. GM admits that but made a lot of them and being penny pinchers stuck them on our cars. The Z06 air cover is very close but not perfect. What I did and would be happy to send you is a picture of mine. I drilled 8 one inch holes just under the 7 inch opening. Fifteen inches of opening is plenty of breathing. You have to remember that it is going into a five inch throttle body. The reason for the one inch holes is to cool the air before it gets to the air bridge. I've got eight of those small openings speeding up the air and cooling it before it even gets to the air bridge. Vette Fever just did a study on intake systems and the ones that are cone shaped are just sucking a lot of hot air mostly from the engine. VF said that as the engine heats up all the performance is lost due to the heat. You might as well left your stock system alone says Vette Fever. GM being smart folks put the intake on the other side of the radiator just to keep it away from the heat of the engine.

I have a friend with a Z06 who was stunned at the amount of power I had in my LS1. Reason, I force a lot of cold air into my engine. I fly airplanes and I am hear to tell you about density altitude. On hot days, it takes forever to get the plane off the ground. On cold days, I can get into the air before I'm half way down the runway so I know a lot about cold air. Engines love it. Take your car out on cold morning and feel the power.

In any case, you don't need to through a lot of money at the problem to fix it. If you want more power, all you have to do is cool the air.

Good luck!

Dan

 

I think it was the October 2004 issue of Vette Fever magazine that had the first article on after-market air intakes. The second article is in the February 2005 issue titled "Victory Through Air Power." Both were excellent!

Dan

 

I am using my OEM Air Bridge with a Vararam and it's 'cool'

Works just fine.

 

I am using my OEM Air Bridge with a Vararam and it's 'cool'

Performs just fine.

 

Thanks for the info. Saves me some money for other mods!

 

Same here and it works fine.
Bob

 

stock airbridge with my vararam
works fine

 

Same Here - Stock AirBridge & Vararam - No Problems!

 

Same here Vararam and stock bridge...

 

[QUOTE=VETFVER]You have to give the engine what it wants, which is COLD air. Cold air is more important than more air. Cold air is dense air which means more molecules to give your engine a dence charge.
Correct.

To cool our air GM came up with a novel idea... a flat Air Bridge to speed up the air and cool it down. I am sure GM looked at a lot of different sized air bridges and settled on the one that cooled the best.
Speeding up air does not produce a cooling effect.

Blow air on your hand and you will note that it is cool. Fast air is cool air. Call it a wind chill but as the winds pick up the air cools down.
Wind chill is a rate of heat removal factor. The air itself doesn't cool down because it's moving faster, it's just able to remove more heat from a body because more air is flowing over that body.

The air bridge being flat speeds up the air to cool it down. All the guys on the forum are buying these big expensive fat Air Bridges that actually are good a flowing air but a failure at cooling it. The reason is that it is not flat enough.
No air bridge is going to cool the air unless you count fast moving air entering a larger volume and expanding (slowing down as it expands). That expansion will cause a cooling down of the air. It's how air conditioner freon works.

The reason for the one inch holes is to cool the air before it gets to the air bridge. I've got eight of those small openings speeding up the air and cooling it before it even gets to the air bridge.
??

Engines love it. Take your car out on cold morning and feel the power.
This is true. More molecules of oxygen per unit of air.

Engines absolutely love dense air. And yes, I too believe an air bridge change is for cosmetic purposes only, and will do nothing to enhance, or detract (unless the design is really bad), from performance.

 

 

[QUOTE=C5XTASY]
I was gonna say the exact thing about moving/cooling air...moving air may feel cooler, but the temperature is no different, therefore the density is no different (and if the moving air is moving over a warmer mass it's acually heating up due to equilibrium, but that's another thign altogether)...wouldn't a pilot know this stuff?

I also don't thing the air bridge is necessarily better becuase Gm chose it...otherwise we're all wasting a lot of money on a lot of other mods, don't you think?

 

Thanks again for all the replys! Eric

 

Stock air bridge is actually better with the Vararam, You want to force air at higher speeds into the throttle body. increasing the size of the air bridge will reduce inducton force. You may however wish to change your air coupler to reduce turbulance into the t-body. Jury is still out on this one as to weather it will increase HP, but I can understand how it might affect response. DO NOT CHANGE MAF. Your money is better served on other mods.

 

I run my vararam system into the stock equipment and have had nothing but good luck.

 

You have to give the engine what it wants, which is COLD air. Cold air is more important than more air. Cold air is dense air which means more molecules to give your engine a dence charge.
Correct.


Speeding up air does not produce a cooling effect.


Wind chill is a rate of heat removal factor. The air itself doesn't cool down because it's moving faster, it's just able to remove more heat from a body because more air is flowing over that body.


No air bridge is going to cool the air unless you count fast moving air entering a larger volume and expanding (slowing down as it expands). That expansion will cause a cooling down of the air. It's how air conditioner freon works.


Engines love it. Take your car out on cold morning and feel the power.
This is true. More molecules of oxygen per unit of air.

Engines absolutely love dense air. And yes, I too believe an air bridge change is for cosmetic purposes only, and will do nothing to enhance, or detract (unless the design is really bad), from performance.