Looking to see if anyone has seen any other kits for a CAI setup on our cars, mainly 88-92, other than SLP's kit for UNDER $250. SLP's setup doesn't even look that cool and it has a dinky *** filter that, based on my calculations, won't flow enough air to not pull vacuum (pressure differential)over 6500 rpm. No homebrewed PVC pipe kits either. I'm not a plumber and I do go to carshows.

Anyone? Anything?

 

You can get the SLP kit and just put K&N filters on there. I agree, the filters kind of look like paper ones. But the point of the filter and the way they have it set up is so the air gets the heat taken away from it as it travels and it also tries to pick up cold air from some other place other then the engine bay. It should get the job done but it won't gain you any real noticeable power.

 

Based on my observation of the kit, it doesn't look like it picks up any cold air from anywhere. The piping isn't long enough to get the filter anywhere near the bottom on the car. And even if it is, the diameter isn't up to par with what it should be. Just going by my research of pipe diameter vs. max flow capability, figuring in 90* bends, that little 2.5" or 2 3/4" pipe with that dinky filter isn't going to flow that much.

Here's a breakdown of cfm vs. hp production. It takes roughly 1.5-1.6cfm to make 1hp. Therefore, you figure you have a motor thats making 350hp, it requires 525 cfm. And if in fact SLP's pipe is 2.5" in diameter, as I believe it to be, and assuming thats its straight, which its not, the SLP setup could only flow a max of 571cfm. Thats derived by Pi x (Radius squared) = in. squared x 115 cfm. (Each square inch of pipe is capable of 115cfm.) But, now you figure in the 90* bends and the restrictive "neck downs" between component pieces. And you're probably somewhere back down around that 525cfm mark. I can see a 46 cfm restriction very easily with neck downs and 90* bends.

Beyond that, I found an independant testing firms website that claimed that to spin a 350ci motor at 6500 RPM, you need 135 sq. in. of filter area or it'll start to restrict, especially if the filter is getting dirty. Ever wonder why you rarely see a car running low 12's or 11's using a SLP CAI? There isn't enough flow capacity to hold up to that kind of requirement.

Lets not even get into the amount of air required to make 300 hp as the intake charge temperature rises to 120*, 160*, 180* or anything above the outside air temp. It gets exponential at that point. And this is also the reason that a real CAI system must suck air from somewhere other than the engine bay. You need cooler/denser air to make power. Diffuse or scattered O2 molecules do nothing to propogate power production.

 

Wow Brad, do your homework??

 

No Brad, I'm bored at work. Its amazing what I get done here.

 

I get a lot of stuff done at my work too that has nothing to do with work Here's something else, for actual CFM and not ideal CFM (there's a difference). On an average stock engine, nothing too heavily modified, you take the cubic inch of the engine divided by 1728 (12x12x12=1728, 1 square foot) and you get the cubic feet. I'm going to assume you have a 305.

305
---- = .1765046296 or .1765
1728

Now you take your cubic feet (.1765) and times it by the engine RPM then divide it by 2.

.1765 x 6000
------------- = 529.513 CFM
2

That's your "ideal" CFM of what you'd like to flow. Here's how to find the "actual" CFM without taking into the fact of weather and restrictions and stuff. Ideal CFM times .8 is your actual CFM.

529.513 x .8 = 423.6111111111111 or 423.61

So in reality all you need to do at max is around 425 CFM. You said the SLP unit is probably capable of flowing 525 CFM after the bends and what not, and that should be plenty if you're using a stock 305. Which is what i said in my first post, it's good for getting the job done but not adding a ton of power. My 350 has an actual CFM of 486.638, as a side note. Not trying to prove you wrong, just thought i'd show off my math skills too

 

Good post, but I actually have a 350 punched .030 over with AFR heads, Stealth Ram, cam, headers etc. Where did you get that equation? I searched forever to find the one I used.

 

That's what i would have done if i didn't find the SLP CAI for my 94 in a junk yard and they didn't $5 for it

RedIroc, I found the equation in a book i got from the library about TPI engines. I thought it was pretty usefull info to know incase you wanted to make your own intake and what not. But still, i think my SLP does the job, i figured it out from your equation and mine, that my engine only needs 486 CFM and the SLP CAI can flow a max of about 1128 CFM, and my throttle body i think is an 800 or 900 CFM one, so it's plenty for my car. I'm not going to go hardcore into drag racing with this car, it's my daily driver. Wow this was a good thread.

ShibbyZ

 

cut the bottom of the air boxes out, and route a ram air scoop from each of the holes for the fog lights up to the air box.

i did it on my old Iroc and you would never know it was there unless you pulled the filters out. i made mine out of fiberglass but it can be done other ways.

it give SERIOUS air at highway speeds.

 

if u wanted to try to make ur own i might beable to help u out with a plastic part to hold ur filter, it goes from a 3 1/2 to a 4 1/2 opening and has 2 holes so u can bolt it to a heat shield if u wanted to go that far, i can get u pics if u need to see if u can make it work, basicly i work in a plastic factory and we just started making these and i grabbed a couple for my self, they are ment for a cai but i just do not have the rest of it

 

what part is the restrictive part on these camaro intake tracks? the filter squares or the y piece? because i got k&n's and gutted box, but I was thinking about running 2 cone filters down in the squares and get rid of the square filters...this would increase air flow, but it would be pointless if the stock y piece is really restrictive....then i could integrate the cone filters into a ram air setup through the fog lights inlets....

also putting in a ram air setup like that, doesn't that rob air from my tranny cooler and radiator?

 

I've already investigated making a "less" restrictive Y piece, but the cost is too great for the plastic injection molds it would take to make it.

I am in the process of waiting to get out of work so I can go make one. Its going to look very professional. Its being made by myself and a local buddy who makes/builds performance parts and cars.


And then I am going to sell them in kit form, for a very fair price.

 

sign me up, i'll buy oen...you would think K and N would be on top of this and be making an aftermarket y piece for christ sake...maybe its not as restrictive as we think, but damn it sure does look real restrictive...

 

I have a 350 tpi with the stock air cleaner with K&N filters... does anyone know how cfm's it's flowing and is it enough? It's got a few mild engine mods, a hoged out tpi and slp headers.

 

Think of if this way, if it wasn't enough CFM, you're car wouldn't run. But yes, it's plently. I think the normal K&N filters flow around 600 CFM to 800 CFM. The cone ones flow more though, they flow around 1,000 CFM or something.