35thanniv.SS

Here's another point. The K&n FIPK will dyno slighty higher because the hood is popped and a fan is blowing fresh cool air on it. While the FRA/ lid combo makes more power when the car is actually being driven at high speeds.

Mister Will

No, I don't know of anyone personally.

By you:

"No way in h e double hockey sticks will you get water in the engine from doing the FRA mod unless you drive your car into a lake."

By me:

"I think your driving on borrowed time."

I think I may have taken your remark too personally and responded with an unnecessary comment.

The original question was, what are the drawbacks of cutting out the bottom of the air box. I remembered reading posts about this mod awhile ago ( a year at least) and there was some concern about flooding the engine. One post told a story about flooding his engine after driving through a flooded gutter. It could have been the FTRA mod, but I remember it as the FRA mod.

If you perform the mod and can see the ground through the air box, then you can get water in the engine. If you drive into standing water (several inches) it can hit the air dam, then splash up into the air box and the engine. The potential to flood the engine is valid. It may not happen today. It may not happen tomorrow. It may never happen at all. But it is possible.

Since my car is a daily driver. I don't want to have to worry about standing water. So, I opted not to perform the mod.

Some people, on the board, have mentioned placing a removable plate under the air box for daily applications. Then remove it when they want the extra airflow.

BTW, in a previous thread about lids, there was an example inwhich a SLP lid and a supersucker showed a 24 hp gain.

Me I say FIPK 26 rwhp gain with FIPK and nothing else

V6toZ28

I think a 50 to 100% improvement is a little more than slightly. Besides ... isn't the hood opened and the fan blowing on the lid and FRA also??

Why?? How?? Do you understand where the air comes from and how it gets to the airbox? There are two factors that limit the lid/airbox configuration. First, is the opening of the air box itself ... only so much air is going to flow into the air box through the opening. Second, is the surface area of the filter itself.

The FRA only addresses the first of these issues by opening a second access to air ... air by the way that is being drawn across a hot radiator.

The FIPK corrects both problems, First as an open element it has no restriction to the filter area. Second it simply has a larger surface area than the stock filter ... this is why the FIPK makes more power ... more access to the available air and more surface area.

35thanniv.SS

The fan usually blows on the exposed engine compartment. FRA sees its gains at higher speeds, not sitting on the dyno


BTW the air comes in infornt of the radiator.. it doesnt get hot when driving. The FIPK can have as much surface area as it wants... but its still under the hood with the least amount and hottest air.

Someone with a FIPK needs to dyno with the hood open and closed to show # changes.

Black Sunshine/ 00SS

I'm wondering the effects of the FIPK modified to work with the FTRA. I've not yet seen anyone do this.

My thoughts are to cut the metal piece under the filter where the FTRA directs air, and then fab up a piece up that keeps the hot engine air out. Simple as metal surrounding the box, and rubber around the top to seal it in.

Anyone think this would be worthwhile? I already have the FTRA, but I like the look of the FIPK.

Anyone in Michgan that has a FIPK, I'm willing to switch at the track, and post up what the differences are. The dyno dont mean squat, because too much can change. The track doesn't lie, assuming that traction is similar.

V6toZ28

You need to understand how the Z28 get's it air ... Think about it, go look at your car and you will see how the air gets to the airbox ... then you will see why the FIPK is effective - with the hood closed and the car moving.

Can you explain why air moving across a hot radiator will not draw heat from it? After all that's why the radiator works, cooler air going across and through the radiator draws off the heat of the engine coolant ...why would it suddenly no longer do that???

Dave@808

I'd personally stick with the traditional lid/FRA or even better the FTRA. All of these guys claiming the FIPK makes more HP seriously need to post some track times and/or back to back dyno #'s.

As far as hydrolocking the motor with the FRA....never heard of it in almost 3 years on the forums. I have read of 1 instance where an FTRA equipped LS1 hrydrolocked, but the guy drove into a very very deep puddle.

I've run my FTRA for the last 3 years without a problem, even in the heaviest of rains in Hawaii. I just recently picked up the newly designed TSP lid, and combined with my FTRA would not trade for the FIPK....EVER.

JMO

Lid/FTRA: Proven performance, possibly hazardous in flood situations, plain looking.

FIPK: Decent gains on the dyno, looks good, seemingly safer to run than the "other" choice.

V6toZ28

Sig ... Raceweight 3660 ... D/A +1400

ChrisLS1Bird

So, before you put the FIPK on, you ran a 14.7@93mph?

Come on now..I think you know quite well what he was asking for..before and after track results for the FIPK versus a lid. If not, could you please tell exactly how simply listing a 12.12 "all bolt on" is relevent to this?

That's like saying my Viper runs a 10.0 with an exhaust and a "bunch of other stuff"...so that exhaust must be worth buying.

Dave@808

LOL Riiigghhhhhttttt

FIPK. I better switch over!

Eric L

the hydrolock issue... This mod has been done for over... its 03 now.. so... 6 years now? I did it on my 98 when i had that in 97.... I have never heard of a problem...

blkss01

I believe the air comes up into the engine bay before it goes through the radiator.

V6toZ28

Find another bolt on - equivalant weight and D/A. For the record though I ran best of 13.58@104 stock, typically around 13.7 though. With the FIPK I ran around 13.4 @106 ... I can't recall details, it was two years and 250 passes ago ...

Bottom line, what you see on the dyno does translate to the track. The FIPK out performs a lid/!FRA ... the FTRA provides equal performance and is in the same cost range or more ...

Dave@808

Were the runs back to back? Let's compare apples to apples......

Mister Will

Well, Dave@808 I'd like to respond to your post

"Claiming the the FIPK makes more HP"? If the Dyno doesn't show that the FIPK makes more HP what does?? FIPK installs have repetitvely shown power improvements of 20 rwhp and more (check my sig). The consensus seat of the pants meter also says the FIPK makes more power. Do you honestly expect people to do before and after dynos just to "prove" the FIPK makes more power. People will post the results of their FIPK installs just as they did with the lids when they were first introduced.

In regards to track time improvements. Bottom line track times prove how quick a car goes down the track. There are so many variations involved from driver to car-setup to track conditions to humidity and temperature. It would be impossible to convince a skeptical mind that the improvement was due to the FIPK alone. If you aren't going to believe dyno figures your not going to believe track times.

Okay, it doesn't happen everyday, point taken. Yet you do admitt that it's possible? I don't believe there will be a problem with the FTRA or FRA in wet pavement due to rain. I do think it is possible to get water in the intake or on the filter if you drive through standing water. I chose not to do it. But FTRA or FRA allows more clean air to the air box, allowing the engine to produce more power. If you want to do the mods, then do them. Its your car.

Lets take a look at the comparison that being made here. The Lid/FTRA vs. FIPK. First the FIPK is clearly a superior design to a lid. It has a larger filter area. The larger filter is completely exposed. It also has a more direct path to the MAF Sensor.

Second, to compare the Lid/FTRA to the FIPK is really comparing two (yes 2) mods to one. The FTRA is nothing more than a scoop and the FRA is no more than cutting away restrictive shrouding. All they do is supply more clean air to the air box. The FTRA and FRA can be applied to both a Lid and the FIPK. So the real comparison should be of the LID vs the FIPK alone or under simular conditions.

I believe it has already been shown that the FIPK provides better results.

But that just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Question: Why are all the lid guys getting so defensive?