Hey guys, I just bought my 96 trans am 2 weeks ago. I love it and have been looking into adding a CAI as my first mod.

my question is .. I have tubing (that i assume is stock because its in the car manual hehe) that leads from the MAF? to my filter that already looks like a CAI and is in the same place where ppl put their CAI. Does it not serve the same purpose-same effect? Im kinda confused here.

Thanks, this board and you peeps are incredible

Josh

 

I don't know much about TA's but I would look at the filter. If it is a conical filter it's probably a CAI. If it is a flat rectangular filter, it's probably stock (assuming you don't have ram air)

 

Its a rectangle enclosed in the plastic casing, i know its not a CAI, but why wouldnt it function the same, being that its in the same place ( out of the engine's heat, and its drawing in air .. )

Thanks for replys

 

The cai's actually go further down. The filters are out of the engine bay.

 

One of main diffs between the CAI and stock intake is that the filter is NOT enclosed and is located as close to ambient air supply as practical.JMHO

 

So if i were to put in a CAI, I would remove all the stock pieces from the MAF on down? there is like ..the filter case and some other lil plastic piece that connects to the filter box

 

Yup... CAI go right down into the fender wall. Right down almost touching the splash gaurd.

The difference between that and what you have is 1) the filter on a CAI is much much better than your stock one. Most are a K&N filter which is much less restrictive, so more air = more power. 2) it may not seems like a big deal but the filter being just that much lower will draw in much cooler air. Again cooler air means denser air which means more air per given volume. 3) your air filter is almost completely enclosed if I'm not mistaken.. I never had that system, mine came stock with the SS ram air so I can't say for sure. But if it is like that, then not much air is getting to the filter in the first place let alone actualy past it's restrictive properties.

Trevor

 

A CAI will allow your motor to breath more air, faster.

If you look at your filter housing, you will find 2 small openings that allow air to be sucked into the filter housing. A CAI has the filter non-enclosed, thus allowing it to more freely breath.

Another thing a CAI does over factory is provide a smooth surface inside the tubing. If you look at the factory bellows, you'll notice some creases and bends. A CAI smooths this out allowing the air to flow less turbulant.

Personally, I just took my airbox out and hacked a big hole in the side to open up the airflow to the filter seems to work just fine ....

Thomas.

 

I would personally spend the $200 on a K&N CAI.

As well as bringing in cold air, the filter and the bends in a CAI reduce turbulence. You can cut your factory airbox to let it breathe better or you can make your own CAI, but It won't be engineered to give you the best flow possible. You will probably see some gain either way, but for the most gain, buy a CAI. I have a K&N and love it.