Just added headers to my 93 Z and was thinking about a dual cowl induction hood w/ram air kit (air holes being near the front end). Already have the high performance air kit on now and OEM hood. The tech at PCMforless.com, who reprograms engine chips and is reprograming mine, says the ram air won't work on my car due to where the intake is located and the sleekness of the hood. Is this true? Would it make a difference if the air holes were located at the rear of the hood, closer to the windshield?

 

The engine can only use as much as that it can suck.... I havent heard/seen of any big gains from that type of setup, unless the air is cooler..... Most people use cowl hood to release heat from the engine compartment on 4 generations F-bodies..

 

expelling heat from your engine bay via a cowl hood will definitely help performance. will you notice any sotp gains or even increased dyno #'s? probably not, but you will most likely run a bit cooler.

as for the whole 'ram air' topic, I dont fully believe in it. tests were done and the only 'upper hand' the ram air induction had over any other CAI was seen at 160mph+, when, apparently, air is being 'force inducted'

 

Cowl hood will weigh considerably less than the stocker which is another big reason people get em......aside from looks.

 

My cowl hood cooled the engine bay better than the firehawk hood did. It also weighs less. With the TB bypass on a cold night my intake will literally be 30 degrees and manifold like 40 or so. It just seems to cool the engine down alot more. I don't know that i would go out and spend $500 on a hood to get gains though. I had to replace my hood since my other one was cracked.

 

Thanks so much for your reply!

 

You're right about the weight, I forget about that! Thanks!

 

Ok, so I guess the general consensus is no gain in hp, but cools engine, light weight and looks awesome!! As far as spending the $$, it's only $$!! Can't take it with you when you die, so might as well enjoy it while you're here!! I'm sure we all do a pretty good job at that, especially if we're here at this site!

Thanks, guys, for your input!

Cindy