What Kind of Air Induction Do You Recommend?
 

as my first mod i wanna get some type of induction whether it be a kit or just seperate parts. the thing is i dont know which will give me the biggest gain in HP. I have a 2001 3.8L Firebird (nothing modded at all) and was wondering if i should get Ram Air (im eventually gonna buy the hood anyway regardless of whether or not i use the system) or cold air induction? and if i get CAI what brand of kit/parts should i buy? another thing i was thinking about this, would it be worth it to use both systems or no?

i'm partial to the Ram Air, especially since it's more direct on the Firebirds. the horsepower gain will be negligible, at best 2-4 HP.

the main thing you need to get rid of is the resonator, the large black plastic piece that sits behind your airbox. also, get a new airlid. Whisper Motorsports makes one specifically for the 3.8L V6's. this will help free up some more horsepower. after that, the next mod to do would be a full exhaust system - headers, hi-flow catalytic converter, and a cat-back exhaust system.

thats it, 2-4 horses? i thought it would give me more the CAI kits "say" that they'll give you anywhere between 10-20 hp. i also noticed another thing on my stock hood today the bubble (the buldged out piece on the front inside of the hood where the hood latch is) blocks most of the airflow, i saw an idea on here for functional nostrils on the 98+ but my dad doesnt think that its a good idea... and another thing, i saw on here that sum1 took the bafflers out of their stock airbox, im thinkin about doin that since it will save me about $100, its a really good idea!

I've got the SLP RamAir kit and a Whisper Lid which gets rid of the baffles. Get those two and it will move the intake from inside the engine bay down in front of the radiator. Gives a nice, crisp throttle response and should give you a little more up top.

g

the baffles aren't the problem. it's the oval outlet at the rear of the airlid. the shape of the outlet disrupts the airflow and makes it turbulent. the aftermarket lids have round outlets, which smooth out the airflow and free up some HP.

The Ram Air birds look cool, but the underchin air intake from SLP or Fast Toys seems to work better. I think LittleG gained almost 1/2 second and 2 mph in the 1/4 with it.

Exhaust will be a big help, but I wouldn't worry about headers just yet. Since you have an '01, you already have tubular manifolds. The Y-pipe could use some help, but just adding a cat-back should get you a nice increase.

- Justin

If you really want to make it scoot buy the ram air hood and get a drill. Drill out the plate between the scoops and the airbox (don't destroy it you will need it!) and you will net an Easy 15-20HP at speed. You won't see it on a dyno but at the track you will notice it. Downside is it leaves the air cleaner wide open to water so you have to figure out a way to make the plate removeable. I used heavy duty velcro and so far no leaks.

PS- It also has to be the ASC hood, I don't know if the suncoast hood has the palte on it.

hmm decisions decisions... so far looks like Ram Air is takin the lead :) now i just gotta wait for the money to come through.. gonna cost me about a grand prolly... any1 know where i can get one for less then $800? and dont give me a link to one thats $799 :-P

edit:

my and my dad were just talkin about this... he doesnt think that its cost effective to put a functional ram air system on a v6 engine. so far what ive found is its gonna cost about a grand or so to get the system working while a cold air kit is usually $100-300. he doesnt own an f-body but he has a few mustangs so i believe (most of) the stuff he says, i figured id get a second opinion from you guys since you know first hand. now to change the poll question around a lil... what would be the most COST EFFECTIVE system to get? cuz i have some money commin to me but not a lot and wanna know what would be the best to get

seeing as how craig (little g) has the fastest stock motor v6 fourth gen fbody, I would run what he's running, it obviously works :lol:

well craig whattaya have on there?? :) after a lil searchin i found a few hoods for $440 and one on ebay for $370 but the only price ive seen so far for the system is $295 and i think thats the OEM kit not an aftermarket one, or i could be wrong...

You can get the underchin ram air that he runs from SLP or Fast Toys. Be sure to check FullThrottleV6.com for lots more ideas for the 3.8 ;)

- Justin

awesome, i just read an article outta GM High-Tech Performance and they tested 7 lids and Motorsport Technologies lid gave the best results and its $99 as compared to the whisper lid which is $139 (?) :-/ just to make sure an LS1 airbox lid would fit my 3800 airbox right?

http://www.motorsporttech.com/press/...ay2004_02.html
http://www.motorsporttech.com/images/fbody/airlid01.jpg

I believe that your throttle body is off center, and that you have to do some custom fabbing to make that work... could be different tho. Little G would know for sure.

i did some research on that article, which was also featured in Super Chevy's Camaro Performers magazine. the SLP airlid made the most power out of all the airlids. MTI's did the best on the strip, with SLP very close behind. I went with an SLP lid for my '98 V6 Camaro, based on the amount of power, the fit and finish, and the 1/4 mile times. the MTI lid is kinda rough, and it doesn't have a tight fit.

if you want an LS1 lid, i have some extra flexible tubing left over. It's pretty heavy-duty stuff, very heat-resistant. Let me know when you decide on a lid.

You will be better off with a lid designed for a 99+ 3.8 - The intake is offset, so if you use an LS1 lid, you will have a big curve in your intake tubing (which you will have to buy separate). If you use a lid for the 3.8, you won't have to buy anything extra, and you'll have a nice straight path for air coming in.

- Justin

oh ok thanks guys. but on prob SLP lids are for ls1's would it be better to get a whisper lid instead since its made for the 3800's and it would be a straight fit?
also:

i didnt see any Ram Air kits on the SLP site all i saw was CAI :?

http://www.slponline.com/view_produc...33&BIG=21033-1

That's what I got.

thats what i thought, i'm prolly gonna drive up to toms river its only like an hour or so away. it'll save me the $10 and the week or so of waiting, also i have like 5 friend from willy p that live there...

Just be sure and call to place the order first. They don't have a storefront set up for walk-ins.

LS1LT1 was selling the whisper lid, i don't know if he still has it, though.

:stupid:, but both times I have done business with them (trakeoff springs/shocks, and cold air intake) their customer service has been great

good thing you told me id be a lil mad if i drove there and couldnt buy anything....