# Which CAI?



## takethegoat (Jul 12, 2009)

alright i understand that its all based on personal preference. but i want something that doesnt have a whole lot of preventative maintenance. ive been reading about some, and saying they gota remove it and spray stuff into it to clean the sensors. i just want a basic low maintenance CAI. do i just go with a K&N? like a typhoon 69? just wana keep it simple


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## takethegoat (Jul 12, 2009)

and how easy is the install? what all will i need to do it myself?


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## Poolshark1321 (May 18, 2009)

Keep your stock one and add a better filter... or grab an OTRCAI (Over the radiator CAI)... like the Vararam. 

Otherwise any others I would just choose by looks... cause thats really all your paying for IMO. Regular CAI's give a minimal boost in performance and are more for looks... having a vararam or a custom made OTRCAI gives a nice performance boost because its a straight shot into the throttle body... no right angle turn for the air to fight.


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

I have the KNN CAI. All I do is take the filter off and clean it when it gets dirty. Maybe twice a year. Take like 10 minutes to get it off.


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## DarrenCT (May 20, 2008)

they are all the same..... personal preference really.... 1 thing for sure, whatever one you get, find a way to actually keep the air in and around it cool... that's the only way it will really work effectively


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## Mongoose (Jun 17, 2009)

Most CAI's are all basiclaly the same, a pipe with a bend in them. I got the Trick Flow because it was cheaper than the K&N and AEM ones with the same design of the heat shield. Your going to get better gains with a larger throttle body and high flow MAF. The main reason why I did a CAI is for the look.


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

Mongoose said:


> Most CAI's are all basiclaly the same, a pipe with a bend in them. I got the Trick Flow because it was cheaper than the K&N and AEM ones with the same design of the heat shield. Your going to get better gains with a larger throttle body and high flow MAF. The main reason why I did a CAI is for the look.


Stock MAF is good up to like 500hp. You won't get any gains unless you are putting down a ton of power


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

jpalamar said:


> Stock MAF is good up to like 500hp. You won't get any gains unless you are putting down a ton of power


altho i'll agree the MAF technically can support 500 HP i don't agree that the car will run the same with it in or out. i know the LS1 MAF is a banana in the tail pipe with much less than an effective 78mm area to allow air flow. i would suspect the LS2 MAF offers the same disruption of air flow. i would consider it the same as "why bother porting your TB when it can support xxx HP?". you know we here in the states have been trying to reinvent the wheel on these cars when the serious HP Aussies have almost all been running MAFless OTRCAIs with great success for years.

LS1 MAF


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## GTOJer (Oct 20, 2006)

I am gonna disagree with Svede. I know he runs mafless and I run a MAF. Whatever. The simplest system you can go with is mod your intake box (search on that "other" GTO forum about the holes to cut). Run a flat panel K&N and then try to find a CS Performance Carbon Fiber inlet pipe. That pipe alone (on an 04) is worth 10hp. I have seen it on a dyno myself. back to back runs with the only change being this inlet pipe. The stock 04 pipe has a lot of issues.

This is very simple to do and maintenance will be a breeze.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

jpalamar said:


> Stock MAF is good up to like 500hp. You won't get any gains unless you are putting down a ton of power


Yes and no. The stock stuff can support crap tons of power but how much is it leaving on the table. I upgraded my TB and added MAF ends on my setup after I performed my cam swap. My tuner said that he saw a gain in airflow just by doing those two things compared to the stock stuff. 

I still run my stock intake box w/K&N drop in, because I see no need to change it out. I reached my goals with it on so why mess with it. Sure I may have some left on the table but I'm not looking to squeeze every little bit of power out of my car.


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## GTOJer (Oct 20, 2006)

Here is a link to the pipe I was talking about. Price has dropped almost in half from when I got mine.  Although I have a completely different system now. They have pipes for both LS1 and LS2.

CS Performance MAF Pipe - Partsco.com


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

GTOJer said:


> Here is a link to the pipe I was talking about. Price has dropped almost in half from when I got mine.  Although I have a completely different system now. They have pipes for both LS1 and LS2.
> 
> CS Performance MAF Pipe - Partsco.com


i had one of those once. i think i paid over $150 for it. SD sure isn't for everybody. you either need to learn to tune yourself or marry the tuner


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## LOWET (Oct 21, 2007)

takethegoat said:


> alright i understand that its all based on personal preference. but i want something that doesnt have a whole lot of preventative maintenance. ive been reading about some, and saying they gota remove it and spray stuff into it to clean the sensors. i just want a basic low maintenance CAI. do i just go with a K&N? like a typhoon 69? just wana keep it simple


A DROP IN Performance filter works very well and will save you some cash. If you still want a CAI. I say go with either the A.E.M Brute Force or a filter system like the one that SVEDE1212 has on his car. 

The reason for the AEM unit is because they have the highest CFM rated filter when compared to units like Violant & K&N. AEM filter is rated at 1350 CFMs while the others are around 700 CFM.

The reason for the RAM AIR type like SVEDE's or a VARARAM Unit is because it does a better job of drawing in cooler outside air because of the filter location. Cooler air = more HP

Hope this helps


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## Poolshark1321 (May 18, 2009)

The OTRCAI's are a straight shot to the throttle body.... no 90 degree turn like all other CAI's. If you ask me this is what makes them perform so good... the fact that they pull in more air from the outside is just a bonus.


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## LOWET (Oct 21, 2007)

Poolshark1321 said:


> The OTRCAI's are a straight shot to the throttle body.... no 90 degree turn like all other CAI's. If you ask me this is what makes them perform so good... the fact that they pull in more air from the outside is just a bonus.


 In General, I really don't think that the 90 degree elbow is a BIG problem on CAIs on a street car
With the OTRCAIs. The air has a shorter route distance to travel and is also subject to cooler air because of it's location. For a street car, any CAI or Ram Air type filter system or drop in filter will work fine. At the track, the OTR unit will have a slight advantage


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## batmans (Aug 16, 2007)

GM4life said:


> Yes and no. The stock stuff can support crap tons of power but how much is it leaving on the table. I upgraded my TB and added MAF ends on my setup after I performed my cam swap. My tuner said that he saw a gain in airflow just by doing those two things compared to the stock stuff.
> 
> I still run my stock intake box w/K&N drop in, because I see no need to change it out. I reached my goals with it on so why mess with it. Sure I may have some left on the table but I'm not looking to squeeze every little bit of power out of my car.


+1.

Factory intake is usually CAI.

Just swap out the factory filter with K&N and ur good to go.......


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

there is no question that traditional designs with the 90* bend do not flow as well as a straight shot regardless of the filter CFM. i've measured this by monitoring MAPs (manifold absolute pressure) including with no filter. a MAP at WOT should ideally be whatever the atmospheric pressure is on that day and at that place. as a side note you can't use barometric pressure directly (it can be converted to kPa which is the units usually used in MAPs) as the weather service uses the barometric pressure as it would be seen at sea level so that their isobars make sense. it _can_ be directly measured by logging MAPs and turning on the key without starting the engine. the MAP is also affected by the manifold and TB too but with those the same i've seen normal drops of 4-5 kPa over 6,000 RPM with the traditional design intakes (as another side note 7 kPa is 1 pound of boost). this was with intake paths with as large of diameter as 4" and many brands on a stockish 5.7L (i haven't tested _every one_ but i think they'd all test close to the same). is it the length or the 90*? i couldn't say for sure but my bet is on it's a combination of both. with my straight shot MAFless OTRCAI i see MAP drops of 1-1.4 kPa over 6,000 RPM. cooler air is more power and more air is more power. double win.
i have tested no filter, "Hardcore" w/9" cone filter, the LPE, Speed, K&N, K&N drop-in and Volant. the Volant has a 3.25" (82.55mm) neck in the tube feeding a 90mm TB on your LS2. what's with that?


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## NJG8GT (Nov 14, 2007)

Superchips cortex is suppose to have an update soon for a tune thats supports certain CAI's. POI


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## LOWET (Oct 21, 2007)

svede1212 said:


> there is no question that traditional designs with the 90* bend do not flow as well as a straight shot regardless of the filter CFM. i've measured this by monitoring MAPs (manifold absolute pressure) including with no filter. a MAP at WOT should ideally be whatever the atmospheric pressure is on that day and at that place. as a side note you can't use barometric pressure directly (it can be converted to kPa which is the units usually used in MAPs) as the weather service uses the barometric pressure as it would be seen at sea level so that their isobars make sense. it _can_ be directly measured by logging MAPs and turning on the key without starting the engine. the MAP is also affected by the manifold and TB too but with those the same i've seen normal drops of 4-5 kPa over 6,000 RPM with the traditional design intakes (as another side note 7 kPa is 1 pound of boost). this was with intake paths with as large of diameter as 4" and many brands on a stockish 5.7L (i haven't tested _every one_ but i think they'd all test close to the same). is it the length or the 90*? i couldn't say for sure but my bet is on it's a combination of both. with my straight shot MAFless OTRCAI i see MAP drops of 1-1.4 kPa over 6,000 RPM. cooler air is more power and more air is more power. double win.
> i have tested no filter, "Hardcore" w/9" cone filter, the LPE, Speed, K&N, K&N drop-in and Volant. the Volant has a 3.25" (82.55mm) neck in the tube feeding a 90mm TB on your LS2. what's with that?



Any CAI or even a drop in filter will provide more then enough air to satisfy your engines needs
You are 100% correct that air won't flow thru a 90 degree bend as smoothly as a system with a straight shot to the throttle body. I know you have done tons of research and hard work testing and logging information of Air Intakes and your information is right on the money. In general, any CAI or drop in filter will satisfy our engines needs for air. But the biggest bang for the buck would be a OTR.

P.S. as far as filter CFMs. I had a lot of free time on my hands and was curious as to ratings that some of these filters systems offered for the 04-06 GTO. Several phone calls and Emails to CAI & filter makers answered my question. 
A.E.M had the highest rating of 1350. The other makers had ratings of aprox 700 CFMs but this mainly do to the fact that Most CAI makers get their filters from K&N. Seems that AEM was the only company that makes their own filter .

My 1st filter was a drop in type and shortly after I switched to a K&N CAI. In 2007 I switched to an AEM because I liked the idea of a polished intake tube and no other reason. Now that I have a Procharger, I have gone FULL CIRCLE. My Procharger uses a K&N Filter.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

The jury is still out on this one for me. I guess I'd lean towards the K&N FIPK since its plastic and not as much of a heat sink as an aluminum/polished one. I wasn't sure what to do for my first mod, but besides a slight weight reduction so far, the next order of business is brakes. I need more stopping power before I need more HP. Those stock brakes fade in a bad way, especially when you're slowing down to a stop from 80-90.


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## LOWET (Oct 21, 2007)

Poncho Dan said:


> The jury is still out on this one for me. I guess I'd lean towards the K&N FIPK since its plastic and not as much of a heat sink as an aluminum/polished one. I wasn't sure what to do for my first mod, but besides a slight weight reduction so far, the next order of business is brakes. I need more stopping power before I need more HP. Those stock brakes fade in a bad way, especially when you're slowing down to a stop from 80-90.


Don't be too concerned with heat soak just beacuse a CAI may or may not have an alluminum intake tube. Once the air hits your filter and travels to the throttle body it just does not have enough time to heat up. I have done IAT reading with CAIs with plastic and metal tubes. NO DIFFERENCE. MY IATs were the same when I had my K&N unit and then my AEM unit. The type of sensor used and it's placing made a big difference

Right now I have alluminum EVERYTHING. Intake Manifold, Procharger with all metal tubes and my IATs have not seen over 104 even on hot days


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Where did you put your MAF?


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## GTOJer (Oct 20, 2006)

OK, here is a CAI for you. Officially called the OTRCAI (Over The Radiator Cold Air Intake) I have some pics in my garage and a couple on the car. You can see where I mounted the IAT sensor in the FAST manifold. That is a Janzter 92mm TB and an SNL 100mm MAF. Manifold is a fully ported FAST 92mm.

In the "on car" pic, it is a trial fit, car is dirty, I know. But hasn't run in about a year. Almost a frame-off resto, just about done.


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

Tell me that isn't a Barbadoes with SAP?


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## GTOJer (Oct 20, 2006)

Sure is, genuine SAP as well. Hood is a Banshee. Why?


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

GTOJer said:


> Sure is, genuine SAP as well. Hood is a Banshee. Why?


I wanted a Barbadoes w/ SAP and couldn't find one.

I also wanted an 05 YJ with 18s and couldn't find one.

I ended up settling for a color I didn't really want, but either way I lvoe the car so I'm happy. Actually considering sell the red leather and getting black, and repaiting it Barbados.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

GTOJer said:


> OK, here is a CAI for you. Officially called the OTRCAI (Over The Radiator Cold Air Intake) I have some pics in my garage and a couple on the car. You can see where I mounted the IAT sensor in the FAST manifold. That is a Janzter 92mm TB and an SNL 100mm MAF. Manifold is a fully ported FAST 92mm.
> 
> In the "on car" pic, it is a trial fit, car is dirty, I know. But hasn't run in about a year. Almost a frame-off resto, just about done.


You have a stroker kit?

Did you fab that OTRCAI yourself, or was it purchased?


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## GTOJer (Oct 20, 2006)

jpalamar said:


> I wanted a Barbadoes w/ SAP and couldn't find one.
> 
> I also wanted an 05 YJ with 18s and couldn't find one.
> 
> I ended up settling for a color I didn't really want, but either way I lvoe the car so I'm happy. Actually considering sell the red leather and getting black, and repaiting it Barbados.


I ordered mine in July of 03.

The guy who painted the OTRCAI works at a dealership in Richmond if that is not too far for you. Great work. Oh yea, his is an 05 YJ with the coolest phantom flames......PM me if you want his contact info.


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## GTOJer (Oct 20, 2006)

Poncho Dan said:


> You have a stroker kit?
> 
> Did you fab that OTRCAI yourself, or was it purchased?


It is a Svede Speed special that I had painted. It was the first time I have let someone else do something for my car. Here is the thread...http://www.gtoforum.com/f38/how-diy-otrcai-warning-56k-18805/

Yes, it is a 408. If you click on "My car page" it will take you to my car's details. It is about 95% accurate right now.


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## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

GTOJer said:


> OK, here is a CAI for you. Officially called the OTRCAI (Over The Radiator Cold Air Intake) I have some pics in my garage and a couple on the car. You can see where I mounted the IAT sensor in the FAST manifold. That is a Janzter 92mm TB and an SNL 100mm MAF. Manifold is a fully ported FAST 92mm.
> 
> In the "on car" pic, it is a trial fit, car is dirty, I know. But hasn't run in about a year. Almost a frame-off resto, just about done.


Jerry, your painter does awesome work. the painting/blocking on the intake paired with the FAST looks spectacular. you can see he is a very detail oriented guy. you have to get that thing on the road. hiding it in the garage just isn't right


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## CGCBandit (Sep 26, 2009)

Hmm, those parts look familiar Jerry, lol. Can't wait to see the beast up and running again.


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## GTOJer (Oct 20, 2006)

CGCBandit said:


> Hmm, those parts look familiar Jerry, lol. Can't wait to see the beast up and running again.


Hey Jerry,
This is painter right here. His name is Chris.


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