[nickc50310]

Ok guys Im new here but I have a crazy idea. I dont know if it would work but I honestly dont see why it wouldnt. Ok heres my idea.

I saw someone on here (dont remember who) that had a modified saab cold air intake that he had mounted between his grill and radiator. The cai then ran back to to the weird 3.2 intake tubes, see fig1a.

fig1a

sorry for my poor mspaint skills, i hope it at least shows what im talking about.

Ok now heres where my idea comes in. I know of an internet based company that will make custom fabricated plastic parts that you design yourself right on their website. As far as i know its not very expensive to have this done.

Basically what Im thinking is to make some sort of ram air type hood that would mount behind the grill. It would be alot like this Saab CAi setup but if we had it custom made we could easily mount it securely and cleanly. What it would do is act like a funnell and "ram" the air into a system much like the Tony A setup. I would say to use something very similar to Tony with the fram air hog but instead of just drilling extra holes cut the whole thing out and attach the tube coming off the "funnell" directly on, therefore "ramming" air through the entire air filter. Then it would just go through the stock tubing much like the Tony A setup.

fig2a is a couple of ideas of how this may be setup. both "hoods" are shaped to funnel the air into the intake- essentially ramming it through the air filter. Am I crazy?? LOL :thepan:

fig2a

 

[canaveral]

Ram air is a great idea because it increases power with no moving parts, but I see some drawbacks here. The flow path needs to be as straight as possible. Each time the air flow has to bend around a corner the ramming effect diminishes. Also, placing any obstruction in front of the radiator will lessen the cars cooling ability which is especially important in the southern climates.

 

[RobertCTS]

Yes it would work but it requires a lot of plumbing and bends. The TonyA Ram-Air pick the air up at the front bumper and goes straight to the AirHog Filter or Volant. Costs nothing. There are full instructions in the FAQ section on the complete TonyA Ram-Air system. With the Fram AirHog the total price goes up to $40.

 

[nickc50310]

yeah i thought of the radiator issue as i was walking to my car for lunch! hmm so would this idea boost hp more than the tonya mod??

also, what is the purpose of how the current intake is setup?? why does it go down from the the top of the engine then back up to the airbox?? why not just go from the engine to the airbox?

 

[TripleOught]

i wondered that myself...

 

[nickc50310]

ok heres a new idea to cut down on the curves and piping. why not have a hood made to go across the bottom of the bumper to help ram air into the current tonya mod?? if this was done would water and snow be a problem?? i live in iowa and 16 inches of snow is not uncommon. :bighead:

 

[DDS rollin a CTS]

...Am I crazy?? LOL :thepan:

Quite possibly...uh I mean of course not! It's actually not too bad of an idea, I've contemplated it myself, but havent had the motivation to do the drawings you have done. Unfortunately as some other members have mentioned, there are problems. First, you'll have to make a lot of bends using hose probably no bigger than 3" so by the time you get to the motor, all its gonna do is look pretty. Second, yeah you dont want to block much of the radiator. Third, unfortunately the biggest problem (that i see) with the 3.2 is a lack of low-end power. Ram-air doesnt begin to take effect untill you really get going so it wont help much with off the line performance. Even those camaros with ram-air dont see a boost until at least 50 or 60 mph, and its still negligable at best.

Sorry, not trying to rip on ya, these are problems inherent with our car and the nature of "ram air", not with your idea. Realistically the best we can do is to remove as many sources of restriction as possible. This can be achieved by using a high-flow airfilter and straightening out/enlarging the intake plumbing. Welcome to the forum, RobertCTS and myself have both been working on this idea and ways to modify the TonyA so please feel free to share any more ideas you come up with!

 

[RobertCTS]

As to any Ram-Air I think the TonyA front bumper is the best solution. The air chamber has some possible leak possibility. Me & the Doc plan to run 3 1/2" flex duct from the bumper intake to the airbox to reduce the leaks. What's nice is it's virtually free. If you opt for the hose you will add some bucks to it.

 

[DDS rollin a CTS]

I picked up a length of 3" diameter flexable hose and some various hardware pieces at pep boys in the "bunch of shiny pieces of plastic that look like chrome so posers can look good cheap" aisle. I'm gonna play around with it this weekend to see if I can rig something up. I'll let you guys know how things work out.

 

[nickc50310]

ok so why not remove all of the bends between the airbox and engine??

 

[yomommas]

now you're talkin'

 

[DDS rollin a CTS]

ok so why not remove all of the bends between the airbox and engine??

You know I've asked about this before...there are a number of wires running in and out of the intake tubing, the purpose of which is beyond me. I havent touched that part b/c I just dont know whats going on there. Heres an easy idea:

Hey all you guys with the Volants and the K&N FIPK's!!! When you replaced the air ducts between the airbox and the throttle body, what did you do with the assorted sensors/wires/whatevertheyare that plug into the stock ducts along this route? I know the first connection is the Mass Air Flow sensor, but what on earth is up with the other 4 or 5 wires running into it?

I've seen a number of "build your own intake" kits out there. My best idea for replacing the entire system would look a lot like nicks awsome MSpaint illustrations. I'd run the duct around the radiator, but rather than messing with ram air, I'd just position a cone filter in that space between the grill and the radiator.

Looking at the results from "The Great Air Intake Challenge", I believe the two main points of restriction for the stock and TonyA modified intakes continues to be at the filter, and again within the maze of ducts between the airbox and the engine.

 

[MCD40]

Didn't CRock do something like this awhile back with his AEM? Sorry, I speed-read the thread so I apologize if someone mentioned this already. Not a lot of people approved of it back then.

 

[nickc50310]

well looks like im going with the volant boys!! i really cant beleive it gets a 13.3 hp increase at the wheels!!!!!!!!! AMAZING!! oooo im all giddy like a school girl now!:alchi:

 

[RobertCTS]

well looks like im going with the volant boys!! i really cant beleive it gets a 13.3 hp increase at the wheels!!!!!!!!! AMAZING!! oooo im all giddy like a school girl now!:alchi:

School girl or school boy Nick? I started a thread to find the cheapest Volant on the internet. Make a visit.

 

[TripleOught]

DDS, not sure about the assorted wires you are talking about. with the volant and the k&n, all you do is unplug the mass air flow harness (flat looking connector on the intake tube) and plug it back in once you set/mount the new filter. thats the beauty of these systems is that they are very convenient to put in/rip out...

am i missing something? not sure what other wires you are referring to

**edit**

i also forgot to mention once you replace any intake, whether stock to aftermarket or back to stock, it's important to relearn the electronic throttle zero. i usually unplug my positive terminal (while the work is being done) and once i reconnect that, turn the ignition to the "on" for 3 minutes, then start the car and let it idle for another 3 minutes. might be overkill, but it's an easy process and eliminates any "what ifs"

 

[DDS rollin a CTS]

DDS, not sure about the assorted wires you are talking about. with the volant and the k&n, all you do is unplug the mass air flow harness (flat looking connector on the intake tube) and plug it back in once you set/mount the new filter. thats the beauty of these systems is that they are very convenient to put in/rip out...

am i missing something? not sure what other wires you are referring to

**edit**

i also forgot to mention once you replace any intake, whether stock to aftermarket or back to stock, it's important to relearn the electronic throttle zero. i usually unplug my positive terminal (while the work is being done) and once i reconnect that, turn the ignition to the "on" for 3 minutes, then start the car and let it idle for another 3 minutes. might be overkill, but it's an easy process and eliminates any "what ifs"

Thanks, theres a new thread, 3.2L intake addressing the maze of tubes and what they do. Also cadillacfaq.com has an article about re-learning the throttle. I that gives about the same process as youre talking about.