new exhaust or programmer?

[D'Hag]

As you can see from the dyno table, the best bang for the buck for the intake is simply to put in a K&N filter. There's really nothing wrong with the stock intake. It pulls cold air from the fender well. You can open it up a bit inside the air box. Replace the corrugated rubber connectors with straight rubber tube cut to the right length. Then you've got everything a high-buck cold-air intake has, for a lot less money.

For exhaust, unless you just like the "Flowmaster sound" (YUCK! :ack: Sounds tinny and rattly to me. And loud inside the vehicle.), consider a simple Thrush glaspack. They used to be Walker "Blue Swinger" until Walker became DynoMax and bought Thrush. The only glaspack with no restrictions, and the core is the same diameter as the inlet/outlet. Absolutely dead quite INSIDE the vehicle, and that classic, throaty rumble out the tailpipe.

After that, all you might need do mechanically is a set of headers.

Then get a tune. I'm wondering myself what the best one is. Not afraid to tune it myself if the price is right.

 

[oomindwarpoo]

A stock baseline would be nice.

 

[D'Hag]

So what you're saying is the drop in K&N is better than the actual SRI version??

Not sure what you mean by "SRI version."

No, I'm not saying a drop-in K&N is "better." What I'm talking about is "bang for the buck." If you look at JennaBear's dyno table, what you see is that K&N's full FIPK system gave the biggest increase, but at what cost? We're talking 8 whole horses and 3 whoppin' ft-lbs of torque. In a 5000-plus pound Tahoe, is that enough of an increase that you can actually feel it in your butt, see it on the gas pump, and read it on a time slip? No.

When you consider what you get for what you spend, then yes, a drop-in K&N is "better." Beyond just putting in the K&N filter, you'll note that I also talked about replacing the bellows hoses with straight-wall hose and smooth bends, and opening up the fender inlets to let more air in. Basically, make your own FIPK from existing materials. That will make the drop-in equal to the full FIPK system, for way, way less money.

Here's what I mean by "bang for the buck"--
Filter - $40
HP increase - 7
Cost per horse - $5.71
Open up the fender inlets, replace the bellows joints with smooth tube from Home Depot - about $5.
HP increase - 15
Total cost per horse - $3.00

FIPK system - $300
HP increase - 15
Cost per horse - $20

I think K&N, AEM, and others are great companies, so don't get me wrong. I just also think they're very good a separating you from your money for sake of saving a little work or getting something that "looks cool."

 

[oomindwarpoo]

SRI - Short Ram Intake

Idk about you but, a "SRI" for my car is like a "CAI" (like the k&n) for my 05 tahoe. A CAI for my car does not sit in the factory airbox location, it routes behind the battery, and sits almost behind the foglight. I just think of something else when people talk about CAI's for trucks. Sorry for using the wrong terminology, I am a 'noob' to this forum since I've only had the hoe for 6 months.

Sorry, bellows hoses?
The black plastic going tubing going to the airbox from the bottom of the fender I assume?

 

[D'Hag]

SRI - Short Ram Intake
A CAI for my car does not sit in the factory airbox location, it routes behind the battery, and sits almost behind the foglight.

Ah.... For a car, I think "my Firebird," and there I'm thinking about the very top of the air cleaner breathing straight from the cowl induction hood. Another thing I did myself, by the way, rather than pay hundreds for an open-top air cleaner.

Sorry, bellows hoses?

Probably not the correct term on my part. I'm talking about those flexible pieces of rubber than connect air box to MAF sensor and air tube to throttle body. Those waffley-shapped, ringed, corrugated... whatever... not smoothly-shaped, one-piece-fits-all things that the factory uses to make their assembly process easier. They introduce turbulence into the air flow. They are easily replaced by straight-walled rubber hose. That's the main advantage the custom aftermarket intakes have-- all smooth. You just have to hunt for a source for those hose pieces sometimes, but lots less money than a ready-made tube that has somebody's brand name.

When you really look at aftermarket intakes, IMHO you pay about 30% for the actual intake system, and 70% for their brand-name sticker.
"What should we charge for this? About 40 bucks?"
"Heck no. We can get people to pay 300 for it. Just put our <insert brand name> sticker on it and let the marketing department tell folks how wonderful it is."

 

[Jeremy_K]

Ah.... For a car, I think "my Firebird," and there I'm thinking about the very top of the air cleaner breathing straight from the cowl induction hood. Another thing I did myself, by the way, rather than pay hundreds for an open-top air cleaner.

Probably not the correct term on my part. I'm talking about those flexible pieces of rubber than connect air box to MAF sensor and air tube to throttle body. Those waffley-shapped, ringed, corrugated... whatever... not smoothly-shaped, one-piece-fits-all things that the factory uses to make their assembly process easier. They introduce turbulence into the air flow. They are easily replaced by straight-walled rubber hose. That's the main advantage the custom aftermarket intakes have-- all smooth. You just have to hunt for a source for those hose pieces sometimes, but lots less money than a ready-made tube that has somebody's brand name.

When you really look at aftermarket intakes, IMHO you pay about 30% for the actual intake system, and 70% for their brand-name sticker.
"What should we charge for this? About 40 bucks?"
"Heck no. We can get people to pay 300 for it. Just put our <insert brand name> sticker on it and let the marketing department tell folks how wonderful it is."

I agree. Way too overpriced for what they are and the small HP gain. Make your own. Who knows, with all that creativity swirling in your brain you might actually come up with other ideas.

 

[Jeremy_K]

Here's a pic of one I made on my supercharged XR7. The pipe is from Ebay for a Ford focus and the elbow is from a mustang. The cone is in the fender AWAY from the engine heat. Overall, about $70 invested. To buy one aftermarket is about $200 and it still leaves the cone in the engine bay with a goofy plastic box. Just an example of how it doesn't need to be expensive.