Another thread prompted me to post this... I have a '97 SS and of course it has Ram Air. I've read articles that say that the Ram Air is no better than a good Cold Air Intake, and I've read articles that say the Ram Air actually produces some ramming affect above 100mph. Personally, I couldn't care less as long as it IS actually functional in that it works as a CAI and it looks cool. But people want to argue this back and forth, so I want to know where people are getting their facts. How in the world do you dyno Ram Air??? In a wind tunnel???

So tell me my Ram Air doesn't do anything and PROVE IT by backing it up with an article or other source of varifiable info... Not just "My buddy said this" or "My stock Z28 outran a stock Ram Air WS6", but cold hard proof!!!

I Dare You!!!

 

Prove your ram air makes more than a CAI.

 

It's people who say "Prove it doesn't do anything" that buy **** like the Tornado and other **** from infomercials....

they are the ones who truely buy into gimmicks and marketing.

 

I can't!!! I'm hoping this post will turn up some hard evidence that it does! The only articles I've read have been speculation and hearsay. I want to find some cold hard facts. I'm willing to accept whatever the facts tell me!

 

I hate to say it.. but do a search. It's been BEATEN to death.

 

I have a 97 SS also and I've tried both the Ram Air with the K&N filter and a CAI elbow. I never dynoed the difference but with the Ligenfelter CAI I had the damn filter kept falling off. And it got wet too. Of course my filter on the Ram Air now gets wet also because a long time ago I thought it'd be a good idea to remove the rain baffles. Bottom line is if there is a difference it's negligible.

 

i feel the factory ss would get more air than an aftermarket cai,i prefer to not get my"cold air"from roughly 4'' from the ground but then again i live in vegas where the asphalt is generally 130*in summer so 2.5' higher seems to be a better alternative,i will do my own comparison when i get my ss hood&air box

 

The scoops on the Camaro SS work and air is forced in but not hard enough to ram/pressurize the air box. So it it basically is a really cool loking CAI.

As for LT1's only I have heard some say that a CAI kit will outflow a SS/WS6 system but I think they are full of crap. The SS box and tube is just as free flowing as any CAI kit and the filter area is x2 as big.

 

would you consider any of this article "proof"?

 

this one is easy:

find MAF readings to a stock z28
find MAF readings to a stock SS (Same year)


MAF will tell you how much air is going into the engine, no fancy calculations are necessary.

 

I read an in depth article where they tackled this very subject. I can't remember where but I do remember the results. They found that the intake charge was cooler on an LS1 SS, ONLY AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF MODERATE SPEED DRIVING. What happens is the tract becomes heat soaked while the car is sitting still and as you drive it carries the heat away eventually allowing the air to pass through with very little heating. This makes the Ram air systems pretty useless for quarte mile (track) performance but it could make a difference for something like a highway roll on race. This test didnt measure horsepower gains, only intake air temp. And this was only for the 98+ SS's. The WS6's with a shorter tract may be more "immune" to the heat soak issue.

 

Something else of note is that the LS1 SS/WS6 ram-airs are not as straight shot as the LT1 versions.. they wrap the air around and it goes back through in what seems to me as a pretty inefficient design. But it for sure will keep rain water out...

 

Actually the WS6 is a straight shot.

As far as proving anything. Just like in court the Plaintiff (you in this case) has the burden of proof on them. You must prove that yours makes more hp not the other way around.

 

Try this experiment:
Since you get your "Cold Air" from a Air box that is bolted to the Intake manifold, and not one that is pulling air from the Fender well. Tell me how long you can hold your hand on the Intake manifold after a 30 minutes of driving. Sorry friend but the LT1 SS Airbox is IMHO a terrible brain fart on the part of GM. Heat Soak alone should have made them rethink that one.

 

Does it really matter because the CAI runs right behind the radiator and the plastic ones actually touch the radiator in the corner. My Temp gauge says my car runs 180 so i really wouldn't want my CAI more like HAI running right by the radiator. Also I ditched my K&N CAI for the SS setup because its cool and i knew it wouldn't cost me any power. My intake air temp sensor does go up when i'm sitting at idle but so does a CAI. The Temp starts dropping immediately as you start moving and the temp gets to within a few degrees of outside temp. I'd say that means heat soak isn't a factor.