Anyone have experience with Ebay air intake kits?

[Hoganator]

I know for sure that my next upgrade will be an air intake kit. Im contemplating between two of them. There really isn't much to choose from for a 3.1l GP.

 

The cheaper option that seems too good to be true. opinions? http://www.ebay.com/itm/K-N-RED-94-95-1994-1995-PONTIAC-GRAND-PRIX-3-1-3-1L-V6-AIR-INTAKE-KIT-/290858637129?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1995%7CMake%3APontiac%7CModel%3AGrand+Prix&hash=item43b8869749&vxp=mtr

 

Or should i spend the extra money and get this, only downside is that it looks kinda boring. http://www.ebay.com/itm/PONTIAC-1995-GRAND-PRIX-3-1L-V6-Secret-Weapon-R-Cold-Air-Intake-System-Kit-/281219153267?pt=Race_Car_Parts&hash=item4179f7bd73&vxp=mtr

 

If anyone has purchased either brand and can give me feedback that would be awesome too!

[2k2cse]

If you're fine with something that looks a little plain, make your own. You can easily make it for under $100 with a good filter. Mine was just over $100 but my filter cost $60.

 

[Imp558]

I'm thinking about cutting the bottom out of a filter box from a trucck and mounting it on it's side in that corner with the nice purolator filter in it. That should be fairly easy to seal off so none of the air comes from under the hood.

[RobertISaar]

both of those are hilarious as "cold air" intakes, sucking hot air right off of the exhaust manifold and otherwise underhood air. the stock box draws from behind the headlamp and actually does draw cold air.

 

I'm thinking about cutting the bottom out of a filter box from a trucck and mounting it on it's side in that corner with the nice purolator filter in it. That should be fairly easy to seal off so none of the air comes from under the hood.

 

the tube-like ones? i'm trying to remember how they look on my father's 96 and 99 yukon/tahoe with the 5.7, if that is what you're referring to.

[l67ss]

Heres my two cents. Yeah hai pull mostly qarm air but removes restrictions. Think of it this way. Try breathing thru a straw inside with ac blasting. Now go outside on a hot day and breath with ur mouth wide open. See what i mean

[l67ss]

And id avoid fwi, those are jokes. Pulling hot or wet dirty air off the highway. Not to mention ive seen dyno charts where a cheapass hai out performed a nice fwi, by like at least 5hp

Heres my two cents. Yeah hai pull mostly qarm air but removes restrictions. Think of it this way. Try breathing thru a straw inside with ac blasting. Now go outside on a hot day and breath with ur mouth wide open. See what i mean

[RobertISaar]

Heres my two cents. Yeah hai pull mostly qarm air but removes restrictions. Think of it this way. Try breathing thru a straw inside with ac blasting. Now go outside on a hot day and breath with ur mouth wide open. See what i mean

 

i actually measured and calculated the little snorkle on the side of the airbox that draws air from behind the headlights, but i don't know where it is anymore. i seem to remember it being larger than the TB opening on a 3100 though.

[l67ss]

When i originally installed the k and n cone on my 3400 i mounted it in the stock airbox. Omitted the box when i changed a battery, noticed an improvement. The issue with the stock airbox isnt the inlet size, its the changes in sizes between inlet and tb. Creates turbulance

[Imp558]

the tube-like ones? i'm trying to remember how they look on my father's 96 and 99 yukon/tahoe with the 5.7, if that is what you're referring to.

 

No, the same style ours came with that use the flat filter just MAMMOTH so it has a lot of surface area. The flat underside of the box should be easy to rivot to a piece of sheetmetal. It would be sealed against the inside of the fender and the entire underside would be open and facing right into the fender.

[Imp558]

This is like what I was thinking, this one's off a Mercedes SUV, cut the entire bottom out leaving just an inch or so and shove it up against the fender opening, sheet metal everything closed around it.

 

[Nas Escobar]

I would forgo both options and put the filter in the fender, for a real cold air intake. Don't quote me on this, but looking at the pic of the first link, it seems the tubes look similar in the first picture to the 3400 Grand Am/Alero cold air intake. That might be of better fitment for a 3100.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/99-05-Grand-AM-3-4-V6-COLD-AIR-INTAKE-KIT-RED-FILTER-/330569087433?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AGrand+Am&hash=item4cf773f9c9&vxp=mtr

 

It would need a bigger tube in between the throttle and the MAF, but for $3400, this is cheap piping. The filter almost always has to be changed. The one these sellers send are utter crap.

[RobertISaar]

This is like what I was thinking, this one's off a Mercedes SUV, cut the entire bottom out leaving just an inch or so and shove it up against the fender opening, sheet metal everything closed around it.

 

that could certainly work. setting up some ducting to steal some air before the radiator doesn't seem that out of place either.

[Hoganator]

I should also say i drive my car daily in all 4 seasons in northern Ohio so the preferred way of taking the piping close to the ground isnt really an option. I would most likely make it into a ram air kit, i just hate buying pieces and parts for a kit unless its necessary. Haha i was hoping for more positive feedback like noticeable performance changes and stuff like that. But maybe I should hold off if its only like a boost of 5HP

[Hoganator]

Basically im looking for cheap performance upgrades so i can start racing since i recently disabled that ridiculous governer. any other ideas?

[94 olds vert]

My advice don't buy anything from ebay that claims performance gains. I wouldn't buy anything from the links you posted. Furthermore I wouldn't race a car that you DD. That's just my opinion.

 

[video=youtube;gCi2yo4UqPI]

 

Watch this video and tell me you still want a "CAI". MOST factory air boxes flow just fine.

[Psych0matt]

Basically im looking for cheap performance upgrades so i can start racing since i recently disabled that ridiculous governer. any other ideas?

 

I'm not sure how disabling the governer has much to do with racing. All that's going to do is allow you to get to a higher speed. I would think that you'd be done "racing" before you hit 105, or whatever speed it's at

[94 olds vert]

You won't even come close to hit 100mph on a 1/4 drag strip. Anything over that is overkill.

[Hoganator]

^ Every car was on a dyno. doesnt it have to be moving and taking in air to work? Dont mind me if im wrong im only 18 and am learning new stuff about car mods pretty much every other weekend. Ive only had the GP for a year too. But by racing i mean keeping up with the rides my friends have when we're on the road. Im kind of sick of looking like a chump compared to some of the rides they have. Drag strip is fun though i'll have to post some times on here soon.

Edited April 5, 2014 by Hoganator

[94 olds vert]

Most dynos I have seen have big fans in front of them and it looks like this one does too. For cooling and such.

[Hoganator]

^ gotchya, never seen one in person

[rich_e777]

Drop in a high flow Spectre or K&N filter in the stock box and call it a day. The big performance inhibitor on the 3100 IIRC is the shitty flow of the exhaust manifolds and downpipe and the uneven ports and gaskets. The 3100 V6 was never meant to be a performance engine and I hate they even put them in the sportier w-bodies anyways. One thing you can do is take of the upper intake manifold or plenum and see if you can smooth out the inside with a dremel or grinding tool. Someone with more experience could bore out those passages and match the gasket to them, same with the lower intake manifold. These have to be precise so don't go crazy grinding down shit unless you have someone there who has done it.

 

Other than that, engine swap and get aftermarket support, WOT-TECH.com might have a few things still for the 3100/ GM 60degreeV6 engines. Stuff for a 3400 top swap anyways.

[Hoganator]

Drop in a high flow Spectre or K&N filter in the stock box and call it a day. The big performance inhibitor on the 3100 IIRC is the shitty flow of the exhaust manifolds and downpipe and the uneven ports and gaskets. The 3100 V6 was never meant to be a performance engine and I hate they even put them in the sportier w-bodies anyways. One thing you can do is take of the upper intake manifold or plenum and see if you can smooth out the inside with a dremel or grinding tool. Someone with more experience could bore out those passages and match the gasket to them, same with the lower intake manifold. These have to be precise so don't go crazy grinding down shit unless you have someone there who has done it.

 

Other than that, engine swap and get aftermarket support, WOT-TECH.com might have a few things still for the 3100/ GM 60degreeV6 engines. Stuff for a 3400 top swap anyways.

 

I know I wish I knew about the GTP when i bought this car. Dont get me wrong i love it but youre kinda limited with performance unless you do swap the engine.

[intern8tion9l]

If the car is in good shape, it's worth a motor swap. But not if its a daiy driver....at 18 I assume it is

[l67ss]

On the motor swap thing, just do what i did. I got a list of parts needed and a couplw boxes. I picked up a part here and there as i was builing the rest of the car and put the in the box and marked them off. Next thing i knew i was running boosted . Swap itself is fairly easy

[Michael Savage]

3100 is easy to mod internally for more performance. Might as well call it a 3400 with extra metal and slag. Mark the ports with a sharpie with the gaskets lines up by starting the bolts then grind off everything to the edge of the sharpie. Match all the ports with the gaskets. If you mess around and try the 3400 gaskets and match them you'll have basically a 3400 besides the block.

 

Fairly simple if you just watch what you are doing. But most people would suggest a 3800 SC swap because it's built to handle boost with stock parts. You can get more MPG and the same or better power from the 3400/3100. A lot of people will argue that, but mostly it's just a preference whether or not you want to spend time on an engine or just throw one in.

 

 

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