I was thinking of upgrading my stock intake to either a short ram or cold air intake. I was wondering how the chevy 4.3l engines do with this sort of adjustment. I do not want to knock off any sensors or codes by changing out the intake.

 

I love my K&N CAI, but it took a while to realize that it was messing up my truck...not the CAI, but the K&N filter it came with. The day I put it on, my truck ran like crap. I started freaking out, thinking i killed my truck...nope, my CPU wasn't liking the extra air (at first).

After putting a few miles on it, the CPU adjusted whatever it had to adjust, and it ran like a champ (and still does). It was actually during this past summer, when I had to clean the MAF AGAIN, for like the third time that year, that I realized the filter's oil was fouling up my sensors. So, a quick trip to AutoZone, and $8 later, I had a new cone filter (dry), and I still get the awesome CAI feel and sound, without the needed sensor maitainence!

If you are a DIY person (guilty), you can totally make your own kit, and save the hundreds of dollars that you would shell out for something like my K&N kit, but I got mine on the cheap The most important part of the kit would be the Heat Shield, for without that, your kit would be useless! If I could find my camera, I could snap some pictures of the modifications I had to do to the K&N kits shield, to make it "airtight", per se. Someone with some scrap metal, and patience could totally make a better shield...

GOOD LUCK!!! I hope my ramblings helped you to settle on something!

 

sweet, but any air in the engine bay is warm, making it a warm air intake, heat shield or not, its still probably going to suck warmer air than the stock setup

 

not really.

the whole idea, like keboy said above, is to get it as air tight as possible. meaning create a sealed enclosure for the filter.

personally, i just opened up the whole front of my factory air box, and made a new inlet for it. still need to change the factory flew pipe (one of the few Spring tasks) but overall, i measured a 6* degree drop in air inlet temp the day i did it.


while i can't comment on the K&N application to these trucks (currently only my diesel 'Burb is running a dry filter) i do know that the air temp sensor on my brother's Summer Dime did need cleaned every Fall.

 

ram air ftw

 

On a jet maybe... Street driven vehicle you just can't go fast enough to get any appreciable gain...

 

besides, the size/shape would look freakin' ridiculous on our trucks.

 

maybe talking about hp but im sure it will be colder!

 

Colder than? A good CAI? Probably a little, but definitely not enough to be worth it (cost & effort). That is precisely the point I am making.

 

colder than a cone filter sitting on top of your engine, it takes in air from 360 degrees around it while the stock setup will take cold air rushing in from outside the engine bay.

i dont think any cai is worth it unless your just looking for sound. i wouldnt waste my time with 1 hp here, 3 hp there. if you want something faster, do it right....