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homemade intake idea for newer 4.3's

2K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  XS10sive 
#1 ·
I posted a thread a lil while back about making a full homemade intake for our 4.3's. I found one on Ebay that is similar to what I would like to do. Being that the guys price on Ebay is pretty cheap I might just buy one and try it out. It beats paying a lot more a K&n, Volant, or AEM. Here is the link. What do you guys think? If I wanted a better filter, I would definately go with a K&N. Thanks for any input.
 
#3 ·
That's a good price--except it sucks to pay shipping.

Looks to me like it's equiped with a K&N filter, doesn't it?


The only difference between this intake and a K&N would be in the heat shield, but I'm sure you could fab one up pretty easily.


The issue I could see with this intake is that it doesn't use a rubber boot between the injecter hat and the intake piping, if you drive over rough roads at all the pipe could get bouncing under the hood and crack the plastic injector hat.
Again tho, I'm sure you could modify your stiok rubber boot to work with this setup fairly easily.

I hope to get a Gen 2 s-10 in the future, and I would love to make an intake for it like I did with my 1st gen, so I hope something like this works!
 
#4 ·
#6 ·
00IndigoX said:
Actually Nate, the incoming air is moving at such a high velocity that the material of the pipe does not affect the airs temperature. This has been discussed on here before if you would want to do a search.
Oh, i figured it would at least warm it some, oh well then that one on top looks like a good deal then!
 
#8 ·
that thin metal can be 200 degrees, that doesnt matter, the air is moving fast enough to not make a difference, truckin did a test with this awhile back, i think the difference in materiels only changed the intake temperature either a half a degree or 3 degrees(i cant recall off the top of my head), that miniscule difference can be cause by so many other variables, or if it is the difference between plastic and metal its such a tiny difference it doesnt matter.......we need to make a sticky with all the myths about things, everytime this particular subject comes up somebody brings up the temperature difference, no fault to them, that is a logical assumption that metal could cause higher temps....but what im saying is a list of all the different mods and the myths and truths behind them.
 
#9 ·
Read this it will explain everything:From AEM

Aluminum vs. Steel vs. Plastic Explained By John Concialdi, AEM Chief Engineer
5/28/2003
Aluminum vs. Steel vs. Plastic

The issue of heat absorption with an intake system has a degree of validity, however we have found that too much emphasis is placed on material selection, instead of the real issue of tuning the system. Our systems feature a unique shape and diameter because this is what we found to make the most useable torque and horsepower for each individual application in testing. However, for the purposes of this discussion, we will limit it to why we choose to make our systems from aluminum and the effects of heat absorption on all materials. If you do not wish to review all of this information right now, a quick synopsis of this discussion is outlined in the following bullet points, with complete topic discussions below:

We use aluminum to eliminate any chance of the system rusting, and it's lighter than steel

We limit our use of plastic because this material absorbs some of the sound energy we work to create in the inlet duct

Whether or not an inlet system is made from aluminum, steel or plastic, the thermal conductivity of the duct material has little effect on engine power

The rate at which air travels through the inlet path under open throttle, when one is asking the engine for maximum power, negates the effect of material heat soak, regardless of the material

We use aluminum—or a combination of aluminum and plastic plenums for throttle-body-injected applications that require a special plenum—for every intake we produce. This eliminates any chance of rust occurring on the inside of the inlet pipe. We have seen chrome-plated steel systems whose inner diameter became rusted over time, causing flakes of rust to travel along the inlet path. We also choose aluminum because of its lightweight properties. Heavier components place higher loads on the brackets they are attached to—or even worse, to the pipes they are attached to. We combine our lightweight aluminum design with a flexible coupling device we call a soft mount that connects the intake system to the body of the vehicle. In addition to the soft mount, we use doublers at the point where the mounting bracket is welded to the pipe for additional strength.

We limit our use of plastic because this material absorbs some of the sound energy we work to create in the inlet duct. Although we use the best plastic material for our plenums, it is still not as resilient and does not retain the visual appeal of aluminum over long-term use. Because we have to use plastic on throttle body applications, we take extra precautions to ensure that the aluminum retaining ring that attaches to the throttle body is anchored securely into the plastic plenum; this is done by making an interlocking mechanical link between the plastic and aluminum.

Whether or not an inlet system is made from aluminum, steel, or plastic, the thermal conductivity of the duct material has little effect on engine power. We have found that the tuning of the pipe, in addition to providing the coolest inlet air source, are the keys to making useable power. We perform engine inlet-air-temp studies when developing each application to determine the coolest location for sourcing inlet air. In addition to this, we determine the safest location for the inlet source to protect it from highly dusty conditions and water. To this end, we provide a stainless-steel heat shield to help minimize heat soak into the inlet area, as well as to provide protection from dust, dirt and mud.

At light throttle opening, air speed and airflow at the inlet system are relatively low. The high residence time of air in the inlet while at low-throttle settings will increase inlet charge temps when materials with high thermal conductivity are used. Typically, when someone is at light throttle they are not asking the engine to make power. Most likely, fuel economy is the issue.

When the throttle is fully opened however, air speed and airflow increase considerably. Typically, the inlet air speed of a 5.7L engine with a four-inch duct at full throttle is 34 feet-per-second, based on a volumetric efficiency of 70% and an engine speed of 3,000 rpm. Most inlet systems for every intake manufacturer for this engine are 30 inches or less. This means that the air in the duct of a 30-inch inlet length on this engine at the given rpm is 1/10th of a second—hardly enough time to transfer an appreciable amount of heat into the air stream on any system.

Basically, the rate at which air travels through the inlet path under open throttle, when one is asking the engine for maximum power, negates the effect of material heat soak, regardless of the material. We hope that this helps to clear up the issues of material heat absorption in intake systems.


---I have their Brute Force intake on my 4.3 and its the best one I have had so far (also used FIPK, and Volant), not to mention it looks a lot better too.
 
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