Stupid Question?

Maybe a stupid question, but i just replaced my stock air filter with a k/n filter, stock box and nothing else changed. I will in the future be looking at some new air intake systems but here is what i am wondering. Will I gain any added power by simply leaving the top off of my current stock air box? Will this harm anything besides fact filter will get dirtier faster? I recently switched out my stock muffler with a magnaflow and have noticed some loss of power at the low end, once the rpm's get up there in kicks right it but it dogs off the line. any feedback would be appreciated

Remember everyone - there are no stupid questions...only stupid people. Just kidding and BTW I'm not calling you stupid.

No, it's not a stupid question and I imagine that most people who get a K&N hoping for HP and torque gains are somewhat disappointed. I had one on my Tahoe and I didn't notice a thing. A K&N FIPK or similar product on the other hand may help a bit more to further reduce turbulence in the incoming air and to more efficiently deliver the air to the intake, but on the down side most FIPKs that I have known add quite a bit to the engine noise in the cabin. Just food for thought.

As far as leaving the top off of the air box...not the best idea. Two reasons. 1. Yes the filter will prob get dirtier faster. and 2. If you leave the top off the box then the filter will draw warm/hot air from the engine compartment as opposed to drawing cool air from the stock inlet. It may expose the filter to more air, but again you probably won't notice a difference. Warm air is good in some cases, but too much can be a bad thing.

And as for the muffler...one reason you are noticing power loss is that you may have opened her up a bit too much. Your engine needs a certain amount of backpressure to run properly and the muffler may not provide that on the low end, but may build as you get up in the power band. You don't say what kind of vehicle and engine, but check the application to see if the muffler you got is correct for the application.

Hope this helps. M.

One thing I've learned about adding aftermarket stuff. Your computer has learned how you drive with the factory stuff. When you change something it still thinks that the stock stuff is there and adjusts accordingly and most of the time these adjustments are not what you want to see. Bottom line is that whenever you do an aftermarket thing the computer needs to "relearn" the new stuff. Simply disconnect the neg batt cable for about 5 mins. Hook it back up and go drive. Keep in mind that is a "relearn" process for the new stuff and may take 10-20 drive cycles before it settles in and maybe you'll get the performance you're hoping for.............Steve

or you could add one of these (ram air)

Remember everyone - there are no stupid questions...only stupid people. Just kidding and BTW I'm not calling you stupid.

No, it's not a stupid question and I imagine that most people who get a K&N hoping for HP and torque gains are somewhat disappointed. I had one on my Tahoe and I didn't notice a thing. A K&N FIPK or similar product on the other hand may help a bit more to further reduce turbulence in the incoming air and to more efficiently deliver the air to the intake, but on the down side most FIPKs that I have known add quite a bit to the engine noise in the cabin. Just food for thought.

As far as leaving the top off of the air box...not the best idea. Two reasons. 1. Yes the filter will prob get dirtier faster. and 2. If you leave the top off the box then the filter will draw warm/hot air from the engine compartment as opposed to drawing cool air from the stock inlet. It may expose the filter to more air, but again you probably won't notice a difference. Warm air is good in some cases, but too much can be a bad thing.

And as for the muffler...one reason you are noticing power loss is that you may have opened her up a bit too much. Your engine needs a certain amount of backpressure to run properly and the muffler may not provide that on the low end, but may build as you get up in the power band. You don't say what kind of vehicle and engine, but check the application to see if the muffler you got is correct for the application.

Hope this helps. M.
I have noticed that I am a few years older than most of the guys on this forum, so when you say the after market intakes are more noisy, it makes me think of my teenage years when we had carbs. The four barrels were loud when you kicked it in but we loved that sound. We even turned the breather cover upsidedown if you only had a two barrel to make it sound like four. Anyway, is that kind of what you mean when you say loud?
Joe

lol yeah before i started restoring my 73 c-10 with a 4 barrel holley on a 350 smallblock, i noticed that i love loud lol... how could that ever be a bad thing? it was a beater and the muffler was plugged with who knows what so i had to cut a big ass hole in front of it so it would run right lol... it sounded so cool when you use engine braking...

btw... to make up for your lowend torque loss, i would try a set of long tube headers, that might help a little bit, as in single digit gains lol... these days people really talk up the power gains a lot more than they actually are, i would bet that the k&n deal, even if calibrated in the computer or whatever you guys were saying, probably only gains 2 or 3 horsepower at best,,, however, if you have aftermarket heads and camshaft, then the difference between the stock airbox and K&N are probably more significant, since the stock one that is fine for stock applications would probably hold back a souped up engine

Well thanks everyone for the input. For the record truck is a 2000 z71. I will give the battery terminal trick a shot, can't say i have ever heard of that. I realize the computer may have to "relearn" but if that way works then great.

I have noticed that I am a few years older than most of the guys on this forum, so when you say the after market intakes are more noisy, it makes me think of my teenage years when we had carbs. The four barrels were loud when you kicked it in but we loved that sound. We even turned the breather cover upsidedown if you only had a two barrel to make it sound like four. Anyway, is that kind of what you mean when you say loud?
Joe
I meant loud as in bad...not loud as in good. And yes there is a difference. If I wanted to just hear something loud I would have my girlfriend scream in my ear while I drove. I love a nice-sounding throaty exhaust, but I don't want to hear a crappy sound from under the hood. You sound like my old co-worker who had an open header Grand National...nice car...sounded like sh*t, but he thought it sounded cool! Well, he was wrong. Peace!

I meant loud as in bad...not loud as in good. And yes there is a difference. If I wanted to just hear something loud I would have my girlfriend scream in my ear while I drove. I love a nice-sounding throaty exhaust, but I don't want to hear a crappy sound from under the hood. You sound like my old co-worker who had an open header Grand National...nice car...sounded like sh*t, but he thought it sounded cool! Well, he was wrong. Peace!
I guess I'll have to ask around for someone who already has one so I can hear for myself. Maybe then I'll know what you mean by, crappy!
Joe

or you could add one of these (ram air)

I saw a Chrysler minivan with one of those. :lol: Your's looks a LOT nicer than that one.

If you're lacking low end power, I would think that the change to the magnaflow muffler, which is a straight through design, decreased your backpressure a good bit. If you had only added the K&N and kept the stock exhaust you would have noticed a difference in throttle response and such. The stock exhaust system isn't as restrictive as most make it out to be. It can handle most bolt on mods easily.

you're computer re-learn will take about 200 miles to "break in" then you could notice your low end has come back a little. Remember after you unhook the battery, you have to drive it another 200 miles or so so it can re-learn again.

While I was considering the after market intakes and exaust systems, one of the common things that I noticed was that the gains in power and economy came after 2,000 RPM with the trade of being minor losses in the low end. Personally, I do not spend much time there so the stock configuration suits me just fine. Oh, I too miss the noise of the 70's but when I get the itch I drive my son's 72 C10, what a beast.

I saw a Chrysler minivan with one of those. :lol: Your's looks a LOT nicer than that one.


a mini van? well i hope so. besides his was probably some of those glue ons, thank you though..