K&N FIPK

[dan67]

I installed the K&N FIPK kit on my 00 4.8 recently. Has anyone else used this kit. The instructions have you leave the large plate under the old air box intact, but it seems to me that you would get much better airflow without this restriction in the way. Is the restriction that this plate causes negligable, or is there another reason?
Dan

[lhirsch]

As it turns out, I installed a K&N FIPK on my '02 2500HD Duramax just today.

I'm not sure what you're referring to... my version of the FIPK included a metal housing that bolts to the plate that the old filter box sat on. I suppose you'd get better airflow from below if that plate wasn't there, but you'd have to get creative to secure the new K&N housing. Is this what you mean?

On my rig, there's now a noticable high-pitched whine during acceleration but the hp gains are noticable too. I also reprogrammed the computer with hypertech's power programmer III yesterday, which made a phenomenal difference. I'm saving my pennies to do the exhaust next.

One concern: If you happen to see an Allison Transmission lying on the side of the road, it could be mine... all this added hp has got to take it's toll, no? Is there a tranny performance upgrade that I should be considering?

Thanks,

Les

[dan67]

That is the plate that I'm asking about. It shouldn't be to hard to fabricate something to mount the metal shroud in the same spots. I would love to get one of the chip sets, but thats a few hundred dollars that I don't have right now. The whine that started after the FIPK was installed is a wee bit wierd, but it's just the air being sucked in. That is the purpose of the corrugated stock air pipe, to cut down the air noise. I have noticed some performance changes, but I'm still not popping wheelies
Dan

[djpbaby]

Cold air is your best friend. Take that stupid plate off of there. True you will be washing your filter more frequently, but it's worth having your truck perform in the day as well as it does in the night. If you were a little creative, you could fabricate a way to scoop some air from your air dam into your air box. The interesting thing about that design is that the faster you go, the more air is force in, kindof like a turbo or supercharger, but I doubt you will get even close to the 100 hp gains. Everyone who owns a silverado knows we could all use a little more power after 70 mph. Everyone except those duramax owners. All I can say about helping that tranny, lobby with everyone else who chips there diesel. There isn't a company out there that can help right now. One company I know of got a tranny out of Colorado from a company that claimed to handle much more torque than stock, and the only thing it did was help up to another 50 ft/lbs of torque before it started to slip. Its a real problem with the low rpm diesel engines. Torque and HP are equal at 5252 rpms on all vehicles, so if your going to get a diesel to have alot of horsepower you have to up the rpms or increase the torque and upping the torque is what the chips do to the new diesels. My dad is running 676 ft/lbs to the rear wheels! If you have nothing better to do with your money, go get a double clutch, 18 speed tranny off of a kenworth and let us know exactly how you managed to fit it under your pickup.

[lhirsch]

...nothing better to do with my money? Hell... I spent it all to get the Duramax in the first place! ;-)

Les

[trukdryver]

dan67

I installed an FIPK on my '00 5.3L Z71. I noticed a bit of increased noise, too, but it kind of reminded me of the sound my old Camaro used to make when the 4bbl kicked in! I also added a Gibson 3 inch cat back exhaust (Swept Side system--best for towing) and what a difference the combination made! My poor Firestones didn't stand a chance, and when I actually kept my foot out of it my mileage increased to around 18 in mixed driving. I think I might try that plate removal trick, too now!