Entry Level Performance Mods

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iamdub

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The K2xx benefit more from an expensive aftermarket intake setup than ours do. Yeah, our GMT900s might also benefit from a really expensive setup as well. But, $400 is 3/4 the cost of a tune. I don't see the $400 intake being that much better than a $150 Airaid MIT, and the MIT isn't that much better than stock.

What it boils down to is you can spend $1,000 on a $400 high-end intake and a $600 tune and get ~25HP (just an example figure) or you can spend $750 on a $150 intake and $600 tune and have ~23HP. Or just the tune alone and spend $600 for ~20HP. You'll feel a 20HP difference, but you'll never miss that last 5.
 
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How different is the stock air intake on a 2016 (tested vehicle) then on the '07-'14 vehicles?

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Peacock

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I'm sure GM engineers a given amount of cfm air flow into their systems, I highly doubt they engineered less cfm flow into the 15 from the 14.
 
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I'm sure GM engineers a given amount of cfm air flow into their systems, I highly doubt they engineered less cfm flow into the 15 from the 14.
Thats why I'm doubtful. I mean, they used the same air intake for the 5.3l and 6.2l on the '07-'14 model years, so you'd think it would flow enough cfm, but I can't see that much of a hp gain on a stock motor with just a CAI swap.

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Peacock

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Take it up with Black Bear, it was their dyno comparison test not mine, tell them you think they're full of crap and their test is wrong, I do know there was a noticeable seat of the pants difference when I installed it.
 

Peacock

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Plus if you look at the spread of gains from each different kit some had hardly any gains at all, so it's not like they sweetened the dyno to show big gains, there was one that had more hp gains than the one I picked, but it also had less torque and the reason I didn't choose it.
Did you ever watch the air cleaner episode of Engine Masters ? Some air cleaners cost the engine over 100 hp vs no air cleaner at all, adding a dual snorkel was worth 60 hp vs a single snorkel. Some air cleaners actually gain hp over an open carb, the funniest was a salad bowl with a K&N extreme top on it gained 2 hp over no air cleaner at all, it's a great episode to pick up some knowledge with.
 
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Take it up with Black Bear, it was their dyno comparison test not mine, tell them you think they're full of crap and their test is wrong, I do know there was a noticeable seat of the pants difference when I installed it.
2015+ engines are different than the engines in most of ours in this 2007-2014 forum. They're like EcoTech or something and the 6.2l is rated at 420hp vs our 403hp. They may gain more from intake mods than ours.

The butt-o-meter improvement you feel could just be from having a better flowing filter in there than the stock paper one.

Actually looking at that Black Bear info again, it does look like the kits that replace the stock paper filter with a higher flowing performance one make the most gains. Just replacing the tubing doesn't really make any (stock vs AirRaid MIT). So basically, like many of us on here usually tell people, that just getting a better filter ($60-80) into the stock air box will see about as much gains as the higher priced air intake system kits.

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Peacock

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Why are you so hell bent on saying I'm wrong and you're right, am I stepping on your toes as being the head performance tech in the group or something ???
I feel you would continue your fight even if I put the stock crap back on and dynoed it then put the cold air kit back on and dynoed again replicating Black Bear's results. Better yet why don't you actually go buy one and dyno it before and after, then you could have something to argue over, the way I see it is that only one of us has actually bought the product, used it and felt the results, the other is grasping in thin air.
These things weigh 5400 lbs and with 3.08 gears it takes a bit of an increase to feel anything in the seat of your pants, I'm by no means a new guy to performance vehicles either, I build my own stuff, I have nostalgia cars pulling the wheels every pass, I've got one pushing a thousand hp on pump gas, that's with no electronics, no trans brakes, no 2 steps, all old school technology per the rules. I feel I'm qualified to say if something works or not...good greif man.
 

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