High IAT (Intake air temp)

[iamdub]

Thanks for the replies.
I have a feeling you are correct. The intake is aluminum and absorbs heat. I did check with an IR temp gun and got the same reading.
What is a good cold air kit? Preferably one that is nice looking as this is my cancer project and it's going to be really nice.
Thank you,
Taz

View attachment 273420

There is no way that is getting "cold" air into the engine. And, really, the tube being aluminum isn't much of the issue. There's no real surface area inside the tube for the air traveling through it to collide with and absorb the heat. The problem is that the filter isn't sealed from the heat of the engine bay. "Heat shields" are a sales gimmick. You want a good cold air kit? Put your factory box back on there. It's sturdy, sealed from the heat, uses a regular filter size that can be found anywhere, flows more than what your engine can suck at WOT at 6,000 RPM, and is cheap/free. I must agree that it doesn't look as cool as shiny parts, but this really is one place you should compromise and lean more towards function over form.

I just ordered an Airaid MIT tube. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.
Thanks for all the information.
Taz

I think this is a great "compromise". It gets rid of the ugly factory tubing and resonator chambers and provides a smoother airflow path. It's supposed to be good for a few horse, but likely nothing you'd feel. Feed it with a factory air box. A stock filter is fine or, if you want aftermarket, I can't say enough about the AEM Dryflow. The only help the factory air box needs is the seal between the box and the fender. I'd barely consider it adequate when new. With any age, it loses its adhesion and shape and falls in, exposing the filter to engine bay heat. There are a few options for replacing it with something much improved. Here's what I did: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/growing-up-doesnt-have-to-suck.93510/page-68#post-1451013

 

[Rocket Man]

There is no way that is getting "cold" air into the engine. And, really, the tube being aluminum isn't much of the issue. There's no real surface area inside the tube for the air traveling through it to collide with and absorb the heat. The problem is that the filter isn't sealed from the heat of the engine bay. "Heat shields" are a sales gimmick. You want a good cold air kit? Put your factory box back on there. It's sturdy, sealed from the heat, uses a regular filter size that can be found anywhere, floes more than what your engine can suck at WOT at 6,000 RPM, and is cheap/free. I must agree that it doesn't look as cool as shiny parts, but this really is one place you should compromise and lean more towards function over form.




I think this is a great "compromise". It gets rid of the ugly factory tubing and resonator chambers and provides a smoother airflow path. It's supposed to be good for a few horse, but likely nothing you'd feel. Feed it with a factory air box. A stock filter is fine or, if you want aftermarket, I can't say enough about the AEM Dryflow. The only help the factory air box needs is the seal between the box and the fender. I'd barely consider it adequate when new. With any age, it loses its adhesion and shape and falls in, exposing the filter to engine bay heat. There are a few options for replacing it with something much improved. Here's what I did: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/growing-up-doesnt-have-to-suck.93510/page-68#post-1451013

I just remembered I need to add foam like you did on my air box.

 

[iamdub]

I just remembered I need to add foam like you did on my air box.

I think that was the biggest help. I have plans for a neater seal, but I gotta get the stuff.

 

[Mudsport96]

You want a good cold air kit? Put your factory box back on there. It's sturdy, sealed from the heat, uses a regular filter size that can be found anywhere, flows more than what your engine can suck at WOT at 6,000 RPM, and is cheap/free.

I wholeheartedly agree i go through this with the 9th gen ford truck guys all the time.
Air filter for 5.3 vin T and Z ac delco A3181C
Air filter for suburban 8.1 vin G ac delco A3181C....
So even with a tune and headers, you are telling me the 5.3 pulls more air than an 8.1?

I tell the f150 guys with the 300 or 302 hell even the 351 trucks dont need an aftermarket filter and box. The 460 uses the same parts and makes 100+ more hp and even more torque than the i6 or windsors can hope to make.

Edit
I have the airaid mit on my Tahoe. It was free or i doubt i would have put it on the rig. Did i feel a difference? Possibly. But was that placebo or real? Idk i can conjecture that my flex truck is the virtual one that reads the O2s and if it leans out it ASSUMES that you are running higher ethanol so it adds timing and fuel. So maybe the MIT leaned out the engine and its compensating with fuel and spark because it thinks im running better gas than i am. All a guess though.

 

[iamdub]

I have the airaid mit on my Tahoe. It was free or i doubt i would have put it on the rig. Did i feel a difference? Possibly. But was that placebo or real? Idk i can conjecture that my flex truck is the virtual one that reads the O2s and if it leans out it ASSUMES that you are running higher ethanol so it adds timing and fuel. So maybe the MIT leaned out the engine and its compensating with fuel and spark because it thinks im running better gas than i am. All a guess though.

I bought my MIT because it was lightly used and $50 less than new and I wanted it for the looks, sound and possible extra HP or two. If I hadn't, I'd have a homemade PVC intake, but not with the slip-fit couplings. I'd go all out with epoxied butted joints, smoothed, painted, etc. It'd definitely be a "just cuz" thing.

The MIT can't lean out your mixture. All it can do, if anything, is make it ever so slightly easier for the engine to pull air into it. The engine is gonna pull in whatever air it can and the PCM will add fuel accordingly. Lemme see if I can make this confusing: The MAF sensor is primarily what the PCM uses to determine how much air the engine is sucking in. The MIT keeps the MAF in its factory location and it doesn't affect anything before the MAF. So, whatever the MIT does with the airflow, it does it after it has passed through the MAF. So, any increase in airflow is still passed through the MAF in factory form and is accounted and compensated for while remaining WELL within the system's capabilities. The PCM will always aim for stoich and a smooth tube isn't gonna trick it. If the tube allows more air volume, it would be at a given RPM range and it'd be due to reduced turbulence/resistance. At that point, yes, the PCM will add fuel accordingly and more power will be made.

The virtual FlexFuel "sensor" is just the term given to the PCM's algorithm for determining the fuel's alcohol content and volatility. In layman's terms, E85 is about 27% weaker than E0. If the PCM detects that it takes 27% more fuel and X degrees more advanced timing to equate to the same "bang", exhaust O2 levels, etc., then it assumes you're running E85. For the record, E85 rarely, if ever, exists at the pump. It's usually somewhere in the 50s-70s. Still, the PCM determines the approximate alcohol content by how much it has to adjust to achieve the same output using E0 as a baseline.

 

[Mudsport96]

Right i should have said allowed more air to be pulled than the factory tube instead of leaned out. And yes, i suppose as long as the MAF sees the airflow it shouldn't jump to the flex fuel tables for enriching and spark.

But where i meant to go, was that a bolt on 5.3 should not need a different air filter and box. At best a bolt on 5.3 will pull 100% efficiency so 5.3 liters. Thats almost 3 full liters less than the 8.1. If the filter was the restriction gm would have used a different one for the 8.1.

 

[iamdub]

Right i should have said allowed more air to be pulled than the factory tube instead of leaned out. And yes, i suppose as long as the MAF sees the airflow it shouldn't jump to the flex fuel tables for enriching and spark.

But where i meant to go, was that a bolt on 5.3 should not need a different air filter and box. At best a bolt on 5.3 will pull 100% efficiency so 5.3 liters. Thats almost 3 full liters less than the 8.1. If the filter was the restriction gm would have used a different one for the 8.1.

I spelled all of that out mainly for others reading it in case they're falling for the "CAI supercharger" scheme. and to agree/reiterate that, yes, the factory setup is not a choke. At least, not enough of one that's worth spending $300 on a quality aftermarket true CAI to "remedy".

 

[Rocket Man]

Right i should have said allowed more air to be pulled than the factory tube instead of leaned out. And yes, i suppose as long as the MAF sees the airflow it shouldn't jump to the flex fuel tables for enriching and spark.

But where i meant to go, was that a bolt on 5.3 should not need a different air filter and box. At best a bolt on 5.3 will pull 100% efficiency so 5.3 liters. Thats almost 3 full liters less than the 8.1. If the filter was the restriction gm would have used a different one for the 8.1.

I spelled all of that out mainly for others reading it in case they're falling for the "CAI supercharger" scheme. and to agree/reiterate that, yes, the factory setup is not a choke. At least, not enough of one that's worth spending $300 on a quality aftermarket true CAI to "remedy".

To go along with this, the 2.1 l Whipple I put on my NBS 6.0 included a custom PVC tube that keeps the MAF in its stock location and uses a high- flow filter in the stock air box. If it’s good enough for Whipple, that speaks to me.

 

[iamdub]

To go along with this, the 2.1 l Whipple I put on my NBS 6.0 included a custom PVC tube that keeps the MAF in its stock location and uses a high- flow filter in the stock air box. If it’s good enough for Whipple, that speaks to me.

Preach, brother.

Speaking of MAF location and its importance, I had a "speed shop" back in the day try to tell me I should "de-screen my MAF" for more flow. They said GM put that screen on there because they knew kids would be running the engines with no filters trying to get more power and the screen was a secondary filter of sorts. That pretty much ended the convo and any business I was considering having with them.

 

[Rocket Man]

Preach, brother.

Speaking of MAF location and its importance, I had a "speed shop" back in the day try to tell me I should "de-screen my MAF" for more flow. They said GM put that screen on there because they knew kids would be running the engines with no filters trying to get more power and the screen was a secondary filter of sorts. That pretty much ended the convo and any business I was considering having with them.