Intakes
By: Brent Ackley
I figured since I had some down time Id start doing a few articles and explain a few of the areas we gravitate towards when making the first purchase to improve performance on our cars (or SUV’s I wont forget you Equinox guys).
One of the first things most people look for as a first bolt-on is some form of cold air intake. There are a few things to consider when looking at these and what your goal is for adding this part. Most of us are looking to reduce restriction in the intake track which typically means more power and better response. There are a few different options and variations that I will go over below that you should consider before deciding what is right for you. After explaining the types I’ll include a small section of other things to consider when considering an intake for your car.
The open element/Non Sealed airbox- If your main reason for adding this is you simply want to hear more turbo noises and don’t care as much about the possibility of actually raising IATs, an open-style air box with an exposed element is your best bet. An example of this type of intake would be the K&N. These intakes may flow better than your factory setup but higher intake temps result from pulling around the engine bay this can hurt performance as hot air is less dense and we are trying to cram as much air into the engine as possible. Other companies that offer these style intakes are ZZP, Phastek, AF Dynamics, and Mishimoto.
Aftermarket Sealed- This style intake is similar to the style above but the box that contains the filter is sealed off from the engine bay and typically uses the factory air inlet be it from the grille or inner fender. These also offer increased flow but being sealed off they typically see cooler IATs because they’re not taking in hot air from the underhood area. This would be your best bet for those strictly concerned with all-out performance. Examples of this style would be the Injen Evolution series or Momentum GT from AFE.
Intake tube w/Stock Airbox- This option is the most budget-friendly and will still give you slightly more turbo noises. This involves keeping your stock airbox and inlet and just replacing the tube that goes from the box to the turbo. This will free up the restrictions in the stock tube but still give you the benefits of the stock box being sealed from hot air in the engine bay. You can couple this with a drop-in air filter like the K&N or AEM Dryflow for some extra flow and better filtration plus they can be reused. In testing this option flowed very similar to the full-on intake setups listed above so you don’t need to feel like you’re missing out on huge gains. Your options for this setup would be ZZP, Rev9, Mishimoto, or in some cases, you can make your own tube like the one listed in group files which works for the ATS and Camaro.
Now that we have gone over the types a few other things to consider when you're considering an intake for your car would be do you plan on tuning it, what does the intake affect within the ECU, will it cause a Check Engine Light? I strongly recommend anyone that changes anything on these cars look into a tune for many reasons. These cars are very particular and even small changes can cause issues with the stock calibrations. When you're installing an intake besides the intake tube option you will be moving the MAF or Mass Airflow Sensor from its stock location. Moving this sensor or even changing the diameter of the tubing it is in will affect how it reads and will have an effect on fuel trims which is where some of you may experience a check engine light. Changing the placement of the MAF can also cause drivability concerns if the change is drastic enough. You may also want to pay attention to the materials used as metals like steel will be more prone to hold heat and heat soak than say composites. Another big thing to consider is are you running a catch can system? Because these cars have a line that runs from the PCV to the intake tube if you're not running some sort of catch can system you're more likely to ingest oil from the crankcase because the factory intake setups have air baffles built in made to help with oil consumption (Some people will call this a silencer). Some may say this isn't a major issue as this is your vehicle it is something you should consider and make that decision for yourself. I will include some of the websites below for companies that offer intakes for our cars if you don’t see one listed please feel free to leave it in the comments.
ZZPerformance.com
Mishimoto.com
Injen.com
PhastekPerformance.com
AFEPower.com
KNFilters.com
AEMIntakes.com
