Spectre Performance / new products for 1st gen camaro's

[evilzee28]

Originally Posted by Josh69

If it effectively seals to the hood, then it appears that the air cleaner will draw from the large opening between the radiator support and front fender which is open to the front of the car. So in essence, it'll be pulling cold air from the grille ahead of the radiator.

We used to run these style of cold air kits on BMW's. They draw from a tube below the front bumper. Similar idea. I'm surprised nobody has done it yet.

Cowl style cold air induction is great, problem is usually the expense, cutting holes, sealing the shroud to the hood, etc.

If this kit is reasonably priced, it would be effective if the hat doesn't impede flow. But, looking at their other cold air kits, they'll want $400 for it then it's not so appealing.

Sorry but I don't nescessarily agree with the above statements but I do agree with vegas69 that it's form over function ,IMHO it's just another bling item to add to your car. The BMW's may be drawing air from under the bumper, but it's drawing unimpeded cold air directly from the airstream in front of the car.

Sure there's a rubber seal fitted to the top of the shroud on this kit to seal the shroud to the hood, but the radiator core support doesn't even have a close out panel that would help keep the airflow in front of the rad, which might allow it to flow past the airfilters to get some colder air. The top of the radiator core support should also be sealed to the hood to keep the colder air in the required area. So, as it is, the filters aren't "sealed" to just cold air, as a ram air sytem does. Notice the word "Ram air", it's not just cold air that works on these things but a forced induction as well, with the airflow being picked up at the high pressure area at the base of the screen & it being "forced" into the carb through the ram air hood. OK not everyone wants a ram air hood, but this system is flawed at best. Surely it would be far better to run the pipework through the radiator core panel & fit the filters in front of the core support "area" rather than having the filters in the engine bay, or is that just for "looks"?.

As you say, the "hat" does look too small to flow enough air, so it may actually impede airflow. Sorry but this set up doesn't do it for me at all, heck, you can't even run a battery in the stock position.

I'd still be interested to see side by side comparisons of this set up against an original cowl hood, ram air system, sometimes the wheel doesn't need reinventing

cheers...Nige

[Josh69]

Originally Posted by evilzee28

Sorry but I don't nescessarily agree with the above statements but I do agree with vegas69 that it's form over function ,IMHO it's just another bling item to add to your car. The BMW's may be drawing air from under the bumper, but it's drawing unimpeded cold air directly from the airstream in front of the car.

Sure there's a rubber seal fitted to the top of the shroud on this kit to seal the shroud to the hood, but the radiator core support doesn't even have a close out panel that would help keep the airflow in front of the rad, which might allow it to flow past the airfilters to get some colder air. The top of the radiator core support should also be sealed to the hood to keep the colder air in the required area. So, as it is, the filters aren't "sealed" to just cold air, as a ram air sytem does. Notice the word "Ram air", it's not just cold air that works on these things but a forced induction as well, with the airflow being picked up at the high pressure area at the base of the screen & it being "forced" into the carb through the ram air hood. OK not everyone wants a ram air hood, but this system is flawed at best. Surely it would be far better to run the pipework through the radiator core panel & fit the filters in front of the core support "area" rather than having the filters in the engine bay, or is that just for "looks"?.

As you say, the "hat" does look too small to flow enough air, so it may actually impede airflow. Sorry but this set up doesn't do it for me at all, heck, you can't even run a battery in the stock position.

I'd still be interested to see side by side comparisons of this set up against an original cowl hood, ram air system, sometimes the wheel doesn't need reinventing

cheers...Nige

I see your point. I added a set of factory A/C close out panels on my Firebird, so I reverted to that line of thought. I was considering this type of set-up with closeout panels built on the sides of the rad support and the tube going thru them putting the air filter ahead of the rad support on each side, or using Spectre's enclosed filters in about the same location as these, then using a funnel style air intake in place of my outside headlights. That would put the 'forced' in forced air. LOL. I have the battery relocated to the trunk so space isn't a concern. But, by the time I got all that done it'd be $500 and didn't keep with my theme. If I do anything, I'll cut out my hood scoops and install a real Ram Air system that is era correct....but everything has a price.

So I guess I sort of viewed this intake through the prism of what I would have done to mine...which would require changes to be truly effective, as mine would have been.

Here's a pic of my close-outs in case anyone is wondering what I'm talking about.