2008 Impala SS LS4 True Cold Air / Ram Air Induction System
03-04-2009, 12:16 AM
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2008 Impala SS LS4 True Cold Air / Ram Air Induction System Well, after getting the bug and modifying my car with this and that, I thought about a way of getting more, colder air, into our LS4 engines, and as we all know the colder and cleaner the air, the better the performance the car will make across the board. I have a 2008 Impala SS with the 5.3L V8 engine, and I had the K&N intake system installed, but the more I thought about it, the more I hated the idea of having the cone sit right next to the exhaust manifold pipe, the pipe that runs back to the rest of the exhaust system on the driver’s side. I kept saying to myself... how does this really help... it's sucking in really hot, dirty air from nowhere so I decided something had to be done. 
At first I thought about cutting a slit in the hood and having the body shop guy finish it nice with an inset hood scoop to feed cold air to the K&N, but I wanted the car to look stock, and not stand out, in addition to realizing moisture and water when it rains and or snows would be a major issue making the car nearly un-drivable. Now... I know this particular modification won't work on every cars, but I can custom fabricate almost anything to work within a reasonable given space. The process was quite involved, and without getting into too many details, there was some cutting, and a lot of fabrication, along with some welding, and a front bumper removal as well, but I have finished the new system install and if there is some serious interest, I will begin fabricating kits, along with offering powder coating painting, and or airbrushing options as well.
The filter is an AEM Dryflow filter, I also incorporated an AEM Air bypass valve section just in case any amount of water is sucked in to prevent engine damage, but I don't plan on driving thru water higher than my fog lights any time soon. I also used AEM clamps and rubber pipe connectors for the piping where welding was not needed, this way the system is detachable, and the factory air box can be reinstalled for trips to the dealer. I used the K&N heat shield to keep the car's ECU/TCU unit secure and protect the mass air flow sensor piece. Believe me it was not an easy fit, but the tubing and bending took about 6 hour’s total using a mandrell bender so there are no pinches in the pipe, only smooth curves. The welding of the aluminum and bending the pipes, cutting to fit, over and over again took the longest. The system uses the stock mass air flow sensor but will accept an upgraded one from K&N or Air Aid and so on. The mass air flow sensor wire harness requires no modification at all.
The tube also has a plug section for the vacuum tube to fit the factory vacuum tube assembly and fitting, and I can add aluminum bungs to fit most if not all nitrous oxide system nozzles. Also, there was no welding done to the body of the car to link the piping to the frame and requires no mounting hardware either. The system sits firm and snug with a little bit of play and give so it can move and flex with the car's movement and vibration. The system goes from the throttle body, to the mass air flow sensor, behing the headlight, thru the fender, back thru the body, and directly behind the fog light grill, so it is covered from the bottom by the skid plate and a plastic cover piece and not exposed to the dirt, grime and water from the road. It is also protected by the fog light grill from sticks and so on.
I will also be adding the Air Aid throttle body spacer, after reading the review on this forum, to my setup to see how it does as well, in addition to reinstalling my Zex nitrous system. My car is already tuned via HP Tuners software and the throttle body assembly and intake tube after driving the car back and forth all day was cold to the touch at the end of the night. There have been no check engine lights, no error codes, no stalls, and no other issues with this modification for the past two days now and I am confident none will occur, as those things usually pop up right away. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if there is any interested in a group buy and or group install for our cars.
Now that I'm done talking... PICTURES!!!! & please excuse the dirty car... we had a TON of snow here in New York.
At first I thought about cutting a slit in the hood and having the body shop guy finish it nice with an inset hood scoop to feed cold air to the K&N, but I wanted the car to look stock, and not stand out, in addition to realizing moisture and water when it rains and or snows would be a major issue making the car nearly un-drivable. Now... I know this particular modification won't work on every cars, but I can custom fabricate almost anything to work within a reasonable given space. The process was quite involved, and without getting into too many details, there was some cutting, and a lot of fabrication, along with some welding, and a front bumper removal as well, but I have finished the new system install and if there is some serious interest, I will begin fabricating kits, along with offering powder coating painting, and or airbrushing options as well.
The filter is an AEM Dryflow filter, I also incorporated an AEM Air bypass valve section just in case any amount of water is sucked in to prevent engine damage, but I don't plan on driving thru water higher than my fog lights any time soon. I also used AEM clamps and rubber pipe connectors for the piping where welding was not needed, this way the system is detachable, and the factory air box can be reinstalled for trips to the dealer. I used the K&N heat shield to keep the car's ECU/TCU unit secure and protect the mass air flow sensor piece. Believe me it was not an easy fit, but the tubing and bending took about 6 hour’s total using a mandrell bender so there are no pinches in the pipe, only smooth curves. The welding of the aluminum and bending the pipes, cutting to fit, over and over again took the longest. The system uses the stock mass air flow sensor but will accept an upgraded one from K&N or Air Aid and so on. The mass air flow sensor wire harness requires no modification at all.
The tube also has a plug section for the vacuum tube to fit the factory vacuum tube assembly and fitting, and I can add aluminum bungs to fit most if not all nitrous oxide system nozzles. Also, there was no welding done to the body of the car to link the piping to the frame and requires no mounting hardware either. The system sits firm and snug with a little bit of play and give so it can move and flex with the car's movement and vibration. The system goes from the throttle body, to the mass air flow sensor, behing the headlight, thru the fender, back thru the body, and directly behind the fog light grill, so it is covered from the bottom by the skid plate and a plastic cover piece and not exposed to the dirt, grime and water from the road. It is also protected by the fog light grill from sticks and so on.
I will also be adding the Air Aid throttle body spacer, after reading the review on this forum, to my setup to see how it does as well, in addition to reinstalling my Zex nitrous system. My car is already tuned via HP Tuners software and the throttle body assembly and intake tube after driving the car back and forth all day was cold to the touch at the end of the night. There have been no check engine lights, no error codes, no stalls, and no other issues with this modification for the past two days now and I am confident none will occur, as those things usually pop up right away. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if there is any interested in a group buy and or group install for our cars.
Now that I'm done talking... PICTURES!!!! & please excuse the dirty car... we had a TON of snow here in New York.
Last edited by onehotss; 03-05-2009 at 02:16 AM. Reason: Updated with some pictures!!!
03-04-2009, 08:27 AM
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The air bypass valve allows for the extra moisture to drain out. That is a breaker on the battery for the amp in the trunk, I will dyno the car again when I get the time after midterms, my dex cool was overflowing I hadn't had a chance to clean it off till this morning, the filter is good for 15 to 25 thousand miles, is easy to replace and it dosen't need to be oiled like a regular K&N filter. Mell SS, at this time the kit is only being offered for Impala SS vehicles for 2006 to current production. Unless someone brings me an Monte Carlo SS and has something fabed up.
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03-04-2009, 05:24 PM
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I'm working on finding a monte carlo in the area, is main issue is the fog light area is completly moulded into the bumper with no vent, and getting behind or rather in front of the radiator isn't going to happen, however, wheel well can be done as well, but that's a water issue and I wouldn't want to sell something like that with inherent flaws. Give me a bit to think and tinker... and hopefully I can get my hands on a monte soon.
03-04-2009, 07:34 PM
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With the movement of the vehicle, forcing air into the tube, the colder temperatures, throttle body spacer, lower thermostat, and tune on my ecu I can already tell the big difference, not in torque but in midrange power, the jump from 45 to 90 is much quicker, which is where I think the Impala was lacking. There isn't that much extra tubing in general, mabey a foot, and with the smooth bends the air moves much more freely. If the air moves faster into the tube it will compensate for any extra tubing that has been added, plus anything is better then sucking in hot air over an exhaust manifold pipe. I'm really curious to knof if an aftermarket mass air flow sensor will make any difference, or if the tune resolved that issue.
03-04-2009, 07:49 PM
#12
I really like it but i wouldnt do that to my car since i live where it snows. HOWEVER if you made a AIR scoop where you have it run it back into a sealed air box in the facor location and make it ram air.
03-09-2009, 04:17 PM
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Yea definitely would never want my filter there. And it really looks like too much tubing. I showed this elsewhere and the consensus was that it's a terrible design. But that's irrelevant unless people were actually planning on buying an unproven, untested, undyno'd product. Props on trying something new, but "it's worked for 2 days fine" and "it feels faster" are hardly reason enough for anyone to jump on this.
03-09-2009, 04:33 PM
#16
The tubing to me does not matter. It looks better than the FWI. i dont like the location of filter with the snow and rain i get where i live. But if this was my toy and i only used it for sunny days or racing i would do this .
