Is it worth doing? I remember reading on a stock car it likely doesn't help, but what about a head and cam car with long tubes?

 

i recomment leaving it alone...if you gain something it isn't going to be worth the trouble of messing up your car...or messing up the descreening and having to replace your maf

 

dont do it ive seen too many threads abouit what might happen and some horrible pics, things can get past your air filter and descreen the maf and it will have its way with your car

 

Had descreened maf's on my last 3 cars, never had a problem with any of them whatsoever.

But didn't gain anything either.

As far as junk getting into your motor....if whatever it is is getting into your motor, it must be small enough to get through a air filter...and if it can do that, it won't matter if you have a maf screen or not.

 

dont do it, crap gets by your filter. i had a couple small bugs on the outside of my maf screen when i last took it off. i should have taken a pic for when this question comes up!

 

If you descreen the MAF sensor, you will need to recalibrate the MAF Transfer curve for the changed airflow readings. I discourage people from descreening a MAF, but if they do, I always recommend they get it retuned for the difference. Same if you go with a different/bigger MAF.

As for debris getting past the filter, that only happens if the lid was not sealed down properly, or the lid was warped. A good sealing lid installed properly will not allow debris from getting past the filter, let alone to the MAF screen. The MAF screen is to straighten out the airflow as it exits the lid (from flat to round, this causes turbulance).

 

Just an FYI, GM stopped using screened maf's in 04 I think. So GM isn't too concerned.

 

They stopped putting them in the Z06 mafs in 02 i believe. They are necessary if your intake tract makes any bends such as on a GTO where it will make a 90 degree turn to the intake. But for our cars and vettes it pulls the air in a straight line from filter to intake, so no straightening it needed. Will you gain anything? Probably not but you will most likely not mess anything up either unless you have a warped lid or your lid doesnt seal properly as stated above.

 

its not worth it, you wont see or feel any gains by doing it alone

 

I pulled mine before I had the car retuned. I compressed the screen down into a solid piece. Here's a pic of the surface area of it:

 

No, no, no, no. Leave it there. For two good reasons. First, its there to straighten airflow for a more accurate reading, and second, if you cut it out it might set a p0101 code, which is a mass air flow sensor performance code. Its not worth it, you wont see a gain and will just cause youself problems. Its acually there for a reason, unlike some things GM does.

 

Again, GM realized that it was an easy change to make to gain airflow on the higher performing motors. If they made an 03-current f-body with an ls2, I would bet that it would have a descreened 85mm maf in it.

 

I love the people who freak out and try to make it sound as if your motor will blow without the screen. I have done it on my last 2 f-bodies and have not had any problems.Stuff getting through the filter comes down to how well it is sealed off. If your lid isnt sitting right, **** will get through. If your stuff isnt mounted right, you should spend the time and fix that before moving on to another project. Will you feel any gains? No, but when was the last time you felt your car run a tenth slower? Never! So just because you dont feel it, doesnt mean it doesnt help.

 

The "screen" produces a pressure drop about the same as a
stock lid, but it's going to get even worse at higher airflows
than I was able to put to it. Because all of the little drag
channels are going to go nonlinear at some point.

If a lid is worth doing (for airflow) so is descreening. There is
the potential for tune drift and you'd want to be prepared to
deal. But I have run 75mm and 85mm descreened and seen
nothing significant, error-wise.

You can see how much the intake tract is costing you by just
looking at MAP readings across a pull. I'd say if you can't view
it, you maybe shouldn't do it because you would be clueless if
something did change from it.

 

Improving your driving skills will gain more then pulling that screen. If you "need" to descreen it your reaching. Doing a 13.4 instead of a 13.5 because you descreened your MAF, does that really make sense? I can understand if you dropped .5 but .1 that couldbe weather effected or just less gas in the tank when you run. You can get better times with better 60ft's. You will spend more time and money tuning it to run without the damn screen, then better mods that would benifit you.

 

I've been running my car without a screen for almost two years now and you know what I haven't had any debris show up or go through my MAF. You know why? Because of my SEALED AIR BOX not because of my MAF being descreened. I also have no any issues as far as running screenless. I did get it tuned via EFI Live.

 

Just get the MAF ends, can put back to stock if you want. One of my first mods after lid and filter, no problems after 6 years.

 

I wasnt saying that you will gain a tenth. I was just stating that when you did a mod that wasnt like headers,heads cam,90/90, when did you ACTUALY notice the WOW factor? Probably never, but on a track some gains were noticed. I dont understand why people freak out sooo much by this. IF your car is put together right (lid sealed,everythings tight) then the screen wont have to stop anything.

 

I have descreened 3 LS1 trans ams within the last 6 yrs. No problems if done properly. Will though cause the car to run a lil lean. More air flow the better right?

 

I have been descreened since 2001. Zero issues. But I don't think it gave me any performance gains.