hi im kind of green on the ram air thing is the ram air on 98+ cars non functional?

 

I guess the best way to put it is functional, but not effective.

 

The Ram Air cars were rated at a higher horsepower than the Formulas & base-model T/A's, so I guess somebody thought it worked

Factory advertised ratings for 2000:

Base Trans Am/Formula: 305 HP @5200 RPM
335 FT-LBS @ 4000 RPM

WS6 Ram Air Trans Am/Formula: 320 HP @ 5200 RPM
345 Ft-LBS @ 4400 RPM

 

yeh but on every picture i see the ram air has some kind of lid over it or does the ram air take the air from below? and when people talk about "lids" are they talking about the lid that holds the air filter?

 

I can't give you an exact description of the functionality of the Ram Air hood since I do not own one (nor do I want to), but I do know that they are functional to a point.

The term "Lid" refers to the air lid that is clamped on top of the air filter. Here's a pic of the one on my 'bird. It's the part that says SLP on it:

 

IS Ram Air functional? Yes
Is it effective? Yes
Don't believe me? Remove the air filter housing and stuff a towel in there and make sure it is packed tightly in there so that air can't get into the intake.
It is a simple concept.. cool fresh air equals horsepower.
BTW this is not neccesarily measureable on a chassis dyno either because it is something that only functions when going down the road.
Another interesting point to note is that the term ram air is a misnomer. The air doesn't actually ram into the intake. The air is much too turbulent to be useful in a ram air sort of way. Thats why there are baffles in the housing and tubing of many cars. The aire needs to get into the intake smoothly.
Ram Air does sound cool though.
With some mods a non "ram air" car can be made to breath just as easily and with the stock hood for that sleeper look.

 

"COLD AIR INTAKE SYSTEM" is the best way to describe it,and I agree you cannot see results on a dyno because the car does not have air rushing at the openings at 100+ miles an hour---

 

All the cars, pull air from under the front bumper cover, it goes up through the radiator and up the underside of the airbox, making a 90* turn and going down the TB.

The lower holes on all Firebirds and Trans Ams are blocked by hood latch mechanisms and whatnot.

On the WS6's, supposedly the airbox is raised about an inch, but I've not seen a flat hood airbox up close and personal, so I can't say for sure. But air can go through the upper 2 holes (the 2 on the WS6 hood) and help feed the airbox (suppsedly why it's raised over the regular).

However, to keep rain out, there are baffles inside the hood which ultimately boils down to what 8-pack said.

The air has to go through the grills, hit the first baffle, get forced down, underneath it, then it hits the second baffle and is forced up over it, hitting the top of the hood and bounces back down again, joining the air stream from under the bumper going into the airbox (back up again, and then another 90* to make it into the intake).

Many people remove the baffles. I did as well. It's easy with a small drill bit and a few minutes. I certainly don't have a problem with water as I don't drive the car in the rain, or even when the roads are wet (that's what I have a daily driver for ). But others have said they don't have problems driving in the rain either, but with no seat of the pants improvement either. One thing to note is that water drops will be sucked up even without the hood - that airstream can carry more than many might think.

Of course, the inside of the hood is similar to the silencers behind the stock lid, so I'm sure all the turbulence it adds prevents it from helping much. I plan to someday fill that in with a smoother passage and then seal the airbox to the hood and see if it helps or hurts compared to air from the bottom.

 

Blocking off your intake doesn't show that the WS6 hood is any more "effective" than the flat hood. Blocking the intake is blocking the intake, no matter what the induction system is.

And the air entering the holes is no more turbulent than the stuff coming up from underneath. However, the holes do line up to give a straight shot to the airfilter, which is the reason the baffles are there. To straighten out airflow you use fins, not baffles. Bouncing it up and down repeatedly is not smoothing or straightening it out.

 

Yes, the Ram Air air box opening is slightly higher than the air box on my 'bird.

 

is the older ram air different. im still taling 4 gen here

 

You mean the LT1 Ram Air? It's quite different. It's more of a "true" Ram Air. The hood seals to the airbox and the air goes through the hood, makes a slight bend down, through the filter, and another slight bend back up through the TB and into the intake.

You can really see it in the pics of each with the hood up. I don't know of any off hand, but they are around on the net.

Trick is, the LT1 hood won't fit on an LS1 front end. So you'd need to either get a 96 or 97 WS6 and swap in an LS1, or get a 98-02 and replace the front clip with the earlier rev. That would be more work than the former.

But there are ways to seal the hood to the air box on an LS1 WS6. Just takes some time and a little creativity (and a debaffling of the hood).

 

Maybe that's where they higher power rating comes from. Seems the opening would be less restrictive, even with a flat hood.

Then again, since these cars seem to dyno near 350hp stock, it seems more likely that it's all marketing. Probably why the '04 GTO is rated at 350hp, since the 'Vette had moved on to the LS2, there was no need to "protect" it anymore.

 

My car is a fourth-gen. I was using it for my comparison of the Ram Air vs. Non-Ram Air air box openings.

 

it's all a marketing ploy to sell the top end package.

 

Yeah, it's a marketing ploy. The ram air doesn't account for the hp difference of 305 vs. 325. We all know that the factory ratings are far from accurate on a ram air or non-ram air car. Both the ram air and non-ram air cars have more like 345 hp from the factory. Ram air has a negligeable effect at 100+mph. Whooopity doooooo.

 

It may be a marketing ploy but the hood sure does look great. That's why I bought the car. I did the BG ram Air mod and it make the hood functional.

 

Mike I was just thinking the same thing. Yea its not super functional,but it has a meaner look and I think looks alot better then the flat hood. Heres a pic of the bigger opening.

 

I have a ls1, with a Suncoast Creations Raptor hood. (with there Air box)
I know it makes a big difference. with the regular set up lid k& nshit like that it flowed nice. and air fuel was perfect. Put this box ox on and my car went way lean. Now I know what you are thinking, the mass air show stop this but the lower part of the box is different and changes the flow into the mass air. (maybe not hitting the sensors or something just rite) so we did some tuneing and I made more power not all was cause the box some just tuning anyway but i knoiw it does help.
the box is the last pic, and it seals to the hood the hood has a cut out and you can stike you hand in it and see it through the grills in the front
http://www.suncoastcreations.com/Pro...lery.cfm?id=25

 

We all know thats First both cars (ram and non-ram) are underrated. Second the "increase" in HP is a marketing scam to sell more WS6 cars. (hood and wheels). The "tuned" WS6 suspension in 4th gen TA is also

Any way I went with the Volant CAI myself.