Any Do It Yourself Modifications?

[Rabid Dog]

Your talking about CAI, me thinks. Even CAI allows *some* hot air in. I, and most of the people I've encountered think this way.

In any regard, MINE doesn't. Cold air enters my scoop at the nose, swoooshes! to the hood box, across the rubber deflector, and into the airbox.

Swift, and chilly. Without worrieng about driving around in the rain. ;)

[98Camaro3.8]

Ahh, you have the Ultra-Z hood, so yes you get cold air without FRA or CAI.

But to clarify, FRA is a CAI without the metal guide plates. The air dram and radiator will direct plenty of cool air into the engine. I personally don't think it's worth the money to pay for a CAI when you get the same result with FRA, but they're basically the same thing.

[Rabid Dog]

Ohh, well I've been misinformed. I've always thought that F.R.A was the airbox mod. So, it's when people use flexible duct or PVC pipe to flow the air then? Well, cool. Thanks for the correction.

It's amazing how much the car's cooling abillity depends on the factory air damn, isn't it? Even more so than the third gens, IMHO.

[shenanigans]

whatever any site says or no...

IN FL with the FRA mod, my IAT temps are cooler with FRA then stock. Don't care what anyone says about that its a fact.

[ezrollin]

rabid dog, i pulled off the trim where the hoood meets the windshield to vent the hot temps
bad/good idea?

[98Camaro3.8]

Originally posted by Rabid Dog:
Ohh, well I've been misinformed. I've always thought that F.R.A was the airbox mod. So, it's when people use flexible duct or PVC pipe to flow the air then? Well, cool. Thanks for the correction.

No, FRA is when you cut out the bottom of the airbox. The Whisper Lid sits on top of the airbox, so it has nothing to do with it. Cutting out the bottom allows cool air from outside to enter the engine, just like a CAI kit on a 98+.

[ezrollin]

i hate to mention that if you have an automatic, instead of buying a shift kit you can just up your tranny pressure and shift gears faster (at the cost of longevity)
anybody think its a bad idea?

[Rabid Dog]

Originally posted by ezrollin:
rabid dog, i pulled off the trim where the hoood meets the windshield to vent the hot temps
bad/good idea?

Are you talking about the weatherstripping that goes around the plastic vent piece, or the vent piece itself?

As far as changing the shift points, I wouldn't do it. Why? Well, for one, the car might seem alot faster from the seat of your arse, but in reality, not all that much. I'd also like to squeeze as much life from my 4L60E as possible.

Some of them have problems without mods as it is. Gears are a much smarter move in my opinion. And, well.. I don't really want to yank my transmission and rebuild it before I have too.

You, might not mind cutting it's longevity down. I do. So, if it's a good idea or not, is up to you. ;)

[ October 03, 2005, 10:50 AM: Message edited by: Rabid Dog ]

[shenanigans]

FIrst off Rabid Dog, the whole intake concept is going over your head...

think of a stock 98-02 camaro.

Free ram air is...

When you open the airbox, and you cut the bottom of the air box out. Nothing else but that.

look at the pics...

airbox not cut
http://www.installuniversity.com/ins...ut_pattern.jpg

airbox cut
http://www.installuniversity.com/ins...a_finished.jpg

pull out the plastic piece undder it
http://www.installuniversity.com/ins...le_locator.jpg

Air then hits the air damn, travels up straight towards the bottom of the air box.


The air is turbulant and not the best but... well its free. There is the Fast toys Ram air(FTRA) and Super sucker Ram air(SSRA) They are basically a steel box that goes from the airbox up to the bottom of the airbox. If sealed properly the air is not so turbulant and there are more gaines.

[shenanigans]

also changing your shift points will not affect the longevity of your transmission much.

Increasing the shift pressure, for firmer shifts will.

honestly 1st thing I woudl do if I had a aut was change the shift points digging in hptuners I noticed stock settings(well for a 99 A4)

is
1-2 5700
2-3 5500
3-4 1000

isn't the peak hp on a stock cam ~5800 rpms? I know I shift my 5-speed at like 6k.

[ October 03, 2005, 11:25 AM: Message edited by: shenanigans ]

[Rabid Dog]

[this post edited]

I've calmed down, and I don't know if those were flame posts or not.

The internet. Serious business.

btw: I told him the same thing, i just posted that it wasn't a good idea for ME. ;) People's cars are not all yours, so let them make the final say. As far as the whole F.A.R thing, like I said, it doesnt matter what I think it is, or looks like. I have REAL ram air. [img]graemlins/naughty.gif[/img]

[ October 03, 2005, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: Rabid Dog ]

[shenanigans]

Originally posted by Rabid Dog:
[this post edited]

I've calmed down, and I don't know if those were flame posts or not.

The internet. Serious business.

btw: I told him the same thing, i just posted that it wasn't a good idea for ME. ;) People's cars are not all yours, so let them make the final say. As far as the whole F.A.R thing, like I said, it doesnt matter what I think it is, or looks like. I have REAL ram air. [img]graemlins/naughty.gif[/img]

wasn't meant to be a flame, your posts just look like they listed everything related to the intake but actual FRA mod.


You may have REAL ram air but it cost a bit more then "free" and like what this thread its about... "do it your self mods" that cost little or no money.

[Rabid Dog]

Sorry, didn't mean to seem like I was bragging or anything. My point, (which was in there somewhere) was that it doesn't really matter what I think of the mod, or even what I think it was, or is. It doesn't relate to me or my car. I appreciated the lesson from DOG about it, but I said I stood corrected, and it ended. Then, the rehash above.

The point of the thread like you say, is to give the guy low-cost ideas. Crapping up the thread with intake debates and rehashes doesn't do that. And we are both guilty of it. [img]graemlins/slap.gif[/img]

Agree to disagree on my end.

[ezrollin]

you want free mods?
how about removing all the u-bends and s-bends in exhaust
you can drop the cat, set off SES light, replace with a straight pipe
free mod: remove backseat, jack and spare
i dont want to say battery relocation

[CamaroDude]

Re: Any Do It Yourself Modifications?

I did the free ram air thing and then replaced the air resonator with a 3" PVC pipe and i can tell there is a definate improvement. The entire set up took only about an hour and a half (Had to wait for the paint on the PVC pipe to dry). I'm not sure if removing the resonator actually did much as far as performance but it sure sounds a lot better. Gives it a sorta low growl.