Tahoe Dave

I have a stock 05 and am considering installing a K&N or other CAI system. Do they "really" boost HP, if so what is a realistic expectation.

I also have an extended warranty, any chance I may jeopardize that?

Thanks for the advice

not08crmanymore

Save your money.Cut a hole on either side of your filters and you achieve the same thing and save 400 bucks!The c6 system is not bad at all.You want power,get headers or a tune or both.At best,even if you luck out and actually gain something,it'll only be maybe 5 HP tops. VARARAM,CALLAWAY,LPE,BREATHLESS have the ones that really work at speed.Those involve cutting the shroud for some honest to goodness cooler outside air,which a big filter does not provide in and of itself.

KMK454

By strict interpretation of the warranty documents, a CAI will void it. Most dealers will not care about a CAI, though, and provide warranty work. A tune in conjunction with a CAI will be much harder to overlook at the dealership and will most likely result in denial depeding upon the severity of the issue.

Tahoe Dave

Seriously!? have some people actually "cut holes" and accomplished the same outcome?

fnbrowning

Before you get a CAI filter, especially the oiled gauze type, do an oil analysis on your engine. If you don't know about oil analysis, get some info on the oil and lubrication forums. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com
It's not expensive, and you don't have to be an engineer to understand the report. Guys on the forum will help with the interpretation.

Then, after you've chosen your CAI filter, especially if it's a K&N filter, get another oil analysis done. Let the results guide you to whether you keep an oiled gauze filter on your engine.

After my oil analysis (high silicon values) where the lab engineer noted "I see air filter allowing dirt in, check engine for sources of dirt ingress" and looking at these results; http://duramax-diesel.com/spicer/index.htm I changed back to a stock filter, but "your mileage my vary"

not08crmanymore

I'm sure if you use the search function and look for CAI DIY mods or something to that effect,you'll find a ton of info on it.Look at the LS2 air intake.2 FILTERS,open on either side for air to get in.What advantage would a big filter give over that??It's pulling in the same hot air from the same place.Once the hood is down,those big filters do squat for power.open the shroud a little,let some air in and it's just as good. ..and also, what he said too!!

shopdog

The stock filter flows fine. It is not a flow bottleneck for this engine. Getting some ambient air for it to breathe is worth doing, however. But that just requires you to cut the shroud, no need to spend $400 for unnecessary plastic and inferior filters.

Rob 99

I did the toggle bolt mod, it opens the air dam/ deflector to lets cooler air in, search for it. if i remember there are pics also.
I retained the stock filter fwiw.

2006c6keller

What he is talking about is removing the two (2) fastners at the bottom of the shroud at the rear of the front cross frame and putting some type of wedge to keeo it open such as a toggles bolts, pop up sink plunger levers, bolts, nuts and washers, block of wood, etc. this allows the fresh air to come into the engine compartment. Nice thing is that you don't have to worry about water infiltration.

haljensen

K&N does NOT offer a CAI for the C6.

A filter isn't a CAI, it's just a low restriction filter. to get a CAI you have to cut the shroud or add ducting to the filter.

To get the full advantage of a filter or a CAI you'll have to Tune the ECM, the tune WILL Void the Powertrain Warranty.

Wayne O

There's no question a true, cold air intake is beneficial (cutting holes is not an approach I'd take) but on its own a CAI won't make a huge seat-of-the-pants difference in performance. IMO an after market cold air intake is worth doing but should be thought of as but one component in your overall modification plan.

The stock C6 intake is fairly decent 'as-is' and there are pros and cons with any modification. As you mentioned, your factory or after market warranty is a potential concern. Another concern with a true, bottom-feeding, cold air intake is the increased potential to ingest water (and hydro-lock your engine). The design of the C6 makes it less susceptible to ingesting water than the C5 was but even the owner's manual cautions against driving through deep standing water with the stock intake. You have to be much more cautious not to drive through standing water when you have a true cold air intake. My LPE intake handles torrential downpours just fine but I seriously avoid plowing-through deep standing water.

In summary, I don't feel a stand-alone CAI is worth doing. If, however, the CAI is going to be one component of your overall modifications then it is definitely worth doing (and worth doing right). There are several excellent CAI's on the market. The Vararam and the Callaway 'Honker' are well respected products. My preference was for the Lingenfelter high-flow intake. IMO you can find cheaper products; you can find other decent performing products; but, you won't find anything better than the Lingenfelter product.

Ultimately, you have to decide to what level you want to take your car and then weigh the pros and cons yourself. Good luck!

'06 Quicksilver Z06

If you are worried about warranties, then save your money and leave it stock.

The one said to produce the most power, the Vararam, requires you to cut the shroud.

It is also the one which is most often implicated on this board, for having poor filtering effectiveness due to leaks, people having posted up pics indicating this. If what is said is true, concerning poor filtering, then that could be a warranty concern.

Most any of the other bottom feeding CAIs are going to require you to cut the radiator shroud, and as someone has already mentioned, could result in warranty issues. Not to mention an increased risk of hydrolock if the car is driven in rain.

goatts

If you're not going to drag race then I wouldn't bother because you're not going to be able to tell any difference. Vararam will give 0.2 to 0.3 sec at dragstrip but I could not "feel" any difference. Vararam does require more attention which is ok if you're racing but makes no sense for street only. IMHO

Tahoe Dave

The responses I received are truly appreciated, it's why this site is invaluable. Money aside, there is clearly more "cons" than "pros" when it comes to this (CAI) mod.

That said, I will respect and enjoy the job that the GM engineers did on the filtering system.

Now, I have to figure out what "other" mod I can spend $400 on

01whtss

Here is the point...there is no stand alone $400 mod that is going to give any noticeable performance gains. A CAI is a must for most applications making any kind of decent power. There is a reason why ALL high horsepower cars have after market intakes. The factory air filter is very restrictive when compared to virtually any after market filter.

You can't make big power without big air and there is nothing wrong with having an intake on your car. It is just like comparing factory manifolds to a long tube set up. No dealer can void your warranty for an intake unless they prove it caused a problem, and I would hope your car could handle an extra 10rwhp!!! If you do get an intake just be aware that more mods WILL follow. It's like a drug LOL

Raazor

Nope. Save your money. I ended up "giving" mine away when the TT went on.

Raazor

You can do a lot of appearance mods with $400 but not much for performance.

2006c6keller

You didn't in your profile what type C5 Coupe you had, maybe you could use some Z51 sway bars if you don't have them, $200.

haljensen

A couple of things not mentioned yet on this thread is the replacement cost of stock filters and the fact that the oiled filters don't absorb water.

Replace the filter every ?? years @ $100 each or clean an oiled filter every?? years @ $00.

Stock paper filters absorb water and will eventually fail if wet, oiled filters don't absorb water.