When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Here are screenshots grabbed from the “MAKING THE FIRST EVER C8 CORVETTE CUSTOM EXHAUST!!! *COMPLETELY TORN APART!*” video by Street Speed 717. You can see the process for removing/swapping the air filter is pretty straightforward, and the engine will not need to be dropped, reinforcing the theory that GM designed the C8 for easy servicing. Hope this is helpful when it comes time for a new air filter!
Cool to see.... not terribly hard. Going to be interesting to see what the aftermarket tries to sell to Corvette guys who believe in the "ram air" myth when the intake already draws fresh air in from each side inlet and the filter is large.
Not exactly spinning off a wing nut, lifting the top, and poppin' a new Fram ring in. For many if not most, this is a dealer pay me now or pay me later job.
Not exactly spinning off a wing nut, lifting the top, and poppin' a new Fram ring in. For many if not most, this is a dealer pay me now or pay me later job.
Doesn't look much more difficult than the C7! Done that a number of times. Once removing the OEM filter on my 2014 Z51; 2) installing the aFe low restriction filter system on my 2014; 3) then removing the aFe system when I sold the 2014; 4) installing the OEM system back on my 2014; 5) removing the OEM filer and system on my Grand Sport; 6) installing the removed aFe system on my Grand Sport (after cleaning the oiled cotton filter.)
Yep will change the C8 OEM filter and if I see I think there is benefit of installing an aftermarket filter, beit the high sucking sound I get now at WOT, or slightly more power- will install one!
Cool to see.... not terribly hard. Going to be interesting to see what the aftermarket tries to sell to Corvette guys who believe in the "ram air" myth when the intake already draws fresh air in from each side inlet and the filter is large.
Not exactly spinning off a wing nut, lifting the top, and poppin' a new Fram ring in. For many if not most, this is a dealer pay me now or pay me later job.
The cover is removed by taking out about 15 screws....if any owners dont do it it will be because they dont want to.
Not exactly spinning off a wing nut, lifting the top, and poppin' a new Fram ring in. For many if not most, this is a dealer pay me now or pay me later job.
If you can turn a screw you can change this filter. Taking a C8 to a dealer for this would be like calling a registered electrician to change a light bulb. This is not a 911 where you have to remove the entire rear fascia/bumper cover to change that filter.
Can't wait to see what the dealers charge to do that for those who don't want to do it themselves.
Book time... probably an hour labor. Pull carpet, remove panel, remove filter box cover. Put back together. See that little battery impact he's using? Tech's use those things and move very fast. They have them set to install the hardware without over-torqing either.
See that little battery impact he's using? Tech's use those things and move very fast. They have them set to install the hardware without over-torqing either.
I have a tiny in/lb torque wrench and would torque every one of those fasteners But I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
Me too, but what I've seen in the shops can keep you awake at night. Back when we had kids at home my wife drove a Pontiac Montana mini van (begrudgingly) and when I talked to the shops (GM garage) best mechanic he told me to do the rear three plugs the only way to get to them was to break off the porcelain and then get them from underneath and get the new ones as tight as you can. I removed the front dog bone top motor mount and rotated the motor forward with ratchet straps and removed the coil pack. There was so much room I could get a full size 3/8 drive torque wrench on the plugs and do it right. Both removal and installation without breaking anything. That one left me shaking my head.
That way the MAF can get coated in K&N oil and throw a code that will be blamed on the C8.
Originally Posted by Foosh
Yep, funny how so many shoot themselves in the foot with changes that often do more harm than good.
I will say I've run oiled media filters on all my C5s and my racecars with zero issues. You just can't be a bozo an over-oil them. That's what can contaminate the MAF. However, if you look at a C7 LT1 air filter it's a quality piece. So much so that GM didn't even try to sell LT1 owners on their "Jake" performance air intake. GM stated "<1" horsepower max and marketed it to the LT4 and LT5 cars. C8's filter looks massive and the airbox already gets ambient outside air from each side.
If you actually over oil a K&N filter you have no business attempting to change it yourself in the first place or even attempting to work on your car or any car.
Why? With these new cars (which get ambient air and have appropriately sized filters) they do next to nothing.
You're right, the C7 and C8 both get air about as cold as aftermarket units BUT there are lower restriction systems/filters available.
For the "It's BS Crowd" and if there were so good GM would use them; this is from a Tadge Forum post answering: Why Wouldn’t GM Just Use a Lower Restriction Intake System? This is question often asked and fortunately Tadge Juechter, the Corvette Chief Engineer in response to a forum question answered, This is a summary of what he said, quoting the key points:
“Aside from the exhaust, there is no greater noise source on a performance vehicle. Induction systems generally have many tuning elements that ensure the quality of the sound emanating from it are pleasing and harmonious with the exhaust note. These tuning elements also dampen the sound energy to help with pass-by requirements. Aftermarket companies don't have to worry about it, but as the OEM, we must guarantee that our products are quiet enough to be driven at full throttle by a microphone by the side of the road and meet certain decibel levels. There are pass-by laws in many states and pretty universal around the world.
Another important element in the induction system is the mass air flow sensor or MAF. Engines can only run at their optimal efficiency if they have very precise data on the amount of air flowing into them. Although most people think of air flow into an engine as fairly continuous, it really is not. The opening and closing of valves and reciprocating nature of internal combustion engines means the air flow is really a series of pulses which make measuring the exact flow challenging. Intake engineers spend a lot of time optimizing the system to get excellent signal quality out of the MAF. In addition to efficiency, or fuel economy, the precise metering of air and fuel is directly correlated with tail pipe emissions, an area of extreme scrutiny by government agencies for we manufacturers.
The air filter itself is the focus of many discussions on low restriction. Its job is to keep foreign material out of the engine. Here again, there are many trade-off decisions balancing restriction with filter life (service interval) and filtration quality. Sacrificing either of the latter two improve the former. We tend to be conservative to make sure that our engines are very durable, so that does open up an opportunity for aftermarket system.
As with many of the questions on this forum, all vehicle design is a balance of trade-offs. We do what is legal and right for the vast majority of customers. Aftermarket companies offer products that strike a different balance that might appeal to some folks.”
Bottom Line The aftermarket folks don’t worry about things like max noise to meet state and federal noise requirements. They can use filters that optimize performance and not worry about the engine life for some cars that operate in dusty environments.
In fact, the increased sucking sound at WOT is a key reason I installed the aFe low restriction system on my C7s. Heck paid less than half of what the NPP cost and if I got 5 extra hp (~ 1/3 of their dyno data) it was twice the value! The sucking sound in my 8.2 Liter ProStreet Rod with a 14 inch OD x 5 inch high oiled cotton K&N makes as much noise at WOT as it’s long tube headers and dual straight through Borla mufflers with 3 inch ID pipes!
Love the Street Rod “sucking sound” as I do with the aFe in my C7s.
Your Car Your Choice!
The aFe filter is larger and I can clean more often at ~no cost so have less restriction on average than replacing the OEM filter when recommended.
03-11-2020, 09:14 AM
C8 Air Filter Removal/Swap
But I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
