Dave,

Couple of "serious" questions! I have heard for years that factory intakes and exhausts on new vehicles perform as good as aftermarket ones.

Can you please tell me why GM would come out with their own CAI if it isnt going to cause performance or MPG gains. Is it strickly offered for those of us who just want to have the toys and marketed for the aftermarket looks only? Just wondering if there are any why gains or anything with the GM intake vs other aftermarket CAI's.

Thanks, Landon.

 

Good question; and you pretty much nailed the reason.
Many after-market so called "performance parts" do little to actually improve performance and/or economy but they still sell like crazy, in-fact some actually hinder performance.

One thing about GM Accessories is that they are of made of very high quality components and are designed to work and fit perfectly, if GM claims that their part improves performance by 5hp you can bet your bottom dollar that it is for real and generally across the RPM scale not just at the redline.
You’ll notice that GM generally makes no HP gain claims on their aftermarket intake kits and exhaust systems even though they will enhance the performance in reality, the reason is that these parts have been thoroughly tested (and I do mean thoroughly) and even though they do offer performance improvements they are generally moderate and occur at either the extreme upper or lower ends of the RPM scale, as a rule of thumb GM will only advertise spec’s that happen across the RPM scale, for instance I have much experience with a couple of power upgrade kits (Stage-I and Stage-II) offered by GM for the Cobalt SS Supercharged, the Stage-I kit alone is advertised by GM as a 25hp gain, but I can tell for a fact that at various points on the tach it actually has an almost 70hp gain over stock; but since that is not across-the-board (or average gain in other words) GM will not make a 70hp claim.

 

Dave:

Is the big chamber that hangs down from the bottom of the 07 intake tube there to act as a resonance chamber to minimize induction noise?

 

Dave, How much louder is your GM aftermarket intake then your factory intake was? I am trying to find something that keeps the volume down. The Volant has a good sound, however at a certain RPM range it is louder than preferred! Is this the same GM intake you have?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=250048783062

 

Correct, if you have a chance to see the new Silverado you'll notice the chamber is located at the front of the intake tube not underneath like on the Tahoe.

 

Here's a website by a local dealer with most, if not all, GM accessories.

http://www.gmaccessories.net/mccarthychevrolet

It shows the CAI system (non-oiled)

 

biglg,

Do you notice any performance improvement with the CAI? I've used AirRaid CAI on other vehicles in the past and didn't find the performance gains worth the extra noise. Does the box seem to cut out some of the noise vs an exposed filter cone?

 

Michael,

Obviously as expected performance gains werent drastically noticable. However, I thought the throtlle response was improved. I also believe I felt some extra power at certain RPM ranges. Again, nothing drastic but there did seem to be some improvement!

As for volume, it is much quieter than open air intakes I have had. However, when excelerating there is one spot in the RPM range that has more volume that I prefer! Other than that you really dont know the intake is on there unless you are all over the trottle!

 

ZX -- I am considering the GMPerformance intake you referred to as Part # 17800809 -- GM calls it a "Performance Air Intake Kit (w/o RPO Code LMM, LU3)" Can you tell me what the RPO Code LMM, LU3 is talking about?

 

Dave, How much louder is your GM aftermarket intake then your factory intake was?