ChevyGuySS

do i need a tune if i want to change to a K&N air filter? someone said i do and i just want to double check before i go get one.

thanks, mike

nacademus

No. This is also argued on the Cobalt forums. When I had a couple interceptor gauges in my SS, my numbers were all the same just after I changed my air intake to an Injen CAI-EXCEPT the MAF readings. They saw about 300cfm in increase. The computer was seeing the increase and was accounting for it properly. Some people throw a code when they change their intake. I never did. Car ran like a top. 1 mpg increase to boot.

Essentially, the change is not significant enough to need a programming. If you have OTHER mods, that's a totally different story.
I see you have an exhaust. Have you removed your catalytic converter? Changed your DP diameter? Exhaust dia? etc.

ChevyGuySS

nope, i bought the car used and it already had the exhaust on it, i dont think anything else is done to the car. is there any advantage to changing the filter? will i get better mpg? will i hear the turbo a little more? what kind of change is 300cfm? i really want to learn about all these things, can you explain a little more?

Victory Red SS

Go here:
https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/2-0l-performance-tech-46/k-n-air-filter-27872/

It's a $45 gamble. Mine is on the wash room floor collecting dust until I get a custom tune.
Good luck!

bartSS

Another one of these threads... to the people that say no have you seen what happens to your fuel trims with an aftermarket filter/intake without a tune??? thats all im gonna ask

2010SilverIceSS

It all depends on the car. Some people have issues and others do not. I had one and never had an issue. Advantage is a reuseable filter, if you plan on keeping the car for a long time, which will save you money. I never noticed anything gain/loss in mpg. I didn't notice a sound difference. If you want to hear the turbo, you can pull the top of the lid off. You will hear it more then but you could/will lose performance. IAT's will rise a few degrees depending on conditions ie; humidity, temp. I usually had mine off and with my car even during summer I only saw a two degrees difference in IAT even when idling in 95 degree. 90 percent humidity conditions. I never felt a "butt" dyno power loss but I'm sure I was losing some power but hearing the BOV was pretty cool. Hope this helps,

Dave

ChevyGuySS

ya that helped, thank you for explaining it, what kind of BOV are you running? i kinda want to get one for mine but my buddy says i have to get a re-circulating one or something like that, what are your thoughts on that? i see you have one but you also have a automatic, would it be different?

Mowgli

I don't know about you but I drive down a lot of dirt roads.

Here's the crap I knocked out of my (original) stock air filter when I replaced it at ~61.5K miles last week.
I knocked the dirt out and air hosed it last year and here's what was already in there this summer.



My buddy has 30 years of experience as a full-time mechanic and is a serious performance enthusiast: 450HP 90's F250, 400+HP ST4, etc..
He agrees with me that if I had a KN much of this fine dirt would have gone through my engine.

I have almost always upgraded to a KN immediately upon purchase in the past but road conditions require a stock replacement on my SS.

BTW - Upon stock replacement I instantly noticed better performance & MPG YMMV

I'd use a KN and make it work if I was staying on pavement.

.

ChevyGuySS

i am staying on pavement, i just really want to hear that turbo but if i get an intake kit, im gonna have to spend a ton of money and get it tuned and everything, i just am trying to come up with a better solution

ChevyGuySS

and that is a crazy amount of dirt, i have never seen anything like that before