K&N and MAF

[1995gtpGPdohc]

I was wondering if an aftermarket mass air flow sensor with a K&N cone style filter would help my car have a noticeable increase in power? I have herd that this brand called Granatelli makes a MAF that will work with a 3.4 LQ1 does anyone have any experience with these things; are they a waste of money or worth it? I am all stock right now.

here is the MAF I'm lookin at

http://www.granatellimotorsports.com/gmmafautomotive.htm

[choppester]

well not realy

less restriction mass air flow sensor and kn air filter do make a difference but theres no real point in getting a mass air flow sensor that costs couple hundred dollars when you can modify your own. all they are is mass air flow sensors that take out the screen and replace the aluminum mass air flow adapters which can easily be made by yourself. so why spend the money of 200 to 300 dollars when it really has no change to the stock one without all the add ins. when you read up on these items (after market maf). I have taken these statements off their website and will comment after what the say in quotations

•Direct OEM replacement, (direct oem replacement meaning no performance modifications) won't void your factory warranty
•Improves mileage and throttle response
•Chassis dyno proven to add 8-25 horsepower (depending on application), 60% airflow increase over stock (60 percent airflow cause stock has a screen and aluminum brackets smothering it)
•Improves performance from 2,000 rpm to red line
•"Truly Calibrated" on our in-house MAF Dyno and Flow Bench to optimize performance for YOUR specific application (versus stock, try buying one and then goto autozone and ask it to be tested, results come out the same so there is no change their just trying to make a buck
•Compatible with most electronics and aftermarket bolt-on performance equipment
•Installs in 10-15 minutes using basic hand tools.

[HayesPerformance]

If you can afford the price, there is changes done to the calibration of the Granatelli MAF if you choose the one WITH cool air tuning if you plan on running your cone filter to the inside of the front bumper, etc.

[HayesPerformance]

otherwise just go with a modified OEM one.

[z34phoenix]

stick with your stock MAF un modified unless you have a means of tuning your car! i have a tuner and for fun i went thru the diff stages of porting my MAF.

removal of the screen mesh thru the fuel trims off by 5% across the board
removal of the blade/venturi in the center changed the trims by 13%
and when i ported the maf striaght thru to 3" dia it changed another 15%

what does all this mean? some would say... means im getting more air right? wrong! the motor is still drawing in only the air it needs. yes there is a little less restriction but your not going to get any more air unless you change the valve train or go F.I. what is happening however is you are changing the air flow valves in relation to the tables for the MAF stored in the PCM. the more the car has to adjust for changes the more likely the car wont react fast enough to fuel changes and more likely for inacurat fueling. this leads to runing overly rich and waisting gas to runing lean and causing detonation or even damaging the motor!

personally spend the money on a ported upper intake manifold and TB, do a 96 swap of the intake manifolds, or some other flow mod. even in stock form the MAF isnt a restriction. so changes to it wont make noticable improvements to the engines power.

also do to the larger dia, these bigger MAF housings become less acurate at low engine speeds. the ablities of the sensor doesnt change, so by you alowing more air to flow thru the housing you are now making more air acountable for a smaller window of data from the sensor. do you want to account for 100 units of air for each 50Hz or 1000 units of air for 50Hz? if accuracy is your goal then deff 100 to 50 is better cause for that same 1000 units of air you now have 10 readings vs only one! this will alow you to keep the fine calibration of your idle AF.

bottom line the only reason to change a MAF is if it is bad or you for some reason out flow the unit. out flowing a MAF is possible but only in high boost situations for our cars. Just put the money into a P&P upper intake with ported TB and build a fender well intake for cooler air. i promis you will be much happier with that setup.

[1995gtpGPdohc]

Thanks for the comments. After I replace the timeing belt I am going to put the K&N cone filter on it and try to take out the screen on my MAF. I havent looked at the possibilities of making a fender cold air intake yet, would that be hard, would I have to relocate the battery? I am not sure if this could work but I was thinking about taking off the scoop thing on my hood and turning it 180 degrees and remounting it without the black plastic piece on the other side, then it would be like ram air. I would probably have to turn it back around if it started to rain though.

On another note I am going to be replaceing my timeing belt. I have ordered all the parts that it says on the picture tutorial on this web site. I am also going to replace the intake manifold gasket because I think mine is going out. Does anyone recemond replaceing anything else while I have it all taken appart. The guy I talked to at the dealer said that I should also replace my balencer chain but I have never herd of them going out. What do you guys think?

[OldSkoolGP]

Removing the MAF screen will increase airflow so slightly you won't notice, I personally wouldn't recommend it. It's there for a reason, the main one being that it helps to even out airflow across the sensor element for a more accurate reading. Also, if for some reason your filter were to fall off, it's your last line of defense to keep something from getting in your engine. I'm making 260 HP with a stock MAF that still has it' screen. If it were me, I'd leave it alone.

[choppester]

well old school

well old school gp for one thats why you tighten up your air filter to your mass air flow sensor so it doesn't fall out, two it doesn't evenly spread the air across the boards, three the removal of the screen is to get less restriction like any other aftermarket mafs. I also see your from wisconsin so am I. I would like to see you dyno charts and know what you had done to your gp

[nocutt]

well old school gp for one thats why you tighten up your air filter to your mass air flow sensor so it doesn't fall out, two it doesn't evenly spread the air across the boards, three the removal of the screen is to get less restriction like any other aftermarket mafs. I also see your from wisconsin so am I. I would like to see you dyno charts and know what you had done to your gp

LOL...
1.) Murphy's law it happens
2.) Screen does cause a restriction, however its removal creates inconsistencies over the sensor. Remember the MAF is assuming air velocity (and other calculated variables) over the sensor is virtually the same thru out the cross-section. Non-laminar flow is not your friend, BTW as already stated on a relatively stock engine the differences on its own may not even be measurable repeatably on the "std dyno"...
3.) Most aftermarket MAFs are shams...if you believe in them " I have this bridge..." just because there is a market means nothing really, the market knows there is a "sucker born everyday"

[IsaacHayes]

Just like these TB spacers I see everywhere.... Claiming outrageous hp increases by keeping the TB cool from the hot intake manifold!! hahah

[series8217]

2.) Screen does cause a restriction, however its removal creates inconsistencies over the sensor. Remember the MAF is assuming air velocity (and other calculated variables) over the sensor is virtually the same thru out the cross-section. Non-laminar flow is not your friend, BTW as already stated on a relatively stock engine the differences on its own may not even be measurable repeatably on the "std dyno"...

Good point!

That screen is not there to keep junk out, its to make the airflow around the sensor more consistent.

-Steven

[OldSkoolGP]

well old school gp for one thats why you tighten up your air filter to your mass air flow sensor so it doesn't fall out, two it doesn't evenly spread the air across the boards, three the removal of the screen is to get less restriction like any other aftermarket mafs. I also see your from wisconsin so am I. I would like to see you dyno charts and know what you had done to your gp

Well let's see. You basically told me I'm an idiot and I have no idea what I'm talking about, and despite that you'd like to see my dyno sheets and know what I've done to my motor? I'm not sure why. I'm obviously an idiot, right?

I'm not the moderator of the DOHC section because I don't know what I'm talking about. I converted my OBD I motor to OBD II, which means I had to add a MAF. I know how they work, and I also know if you start messing with them, they can cause you more problems than any of the gains are worth.

If you're looking for more airflow, you can upgrade to a Northstar or LS1 MAF, but then you need a tuner so you can change the MAF table to the correct figures for the MAF that you're upgrading to, otherwise it throws the fueling completely out of whack.

[z34phoenix]

i did a simple test most of you can do at home...

take the MAF screen and a 3" computer fan... feel how far the air travels with the screen there and without the screen....

with the screen the air blows 1/3 further then without... again just like the main reason for the screen.... it evens out the air and straghtens the flow! this results in the increase of flow distance.

again like i posted before there is no point messing with the MAF until it is a restriction in the intake system. you will need to play with everything else before it becomes a bottleneck for the intake. just like there is no reason for a fire hose when your still using a Kmart sprinkler tip!

[95whiteprix]

Hey man I have the granatelli maf. It sucks a crapload of air and it does make a difference. This is a SLIGHT difference. It has way better throttle response but not a seriously noticeable gain. Is it worth 300 bucks? .....No. I got mine on sale for 250 a while back. This is a matter of personal preference. It looks sweet and I don't regret buying it. It installs in about 3 minutes and you do not have to buy a k&n. I got a filter at Advance for 25 bucks and it works just fine. I got the intake pipe at autozone for a civic that has a breather tube and grommet for the IAT sensor already in it. I have like 350 bucks in my whole setup. Like I said it is mostly a personal preference. Oh check out this article http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...ns/page_5.html

[choppester]

I asked to see your dyno sheets cause

I asked to see your dyno sheets cause you claim you have a certain amount of hp but I just don't believe it