Cascade Crew

Xophertony · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:07 pm Post subject: TPI history question

hey guys. i found this image from an article on frankierider2's GTAsourcepage. it was from an article published early
1987 about the GTA and formula models. both test cars had TPI's. both have the same intake ducting as my 1986 2.8L
had when i got it.

my question is this: did any production TPI cars ever recieve this intake ducting? i thought all TPI cars came with the kind i have. it looks like this:

Twilightoptics · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject:

Didn't farshin's look like that?

Not to familiar with bird history. I know non of the maro's ever got it Laughing

Schultzy89GTA · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:41 pm Post subject:

IIRC birds had that style in 1987. It was even more restrictive than yours.

-Schultzy

Xophertony · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:43 pm Post subject:

no need. they got the dual filter "y" shapped intake. you know, the one that actualy flows well from the factory.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:54 pm Post subject:

mrpopo573 · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:12 pm Post subject:

My 1987 GTA had that horrible waterfall like intake, one box into a another box and then into this stupid garbage can style cone filter.

miamivice · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:14 pm Post subject:

yes mine is like that

Xophertony · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:14 pm Post subject:

Twilightoptics · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:31 pm Post subject:

Tony, the engine has to... eh... suck.... hard enough to warrent a bigger intake otherwise the guy is right. It wont gain airflow lol

Xophertony · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:57 pm Post subject:

that stock intake would restrict a 0.8L. a right angle, and all those size/shape changes in the airway....

it's been a while, but I seem to remember the engine sounding different (better?) once I installed it. it felt more powerful, but anything will fees more powerfull if you think it is going to increase power. the old "placebo" effect. i don't know....

do YOU think it's useless?

EDIT** perhaps i am way off base here... but:
regardless of the air draw of the engine, a bunch of bends and ridges in the airway are going to slowdown and disrupt that air the little bit that is flowing. therefore... if you remove said ridges and harsh bends in the airway you will increase the capacity for flow of the intake (regardless of the engines ability to utilize it) AND will increase the velocity of any airflow that does happen to flow through the airway.

right?

BigDaddyVu · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:07 pm Post subject:

whats the matter with you???

Xophertony · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:09 pm Post subject:

matter? a great many things. confusion right now. I thought I knew what I was talking about.. I am now thinking I may have been mistaken. Sad

miamivice · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:12 pm Post subject:

WAIT, WOOOOOOHWW NOW, there is a more important question at hand here. who cares about airflow. if that article came out in 87, that means there was a factory yellow trans am???? i didnt think that they started doing (pale) yellow TA's till 91.

Very Happy

Xophertony · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject:

the yellow one was a formula. i'll grab you the link to the article.

Firebird Trans Am GTA *VS* Firebird Formula
http://www.gtasourcepage.com/sciaug87.html

the article is realy good.
i'll go ahead and spoil the ending, the formula wins.

miamivice · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:29 pm Post subject:

sweet thanks. guess i got over excited. oh well. ill read that article when im done with my school finals. crazy picture though driving the 2 cars on the dirt road, seems like some idiotic thing out of the dukes of hazzard.

anyways, back to your airflow discussion. sorry to hi-jack your thread buddyroe.

Xophertony · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:43 pm Post subject:

no apology needed. talking about thirdgen history is way more fun then watching me pull a "danked" (pretending to know what you are talking about, when in reality you have little clue) Very Happy

EDIT**
wow! it could be so much worse.

mrpopo573 · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:41 pm Post subject:

Speaking of Dank, he recently contacted my buddy tim, 305302 eater and said, I quote:

"With my performance honda exhaust, I eat 305 camaros all the time"

I still laugh.

I would love to have a 350 formula, I still miss my GTA

blue89 · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:18 pm Post subject:

whoa. that intake is funny. who would think that was a good idea?

I've seen reports of almost 4" of H20 drops on intake systems before. So that would be 0.28psi (at 0.07" per "H2O). That could be as much as 2percent hp loss if you do 0.28/14.7, so a good straight intake is important. Especially if you go warm to cold draw systems.

Reminds me of when I emailed K&N. I measure the pressure drop of my stock Fram filters in my stock dual snorkle intake on my V6. I could pull 1" of H2O with slightly used Frams at WOT at 5k RPM. So why go K&N??? The sales/tech representitive recognized that I had some intelligence and explained that while clean, a paper will flow as much as the K&N. However, due to filter element design, once you dump 1oz of dirt into both filters, the K&N will outperform the paper element filter. So if you never change your filters K&N is worth it. Otherwise, keep your paper filters.

Xophertony · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:50 pm Post subject:

that is a lot of information. so what you are saying is that i MAY have improved my engines efficiency by 2 percent. (but probably less)

i went warmer (not hot) to cooler (not cold) draw. in the summer when it is dry out i can pull out the rubber block off and get a direct path from the lower fender area. i am still working out a design for a box to make this more of a true "cold air" intake.

blue89 · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:53 pm Post subject:

In order to check you would have to make a "sensor" and go measure it. The MAP sensor may not be sensitive enough to measure it. I used a u-tube manometer. You would need about 8 feet of clear fish tank tubing, some tee's, a piece of wood, and water.

The stock dual Snorkle is pretty hard to beat for this. It pulls the air from right in front of the radiator. But I bet with your hood you can't do it huh? The side draw systems seem to work well, just make sure you have your fender liners in or some kind of cover for the filter. The wheels kick up tons of crap.