SRT K&N's Installed (PICS)

[Wing King]

SRT K&N\'s Installed (PICS)

Ok, below is a picture of the RC-5000 K&N filters installed on my SRT. This is the way I'm running all the time now, with the top box cover removed. I like the way it looks. The second picture shows the hood scoop with the plastic diverter plate removed (3 fast screws). Now, I'm carrying both the box top and the plate around with me in the trunk, in case I ever get caught on a rainy day. I'm certain I could re-install both the hood plate and the box top in about the same amount of time it takes to put the top up. It's that easy. I think the engine bay might get a little more dirty running this way, but I clean it often enough anyway that it's no extra bother.

AND, FYI for all you guys who are into the dyno thing, the car did run 4 more RWHP with this setup than stock. Torque was a much higher difference but I don't recall right now. I made the first pull stock and then quickly switched to this in about 2 minutes for the second pull. All the results from the North Texas dyno day will probably be posted in a few days at the www.northtexasviperclub.com website. Not much to see though. We already knew this dyno had a reputation for much lower numbers than anywhere else, and they all DID come in roughly 10-20hp lower than expected. The two stock SRT's only ran about 430hp, and Chuck Slater's car with all the exhaust mods did 450. The good news for ME...... is that this is the same dyno that gave me the easy 600 on my Dan Cragin twin supercharged car two weeks ago!

For me, the K&N switch is worth the effort and expense. I got mine off the Internet for $31.13 each. Four horse is four horse!

 

[Daffy Duck Viper]

Re: SRT K&N\'s Installed (PICS)

Nice and clean setup there, Wing.
4HP is 4HP is 4HP....
-Daffy

 

[cstegall]

Re: SRT K&N\'s Installed (PICS)

Wing,

That setup looks really nice. Doug is working on my engine now so the car is not too far off. We gotta get together when I get it back...maybe meet out at Huffines at Keith's place
Btw...where on the internet did you get your K&N setup?

Clark

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Re: SRT K&N\'s Installed (PICS)

I absolutely, positively would NOT run with that top box off. Why? You are completely defeating the cold air intake process of the design. While it is great on a dyno with little or no moving air, in the real world it will be slower. Take a look at the stock box and then look at the underside of the hood. There is a foam seal which effectively blocks off the hot air from the engine and forces the car to take air from either the hood duct or the two large ports in FRONT of the radiator. I guarantee that my stock filters will outrun any K&N's on the road if this top box is missing on the K&N car. How so? My intake air temperature will be at least 50º cooler, and that will make a lot more horsepower than K&N's. No slam intended, but I am confident on this point.

Chris

 

[Daffy Duck Viper]

Re: SRT K&N\'s Installed (PICS)

I absolutely, positively would NOT run with that top box off. Why? You are completely defeating the cold air intake process of the design. While it is great on a dyno with little or no moving air, in the real world it will be slower. Take a look at the stock box and then look at the underside of the hood. There is a foam seal which effectively blocks off the hot air from the engine and forces the car to take air from either the hood duct or the two large ports in FRONT of the radiator. I guarantee that my stock filters will outrun any K&N's on the road if this top box is missing on the K&N car. How so? My intake air temperature will be at least 50º cooler, and that will make a lot more horsepower than K&N's. No slam intended, but I am confident on this point.

Chris

Now here we see "knowledge is power" hard at work. Excellent information. *makes note to self regarding 2004 Viper SRT-10*
-Daffy

 

[Russ M]

Re: SRT K&N\'s Installed (PICS)

Interesting power gain, to be honest with you that little gain is not something you can get from a dyno jet. I have seen way more change in power from dyno pull to dyno pull with no mods made to the car.

If it was my car I would probably just say that the factory did an excellent job designing the srt air box.

What does seem to interest me is the claims that some tuner out there has is making about over 20hp gain at the wheels from their SRT air box. I hope this particular tuner or the person making the claims chimes in here and enlightens us.

 

[Wing King]

Re: SRT K&N\'s Installed (PICS)

I absolutely, positively would NOT run with that top box off. Why? You are completely defeating the cold air intake process of the design. While it is great on a dyno with little or no moving air, in the real world it will be slower. Take a look at the stock box and then look at the underside of the hood. There is a foam seal which effectively blocks off the hot air from the engine and forces the car to take air from either the hood duct or the two large ports in FRONT of the radiator. I guarantee that my stock filters will outrun any K&N's on the road if this top box is missing on the K&N car. How so? My intake air temperature will be at least 50º cooler, and that will make a lot more horsepower than K&N's. No slam intended, but I am confident on this point.

Chris, No slam taken. I already considered that. I am simply looking at some things differently than you. First, in fact, the only slight disadvantage I perceive, WOULD be in the case of your car being at a dead stop, or at idle, such as heat soaking on a dyno. Even though that nice tray shielding the filters keeps "most" of the the engine heat underneath and behind it away, it very well may raise the intake air temperature some, but I doubt 50 degrees so fast. Second, I worry WAY more about the air temperature when running at higher speeds, when I really have the use for power. At speed, I am pretty confident that the same "exterior" fresh air ducting is still going to be doing most all of the air feeding to those two filters. This is absolutely NOTHING like the Gen I and II systems with the cone filters drooping down behind the radiator. Such a system under those circumstances is ALWAYS getting warmer air either after passing through the radiator or sucking back from the motor..... at ANY speed. While many people (and TUNERS) are still running that system on their cars and swear by it, LOGIC would say that it would take in WAY more hot air (50 degrees or more) than running an airbox fed exclusively from external air in THAT circumstance. However, I've heard some good arguments over time that the extra air it can take in more than offsets that. I probably would not presume to "guarantee" that they were wrong! Also, back when I ran a relatively "stock" factory airbox on my GTS, I did something similar to what I'm trying on the SRT. After cutting the rain baffle out of the stock box, I tried it BOTH ways. Covered the hole with a plate, to still keep any air out unless it came through the NACA duct. Then, I tried it with another box leaving that extra area on top OPEN, so the intake could have access to extra air coming from the top, being considerably away from most serious engine heat. The result? After swapping boxes numerous times when "drag racing" the car, I felt like there "may" have been some small benefit to leaving that hole open. Maybe not enough to brag about, but I can tell you it DEFINITELY did NOT make the car run SLOWER!

When I take my new SRT to the drags in the future, of course I will be trying THIS deal both ways. I guess I'm keeping more of an open mind at this point. I love tinkering and looking for little ways to do things differently than the factory...... especially when I believe they may have built something a certain way to perhaps more satisfy the average "public" needs than how they would do it for one of US crazies.

Frankly, I am FAR more curious about how unplugging the hood scoop may affect under hood air flow at really HIGH speeds. That WAS an issue with my GTS. But, I don't really plan to run this SRT at high enough speeds on either a track or highway to make it "critical".

Tastes great? Nope. Less filling!

 

[Wing King]

Re: SRT K&N\'s Installed (PICS)

Wing,

That setup looks really nice. Doug is working on my engine now so the car is not too far off. We gotta get together when I get it back...maybe meet out at Huffines at Keith's place
Btw...where on the internet did you get your K&N setup?

Clark

Clark, I got the filters from Martel Brothers in Katy, Texas. They have a nice Internet site. Summit wants $42 a piece. I imagine there are other good prices out there too, maybe less expensive than what I found. Just trying to spend my money at home in Texas!

I promise you will be every bit as excited about getting your car back from a good tuner like Doug..... as you were to get it in the first place! The anticipation every time you will get behind the wheel NOW, will be MORE than it ever has been before. Hey, when you DO get it back...... I better be the SECOND person you call, right after Keith!

Man, I hope there is NO limit to having fun with our Vipers..... or I'm in trouble! You will be too!