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Old 10-23-2013, 04:35 PM   #1
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Best CAI

What is the best cold air induction for a ZL1 camaro? From what I have read on this forum the general opinion seems to be Roto-Fab, I have looked into purchasing one, but as far as horsepower gain is concerned, K&N claims to make the one with the largest h.p. gain without a tune. part # 63-3079. I really hope someone can clear this up for me. Thanks in advance.
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Old 10-23-2013, 04:41 PM   #2
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I think they're all good and will come down to how much you want to spend. That K&N filter you posted is not legal here in CA. I ended up with Roto-fab (from JDP) but CAI came in close 2nd.
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Old 10-23-2013, 04:50 PM   #3
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Until we get a chance to test the CAI system (which we will be doing Friday 11/1) we will not know which one performs the best. CAI is very new to hit the market for the ZL1 so Roto-Fab has pretty much owned the market. K&N seems pretty nice, but a bit pricy IMO

I am betting they are all going to perform very close to each other, so I suggest picking what ever one you like the looks of best.

We offer all 3 systems. Feel free to call, PM or email me anytime with questions or for pricing.

Best regards,

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Old 10-24-2013, 06:42 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sales@JDP View Post
Until we get a chance to test the CAI system (which we will be doing Friday 11/1) we will not know which one performs the best. CAI is very new to hit the market for the ZL1 so Roto-Fab has pretty much owned the market. K&N seems pretty nice, but a bit pricy IMO

I am betting they are all going to perform very close to each other, so I suggest picking what ever one you like the looks of best.

We offer all 3 systems. Feel free to call, PM or email me anytime with questions or for pricing.

Best regards,

Tyler
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Will be anxiously waiting results...but I suspect them to all be very close.
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Old 10-24-2013, 08:02 AM   #5
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roto fab is the one for me and it has the largest filter out there
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Old 10-24-2013, 09:44 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Sales@JDP View Post
Until we get a chance to test the CAI system (which we will be doing Friday 11/1) we will not know which one performs the best. CAI is very new to hit the market for the ZL1 so Roto-Fab has pretty much owned the market. K&N seems pretty nice, but a bit pricy IMO


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roto fab is the one for me and it has the largest filter out there
Just out of curiosity, why is the size of filter being the "largest out there" an important issue to you? I understand that the filter needs to obviously allow for enough airflow to meet the cfm requirements that the engine is pulling, but once you have met that requirement a bigger filter will not make any difference. Essentially what I am saying is your engine is a big air pump, and as long as you are not restricting airflow, a bigger filter does not mean you are necessarily pulling in more air.

Hopefully that makes sense.
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Old 10-24-2013, 10:02 AM   #7
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Well which is better, roto fab or cai? They both claim the same gains.
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Old 10-24-2013, 11:04 AM   #8
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Well which is better, roto fab or cai? They both claim the same gains.
Two different systems, 2 different appearances and styles, different features and benefits to both.

Our system takes a very serious approach to keeping your IAT as low as possible. Our box in insulated and completely enclosed from the engine bay with a removable lid, and we thermal coat our MAF housing to reduce heat soak. We seen some peak gains higher than what we advertised (I believe as high as 26 RWHP) while spending time on the dyno, but we like to be conservative with our claims.
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Old 10-24-2013, 11:04 AM   #9
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Well which is better, roto fab or cai? They both claim the same gains.
Actually, CAI claims 19-20hp. Roto-fab was tested with 30.
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Old 10-24-2013, 11:07 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by Sales@JDP View Post
Until we get a chance to test the CAI system (which we will be doing Friday 11/1) we will not know which one performs the best. CAI is very new to hit the market for the ZL1 so Roto-Fab has pretty much owned the market. K&N seems pretty nice, but a bit pricy IMO

I am betting they are all going to perform very close to each other, so I suggest picking what ever one you like the looks of best.

We offer all 3 systems. Feel free to call, PM or email me anytime with questions or for pricing.

Best regards,

Tyler
888-308-6007

Tyler, I am hoping that when you Dyno test our 2 systems for comparison that you test with the hood closed since our system is sealed off and their system is an open top. Otherwise the data is really going to be skewed when compared to actual driving conditions. If you tested with the hood open you would have to remove our lid to have a fair comparison, but are system was not designed to be ran with the lid off, and IAT will be effected. I am assuming that when you tested Roto-Fab the hood was open, in which case ours would have a disadvantage with the hood closed.

I would love you to test the 2 side by side with controlled test settings similar to what Jannetty did years ago to give consumers a real look at the 2 options for the ZL1.
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Old 10-24-2013, 11:15 AM   #11
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Actually, CAI claims 19-20hp. Roto-fab was tested with 30.
30 was peak gain
Our claim is average HP

Not to mention these were tested on different dynos, different operators, different states with completely different temperatures etc. I am also assuming that their testing was done with hood open, our system is sealed and the hood was closed.

I think we all need to see a side by side test done in a controlled environment to get a fair assessment of the 2 systems.
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Old 10-24-2013, 11:32 AM   #12
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Looks wise I would say the Roto-Fab all the way. Not a fan of the look of the elbow used by the CAI ZL1 kit. Would be interested why they moved away from the nice powercoated tube the SS CAI had. (Heat maybe?)

Power I would expect them all to be very close. There has been a ton of testing of the Roto-Fab hood down and the numbers advertised are hood down.
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Old 10-24-2013, 11:32 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sales @ CAI Inc View Post
30 was peak gain
Our claim is average HP

Not to mention these were tested on different dynos, different operators, different states with completely different temperatures etc. I am also assuming that their testing was done with hood open, our system is sealed and the hood was closed.

I think we all need to see a side by side test done in a controlled environment to get a fair assessment of the 2 systems.
Agreed...curious as to the results
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Old 10-24-2013, 11:46 AM   #14
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Looks wise I would say the Roto-Fab all the way. Not a fan of the look of the elbow used by the CAI ZL1 kit. Would be interested why they moved away from the nice powercoated tube the SS CAI had. (Heat maybe?)

Power I would expect them all to be very close. There has been a ton of testing of the Roto-Fab hood down and the numbers advertised are hood down.
Plastic mold injection compared to bending 4" aluminum has completely different tolerances and capabilities. To achieve the correct bend for maximum airflow and the least amount of turbulence using 4" aluminum was not the best option, and it would have skyrocketed the cost as well. The elbow we have is completely custom, if you look at one first hand and rotate it in your hands you can see that very clearly. From a heat soak stance, silicone is a great option as well. It also has a built in "tube stop" similar to our filter to reduce turbulence from the connection at the TB. We still have a thermal coated and powder coated MAF housing which if you look at, has a ton of engineering behind it and is actually a billet piece (machined from 1 piece of aluminum). Everything we do has a reason behind it and is tested in multiple fashions to come up with the best solution, that's one of the main reasons we took longer to get to market.
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