Which one provides more performance gain? Ive heard that both were about the same, any comments?

 

Open element air cleaners offer very little airflow restriction, and they also allow you to fully hear the engine (no muffling of engine sound like the stock air cleaner). Open elements also look nice. BUT the open elements also pull in heated underhood air, which isn't as dense as air pulled from a pipe/snorkle.

So if the pipe/snorkle air cleaner has a sufficiently large air filter element so that it's not a restriction to airflow at any engine speed, then it wins over the open element because it pulls cooler air into the engine. It's not just hearsay, it's been proven at the track and a number of well-known engine people (Vizard for example) say the same thing.

OTOH, if the filter element is tiny, the gain in cold air can be lost by having a large restriction from the filter element.

So the correct answer is cold-air fed air cleaner from pipes/snorkles AND using a large-size filter element.

How do you determine if the filter element you have is restrictive? You need a vacuum gauge to measure the pressure drop across the element - and I won't explain what this is or why. This reply is already too long, and the non-engineers out there with open air elements are not going to be happy with anything more here.

FWIW.

 

A Dual Snorkel would be better because you are only getting "cold" air into the engine versus hot air from an open air element, but the open element can get a lot more air into the engine. I have the Edelbrock triangular air cleaner on my RS and I can deffinately feel a difference, but I would much rather have the duel snorkel setup. The only thing is, is that it can be hard to find, expensive to buy, and on later models the overflow tank has to be replaced with one from an earlier camaro. Hope this helps. I would go ahead and buy an open air element; it looks better too!

 

Dual snorkels are the way to go but they can be diffulcult to install if you run a strut tower brace and have AC.

 

I actually have a LO3 Caprice so i have a little more room. What about doing a dual snorkel intake with the air cleaner lid upside down? Wouldnt that be the best of both worlds?

 

I would think you would be sucking in mostly the hot engine bay air, and very little cool air. I think the very best intake is the people who rigged up the TPI intake to work with the TBI, then fabbed up a sort of ram air from the grill. Granted it probably doesn't actually have a ram air effect, but you get cool air, and it helps it to get flowing.

 

I'm thinking of doing this, is it worth my trouble/money?

 

Check out towards the bottom of this thread and you will see a pictures of open elemets, dual snorkels, and custom TPI type air intakes.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=196102

 

I tried flipping my TBI lid upside down and there is absolutely no way the stock lid will fit. Plus its just a stupid idea.

 

Well it will work but there is a lot of slack in the stock wing nut. You have to add some washers. It is much easier to buy a 20 dollar autozone 14x3 air cleaner assembly.

 

I have absolutely no slack in mine and it seals perfectly.

 

You have a caprice, perhaps the air cleaners are differant, or maybie your thing is threaded further down then ours for some reason.

 

open element and a scoop with an open front open back design, youll get cooler air with less restriction.