The good news is that the Callaway Honker should get you at least 13-16 RWHP for $500. The bad news (as you know) is that long tube headers are illegal here in CA..........but the good news is that superchargers ARE legal!

Dave

 

Hi Dave,
I had a few questions about the Stinger air box. I canceled the Honker I had ordered because it was on backorder and I started getting bad feelings about the eBay seller. I have since reread your instructions on cleaning the Stinger filter and it sounds pretty easy. My one concern is the right amount of oil to spray on it and was wondering if letting it sit overnight would be enough to let the excess drip off. I sure don't want to do damage to my vette by using to much oil. I understand too much oil can cause the engine not to start - oh the horrors! As far as the supercharger goes, my husband is afraid it will shorten the life of the engine, because he said the engine is designed to have only so much HP. So, to keep peace in our house, I guess I am going to have to settle for just a C.A.I., but now want to decide between the Stinger and the Honker. Does one give more hp than the other? And if I remember correctly, they are both legal, right????
Thanks in advance.
Rita

 

Rita,

Actually, the Halltech is illegal, but it takes all of 20 minutes to remove it and install the stock box before smog is due. Smog tests aren't required until your car reaches 6 years of age, so I'll be due to go next year. Luckily, I have an 02 Z06 airbox in my garage, heh, heh. As far as HP goes, if you are comparing the Halltech with my cold air mod to the Callaway, they will be close in Rear Wheel HP increase. The Halltech without my mod will still give you the same RWHP until engine bay temps increase due to slow or stop&go driving. Then, your engine's computer will "scale back" HP by retarding the ignition timing. This is why I installed a cold air scoop and related hardware.
Regarding oiling - yes, overnight on some paper towels should be fine. The trick is to take it easy when oiling the filter. I just cleaned and oiled my Mazda K&N filter. If you ever need to clean the MAF wires, there is a cleaner that is made specifically for this task. Here's the link to its description:

http://www.crcindustries.com/auto/co...x?PN=05110&S=Y

I do like the Callaway Honker's rerouting of the MAF and for someone who likes to "set it and forget it" in CA, it is a good way to go.

Dave

 

Hi again Rita
Just wanted to say. Don't let the oiling worry you too much. It's actually pretty simple to do, I have had a K&N filter on all my trucks and cars for many years now, and never a problem when it comes time to oil them. And the longer you can let it set before installing it the better off you are. The main thing here is just don't overload it with oil, you don't want it dripping off.
Once you did it a couple times you will get the feel for it.

 

Thanks, Dave & Rich, for taking the time to reply and providing such helpful information. If I do buy a C.A.I., I will go with the Honker, again, and am glad to know getting the oil right is not hard. Guess a good analogy for me is it is like putting on lipstick - Ha, Ha! But now, my new concern is rain. We had a good soaker this morning and I was just thinking what that would mean if I got caught out in my vette. My '04 is very, very low and the air box would make it even more vulnerable. Thoughts like these make me want to just wait for the S/C, so tell me -
is my husband right . . . will the S/C be hard on my engine? Do I have a legitimate case for still trying to win him over?

Thanks again for your time and help.
Take care, stay safe.
Rita

 

Rita,

An LS1 engine is designed to last 200,00 miles. Throw a supercharger on it and the increased cylinder pressures and resultant extra wear may chop 20,000 from that amount. So, if you drive 6000 miles a year as I do, it would take 30 years to wear out your engine, should a supercharger be installed (on my wish list).

Dave

 

They will last a long time if cared for and not abused. But, if you put a supercharger on and then pump up the boost you might get only a few thousand miles. A friend with a still-stock bottom end '04 just decreased pulley size on his Vortec and bumped his up from 485 to 535 RWHP. I've never seen one with over 480 HP last long unless babied -- he drives it like a demon.

We've got a pool about when it blows - I picked the last half of November, around Thanksgiving.

 

Dave/Lee,
Thank you for posting this helpful info. I'm not sure how many miles I'll put on my vette - probably about 8K/per year, so I can live with the gain/loss ratio of supercharging my car. Also keeping the hp under 480 seems reasonable. We have a good family friend whom knows everything about cars, but he is overseas now and won't be back until after January 1. I think I'll wait till he is back to proceed. He will be sure to keep me on the staight and narrow.

Again, many thanks.
Rita