LS2 GTO "Ram Air" Hoods

[ls1camino]

I was talking to a guy at the mall today who had a REALLY nice '05 GTO. We eventually got around to the hood scoops on our cars and how Pontiac did well with both of our cars' appearance ...well anyway, he was saying his hood was functional and whatnot (I thought they were nonfunctional)...I didn't want to tell him he was wrong about the functionality of his hood cause he sounded so sure of himself, so I decided to let it go.

Long story short...is it functional stock? if not, is there an aftermarket kit to make it functional?

Thanks.

[kev70ss]

you can take out the baffle and make it functional, but the air scoops dont connect to the intake

[Georgiarocker]

I read an extremely long and complicated dissertation on "Ram Air" on a corvette forum a couple years ago. Very deep, and more math and physics than I ever want to read again...

It claimed: "functional" ram air although theoretically possible, does not exist in production cars because they can't go fast enough to actually achieve it. Plus, it also talked about how most hood scoop placement is also in an area of relatively low pressure. To be somewhat "functional" the scoops would need to be on the front of the grille or the bottom of the windshield, and even then, we couldn't drive fast enough to create true ram air... as defined mathematically.

... or something like that.

Scoops help reduce IAT or engine bay temps though

[TheJudge05]

I have an 05' GTO, the hood scoops are functional but not in the way one would think. The scoops on the GTO function to pull hot air out of the engine bay and thats it. They are louvered on the inside, as air from the outiside rushes in the scoops it is directed towards the back of the hood and exits, this rushing air creates low pressure by the louvers on the inside of the hood which creates a suction to pull heat out of the engine bay. Keeping the engine cool is of course a good thing.

I read a great article a few years back concerning a ram air kit for the LS1 Z28. To make a long story short, ram air can work and work well, the kit for the Z28 positioned a scoop wide and flat below the front facia in the center. It indeed increased the intake air pressure but only effective at speeds above 40mph, the increased pressure was estimated to create about 20hp up around 80mph. Any increased hp is good so this seemed like a good alternative for those hitting the track etc. The biggest problem associated with functional ram air hoods is moisture or rain. Obviously, we can't allow rain water to blast itself into the engine intake, complex ducting is necessary to allow the water to exit the systm before the air reaches the intake and this venting of the water also reduces the overall air pressure because its also allowing air to vent. The system for the Z28 had a door built in that would allow the user to essentially disengage the ram air if the person was caught in the rain. I think the article was in GMHT.

[FantaZGuy28]

All the hoods do is have air forced into the engine to filter out the heat. And if you have a banshee hood like yours truly then when your not moving the rear vents lift the heat from the engine.

[surfinjoe]

I added the SLP ram air system to MY 00 SS and it did work. I noticed a significant SOTP difference from 60+MPH. After 100 MPH, the car was a beast! I would say that it increased the HP 30-35 after 100 MPH! May sound a little crazy, but that's what I felt in my car. I had an aftermarket lid and 'caulked' it shut with peel & stick caulk. I don't know how you could ever dyno something like that, but the increase was there. Of course my 1/4 times only went down 0.2 with this mod (lid & ram air) because the damn thing just started to work.

[Kamauxx]

There is a intake kit that makes it Ram Air like. I think it's made by DMS. Uses two cone type filters and butts up to the scoops.

Cost about 500 bucks though.

[440 rwhp trans am]

[CorvetteZR1ZO6]

im running one of these on my car made a big diff!