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I've been wanting to put a cai in my 97 Bonneville and have seen suggestions on here where people say to just put a cone filter directly to the tb.is there a sensor on the factory ai?if so,what do I do with this sensor if I just put a cone on it?I know it's not nearly as effective as putting on pipeing to the fender well.but was just curious if anyone reading this has tried this or know someone who has?

It's been done, Booze did it for a while when it was supposed to flood in his area. The reality is, you're better off with the stock airbox than just a cone on the TB. The stock airbox pulls cold air in from behind the headlight. A cone on the TB just sucks hot engine bay air in. Not that it really matters on an SE, you probably wouldn't notice a difference, but it'd sound faster, so it must be faster, right? The only sensor in the tube is the Intake air temp sensor, which you could stick into the cone filter if you wanted. The only benefit you'd get would be the reusable filter.

00Beast wrote:It's been done, Booze did it for a while when it was supposed to flood in his area. The reality is, you're better off with the stock airbox than just a cone on the TB. The stock airbox pulls cold air in from behind the headlight. A cone on the TB just sucks hot engine bay air in. Not that it really matters on an SE, you probably wouldn't notice a difference, but it'd sound faster, so it must be faster, right? The only sensor in the tube is the Intake air temp sensor, which you could stick into the cone filter if you wanted. The only benefit you'd get would be the reusable filter.

thanks for the info,I'm mostly interested in the sound,lol.BUT,I don't want to hurt performance either.are these stock air boxes able to be gutted and the opening of the air box cut wider with a kn air filter inserted?I'm seeing a lot of options but don't want to go crazy on the mods,just like a tad more power with MAYBE some better gas mileage,and a good sound,

Ive had both fender well and the Home Depot cai on my L67 cars. Both give the same gains. I have a HD cai like you want to build if that helps. The fender will draw in denser air, however once the car is moving the difference becomes negligible performance wise.

Why did I switch back to a HD cai you ask?
Well #1 it's far easier install wise
#2 the fwi was dirty and required almost a monthly cleaning. And with rain and puddles it wasn't worth the effort.
#3 looks way cooler than some boring out of place ghetto tube going 3 feet to a hole in a fender.
#4 HD cai is louder being closer to the throttle body.

You can gut it your stock airbox, not fun for the half gain.

PM me if you have questions.

If you're just interested in the sound then I would just throw a cone on the throttle body. It's very unlikely that you'll notice any difference in performance.

It'll sound good under load, but be ready for the sound it makes under a cold start!

bs009 wrote:If you're just interested in the sound then I would just throw a cone on the throttle body. It's very unlikely that you'll notice any difference in performance.

It'll sound good under load, but be ready for the sound it makes under a cold start!

Thanks for the info,I'm just wondering were I put the sensor?someone said in the cone but doesn't it have a line that goes to it?sorry I'm not used to working on my own cars,lol,but looking to learn,.if I knew were to put the sensor and how to get it there I'm going with the cone,lol.sorry I need detailed instructions on something that should be so easy.

Ultra Magnus wrote:Ive had both fender well and the Home Depot cai on my L67 cars. Both give the same gains. I have a HD cai like you want to build if that helps. The fender will draw in denser air, however once the car is moving the difference becomes negligible performance wise.

Why did I switch back to a HD cai you ask?
Well #1 it's far easier install wise
#2 the fwi was dirty and required almost a monthly cleaning. And with rain and puddles it wasn't worth the effort.
#3 looks way cooler than some boring out of place ghetto tube going 3 feet to a hole in a fender.
#4 HD cai is louder being closer to the throttle body.

You can gut it your stock airbox, not fun for the half gain.

PM me if you have questions.

tha 's for the help,what's hd stand for?sorry new to the working on my own car stuff,I truly appreciate your help!

The sound on cold start up to me makes intakes borderline not worth it. Unless you drive everywhere with the hammer down, but even then...

Bcb577 wrote:

bs009 wrote:If you're just interested in the sound then I would just throw a cone on the throttle body. It's very unlikely that you'll notice any difference in performance.

It'll sound good under load, but be ready for the sound it makes under a cold start!

Thanks for the info,I'm just wondering were I put the sensor?someone said in the cone but doesn't it have a line that goes to it?sorry I'm not used to working on my own cars,lol,but looking to learn,.if I knew were to put the sensor and how to get it there I'm going with the cone,lol.sorry I need detailed instructions on something that should be so easy.

I wouldn't worry too much about the sensor if you go this route. zip-tie it or tape it up somewhere under the hood near the filter where it won't get touched by anything. As long as it's close by it will read the correct temperature.

nos4blood70 wrote:The sound on cold start up to me makes intakes borderline not worth it. Unless you drive everywhere with the hammer down, but even then...

yeah,I do know what your talking about,I've watched some youtube videos,and it sounds like a vacuum cleaner on start up lol and I'm just a sucker for the wot noise,but then again I rarely run it that hard

bs009 wrote:

Bcb577 wrote:

bs009 wrote:If you're just interested in the sound then I would just throw a cone on the throttle body. It's very unlikely that you'll notice any difference in performance.

It'll sound good under load, but be ready for the sound it makes under a cold start!

Thanks for the info,I'm just wondering were I put the sensor?someone said in the cone but doesn't it have a line that goes to it?sorry I'm not used to working on my own cars,lol,but looking to learn,.if I knew were to put the sensor and how to get it there I'm going with the cone,lol.sorry I need detailed instructions on something that should be so easy.

I wouldn't worry too much about the sensor if you go this route. zip-tie it or tape it up somewhere under the hood near the filter where it won't get touched by anything. As long as it's close by it will read the correct temperature.

ok thanks for the info ill get some zip ties,and am I correct in that the cone needs to be 3.5 in?

IIRC, the size was right around 3.75" or so. 3.5" might be able to stretch enough to fit but I would probably go a bit bigger. Might be worth grabbing a tape measure next time you have the hood off

bs009 wrote:IIRC, the size was right around 3.75" or so. 3.5" might be able to stretch enough to fit but I would probably go a bit bigger. Might be worth grabbing a tape measure next time you have the hood off

ok,ill measure,...the short ram cai on eBay are saying 3.5"but ill double check it

HD stands for Home Depot. I can get you a pic if you want. It's simple and effective. I think it looks cool with a massive 9" filter in the engine bay too.

I actually kinda dig the cold start up gravely pcv sound.

Ultra Magnus wrote:HD stands for Home Depot. I can get you a pic if you want. It's simple and effective. I think it looks cool with a massive 9" filter in the engine bay too.

I actually kinda dig the cold start up gravely pcv sound.

Pics would be awesome.I have a ten inch cone to put on the tb till I can build a good cai,ill wait till it warms up a bit then ill go see if it'll fit,

I Run a K&N RU-3130 on a Short Ram intake pipe i made from http://www.SiliconeIntakes.com, moves the filter to stock location. Seems to work fine, no real noticeable difference with the fender well portion installed.