MAF questions

[D&Gbuick]

GN newbie... So bear with me.
Looking into getting the MAF translater.. just getting started on this project, and was noticing that the 3" sensor and the3.5" was basically the same price. Obviously bigger is better in some cases, but is that always the case? Like I said, new to GN, but I'm not new to performance parts. My build will be mild compared to some.. more interested in "modernizing" my car at this point. A few upgrades are in the works, but I'm more interested in building a car that I could drive daily if I wanted. ADVICE? At what point does performance require the bigger mass air meter? I guess I would have the same question about injectors/chip combo. I realize this is a jumbled mess of a question.. but any response would help THX guys!

 

[whitehot1]

I suggest getting rid of the maf sensor completely. There is a new chip from Turbotweak that does that and also there is the Maftpro from Bob Bailey that will do it as well. I've been running the Maftpro mafless for about 6 years without any problems or regrets.

 

[earlbrown]

If someone asks such a question, I never automatically recommend going MAFless. That's a little too advanced to start out with and will lead to undue frustration.

Reguarding the LS1 .vs LT1 MAFs. The actual flow area of a 3.5" MAF is less than a 3" pipe. (84% if I remember correctly. the LT1 is 60something%).


ANYTHING you can do to reduce pressure drop before the turbo is a gain in efficiency. If you already have a 3" MAF pipe and a 3" filter the LT1 is the easiest one to install. It's a little shorter than stock but they generally can be made to work just fine by adjusting the MAF pipe.

If you're starting from scratch, there's no reason to go small when, like you said, it's pretty much the same money.


What kind of piping do you already have at the moment.

 

[D&Gbuick]

Thanks for the responses. As far as I know, the car is stock, with the exception of an aftermarket pump & regulator. It does have a 3" pipe & filter installed. I was not able to get much info on the car history.(long, boring story) It came with an LM2, and a scanmaster, but neither have been installed yet. I also have an array of gauges, but since the car is not driven regularly, I was waiting to install everything at one shot.

 

[terry richards]

My car had a 4 inch maf pipe and a zo6 card type maf on it when I got the car,it would sometime die if you opened the throutle quick and let off.I figured it was a maf back flow problem,Put a gas mileage gimmick tornado just in frount of turbo and problem went away

 

[Pronto]

My car had a 4 inch maf pipe and a zo6 card type maf on it when I got the car,it would sometime die if you opened the throutle quick and let off.I figured it was a maf back flow problem,Put a gas mileage gimmick tornado just in frount of turbo and problem went away

Well that's totally useless information for the OP.
If your MAF is flaky then a good choice is a regular Translator and GM/Delphi MAF. I wouldn't experiment with a cheap China made one. Like Earl said, 3" is easy but the 3.5 would flow more which if mods are in your future that would be a plus. You can get 3-3.5 transisions here: http://www.siliconeintakes.com/ I like the idea of gradually going smaller to the 3" turbo inlet. I start with a 4" air filter then drop down to 3.5 MAF and then 3. Get that Scanmaster on immediately. You don't need an LM2 for a while. Do a spring cleaning and do one mod at a time. Does it have a modern chip? That might be your next best mod.

 

[earlbrown]

"In that case the cheapest and easiest way is to put an LT1 3" MAF on there and stick the filter right to it. (it's actually 3-1/8, but it'll still fly). If you want to to 3.5" with what you have, you'll need a pair of 3to3.5 reducers, a short piece of 3 in pipe and some clamps. (or one reducer and a new filter with a 3.5 opening.

If you want to go all out, you can get a 3.5" MAF pipe that hooks to the turbo, put a LS1 MAF right on it and stick a new filter with a 3.5" neck on it. That method will give you the least pressure drop but it's also the most expensive. Those 3.5" pipes do look meaty though.

 

[GNRick]

See if this helps any......

 

[Pronto]

Very cool video. Wish there was testing on a 3.5" and 4" intake to a 4" turbo.

 

[79transam]

im kinda in the same boat new to GN world and.. just picked up 2 working LS1 MAF's. do you need the maf translater for it to work properly?

 

[TurboBuRick]

Yes you will need a translator.

 

[Pronto]

And the correct sized couplers.

 

[79transam]

what else would I need to complete the swap?
don't mean to jack the thread but it may help D&Gbuick also..

 

[GNRick]

what else would I need to complete the swap?
don't mean to jack the thread but it may help D&Gbuick also..

Contact these folks. http://www.fullthrottlespeed.com/index.asp

 

[79transam]

awesome website. thanks

 

[whitehot1]

I think there are more people having frustrations with a maf sensor in some way then there are with those like me running mafless. Just take a quick look at the threads about them.

I would have hoped that when i started messing with these cars back in 1987 that if there had been a way to eliminate the use of a maf sensor completely that someone would had let me know,it sure would have saved me a lot of frustration and money trying to get them to work properly and last a reasonable amount of time.

I use an 4'' filter, 4'' dia. straight aluminum pipe 2ft long and a 4'' rubber coupling to mount it to my 4'' S cover on my turbo,there are no restrictions in air flow going to the turbo.

 

[earlbrown]

When you practically have to beat a newbie over the head with a pipe just to get them to ditch the stock pump/valve springs/buy a scantool, there's no way I would recommend going MAFless to the uneducated.

With the invention of the translator, AFAIC the MAF problems have been solved.

 

[D&Gbuick]

Thanks for all the info guys. It has helped a lot. Be ready for the next questions.. more to come!!