bigvette Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 For all of you who are considering the AEM Brute Force Air Induction for your SS'S - here is an article that shows just how more air impacts HP... This is from TRUCKWORLD.com A 20 Horse Combination Part 1 By: Dan Sanchez Photos By: Dan Sanchez View more articles in How-To Article Archive Part -1 of our installation of an AEM Intake, Hypertech Programmer and Flowmaster Exhaust test. Everyone looks for ways to make more horsepower and torque. But when you think about it, some ways are easier than others. For about $1,000 or less, how much horsepower do you think you could make? What combinations would work best for you? In some instances one might go for a nitrous oxide kit. Others may opt for headers and a cat back exhaust. Some may spend it on rear end gears. The most popular methods however, are an intake, cat-back exhaust and a power programmer. We decided to take this popular power combination and put it to the test, to see how much power could be produced by changing these three items. We took a stock 2004 GMC Yukon that is equipped with a 4.8-liter V-8. Despite the heavy weight and size of this vehicle and smaller engine combination, we felt it would be a great way to determine how much power could be made by changing the intake, programming and exhaust system. To begin with, we decided to take looks at some of the more popular products that are typically looked at on our TEN network of websites. The three most popular items at the time of this writing, was the AEM Brute Force air intake, Hypertech Power Programmer III and a Flowmaster big-block, SUV exhaust system. If we had to guess, we would have thought that most of the performance gains would come from the Hypertech programmer. We’ve done tests in the past on the Brute Force air intake and recall that it makes on average, 8-10 horsepower. We’ve never tested the Flowmaster exhaust, but figured that the larger “Big Block” muffler may be too loud inside the cab and may perhaps provide too much exhaust flow, limiting the scavenging effect of our system. After our testing, we discovered that all three items performed beyond our expectations and when combined, yielded some dramatic results. Baseline Tests -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In order to determine the amount of performance gains, we first had to perform some baseline tests. We sought the help of the SuperFlow dynamometer at Westech Performance in Mira Loma, California. The Yukon is completely stock down to its factory wheels and tires. After three baseline tests in second gear, the Yukon yielded 239.7 horsepower at 5,450 rpms and 244.6 lbs.-ft. of torque at 4,905 rpms. This provided some great results in which we could build upon. During the test, we also gave the Yukon’s ECM plenty of time to learn after each part was installed onto the truck. This would further help to eliminate several variable within our testing procedure, which took place over a two week period. AEM Brute Force -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first item we installed was the AEM Brute Force intake system. The intake consists of a polished aluminum tube that increases air flow into the factory throttle body. Combined with a high-flow, cotton-gauze air filter that is reuseable, the system replaces the entire factory air intake and uses a steel heat shield to prevent the intake from sucking in engine heat. The system is simple to install and we managed to bolt it together in about an hour. The factory system is removed by loosening the factory clamps and removing the ducting. We also unplugged and removed the MAF sensor. By pulling up on the factory air filter box, it is removed from the system and the bottom tray underneath is unbolted and removed. The Brute Force system’s heat shield is bolted on first and is followed by attaching the throttle body sleeve and clamps. The main tube is then installed, followed by another sleeve and the MAF sensor. The last portion of the system to be installed is the high-flow air filter. Everything is kept loose until final fitment is done. A few days after the installation of the Brute Force Air Intake, we took the Yukon back to Westech. On the dyno, the horsepower jumped from 239.7 base, to 256.6 at 5,496 rpms. The torque also responded by moving up from 244.6 base, to 256.9 lbs.-ft at 4,753 rpms. the entire rpm band. The air intake alone, was worth 16.3 horsepower and 12.3-lbs.-ft. of torque across the entire rpm band. In our next segment, we will install the Hypertech Power Programmer to see the results that it delivers with the AEM intake system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TA219 Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 If it makes that kind of a difference for a 4.8 then it should do just as good or better for a 5.3 or 6.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_a_n_payne Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 I love my AEM! Just have to do some modifications on the heat shields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loneranger Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 That's good to hear. I've had the Bruteforce and Spintech cat back on my 5.3 for over a year now, but never dynoed the truck. SOTP is definitely noticeable. The HPP+ has been sitting on my desk for over 5 months! Damn, gotta get off my ass and do that programmer thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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