Gutted airbox "destructions"
 

The airbox in my Bonneville is setup completley stupid in my opinion. I am not sure why they designed it this way but the tube that runs form the inner fender to the inside of the box terminates right in front of my intake tube of course the filter is between. I took off my filter cover to see what it would take to gutt it like everyone is talking about. The only dirty spot on my filter is right in front of the tube where the air comes in. Why even have such a big filter if it is not going to be used? Anyway I digress, I cut out the wall that the tube almost connects to. After I did that I notice that the tube I speak of was removable so I took it out and turned around, and stuck it out into the fender well. It is a perfect way to attach the duct work. I have yet to get the tubing to finish the project up. Man what a diffence though, I mean the throttle response is there x10. When you romp on it you can hear the S/C wind up, boy does it sound good. I will take some pics if anyone wants to see what I have done? Let me know.

The stock airbox is definately stupid. It is the way it is so people can't hear the Supercharger whine, would a 60 year old lady want to buy a car that whines when you step on the gas, no, and that is who they target, so no whine it is, its the same reason why they don't put loud exhausts on Cadillacs. It definately makes a big difference when you gut it though. We have been meaning to do it to our SSEi but we haven't had the time yet. The biggest difference is the noise, I don't know about what the power difference is, I would think at max like 2-3hp.

Maybe I'm nuts, but a "whine" doesn't sound like a good thing to me. Does it actually sound good? All I can think of is the nasty whine my old GP used to have because of a few mechanical problems..

All superchargers whine. They make the noise because they are compressing air. With a more open air intake you will hear the noise better because the air intake is less restrictive so sound can travel through it easier. In my opinion the whine sounds cool, and it is supposed to be there, it doesn't sound like something is wrong, it is a distinctive whine and you will know exactly what it is as soon as you hear it. It sounds really cool when you are putting out 15psi at the racetrack, and from the stands you can hear the supercharger whine over the sound of a 440 Six Pack with a big cam. The more boost you are putting out the louder it gets. If you haven't ever heard supercharger whine, then gut your airbox, you will like it!

60 year old lady
 

I would love to come up against a 60 year old lady in a black 02 SSEi at a red light :shock: As for the whine I agree, and I like it, I know that the sound is not of something wrong. As for the power difference you are probably right; but I can really tell a difference in throttle response.

Re: Gutted airbox "destructions"
 

I would like to see some pictures of your setup. Thanks

Pics
 

Sorry for the double post. I will get you some pics this weekend.

Take my word for it but that whine is a great sound. I too was apprehensive at first but when I took off the stock air box and put on the open cone....wow. Even my wife liked it. The turbine like sound of power....and it bettered my 0-60 by .3 sec.

It's the only whining I love, and I do love it oh so much!!! There was a recent post by bonnycrazy with a short mpeg of his car, mine sounds just like that.

I gutted the air box on my Riv but I did not notice any difference in how loud the engine was, but I did notice the acceleration was smoother. Maybe I need to do some more gutting. :) The riv only pulls in air from the driver's side fender with a small hole about 2x3" in the air box.. should I make this larger? Is it bad to make it a lot bigger?