LS_racer

I'm having the Skunk2 IM installed on my 94 LS tomorrow along with an AEM FPR, Fuel Rail and a new set of injectors. I've seen a lot of posts about the effect of the S2 IM on the performance of a GSR, but has anyone tried it on an LS?

Also I'm planning on switching my intake to an AEM CAI, which model do I need, since the new IM will place the TB in the same place as an ITR TB, do I need to get the ITR CAI or will the TB still be in the same location as with the stock LS IM? If I do get the ITR version though, won't I need to get a different tube to fit from the CAI to the stock TB? I'm thinking of upgrading to the ITR TB at some point after I've worked on the engine internals so there's another reason perhaps to go with the ITR. Perhaps I should wait on the CAI until the internal Mods are complete?

EL Vap133

IMO, you can get the LS AEM CAI.

JCushing

i have one and my stock airbox lined up perfectly. not a huge difference in power though. everything else on my motor is stock though. im thinking a intake and tb would compiment it mani better. i bought it cause i got a deal on it and i had the money (building for turbo now)

Mase

I have the skunk2 IM on my b18b , I love it, however I havent tuned my car on a dyno yet

bloobin

The b18b (LS) manifold and TB have the same positioning as the ITR, as will both of the aftermarket Skunk2 Manifolds. The CAI from AEM should be almost identical to eachother for the LS and the ITR, you should check the part numbers from AEM and check if they are the same ones are not.

In regards to the other guy who has this manifold but with a stock motor, you'll really see this product, the skunk2manifold, shine after you get a nice header and exhaust system. The main 'preformance' benifit from this manifold is that it smoothens out the torque curve as well as increasing flow in after the 6k range. If your running stock block, stock head, this part is probably not the most efficent way of spending your money.

IMO, if you are going to stay with the nonvtec b18b, you should perhaps look into getting the crower 403 cams, with the matching springs and retainers required for those cams. Once you have those, you'll be actually "making" power, as opposed to simply freeing up the airflow.

Remember: Air + Fuel = power, so after you get your intake, header, exhaust, you'll prob need new cams or at least a fuel controller to take advantage of all the new airflow you have introduced.

Usually getting a manifold, a new one like the skunk2, is done after you get I+H+E.

Mase

well put, you wont see the full potential of the skunk2 im especially on the b18b until you get some aggressive cams

bikeboy80

get the itr cai, its the same as the ls but has larger diameter piping, and yes it will fit fine on the skunk2 im and and tb you want to run

betsuni

let us know what you think after the install..
good luck!

JCushing

well like i said i got it cause i knew i was gonna go turbo from day1. theres no point in buying header and intake if im going turbo. as far as exhaust im pretty sure a 3" thermal would sound like *** on my car if i didnt have a turbo. and cams i was looking into the crower 62403's and i cant justify spending the money on the springs retainers and cams when it could be better spent on the bottom end or duh the turbo. so that leaves me with just the skunk2 mani. my next plans were obd2-1 conversion fuel pump dsm injectors fpr and hondata. then put together the turbo peices. then build bottom end. then do headwork.

1fastGSR

don't forget to post the dyno plot tomorrow. I expect your midrange to take a dive just like any other plot I've seen with a S2 IM. I am still to find a good plot to convince me to go buy a S2 IM.
Buy the ITR AEM CAI which is 3" in dia. The LS AEM is only 2.5"

LS_racer

Blobbin,
I've already done the IHE part and am now working on furthering the breathing aspect of the motor. At some point I think I'll be looking into an LS-Vtec conversion so that will take into account the Cam and timing changes as well as other goodies like valves and retainers. I'm pretty sure that the IM will still fit on a B18C head.
My concern with using the ITR TB is that enlarging the diameter of the TB will cut down on the velocity of the air flow. At this point with the stock head and cams, I'm wondering if having that amount of air mass (from ITR CAI and TB as well as IM) entering the head will do me more bad than good. Especially if its decreasing the velocity of the entering air.
Of course in the name of further improvement, I guess I could let HP and TQ drop a bit since they'll get better eventually.

JCushing

no a skunk2 mani for a ls will not match up to the ports on a gsr.

LS_racer

Well I don't have a dyno to show but according to the butt-dyno, it doesn't really feel like I've lost the mid range like I'd expected, but that may also be because I installed a new fuel rail, fpr and injectors at the same time so I think the increase in air mass was offset by the new fuel delivery capabilities.
needless to say, I like it at this point, though the dealership where I had it installed let a wrench in the engine bay, which I drove home with, as well as not attaching one of the vacuum hose to the TB. not sure I'll get work done there again...

betsuni

LS racer.................give us some more feedback....i been thinking about doing this skunk2 im upgrade to my LS. thanks!

betsuni

LS racer....
i just noticed, you have the skunk2 rear sway bar....how do you like it?
i've heard things that those tear up the subframe of the place where it attaches...

LS_racer

So far I've been pretty happy with the S2 IM. But there's now this kind of whirring noise whenever I'm at low/mid rpms (2500-3500) and I start to accelerate. I'm not yet sure of what that's coming from, but I think it might just be the larger airmass coming in and perhaps putting my short ram intake to heavier use. I don't really feel like I've lost much in the mid range and I definitely feel like I'm getting more top end, unfortunately I'm still looking for a good dyno facility in the area so I can't give numbers at this point. Also since I added a new fuel rail and FPR, I can't really say if the change in HP and TQ is due just to the IM or more likely due to the combination of the two.
As for the rear sway bar, it defintely has improved handling but for some reason when I go over bumps, I can hear it squeaking in the bushings. which makes me very nervous. I've check the bolts where it attaches to the sheet metal several time since installing it and they don't look like they're tearing. My shop has suggested sanding off the paint might help with the squeaking noise.
I'll update if I find out more.

betsuni

ls racer...
thanks for the feedback...i think i'm going to do the skunk2 manifold...

ghettols

ls racer

what kind of injectors are you using???
fpr and fuel rail??

LS_racer

I just put new stock injectors in, but I added an AEM fuel rail and FPR. I also already had an AEM fuel filter in there. I figured since I was replacing the rail and FPR, I might as well put new injectors in there since the others had been taking a beating for 7 years or so.


[Modified by LS_racer, 6:02 PM 3/4/2002]

ghettols

timbuktu

GO FOR THE EDELBROCK MANIFOLD..IT LINES UP BETTER WITH THE HEAD ..THE SKUNK DOESN'T LINE UP WORTH SHIET...AND PLUS THE DESIGN IS BETTER I KNOW a couple of people who have the edelbrock for the b18b and they love it..

LS_racer

that is true, the shop that installed my IM had to machine the ports so they'd match up better to the ports on the head. sorry I forgot to mention that in my earlier responses. isn't the edelbrock mani more for a full out race engine though? is seems like over kill on a street car.

"Optimized for maximum power from 7000 to 10000 RPM, the Victor X manifold is designed for turbo and all-motor applications. Engineered for high performance and race set-ups, this manifold has four additional bosses for nitrous or added fuel injectors. The Victor X is 7.5 pounds lighter than the stock manifold and accepts oversized throttle bodies out-of-the-box, like the JG/Edelbrock 65mm throttle body" from my online retailer.

Unfortunately for my car it tops out at about 7k so the Victor wouldn't really do me much good at this point, unless there's a different manifold made by Edelbrock I haven't seen. If I had a a B18C then I think you're absolutely right. However I've also only seen this one for the B18C so you're out of luck if you've got an LS/RS.
Perhaps I haven't looked hard enough...