By In 1966, General Motors introduced to the world a “small animal that eats Mustangs:” Camaro. Chevrolet’s mid-sized muscle car enjoyed a 36-year production run before disappearing. 2002 left pony car enthusiasts with one choice, the ever-present Ford Mustang.
In 2007, Paramount Pictures introduced to the world a “small insect that pollinates flowers”: Bumblebee. What caught the eyes of car enthusiasts wasn’t the fact that Bumblebee was a giant alien robot, but the fact that said giant alien robot turned into a gold sports car that bore the nameplate “Camaro.” Thus, the 5th-generation Chevrolet Camaro’s return to fame, fortune, and hotrodding began.
Unless you’re here looking for power mods for your Tesla (in which case you may be misguided), the engine in your car works in a few simple steps: suck, squeeze, bang, blow. Air is sucked through the intake system, through the MAF sensor and throttle body, and into the combustion chamber. There it is compressed, mixed with fuel, and exploded, sending the piston back down the cylinder and exhaust out of the header. Today, we’re going to focus on the first half of that process. In particular, we’ll look at how you can easily improve the intake system on your 5th or 6th generation Chevy Camaro.
Our topic today is cold air intakes (CAI); not the drop-in high-quality air filters that “increase fuel mileage and performance,” but high-performance cold air induction systems that are tuned and tested to boost horsepower and torque across the rev range. A cold air intake is a simple first step to increasing your vehicle’s induction performance. Usually, they are a direct fit into the factory intake location and install with a few simple bolts and hose clamps. A performance air intake kit makes a great compliment to your exhaust system, improving air flow and engine induction noise.
5th Generation Camaro Cold Air Intake Systems
First on the docket: The 5th generation Chevy Camaro, coming with either a 6.2L LS-family V8 or a 3.6L DOHC V6.
In the case of the V8 in the Camaro SS, there are a few routes to go. For style points and some rowdier intake noise, you can start with the smooth lines of the Volant Performance Pro5 Cold Air Intake Kit (Part Number 15062). Volant Performance’s redesigned airbox, intake tube and air filter system are larger than the OEM design and offer improved throttle response and a clean, cool look with either carbon fiber or polished aluminum cover. If you’re looking to gain some serious power and are planning supporting modifications, we recommend aFe’s Momentum GT Pro 5R Air Intake System (MPN 54-74204). Thanks to its one-piece, sealed housing and proprietary design, the Momentum GT Pro 5R is able to deliver almost a 20% increase in airflow over the OEM design and managed an increase of over 25hp and nearly 25lb-ft of torque on aFe’s test vehicles.
In 2015, production ended for the 5th generation Camaro, and the 6th generation took its place. Sleeker lines and an updated engine bay in the form of the Corvette C7’s LT1 small block V8 were the highlighted changes. The altered engine and management systems necessitated changes in the aftermarket as well, and manufacturers happily delivered power-adding upgrades for the latest generation of Camaro.
6th Generation Chevy Camaro Cold Air Intake Systems
For the 6th generation Camaro SS, there are similar options to the 5th generation. At the base level, tuneless intakes such as the Injen Evolution Series Air Induction System (MPN EVO7301) deliver a more aggressive tone and a better flow path to allow for faster, livelier throttle response. For even more power, aFe offers a revised version of the high-flow Momentum GT Intake System (MPN 54-74210) that delivers an extra 9 horsepower on the dyno and 11 lb-ft of torque over the already powerful LT1’s increased output. The 6th generation of Camaro saw the reintroduction of the ZL1 nameplate, with a supercharged 6.2L LT4 V8 delivering 650 horsepower and torque from stock. If you’re lucky enough to be driving one of those, you’ve got the option to go for a full kit from aFe. The Scorcher Pro Plus Performance Package (MPN 77-34007-PK) includes an intake to help feed your supercharger, as well as a Scorcher performance programmer that includes 6 different tunes for various parameters on your vehicle’s engine management systems. The most dramatic of these tunes can deliver an increase of 50 lb-ft of torque and almost 40 horsepower– it’s even more breathtaking than seeing Keanu Reeves on your family trip to Olive Garden.
The Chevrolet Camaro SS has always been popular with a small-block Chevy V8, but that has never been its only engine. The 5th and 6th generation Camaros offered a 3.6L overhead cam V6. In an echo to the Mustang Ecoboost, Chevrolet also offers a turbo 2.0L inline-four-cylinder on the 6th gen. All those engines will benefit similarly from an aftermarket cold air intake system. The Camaro 3.6L V6 models offer a particularly enticing growl with a system like Volant’s high-flow Cold Air Intake Kit (MPN 15136), and turbocharged models can see significant power gains with the addition of an aFe Momentum GT Intake Kit (MPN 54-74212) much like those on the Camaro ZL1, thanks to the increased thirst of a forced-induction engine.
Cold air intakes (CAI) are a worthwhile step to the modification of any vehicle. Stock airboxes are designed to get air from the atmosphere to your intake manifold with as little drama as possible, keeping things quiet and relatively efficient. Aftermarket cold air intake systems get you as much as possible out of the distance between the front of your car and the squeezy-bangy bit that makes power, giving your Camaro the “oomph” it needs to stand out amongst the crowd. Combined with an exhaust system, upgraded throttle body, and other performance parts on your wish list, a cold air intake puts you well on your way to making your car breathe and perform the way it deserves. For cold air intakes, air filters, exhaust systems, and more, check out the Motoroso Marketplace and build your dream Camaro!
