[Roadie Rob]

OK, call me a novice in the automotive world knowing hardly enough to get by in a garage, but I noticed something very interesting when I was at my garage today asking the guys about installing the Magnaflow dual exhaust (I bring 'em the goods, they'll charge only $100 for the install - not a bad deal in my mind!). :thumbs:

As we chatted about the engine, drivetrain, shocks, etc... I noticed the front grill is actually solid behind the black honeycomb / mesh pattern. I knew the hood grills were not open, but that's no big deal to me.

Option 1 - Dremel out each hole.
Option 2 - Remove what appears to be 4-10mm bolts holding the chrome grill to the car and then gently pull back on the black plastic snaps that hold the "grill" behind the chrome.

Aside any cosmetics, wouldn't this allow the engine, specifically adding a CAI or dual CAI in my case, to suck in more air, cleaner air, cooler air....?

Or, have I missed something completely obvious in my train of thought.

 

[SunneySky]

Get the dual cai like ggcc and the dual exhaust like ggcc... You don't have to mess up a beautiful thing to get better sound and zip.

 

[Sky Angel]

OK, call me a novice in the automotive world knowing hardly enough to get by in a garage, but I noticed something very interesting when I was at my garage today asking the guys about installing the Magnaflow dual exhaust (I bring 'em the goods, they'll charge only $100 for the install - not a bad deal in my mind!). :thumbs:

As we chatted about the engine, drivetrain, shocks, etc... I noticed the front grill is actually solid behind the black honeycomb / mesh pattern. I knew the hood grills were not open, but that's no big deal to me.

Option 1 - Dremel out each hole.
Option 2 - Remove what appears to be 4-10mm bolts holding the chrome grill to the car and then gently pull back on the black plastic snaps that hold the "grill" behind the chrome.

Aside any cosmetics, wouldn't this allow the engine, specifically adding a CAI or dual CAI in my case, to suck in more air, cleaner air, cooler air....?

Or, have I missed something completely obvious in my train of thought.

I took mine off the other day just to see and after you get the chrome strip and honeycomb grill off you are left with a few little holes that may let air directly to the air filters. There is a big square that supports the Saturn emblem that is part of the upper bumper. Now if you were to slash that off and had somebody build you a nice chrome mesh to go in place of the honey comb (I'd even go for a black powder coated or black anodized one) that might be a nice mod. It may make drying the front end that much easier because that honey comb holds a lot of water.

 

[marlboromike]

Don't mess with the work of art...Now, when u install the magnaflow muffler, u don't have to add that CAI to change sound...I added the muffler and it sounds awesome...like a high end expensive foreign car...and the muffler is from the camero/firebird.

 

[usmc]

OK, call me a novice in the automotive world knowing hardly enough to get by in a garage, but I noticed something very interesting when I was at my garage today asking the guys about installing the Magnaflow dual exhaust (I bring 'em the goods, they'll charge only $100 for the install - not a bad deal in my mind!). :thumbs:

As we chatted about the engine, drivetrain, shocks, etc... I noticed the front grill is actually solid behind the black honeycomb / mesh pattern. I knew the hood grills were not open, but that's no big deal to me.

Option 1 - Dremel out each hole.
Option 2 - Remove what appears to be 4-10mm bolts holding the chrome grill to the car and then gently pull back on the black plastic snaps that hold the "grill" behind the chrome.

Aside any cosmetics, wouldn't this allow the engine, specifically adding a CAI or dual CAI in my case, to suck in more air, cleaner air, cooler air....?

Or, have I missed something completely obvious in my train of thought.

a guy over on the sol forum posted a "HOW TO" thread on this with pics---
you may want to check it out, he said the dremel didn't work so well.

http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14342

 

[ggccg]

Aside any cosmetics, wouldn't this allow the engine, specifically adding a CAI or dual CAI in my case, to suck in more air, cleaner air, cooler air....?

Or, have I missed something completely obvious in my train of thought.

I wouldn't do that. There has been discussion on this issue in the past and there are engineering concerns about adversely affecting the air flow within the engine compartment that could cause over heating of the battery and other electronic parts. Engine compartment air flow is of critical importance to the proper functioning of the engine and is one of the first concerns addressed by engineers during the design process.

Also, I wouldn't want to expose the filters directly to road spray and rain.

See KappaMan's post in this thread: http://www.skyroadster.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4757

And this from a Q&A session with a GM engineer on the Solstice forum (post #34 in this thread: http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20058&page=2):

On the side of the fender, I want to open these vents up. On the SKY, is it possible to make the fake air vents functional in the hood and fenders?
Opening vents on the fender may have unintended effects with airflow under-hood and around the wheel areas. It is possible that you may increase the temperature of those areas, which contain thermally sensitive components, like the battery or engine control module. The hood vents on the SKY have inner hood structure and a hood blanket underneath the chrome accent vents. If you make them functional, you may get water into the engine compartment and cause changes to under-hood airflow which could affect many things in the engine compartment.

 

[ggccg]

See also Post #16 in this thread (quoted below): http://www.skyroadster.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7689

"You my be wrong in adding the scoop to the Sky...I have been testing heat removal under the sky hood and found that both the ECM and Battery could be seriously affected by heat if the natural air flow is changed...I have installed remote wireless thermometers in 6 locations under the hood and continual to test different air flows.....so far opening the top of the hood through vents or scoop have added 75 + degrees to the ECM not a good thing.....As you know computers and heat don't mix well...Seal9"

 

[Mallard]

I would not advise doing this for a few reasons.

Behind the grill the bumper would still obstruct flow. You would have to cut a lot of the bumper material out, which would leave little support for the chrome bar. It will flap around and possibly fatigue.

The intake is already getting air ducted to it. If you look at the large plastic duct behind the large air inlet in the bumper you will see that it is shaped to direct the air coming in up to the intake.

 

[Roadie Rob]

Perfect explanations and all completely understandable - THANK YOU ALL!:thumbs:

This is a prime example of why forums work so well. I ask since I don't know, now I'm more educated so I don't ruin my machine.

Now if the dual CAI from SM gets back in stock so they can ship it, I'll be much happier! 5 days was their ETA.

 

[ggccg]

OK, call me a novice in the automotive world knowing hardly enough to get by in a garage, but I noticed something very interesting when I was at my garage today asking the guys about installing the Magnaflow dual exhaust (I bring 'em the goods, they'll charge only $100 for the install - not a bad deal in my mind!). :thumbs:

$100 is an excellent price for installing the muffler. Do your guys understand that the muffler you want to put in isn't a direct replacement for the stock muffler and that they will have to do a bit of pipe cutting and bending, 6 welds on the pipes and tips and a few more for welds for hangars? Plus cutting the rear panel. It took my shop about 1.5 hrs from start to finish.

 

[Roadie Rob]

$100 is an excellent price for installing the muffler. Do your guys understand that the muffler you want to put in isn't a direct replacement for the stock muffler and that they will have to do a bit of pipe cutting and bending, 6 welds on the pipes and tips and a few more for welds for hangars? Plus cutting the rear panel. It took my shop about 1.5 hrs from start to finish.

Thanks for the info. After debating with my wife and Saturn dealer about trading it back in later when my RL is ready, I decided to stay with the single exhaust / dual tip (16647) and avoid cutting / replacing the rear fascia.

As for the install, I was hoping it would be easier...more like a bolt on. I'm sure the install price will go up a bit. Otherwise, there is a performance shop nearby that would be able to handle it for sure.

(editted here from original post)

ggccg
I checked out the Magnaflow site and they state...
Question: What does the Cat-Back Exhaust System include and can I install the system myself?
Answer: Our cat-back exhaust systems are fully COMPLETE and are stainless steel. Everything from the pipes, hangers, clamps, mufflers and tips. *Tips, mufflers, and resonators (where applicable) are "mirror finish", polished stainless steel. They come with everything needed to bolt up in place of your factory system using basic tools. No welding is required. Many customers install our systems themselves due to ease of installation. Most systems can be bolted on within 1-2 hours.

I also checked the Solstice install sheet (no Sky sheet yet). I attached the file for the install - no cutting or welding. It looks like band clamps for the most part.

Was your Magnaflow a kit or pieced together (assuming the later). That could explain the bending and welding.

 

[ggccg]

ggccg
I checked out the Magnaflow site and they state...
Question: What does the Cat-Back Exhaust System include and can I install the system myself?

Since the dual exhaust system isn't yet available, I assumed you were talking about a custom install.

 

[tmrpro]

See also Post #16 in this thread (quoted below): http://www.skyroadster.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7689

"You my be wrong in adding the scoop to the Sky...I have been testing heat removal under the sky hood and found that both the ECM and Battery could be seriously affected by heat if the natural air flow is changed...I have installed remote wireless thermometers in 6 locations under the hood and continual to test different air flows.....so far opening the top of the hood through vents or scoop have added 75 + degrees to the ECM not a good thing.....As you know computers and heat don't mix well...Seal9"

Very interesting indeed.

I would like to know more about Seal9's research and see if he/she has tested with the Saturn Motor Sports authorized functional hood vents.

Saturn Motor Sports says: "Functional Sky hood vents helps evacuate the extreme temperatures from under the hood. A must with any after-market header kit. Very easy to install the Sky hood vents are made from 6061 T6 Aluminum."

http://www.saturnmotorsports.com/storeconsumer/product.asp?P_ID=674

EDIT:

---

I just heard from Seal9 and he said that the options he tried did not include the approved Sky Vents...

...But, he did try a similar design from my understanding.

This will be interesting to follow. I've ordered the Sky Vents and reconsidering the hood scoop.

 

[christine1377]

I would not advise doing this for a few reasons.

Behind the grill the bumper would still obstruct flow. You would have to cut a lot of the bumper material out, which would leave little support for the chrome bar. It will flap around and possibly fatigue.

The intake is already getting air ducted to it. If you look at the large plastic duct behind the large air inlet in the bumper you will see that it is shaped to direct the air coming in up to the intake.

Actually nothing is ducted to the factory intake. That just rams air into the intercooler.

 

[stealthsky]

Actually nothing is ducted to the factory intake. That just rams air into the intercooler.

way to bring up a 4yr old dead thread:thumbs:

 

[Nova-Exarch]

way to bring up a 4yr old dead thread:thumbs:

agree... :thumbs:

 

[dipolley]

I opened up both the front and sides. My average engine temp is about 193 degrees now.

I caution against opening up the front. In order for it to work you do have to cut a significant portion of the sub structure which holds up the top of the grill. You have to do some fancy cutting to do it right.

As for the sides, you have to take the entire fender off, then remove the fiberglass faux vents. The vents are just stuck on with doubles sided tape, very strong double sided tape, so be careful what you put the panel on so you do not scratch it. Then open them up with a dremel. Depending on your level of attention to detail, you will have to build the side vents back up depending on where you cut them. Sorry no pics of the side vents.

 

[Monadzback]

Ever had any water issues from cuttng the front grill out?

 

[dipolley]

Not that I have noticed. I don't drive in the rain mush though.

 

[Skip]

Well ya oughta drive more in tha rain. It saves haven ta wash yalls car all tha time. When you stop just whip out an old flannel towel an wipe her down. Every now and then you mite get hydro lock in tha cylinders but pull the plugs an spin her over, problem solved.....Skip...full of helpfull hints today.....