Video: ZL1 Before and After Dyno Test of Airaid Intake and Tuning

Every gearhead knows it – you want to make more power, you’ve got to flow more air. It’s as simple as that. However, the question is always there as to just how much power you might gain from that extra airflow, and with EFI cars you have to wonder about the necessity for custom tuning. When it comes to answering these questions – the dyno doesn’t lie.

That’s why the guys at Airaid did a before and after dyno test on this stock Camaro ZL1 at Evolution Motorsports, in Tempe, Arizona, to see exactly how much power they could add just by bolting on one of their cold air intake systems (part number 250-308). For the baseline numbers, the supercharged beast rolls out 448 horsepower and 488 pound feet of torque at the rear wheels. Not bad at all considering that this is a show-room stock Camaro.

Instead of just tossing on the intake and calling it good, the Airaid crew decided to perform a custom tune on the stock ZL1 with no other changes and see what kind of gains could be made. After the tune, the ZL1 managed to make 481 horsepower and 503 pound feet of torque.

They then installed the Airaid intake, and retuned the car for the optimal settings with the added air flow. The final result – 505 horsepower and 524 pound feet of torque- a gain of 57 horsepower and 44 pound feet of torque to the rear wheels over the stock numbers.