CTS‑V LSA supercharger cold air intake

In design

LSA supercharger cold air intake

A scan fit cold air intake for a first generation CTS-V with an LSA supercharged swap. It runs from the supercharger throttle body through the tight elbow behind it and opens out to a large filter at the front of the bay.

Every surface was designed against a 3D scan of a 2005 CTS-V engine bay, so it clears the bay without cutting. The images are renders of the actual print files on that scan. The duct prints as three sections that bond with hidden laps, so the outside reads as one continuous part. The MAF mounts on a lowered flange so the sensor reaches as far into the airflow as possible.

Red, white and blue intake on the CTS-V engine bay scan, viewed from the front — From the throttle body to the filter

MAF flange on the white section with its slot and two insert bosses — Lowered MAF flange

Toler Motorsports plaque seated in its pocket on the white section — Toler Motorsports plaque

Red elbow section with the hex surface running into the black throttle body coupler — Throttle body elbow and coupler

Chassis2004 to 2007 Cadillac CTS-V with an LSA 6.2 L supercharged swap

Throttle bodyLSA 90 mm throttle body on the supercharger

Throttle body jointFlexible coupler with a rounded sealing lip under each clamp

FilterClamps onto a 152 mm filter neck with a rounded sealing lip

JointsTwo hidden bonded laps, nothing shows outside

MAFSlot style MAF flange with threaded inserts, flow arrow toward the engine

StructureHex rib honeycomb on the top surfaces, one pattern lined up across both joints

MaterialHeat and UV resistant engineering plastic, flexible coupler

In the box

Everything to install it.

The duct ships as three printed sections that bond together with the adhesive included. The throttle body connection stays serviceable through the flexible coupler. The filter and hose clamps are not included.

RThrottle body elbow section
WMAF section with plaque pocket
BFilter section
TFlexible throttle body coupler
PToler Motorsports plaque, printed in color, glues into its pocket
+Inserts for the MAF
+Adhesive for the two bonded joints
+Install guide

Engineering

The numbers behind it.

+16%Smallest flow area, 7,359 mm² at the throttle body neck, against the 6,362 mm² of the LSA's 90 mm throttle bore. The duct grows to more than twice that toward the filter.

51 m/sPeak air speed in the duct, at the throttle body neck, at about 793 cfm: a stock LSA at its rated 556 hp. The 90 mm throttle bore sees 59 m/s.

12.8°Steepest wall angle as the duct narrows from the filter to the throttle body. Air speeds up smoothly the whole way, with no expanding section.

2.2 mmClosest gap from the printed parts to the scanned engine bay, with no contact anywhere.

0.34 kgPrinted weight of the three sections, calculated from the CAD volume. The coupler adds 0.10 kg.

2 jointsHidden bonded laps join the three sections, so the outside reads as one continuous part.

For off road and competition use only. Final specifications are confirmed after track validation.

Modeled at full power

Against a 4 in pipe and cone.

A stock LSA at its rated 556 hp pulls about 793 cfm through the 90 mm throttle body on the supercharger. We modeled this intake against a common setup: a 4 in aluminum pipe with one 90 degree mandrel bend and a 4 in cone filter. Geometry for this intake comes from sections of the actual CAD; the throttle body, coupler and MAF are the same for both, and both breathe air at the same temperature.

Airflow	Duct, pipe / this intake	Filter, pipe / this intake	Total restriction	Power vs 4 in pipe
793 cfm, stock 556 hp	595 / 501 Pa	220 / 144 Pa	815 / 645 Pa, 21% less	+0.2%, about 1 hp
927 cfm, about 650 hp	808 / 684 Pa	258 / 168 Pa	1,065 / 852 Pa, 20% less	+0.2%, about 1 hp

The duct opens out from the throttle body neck to the 6 in filter, so friction and entry losses drop by more than half and the bigger filter breathes easier. The tight elbow right behind the throttle body, set by where the throttle body sits in the bay, gives back most of that.
On a supercharged engine the blower multiplies whatever arrives at its inlet, so power follows inlet pressure and temperature closely. Colder air is worth roughly 1% of power for every 10 °F, which makes where the filter breathes matter more than the pipe.
Model: one dimensional steady flow with standard friction, bend, area change, entry and filter losses; 77 °F day; same inlet air temperature for both; oiled cotton filters at 1.0 inH2O per 6 cfm per sq in, about 230 sq in of media on the 6 in flange filter and 150 sq in on the 4 in cone (assumed); airflow from rated power at 0.55 lb/hp/h and 11.5:1 air fuel. This is an engineering estimate, not a dyno or CFD result.

LSA supercharger cold air intake

Spin it. Take it apart.

Everything to install it.

The numbers behind it.

Against a 4 in pipe and cone.

Order or ask a question.