Car Slang Question: What's a lid?

AMCRambler

Diamond Member
Jan 23, 2001
7,714
31
91
I've heard this expression a couple times on different forums. I think they're talking about the intake but I don't if it's just the intake or if they're talking about the throttle body too. Feel free to ridicule me for not being up on the lingo.
 

Bartman39

Elite Member | For Sale/Trade
Jul 4, 2000
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Only thing that comes to mind when you say "lid" was a $15 bag O pot... :whiste: (course I`m kinda old so most wont know this term)

Might also refer to trunk "lid"...? dunno for sure but sounds old English
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
32,874
12,144
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in what context is it being used?

the only place i've heard "lid" in relation to a car is the trunk. (lid in bikeworld is your helmet)
 

HeXen

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2009
7,832
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used to be lid meant a full bag of weed up to the flap. probably meant several things depending what decade and area your talking about. for cars i'd say a lid means the hood or trunk. sounds like British talk lol
 

IcePickFreak

Platinum Member
Jul 12, 2007
2,428
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Yes there is a lid for the intake, that can be replaced with after market parts, at least on my car. It's usually referred to as air lid, not just lid, but I could see lid being used when everyone is already aware of what you're talking about.


http://www.afterthoughtsauto.com/slpairboxlid.html

That's all that comes to mind for me too. The factory lids on some intakes have a bunch of baffles etc to keep the intake quiet so it's popular to swap out to an aftermarket one without the baffles.
 

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
The term lid is most often used with LS1 family engines, in F bodies and Corvettes. Its the top half of the air box, hence lid, that also has the flattened cold air supply intake pipe to goes over the front radiator support. Is a very poor design due to the way the tube is on one edge of the filter without much air box distribution over the entire panel filter and due to having to be pinched tight and flattened for clearance. Thus a good aftermarket replacement can yield great gains. Cheap and effective and one of the first mods anyone should do on a LS engine that uses them. The new Camaros don't have them, they have a 90 deg intake pipe running to a traditional air box in the corner of the engine bay.
 
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disambiguation

Junior Member
Feb 7, 2010
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Only thing that comes to mind when you say "lid" was a $15 bag O pot... :whiste: (course I`m kinda old so most wont know this term)

Might also refer to trunk "lid"...? dunno for sure but sounds old English

$ 15.00 :confused: Maybe 30 years ago.

A "Lid" , back in NYC, was a hat that a Pimp wears !!

A Lid , as I knew it , were the covers that were placed on Hillborn Injectors ( or similar units.)
 

Bartman39

Elite Member | For Sale/Trade
Jul 4, 2000
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$ 15.00 :confused: Maybe 30 years ago.

A "Lid" , back in NYC, was a hat that a Pimp wears !!

A Lid , as I knew it , were the covers that were placed on Hillborn Injectors ( or similar units.)


Man I remember when a lid was also a Pimp`s hat...:D

Yea and gas was .32 cents per gallon and had never heard of "unleaded"... I even remember as a 6 year old coming down to Texas and seeing gas as cheap as .19 cents per gallon of reg and premium was like .26 cents a gallon did`nt have middle grade... Remember Hillborn injection setups too, damn I`m old (will be 51 this year)
 

RockinZ28

Platinum Member
Mar 5, 2008
2,171
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lol @ claims of 12 HP at the wheels...

Well it says up to, you need additional mods to see the max gain. That's marketing. If you're just swapping out lids on a bone stock car, the HP gain is probably about half that.
 

Vetterin

Senior member
Aug 31, 2004
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Well, couldn't lid also be considered another name for bonnet......that part that you see when you look out of your windscreen?
 

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
Well, couldn't lid also be considered another name for bonnet......that part that you see when you look out of your windscreen?

People don't talk about "lids" in that context. It comes up in the context of mods such as "throttle body, lid, exhaust, and tune" where it's basically the equivilent of a "cold air intake" on F bodies and Corvettes.
 

SoulAssassin

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2001
6,135
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In the Jeep/4wheeling we usually say someone ended up on their lid (roof) when they roll it as opposed to a flop which is just laying it on it's side.
 

AMCRambler

Diamond Member
Jan 23, 2001
7,714
31
91
lol @ claims of 12 HP at the wheels...

Thanks Exdeath. I think you nailed it.

12hp is probably a bit generous but you'd be surprised how restrictive the stock air filter and box is.

I dynoed my GTO this summer on a dynojet. I did three pulls. First two pulls were on the bone stock car, 338hp and 340hp. Third pull we disconnected the airbox and ran the car with the intake wide open just to see the difference. Car put down an additional 20hp coming in at 360hp.

Granted that's with no filter on there, but I think there's a good chance you could get around half that back with a less restrictive filter and larger intake. An extra 10hp for 2-300 bucks isn't a terrible deal.
 

Raduque

Lifer
Aug 22, 2004
13,140
138
106
The term lid is most often used with LS1 family engines, in F bodies and Corvettes. Its the top half of the air box, hence lid, that also has the flattened cold air supply intake pipe to goes over the front radiator support. Is a very poor design due to the way the tube is on one edge of the filter without much aix box distribution over the entire panel filter and due to having to be pinched tight and flattened for clearance. Thus a good aftermarket replacement can yield great gains. Cheap and effective and one of the first mods anyone should do on a LS engine that uses them. The new Camaros don't have them, they have a 90 deg intake pipe running to a traditional air box in the corner of the engine bay.

I figured "lid" might refer to the roof of the car. But, in the the 3G Accord community it refers to the top half of the air filter cover. You can "flip the lid" to help get more air flow into the engine. Only works on carburated engines. EFI engines have an airbox w/filter inside it.
 

Occ

Senior member
Nov 11, 2009
276
0
76
I've seen lid used as slang for a helmet on motorcycle forums.