Vararam install questions on 08 LS3
10-30-2012, 11:20 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Vararam install questions on 08 LS3
I purchased and had installed a Vararam VR-SC1R on my 08 LS3 coupe. This is the correct part number for this application and is what is shown on the install receipt. This Vararam system was sold and installed by Unleashed Performance, georgetown Indiana 5,23,12. They replaced a Breathless Performance CAI I had installed in 2009.
1. The lower duct mount (section below the filter) on the Vararam shown in the instructions and on the Vararam website shows a red metal mounting bracket which attaches to the lower duct section just below where the lower & upper sections snap together. The lower half of the Vararam CAI on my car uses two rubber & screw studs (the rubber studs contract & expand when tightened) to mount the lower section. The mount holes in the lower section for these expanding mount studs are further down (app 3 inches) below the top of the lower section than the metal bracket shown in the instructions. There is no mount system like this shown in the instructions or on the website for the VR-SC1R or VR-SC1. I called Vararam today and was told the LS3 CAI should have a red metal bracket mount which is plainly visable when looking down on the mounted Vararam unit. I was cut off during the phone call to Vararam and couldn't reach them again today. Any Vararam dealers or installers seen a lower section mount like this for the LS3 (2008 & later).
2. The tech guy at Vararam said the new MAF housing furnished with the VR-SC1R I purchased is a billet housing. The one installed on my car is black and appears to be the same one that came with the Breathless Performance kit that was being replaced. I got no satisfactory explination from Unleashed Performance why the Billet MAF housing that was supposed to be furnished with the Vararam was not installed.
3. The rubber spacer furnished with the Vararam that goes between the intake manifold and the TB was not installed. The spacer & hardware was with the old Breathless CAI parts I got back. The spacer on the car is the one that came with the Breathless kit. This Breathless spacer is thinner by almost half than the spacer from Vararam.
4. I don't have the template from Vararam for cutting the shroud to check the opening size cut in the shroud but the opening cut is large enough to stick my hand through into the radiator section above and on both sides where the Vararam penetrates the shroud. I can't tell from the instructions if this is correct but it seems very sloppy. I was told by the installer at Unleashed that the opening was cut per the template furnished and this was the way it was designed. Seems like a lot of room for air to bypass the radiator through this large gap in the shroud around where the Vararam penetrates the shroud. There was no opening in the shroud around where the Breathless Performance CAI penetrated the shroud. I will try and contact Vararam again tomorrow about this.
There is more to this story concerning Unleashed Performance than I want to get into here until I find out if the Vararam parts they did install were the correct ones from the Vararam VR-SC1R kit.
1. The lower duct mount (section below the filter) on the Vararam shown in the instructions and on the Vararam website shows a red metal mounting bracket which attaches to the lower duct section just below where the lower & upper sections snap together. The lower half of the Vararam CAI on my car uses two rubber & screw studs (the rubber studs contract & expand when tightened) to mount the lower section. The mount holes in the lower section for these expanding mount studs are further down (app 3 inches) below the top of the lower section than the metal bracket shown in the instructions. There is no mount system like this shown in the instructions or on the website for the VR-SC1R or VR-SC1. I called Vararam today and was told the LS3 CAI should have a red metal bracket mount which is plainly visable when looking down on the mounted Vararam unit. I was cut off during the phone call to Vararam and couldn't reach them again today. Any Vararam dealers or installers seen a lower section mount like this for the LS3 (2008 & later).
2. The tech guy at Vararam said the new MAF housing furnished with the VR-SC1R I purchased is a billet housing. The one installed on my car is black and appears to be the same one that came with the Breathless Performance kit that was being replaced. I got no satisfactory explination from Unleashed Performance why the Billet MAF housing that was supposed to be furnished with the Vararam was not installed.
3. The rubber spacer furnished with the Vararam that goes between the intake manifold and the TB was not installed. The spacer & hardware was with the old Breathless CAI parts I got back. The spacer on the car is the one that came with the Breathless kit. This Breathless spacer is thinner by almost half than the spacer from Vararam.
4. I don't have the template from Vararam for cutting the shroud to check the opening size cut in the shroud but the opening cut is large enough to stick my hand through into the radiator section above and on both sides where the Vararam penetrates the shroud. I can't tell from the instructions if this is correct but it seems very sloppy. I was told by the installer at Unleashed that the opening was cut per the template furnished and this was the way it was designed. Seems like a lot of room for air to bypass the radiator through this large gap in the shroud around where the Vararam penetrates the shroud. There was no opening in the shroud around where the Breathless Performance CAI penetrated the shroud. I will try and contact Vararam again tomorrow about this.
There is more to this story concerning Unleashed Performance than I want to get into here until I find out if the Vararam parts they did install were the correct ones from the Vararam VR-SC1R kit.
10-31-2012, 10:13 AM
#2
Race Director
Not sure of anything other than the shroud cut should be with less space showing, less the better!
The attaching of the red bracket to the car is somewhat dubious, I never like this set up and always had difficulty completing the process. There are extra holes to chose from.
I got rid of mine after a while and went back to OEM.
Maybe the CAI is suited for the strip but for street use I thought it was not necessary and a pain, to much compromise.
Cooler air will help keep some timing, which is nice for the strip times but rather useless for the street.
Give Vararam a call they have always been helpful to their customers, I give that much to them.
The attaching of the red bracket to the car is somewhat dubious, I never like this set up and always had difficulty completing the process. There are extra holes to chose from.
I got rid of mine after a while and went back to OEM.
Maybe the CAI is suited for the strip but for street use I thought it was not necessary and a pain, to much compromise.
Cooler air will help keep some timing, which is nice for the strip times but rather useless for the street.
Give Vararam a call they have always been helpful to their customers, I give that much to them.
10-31-2012, 10:35 AM
#3
Supporting Vendor
I purchased and had installed a Vararam VR-SC1R on my 08 LS3 coupe. This is the correct part number for this application and is what is shown on the install receipt. This Vararam system was sold and installed by Unleashed Performance, georgetown Indiana 5,23,12. They replaced a Breathless Performance CAI I had installed in 2009.
1. The lower duct mount (section below the filter) on the Vararam shown in the instructions and on the Vararam website shows a red metal mounting bracket which attaches to the lower duct section just below where the lower & upper sections snap together. The lower half of the Vararam CAI on my car uses two rubber & screw studs (the rubber studs contract & expand when tightened) to mount the lower section. The mount holes in the lower section for these expanding mount studs are further down (app 3 inches) below the top of the lower section than the metal bracket shown in the instructions. There is no mount system like this shown in the instructions or on the website for the VR-SC1R or VR-SC1. I called Vararam today and was told the LS3 CAI should have a red metal bracket mount which is plainly visable when looking down on the mounted Vararam unit. I was cut off during the phone call to Vararam and couldn't reach them again today. Any Vararam dealers or installers seen a lower section mount like this for the LS3 (2008 & later).
2. The tech guy at Vararam said the new MAF housing furnished with the VR-SC1R I purchased is a billet housing. The one installed on my car is black and appears to be the same one that came with the Breathless Performance kit that was being replaced. I got no satisfactory explination from Unleashed Performance why the Billet MAF housing that was supposed to be furnished with the Vararam was not installed.
3. The rubber spacer furnished with the Vararam that goes between the intake manifold and the TB was not installed. The spacer & hardware was with the old Breathless CAI parts I got back. The spacer on the car is the one that came with the Breathless kit. This Breathless spacer is thinner by almost half than the spacer from Vararam.
4. I don't have the template from Vararam for cutting the shroud to check the opening size cut in the shroud but the opening cut is large enough to stick my hand through into the radiator section above and on both sides where the Vararam penetrates the shroud. I can't tell from the instructions if this is correct but it seems very sloppy. I was told by the installer at Unleashed that the opening was cut per the template furnished and this was the way it was designed. Seems like a lot of room for air to bypass the radiator through this large gap in the shroud around where the Vararam penetrates the shroud. There was no opening in the shroud around where the Breathless Performance CAI penetrated the shroud. I will try and contact Vararam again tomorrow about this.
There is more to this story concerning Unleashed Performance than I want to get into here until I find out if the Vararam parts they did install were the correct ones from the Vararam VR-SC1R kit.
1. The lower duct mount (section below the filter) on the Vararam shown in the instructions and on the Vararam website shows a red metal mounting bracket which attaches to the lower duct section just below where the lower & upper sections snap together. The lower half of the Vararam CAI on my car uses two rubber & screw studs (the rubber studs contract & expand when tightened) to mount the lower section. The mount holes in the lower section for these expanding mount studs are further down (app 3 inches) below the top of the lower section than the metal bracket shown in the instructions. There is no mount system like this shown in the instructions or on the website for the VR-SC1R or VR-SC1. I called Vararam today and was told the LS3 CAI should have a red metal bracket mount which is plainly visable when looking down on the mounted Vararam unit. I was cut off during the phone call to Vararam and couldn't reach them again today. Any Vararam dealers or installers seen a lower section mount like this for the LS3 (2008 & later).
2. The tech guy at Vararam said the new MAF housing furnished with the VR-SC1R I purchased is a billet housing. The one installed on my car is black and appears to be the same one that came with the Breathless Performance kit that was being replaced. I got no satisfactory explination from Unleashed Performance why the Billet MAF housing that was supposed to be furnished with the Vararam was not installed.
3. The rubber spacer furnished with the Vararam that goes between the intake manifold and the TB was not installed. The spacer & hardware was with the old Breathless CAI parts I got back. The spacer on the car is the one that came with the Breathless kit. This Breathless spacer is thinner by almost half than the spacer from Vararam.
4. I don't have the template from Vararam for cutting the shroud to check the opening size cut in the shroud but the opening cut is large enough to stick my hand through into the radiator section above and on both sides where the Vararam penetrates the shroud. I can't tell from the instructions if this is correct but it seems very sloppy. I was told by the installer at Unleashed that the opening was cut per the template furnished and this was the way it was designed. Seems like a lot of room for air to bypass the radiator through this large gap in the shroud around where the Vararam penetrates the shroud. There was no opening in the shroud around where the Breathless Performance CAI penetrated the shroud. I will try and contact Vararam again tomorrow about this.
There is more to this story concerning Unleashed Performance than I want to get into here until I find out if the Vararam parts they did install were the correct ones from the Vararam VR-SC1R kit.
New units do NOT have the red bracket!
Last edited by VaraRam Industries; 10-31-2012 at 01:13 PM.
10-31-2012, 05:19 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Satidfactory resolution, so far
I did talk to Vararam today about the concerns I had. It turns out the upper & lower plastic sections of the Vararam kit installed on my car are the correct parts. the mounts for the lower section are also correct. The question on my part was because the instructions that were given to me by Unleashed performance that came with the kit showed and described the old red metal bracket mount which is no longer being used. This metal bracket is also pictured on the illustration of this CAI on the Vararam website. The billet MAF housing furnished with the Vararam kit and one of the red hose connectors (the one between the throttle body and the MAF housing) were not installed. The old black connector and the MAF housing from my Breathless Performance CAI were installed.
I received a call today from the current shop manager at Unleashed Performance. After talking to both Vararam and Breathless Performance he agreed they had not installed all the parts from the Vararam kit and had re-used three parts (the MAF housing, one rubber connector and the spacer between the throttle body & the intake manifold) from my old Breathless Performance CAI. They ordered the replacement parts from Vararam and will install them next week at no cost. Due to some internal problems the manager I dealt with when the Vararam CAI was installed has been replaced with the guy I am now working with to resolve this.
I received a call today from the current shop manager at Unleashed Performance. After talking to both Vararam and Breathless Performance he agreed they had not installed all the parts from the Vararam kit and had re-used three parts (the MAF housing, one rubber connector and the spacer between the throttle body & the intake manifold) from my old Breathless Performance CAI. They ordered the replacement parts from Vararam and will install them next week at no cost. Due to some internal problems the manager I dealt with when the Vararam CAI was installed has been replaced with the guy I am now working with to resolve this.
11-10-2012, 01:24 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
suscessful outcome
I took the car back to unleashed Performance this week for replacement of the CAI parts from Vararam that were not installed in the original instillation. The CAI system is now installed correctly with all Vararam components. While I was at it I added a Vararam power wedge. I can't say anything specific about power numbers because no dyno tuning was done but the car is more responsive through the mid RPM range and the gas mileage went up. I don't know if this was due to having all the matching Vararam components installed properly, the addition of the power wedge or both.
11-10-2012, 10:04 PM
#7
Burning Brakes
Maybe Vararam can split the cost of dyno time to see if they new power wedge shows and gains.
That would be nice to see since I have not been able to find any dyno numbers for the "wedge".
That would be nice to see since I have not been able to find any dyno numbers for the "wedge".
11-10-2012, 11:03 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Neither have I found any independent data to support the power increase claims from Variram for the power wedge spacer. frankly I could not feel any difference between what I thought was a complete new Vararam CAI installed by Unleashed Performance without a power wedge and the originally installed Breathless performance CAI. What I got from unleashed performance was a mixture of parts from my old Breathless CAI system and parts from a Variram CAI kit. The new management at Unleashed has replaced the mismatched CAI with a complete Vararam CAI. I decided to have them install the Vararam power wedge at the same time. What I can say now is that the correctly installed complete Vararam CAI with the power wedge feels quicker (more responsive) in the mid RPM range than the car did with the old Breathless performance CAI. As I stated before I don't have any dyno data to support whether what I feel driving the car now is the difference between the now correctly installed Vararam CAI and the originally installed breathless Performance CAI, or that the power wedge is responsible for how the car now feels. All dyno tuning was done with the old Breathless Performance CAI. I intend to have the car dyno tuned again with the new Vararam system.
11-11-2012, 08:32 PM
#10
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Time will tell but I doubt there is much if any measurable difference between the breathless Performance CAI and the Vararam CAI on a dyno using the same car back to back. I have been told this by two dyno tuners. They are both good cold air intake systems. The difference as I see it is that the Vararam in addition to being a cold air intake is a true ram air intake which should benefit from increased intake pressure with the vehicle moving. The higher the vehicle speed the greater the difference should be between a true ram air CAI and a CAI like the Breathless Performance CAI. There has been extensive discussion on this forum concerning the soon to be available LG ram air CAI. The only way to honestly test the effectiveness of the power wedge would be to do a series of dyno tests back to back on the same car that was properly tuned before and after the wedge was installed.
The Vararam power wedge is a different story. If the power wedge works the way Vararam says it does I think the difference should be measurable on a dyno. I would think this would hold true no matter whose CAI intake it is installed on.
The Vararam power wedge is a different story. If the power wedge works the way Vararam says it does I think the difference should be measurable on a dyno. I would think this would hold true no matter whose CAI intake it is installed on.
Last edited by jstewart; 11-11-2012 at 08:38 PM.
11-12-2012, 01:45 AM
#11
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Time will tell but I doubt there is much if any measurable difference between the breathless Performance CAI and the Vararam CAI on a dyno using the same car back to back. I have been told this by two dyno tuners. They are both good cold air intake systems. The difference as I see it is that the Vararam in addition to being a cold air intake is a true ram air intake which should benefit from increased intake pressure with the vehicle moving. The higher the vehicle speed the greater the difference should be between a true ram air CAI and a CAI like the Breathless Performance CAI. There has been extensive discussion on this forum concerning the soon to be available LG ram air CAI. The only way to honestly test the effectiveness of the power wedge would be to do a series of dyno tests back to back on the same car that was properly tuned before and after the wedge was installed.
The Vararam power wedge is a different story. If the power wedge works the way Vararam says it does I think the difference should be measurable on a dyno. I would think this would hold true no matter whose CAI intake it is installed on.
The Vararam power wedge is a different story. If the power wedge works the way Vararam says it does I think the difference should be measurable on a dyno. I would think this would hold true no matter whose CAI intake it is installed on.
11-12-2012, 11:18 AM
#12
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
I have used a fairly simple method to quick check the tuning changes on the high performance Harley Davidson (high performance being a relative term with Harley's) motorcycles I have owned. I use a programmable timer which has a spark inductive pickup that can be programmed to start timing at one RPM & stop timing at a second higher RPM. A typical timed run would start at 2500 RPM with the timer programmed to start timing at 3000 RPM & end at 6500 RPM in fourth gear. This is a simple test for one variable (power) that eliminates all the variables at a drag strip (driver ability, track conditions ect). A similar back to back test of a Corvette would start and end in a higher gear at high enough speeds to test the real world effectiveness of a CAI ram air system. I never thought about applying this test method to my Corvette but I have a Innovate LM2 data logger I have used to data log various data on drag strip runs on my drag bikes (Kawasakis).