I am looking into cold air intakes and the majority that are available seem to utilize the stock intake location. I haven't had a lot of under the hood time experience with a c5, but while i was looking the question came to my mind about air intake location. Is there a design (custom or aftermarket) that would take air out of the radiator cooling box? (the area in front of the radiator that directs air from bottom of car....don't know correct term for this design). I am sure the designers felt the location used was sufficient, but would the air flow that is used for radiator cooling provide a better source of cool air to feed the engine? Just shopping for opinions/experiences/ideas..........thanks

 

search here for vararam intakes. it directs air from the fog light holes in the front up to the motor.

 

Three designs. One design sucks air from under the hood. The second is the design you're asking about. It involves cutting a big hole in your shroud and robs air from the cooling system. That design also can't help but suck warm air from the radiator as well. It's a good system but in my opinion not a true cold air intake. The third design is the already mentioned vararam. If you search for it you'll find this is a fiercely debated topic. Poor construction, ferocious install, and the all time favorite it will hydrolock a your car. Truth is its a good design, true cold air intake, made of plastic, install isn't bad, quality is mediocre, the air filter leaks and needs sealing, and if you are a moron you can hydrolock your engine. I can hydrolock ANY engine. I love my vararam.

If you want design 2 for basically free, search zip tie mod. It'll work

 

Just to comment here. First, as far as the VR, it's well documented here about it s***** quality, poor installation instruction, and stroke inducing installation. Really not worth it at any price, and the "at least 40 hp gain" as the BS it is. But anyone can install whatever intake they want on their own corvette. As far as the comment about the hole in the shroud robbing the cooling system of efficiency, you first have to know what the hell you're talking about. If you decide on an isolated filter (Blackwing, K&N, Volant, for instance) these filters have been known to perform better in conjunction with a modified radiator shroud with no ill effects to the cooling system. As a matter of fact, oil,coolant, and fluid temps will run cooler because of this mod. I know this for a fact because I've had the Blackwing, IceBox, and radiator shroud mod for a while with no problems as others here with similar setup. Also intakes such as Hurricane, Honker, and Vortex Rammer are DESIGNED to to take in cooler outside air through an opening in the radiator shroud, again with no cooling system, fluid temp issues. Maybe it would be a good idea to this poster to learn more about this subject before making a wrong opinion on it. And by the way when you modify the shroud, you DO have a truer cold air system than if your just relying on the openings in the front bumper.

 

thanks for jarring my memory Camjamsdad....I remember noticing a while back the 2nd system you mentioned somewhere on the web. I thought from the 1 photo I saw they had flipped the existing filter box and cut out the shroud. That would seem to be a great spot for some "fresh" air since that is how the radiator gets its cool air, but the volume of air being directed toward the intake is taking away some of the air meant for cooling and when your in the drive thru on a 100 degree day. . . . .ummm, fun question. (should have been an engineer) Anyway, the system you have is obviously the best for 100% outside air but the things you mentioned made me wonder about its real world application when I saw it advertised and criticized. Did you notice an obvious benefit from the system or did it do its thing quietly?

 

I take it that you're planning to change the intake, cam it, etc?

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...with-pics.html

 

Well, here is the deal....I have had it now (the 345 horse 99 coupe) for about 7 months and the only mod I am aware of is the exhaust. I had a redo on the exhaust a few weeks back due to a flange failure that led to an x-pipe and different mufflers. The guy at the shop was saying the next step to pull out a few more horses would be the CAI and a tuner install. (of course, they sell them). The air intake was placed on the "investigate" list. The issue then became the question I posed on the thread. I can see from past forum research and magazines etc you can arrive at several different conclusions about the results of the various systems and their air sources.. . . .the one I wondered the most about would be one on the radiator side of the shroud. The other 2 systems are straight forward in their concept. Since I am more inclined to the 2 heads are better than 1 theory, i am reviewing old post and asking for any current experiences on this subject to make up my mind. The cam is down the road at some point maybe.....Thanks for any input.

 

Linz, Fwiw, I've been agonizing over the same thing for a year and still don't know what to do.

 

Callaway honker is exactly what you describe.

 

You ought to slow down and read what I wrote. Nowhere did I say chopping a hole in your shroud will rob the cooling system of efficiency. What I said was cutting into the radiator tunnel will get you warmer air than from the front bumper. First you can't help but suck some warm/hot air from the radiator, and secondly the air drawn in from the summer hot road surface is much hotter than the air at the foglight openings. Your cooler temps could be from the intake sucking air through the radiator allowing it to cool better, tough to prove either way. Or it could be your file folder forcing more up the tunnel though the radiator.

The OP asked for opinions on chopping a hole in the shroud type of CAI's. I gave him that and more. I like my VR. I also dislike my VR. I also doubt the 40HP gains but it gives your "seat of the pants dyno" a kick in the butt you can feel, and also broke my tires loose for the first time since I owned the car. Says a lot about what the VR is capable of. Truth is any CAI beats factory.

Sorry you had a hard time doing the install. It took me 2 hours and was simple and straight forward. I had a harder time, and shed blood, changing the plugs and wires for the first time. I've done some fairly serious work on the car as well, so I can honestly say the VR install was a cake walk. The only tricky part is the bolt that holds the passenger side foglight on, and that isn't VR's fault, its a GM design.

The OP is the only one who can decide what he wants to do with his car. I chose the VR for my car and was minimally disappointed in the way the filter fit the upper housing. But a tube of silicone later and I know nothing will ever get past the filter and I've always preached that to anyone who owns the VR or is considering it.

 

As you'll find from your research it's a well debated topic. I'm not going to try and sway you either way. I will answer your questions fairly and honestly. I did noticed a big difference after I installed my CAI. It was probably the 3rd or 4th mod I did. I wasn't happy when I found sand and 1 blade of grass that made it past the filter. I ended up using silicone to set the filter in place then ran a bead around the filter. Nothing can get past the filter now.

I've always wanted to put a couple temperature probes in a couple spots and see exactly what the temps are in various locations. That would put the debate to rest once and for all.

 

Never meant to raise a fuss and if I read it wrong, I apologize for that. This subject gets heavily debated. The OP is trying to decide on a CAI and I guess Im advocating to him that for optimum performance, he should get a system that allows for outside air. Again,sorry

 

Search for "Zip tie intake".

You basically cut a hole in your shroud, flip your intake upside down and have it suck in air directly from where the radiator draws its air. Its functionally identical to the Callaway Honker intake and it only costs ~$65, and an hour or so of your time.

The biggest cost is replacing the stock paper filter with a K&N style filter.

 

Its not exactly the same as the honker, the honker relocates the maf sensor to a better position.

 

More BS about the VRB2. I will not give mine up. Install is tough because it is major. Donnie and I did it in three hours and three beer breaks. 3/10th's went bye bye at the 1/4 with this mod alone. Had mine for five years, six K&N fitler cleanings, etc. No way would I change it out for anything out there for the C5. The haters don't know or they would not be haters.


Some think thick plastic is better than plastic that delivers performance. The VRB2 delivers.

 

you know I've been resisting the VRB2 for many of the "non reasons", you mention. I think I'm changing my mind...

 

As far as installation is concerned the Honker installs fairly easily with no major issues and is the most OEM looking and quality. The design is fairly sophisticated with probably far more research involved than most others, their design relocated the MAF closer to the throttle body long before GM made the same change. Filter maintenance is simple too. It's designed to make filter cleaning an easy job. Lastly the performance is absolutely one of the best and is a true CAI. It also is not any more prone to water ingestion than the stock intake. Worth every penny and I'm totally happy with mine. Plus, they stand behind their product. I recently had a problem with mine after it being installed for eight years. They took care of my problem with no hesitation, totally to my satisfaction and after eight years at no cost to me. Excellent service! And another reason they have a great reputation. You get what you pay for.

 

thanks for the input all.. . . .I can see this is an old and opinionated subject, but for us newer owners these experiences and opinions can greatly enhance the learning process. Because of these members input, I feel I have a better idea of what direction to go with my plans. Thanks again.........

 

Come by the VetteCave,,I will nonhelp you noninstall a VRB2!


I have everything we will need,,,maybe,,,,bring an extra beer or two!