Vara Junk
Acct Suspended APR 2026 by request
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 10,367
Likes: 1,272
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
I agree that it is pretty poorly built but once you get it on right it does work... I ran one on mine for 3 years but recently took it off for a blower... I siliconed the filter into the upper housing because it would not fit the curvature very well and the foam seal they supply is garbage, it will fall off very quickly once it is heated up a few times... the silicone will force air to flow through the filter and not let any debris past the edges and to clean it just remove the upper housing, rinse with water, then let it dry... I never used filter oil because it can get past the filter and contaminate the maf
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 804
Likes: 4
Had both, the original and second gen Vararam. Both were POS as far as fit and finish. It is also ironic when some are defending the poor fitment and at the same time mention silicone, extra washers, etc. to make it work. Truth be told as bad as the finish is and no matter the gaps and holes it is probably best performing intake on the market to this day. Going back to design and finish. The runners and main body are vacuum formed ABS sheet, which is the cheapest material and way to fabricate them as appose to molding. The entire design, due to it's construction is rigid and hard to fit on a C5 where no two are really alike. If there were accordion style flex joints the system would be much easier to install and molding the filter housing would guarantee clean tight fit. But then you would have another $500 intake like the honker. In my humble opinion what you get in Vararam is a very good performance, low cost and extremely crappy fit/finish. You decide what is important to you, after all that has been posted on the subject over the years there should be no surprises.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 4,260
Likes: 429
From: Houston TX
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 193
Likes: 16
From: Vegas NV
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 193
Likes: 16
From: Vegas NV
Had both, the original and second gen Vararam. Both were POS as far as fit and finish. It is also ironic when some are defending the poor fitment and at the same time mention silicone, extra washers, etc. to make it work. Truth be told as bad as the finish is and no matter the gaps and holes it is probably best performing intake on the market to this day. Going back to design and finish. The runners and main body are vacuum formed ABS sheet, which is the cheapest material and way to fabricate them as appose to molding. The entire design, due to it's construction is rigid and hard to fit on a C5 where no two are really alike. If there were accordion style flex joints the system would be much easier to install and molding the filter housing would guarantee clean tight fit. But then you would have another $500 intake like the honker. In my humble opinion what you get in Vararam is a very good performance, low cost and extremely crappy fit/finish. You decide what is important to you, after all that has been posted on the subject over the years there should be no surprises.
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Michael S. Palmer
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
I've had several different intakes over the years and I agree the Vararam doesn't stand out as the one with highest build quality. But it's useable and it gave me, by far, the greatest gains of any intake to date. I could easily feel the difference when I pulled my Blackwing off and installed the Vararam. Also, I logged intake temps with EFI Live and they never exceeded ambient while the underhood filters like the BW saw temps as much as 40 deg. above ambient.
This weekend, I uninstalled the Vararam from my C5 - not because I think it's garbage and doesn't work, but because I'm modding the car again and the Vararam will not work with what I'm doing. When I pulled the front fascia off I looked at the install and it was still rock solid and well sealed. If installed properly, the system seals well and performs better than anything else out there. If I could make it work with my new setup, it would be staying on the car. Unfortunately, it's for sale.
Say what you will, it does work as advertised.
I added an extra airbox clamp to each side for a tighter seal. My filter fits very snugly in there so no leaks. the throttle body blade was spotless when I pulled this off this weekend.
This weekend, I uninstalled the Vararam from my C5 - not because I think it's garbage and doesn't work, but because I'm modding the car again and the Vararam will not work with what I'm doing. When I pulled the front fascia off I looked at the install and it was still rock solid and well sealed. If installed properly, the system seals well and performs better than anything else out there. If I could make it work with my new setup, it would be staying on the car. Unfortunately, it's for sale.
Say what you will, it does work as advertised.
I added an extra airbox clamp to each side for a tighter seal. My filter fits very snugly in there so no leaks. the throttle body blade was spotless when I pulled this off this weekend.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 804
Likes: 4
What do you think of the Hurricane System?
The reality is that stock system will easily support 450 HP and gains by all other systems are minimal at best. The computer on board C5 is very good at learning changes and canceling any power gains over time. Majority of people buying the CAI systems would benefit much more from a good tune than just simple bolt on CAI. Just my opinion
Last edited by zagger; Mar 11, 2014 at 05:32 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 19,304
Likes: 85
From: San Diego CA
After attending a couple of Dyno Day events, I realized by the HP and TQ numbers for the many C5s tested that many of the intake/cat-back combos were very close, as far as net gains.
My Halltech?Borla combo gained as much as Vararam/Corsa or BPP/Magnaflow combos.
Remember that dyno tests are typically done with the car's hood, open. This allows heat that would normally get trapped in the engine bay (Blackwing, Halltech, etc), escape. There was a fan in front of each tested car, as well.
The difference among the intake systems comes on the road. True CAI systems pull in ambient air, whereas Blackwing and Halltech intakes pull in engine bay air. This is why I installed a cold air scoop to blast outside air past the filter element. This setup kept intake air temps far closer to ambient (I did a before and after test, using a car chip data logger plugged into the OBD II port.).
The advantage my setup has over closed systems (air filter is isolated from engine bay air) is that my engine bay and all its hoses, belts, batteries, and electronics stays much cooler than the engine bay where outside air is isolated. All my aforementioned OEM hardware (except the battery, of course) is still in perfect condition, thanks to that cooler air that pushes out the hot stuff.
My Halltech?Borla combo gained as much as Vararam/Corsa or BPP/Magnaflow combos.
Remember that dyno tests are typically done with the car's hood, open. This allows heat that would normally get trapped in the engine bay (Blackwing, Halltech, etc), escape. There was a fan in front of each tested car, as well.
The difference among the intake systems comes on the road. True CAI systems pull in ambient air, whereas Blackwing and Halltech intakes pull in engine bay air. This is why I installed a cold air scoop to blast outside air past the filter element. This setup kept intake air temps far closer to ambient (I did a before and after test, using a car chip data logger plugged into the OBD II port.).
The advantage my setup has over closed systems (air filter is isolated from engine bay air) is that my engine bay and all its hoses, belts, batteries, and electronics stays much cooler than the engine bay where outside air is isolated. All my aforementioned OEM hardware (except the battery, of course) is still in perfect condition, thanks to that cooler air that pushes out the hot stuff.
