Originally Posted by VettesGoneWild

I'm a first time Vette owner, bought March of this year. 2002 all stock 6spd manual, 50K miles, 1 owner. Had a 69 Chevelle SS396 when I was a kid and always dreamed of owning a Vette some day. Love my Vette, so much fun to drive! Considering Vararam intake. Would I need any retuning or changes along with that?

Originally Posted by baxsom

If you are not going to get an intake that draws air from outside the engine bay they just do the zip tie mod.

Originally Posted by Tar Heel

I have a Vararam and installed it myself. I've never had another system but know there can't be too many other cold air kits on the market that will give you as much fresh air as the Vararam. Yes, the fit and finish could be improved and it took longer than it should have but once you're done you're done and it's nice. Just be patient and know when it's installed you'll dramatically improve air flow over stock.

Scott

Originally Posted by VettesGoneWild

I'm a first time Vette owner, bought March of this year. 2002 all stock 6spd manual, 50K miles, 1 owner. Had a 69 Chevelle SS396 when I was a kid and always dreamed of owning a Vette some day. Love my Vette, so much fun to drive! Considering Vararam intake. Would I need any retuning or changes along with that?

Originally Posted by torchredmadness

I've always thought when you are trying to get more air into the engine you would also want to try and get more air out. So I figured you would want something other than a stock exhaust to get the most of a CAI. I would at least shoot for a cat back exhaust. Most makers of CAI tend to over exaggerate the HP gains when adding such devices on your car. Most claim 15 - 25 increase HP which is crazy. All you will notice is a different intake sound. I really don't think you'll notice any noticeable HP gains. Just my thoughts on CAI.

Originally Posted by striper

I also have a Callaway Honker and have had years of excellent satisfaction. Installation is not difficult either and it includes everything you need, even the right size drill bit. It's not expensive compared to others when you factor in one thing. Almost every other intake does not include an air bridge, which if you decide to buy that also usually adds about a couple hundred bucks to any intake install. Add that up and you are at Honker price. The point is that the Honer eliminates this part because of its superior design. It does this by relocating the MAF to just in front of the throttle body, as GM did when they went from C5 to C6. Callaway did this first. The air makes a much smoother flow from the intake to the engine this way. BTW, servicing is super easy too. IMO, worth every penny. I have had excellent service dealing direct with Callaway.

Originally Posted by striper

I also have a Callaway Honker and have had years of excellent satisfaction. Installation is not difficult either and it includes everything you need, even the right size drill bit. It's not expensive compared to others when you factor in one thing. Almost every other intake does not include an air bridge, which if you decide to buy that also usually adds about a couple hundred bucks to any intake install. Add that up and you are at Honker price. The point is that the Honer eliminates this part because of its superior design. It does this by relocating the MAF to just in front of the throttle body, as GM did when they went from C5 to C6. Callaway did this first. The air makes a much smoother flow from the intake to the engine this way. BTW, servicing is super easy too. IMO, worth every penny. I have had excellent service dealing direct with Callaway.

Originally Posted by torchredmadness

I've always thought when you are trying to get more air into the engine you would also want to try and get more air out. So I figured you would want something other than a stock exhaust to get the most of a CAI. I would at least shoot for a cat back exhaust. Most makers of CAI tend to over exaggerate the HP gains when adding such devices on your car. Most claim 15 - 25 increase HP which is crazy. All you will notice is a different intake sound. I really don't think you'll notice any noticeable HP gains. Just my thoughts on CAI.

Originally Posted by zagger

First off lets address CAI and what it does aside of making more noise which is sometimes mistaken for increase in performance. The stock system flows pretty well, actually it's good for 450+hp which is way above the stock LS1 or 6 need. So if flow is not the problem than it must be air density. Cold air being more dense and thus caring more oxygen allowing for better fuel mixture burn. Any intake taking air from under the hood is rendered equal in that respect considering the MAS and TB flow capability. So the amount of air the engine gets is limited by those two not the filter size which in all cases exceeds the real need. VR claims to also produce ram air effect, kind of like a small FI system at higher speeds thus forcing even more cooler/denser air past the MAF and TB normal limit. That point has been argued to death here on CF but they have track data to back them up. Not HP data but quicker track times which calculate to real HP gains. Vararam and Honker on principal breathe outside/colder air and will give the best gains out of all the rest. Not the 23+ HP gains but should be just north of 10. If you read up on the subject you are already aware of the VR issues and the cost of the Honker. In real world the gains are very marginal at best on stock set up's. The computer in our cars is pretty smart and quickly adjust so as to bring the motor to original working specs deemed best for you by the factory and EPA. You want a bang for your buck, get it dyno tuned. No bolt on intake will match the gain of a good tune which can be had for little more than Vararam and about same cost as a Honker. Even an inexpensive mail order tune will wake the car more than just an intake. Just my .02