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Drilling those 2 inch holes looks like a really good idea. The ram air hitting the spoiler will force some of it right up into the holes. I would never have thought of that. Thanks for the pics and the tip. Looks like another winter project.
I'm pleased with my Vararam. It does pick up a decent amount of debris in the filter. If i drove this car a lot that would concern me.
But overall for the 300 bucks it cost (with the power bridge) i'm pleased with it. I mean... It's a plastic duct that runs to the throttle body... it's not like i was expecting some work of art lol.
Any type of cold (ambient) air intake will add up to 8-9 hp, if you drag race you might see better time but not more than 1 mph of trap speed. However, with the engine management system on a C5 96K can be programmed to improve performance and the other 450K in non-programmable (Adaptive Strategy) that is constant. However, the biggest gains will be in the 2000-5000 rpm range--where most of us drive when having fun--because their is more oxygen in the cylinder per engine stroke. You can open up the shroud (frill holes), remove the vent covers (Z06), etc and allow outside air into the engine bay but GM could only gain another 2-2.5hp on a Z06 doing that and most of it was found in the 5000-6500 rpm range. For those who are looking for the best performance either drag racing, canyon running, autocrossing or HPDE, the lower rpm gains of cold air becomes more important to them and they will appreciate the gains of a good engine tune. Also, for anyone with an auto, the tune will be the most beneficial.
I installed a Vararam. I love the performance and price, but the install was a pain in the ***, was impossible to make fit without cutting the radiator shroud (I have VR-B2 and power duct), my fog lights are slightly covered and I get a periodic MAF sensor CEL. I have cleaned the sensor twice, re-positioned the tubing/couplers once and have the MAF in factory location with factory screen. It doesn't look possible to locate the MAF next to the throttle body... Looks like I am going to need to get a tune soon, I was hoping to hold off on the tune until getting long tubes though.
Since there is no compression with any CAI, or modified air box, there is no increase in intake volume, the engine draws what air it need that is available. the only thing a CAI does is offer cooler air. But not any more air volume.. there is no such thing as ram air without having a compressor to compress the available air. Since atmospheric air is at the mercy of mother nature, the only way to get more air is to compress it with a SC. If you choose a CAI it will only change the amount of oxygen available by the difference in under hood temps and outside ambient.. a simple calculation would be based on the formula that for every 10 degrees cooler you will gain a denser mixture of oxygen rich air. so for every 10 degrees you will gain 1.7 to 1.8 HP. So if the under hood temp is 120* F and the outside air is 90*F and the air coming off a black top surface heating the air at ground level to 100 * F, you will see a difference of 20 degrees ( on that day ). and an additional 3.4 to 3.6 hp. This is science not manufacturing claims, BTW, a local shop pull will not give you true HP and torque ( but will give a bench mark for relative HP gains when you add modifications. These local shop dynos are not calibrated for true HP. that's why there is such variation between dynamometers. A Mustang Dyno is by far the closest to true HP numbers, a DynoJet will be much more generous in its output readings( bragging rights ) but both will offer true relative readings for additional modifications. ( meaning a pull from a dyna jet or Mustang will give you a bench mark. ) ( add headers and either dyno will show a relatively close assessment of the gains by adding the headers. If you do a pull on a DynoJet and then add headers, and do a pull on a Mustang you could actually lose hp. So you need to use the same dyno to get gains from the benchmark of that dyno, every dyno is slightly different.. within their own brand.
I installed a Vararam. I love the performance and price, but the install was a pain in the ***, was impossible to make fit without cutting the radiator shroud (I have VR-B2 and power duct), my fog lights are slightly covered and I get a periodic MAF sensor CEL. I have cleaned the sensor twice, re-positioned the tubing/couplers once and have the MAF in factory location with factory screen. It doesn't look possible to locate the MAF next to the throttle body... Looks like I am going to need to get a tune soon, I was hoping to hold off on the tune until getting long tubes though.
I installed the same (VR-B2 and power duct) and I didn't have to cut anything other than the last coupling to size. I didn't find the install that bad. I honestly was dreading it based on others experiences, but ended up being less of PIA than I thought. There's a thread somewhere on the forum that strongly suggests letting the fog light pieces "float", which made things, including final installation, much smoother. I was one who put the MAF in the factory location too, and haven't had an issue (but I did have the car tuned after)
I installed the same (VR-B2 and power duct) and I didn't have to cut anything other than the last coupling to size. I didn't find the install that bad. I honestly was dreading it based on others experiences, but ended up being less of PIA than I thought. There's a thread somewhere on the forum that strongly suggests letting the fog light pieces "float", which made things, including final installation, much smoother. I was one who put the MAF in the factory location too, and haven't had an issue (but I did have the car tuned after)
allowing those pieces to float made the whole thing fit so much better.
I used a Blackwing on my car. It is not a cold air intake, but was better than stock and the install was simple/no codes.
If you want a true cold air intake, the Vararam or Callaway Honker are great choices.
What's the difference between a Blackwing and the other CAI? I have a Blackwing on mine. Just wondering if I would notice a difference if I upgraded to a Callaway.
Checked out a Vararam in person, wasn't at all impressed with the cheap construction given the MSRP. Went home and did the "zip tie" mod and haven't really thought about it since.
Really? The "Zip Tie" and "Flip Tie" mods were pretty popular on here. The ZT mod is basically just removing the top lid of the box and fastening the frame back down with some industrial sized zip ties. The FT mod involves cutting the plastic shroud and inverting the airbox so that air is pulled from outside instead of the engine bay. I didn't feel like cutting any of the plastic up, so instead I spent $3 at Home Depot for a bag of the big zip ties.
Really? The "Zip Tie" and "Flip Tie" mods were pretty popular on here. The ZT mod is basically just removing the top lid of the box and fastening the frame back down with some industrial sized zip ties. The FT mod involves cutting the plastic shroud and inverting the airbox so that air is pulled from outside instead of the engine bay. I didn't feel like cutting any of the plastic up, so instead I spent $3 at Home Depot for a bag of the big zip ties.
Nice. But if you haven't created a means for fresh air to reach the filter, I'm not sure you have gained very much.
I don't disagree. It's louder at least. The way I see it is it should be doing effectively the same thing as a Blackwing or any other air filter setup that doesn't work like a Vararam. Either way, it was $3 spent. The "Flip Tie" pulls air from below the car and is probably better for performance. I know SOMEONE did a dyno test with the flip tie vs. expensive CAIs but I can't find it now. Maybe that was back when I was on Facebook and I saw it there.
I don't disagree. It's louder at least. The way I see it is it should be doing effectively the same thing as a Blackwing or any other air filter setup that doesn't work like a Vararam. Either way, it was $3 spent. The "Flip Tie" pulls air from below the car and is probably better for performance. I know SOMEONE did a dyno test with the flip tie vs. expensive CAIs but I can't find it now. Maybe that was back when I was on Facebook and I saw it there.
Flip tie? What is that? If that refers to opening up the radiator shroud, I agree that would be a good way to go.
