Bewildering array of cold air intakes
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Originally Posted by 1KLRTOY
Callaway sells one called the honker, I'm going to switch from my Blackwing to it, great design from someone who knows Corvettes. You can read all about it in the Aug. issue of Vette magazine 
$490.00 plus +shipping for an intake system????
Ouch.http://callawaycars.com/store/index....&id=3&subid=19
You can get a set of low mileage gears for that kind of money. Or even a cam.
Last edited by '06 Quicksilver Z06; Jun 25, 2005 at 08:09 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 32,269
Likes: 35
From: Somewhere between mild insanity and complete psychosis
"Ram Air" systems, like Vortex & Vararam, will give the best performance, because they bring in outside, cooler air. However, Korreck is right in saying that a blackwing with a hole cut under it in the radiator shroud will work just as well. Again, you'll never be going fast enough to get a ram air effect that will affect manifold pressure. So the only thing that matters is access to cold air. I personally like the Vortex. It is of better build quality than Vararam, and has the best filter design of ANY intake system out there. As for cutting the shroud, you can buy a precut shroud and save your stock one. Your bill will still be less than if you bought a vararam, installation is much easier, and if you get the clear box you can visually inspect your filter. A lot more people had problems with vararam than vortex. Just my .02
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,851
Likes: 1
From: San Bruno Ca
Here is some info and an opinion better qualified than most.
go to this site and scroll to almost the bottom.
Read the whole page for other very valuable info. I think this guys opinion is a little better than average.
http://www.vetteguru.com/mods/howto/#maf_tb
Good reading
go to this site and scroll to almost the bottom.
Read the whole page for other very valuable info. I think this guys opinion is a little better than average.
http://www.vetteguru.com/mods/howto/#maf_tb
Good reading
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 77
Likes: 1
Black Wing with an Ice Box Cover = Best filter IMO and a cold air source. May be the best of both worlds.
Vortex - Same setup as above but a smaller filter. Least Expensive.
Vararm - Crappy filter but right on ambient air readings even at idle.
Vortex - Same setup as above but a smaller filter. Least Expensive.
Vararm - Crappy filter but right on ambient air readings even at idle.
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 77
Likes: 1
Black Wing with an Ice Box Cover = Best filter IMO and a cold air source. May be the best of both worlds.
Vortex - Same setup as above but a smaller filter. Least Expensive.
Vararm - Crappy filter but right on ambient air readings even at idle.
Hurricane from WCC - Best looking set-up, similar to BW or Vortex. Well engineered, comes with molded shroud.
Vortex - Same setup as above but a smaller filter. Least Expensive.
Vararm - Crappy filter but right on ambient air readings even at idle.
Hurricane from WCC - Best looking set-up, similar to BW or Vortex. Well engineered, comes with molded shroud.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 26,345
Likes: 232
From: SoCal
HALTECH TRAP!!
After cuting fog shrouds and placing Z06 screens (and/or opening & screening the front license area) you get ambient air and a REAL (and real big) filter. I also notice lots of big power cars using this system. And after 30K miles my MAF screen and throttle body were squeeky clean
DH
After cuting fog shrouds and placing Z06 screens (and/or opening & screening the front license area) you get ambient air and a REAL (and real big) filter. I also notice lots of big power cars using this system. And after 30K miles my MAF screen and throttle body were squeeky clean
DH
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
From: Houston TX
St. Jude Donor '06
Guys and Gals, now I'm totally confused about air intake systems! I have a stock 2003..well, just added corsa pace car catback. Was considering Blackwing as next mod. As this is my daily work car (gotta love it-maybe I'll get a beat up junker for the weekends!) I was told that the Blackwing will not suck up the dirt, water, etc. and that the Blackwing would be a better choice. As the performance issues opinions seem to vary, is one system better for everyday use?
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Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Originally Posted by yllwvet
Guys and Gals, now I'm totally confused about air intake systems! I have a stock 2003..well, just added corsa pace car catback. Was considering Blackwing as next mod. As this is my daily work car (gotta love it-maybe I'll get a beat up junker for the weekends!) I was told that the Blackwing will not suck up the dirt, water, etc. and that the Blackwing would be a better choice. As the performance issues opinions seem to vary, is one system better for everyday use?
Collections Hold
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 3,520
Likes: 2
From: Tacoma WA
Originally Posted by EB20003
If you are interested in Cold Air Intakes, then do not listen to any advice regarding the Blackwing or the Halltech Stinger.
These are not Cold Air Intake systems and have no place in a CAI discussion. They breathe hot under hood air and do not give the performance benefits of a CAI. Any discussion of the Blackwing or the Stinger is irrelevant.
Also there are those who are going to try to dissuade you and hijack your thread with talk of "filtering" and "hydrolock". Some will even tell you that "there is no such thing as cold air" or "ram air."
Again, pay them no mind as you asked a simple question. What is the best CAI available?
Now that we have gotten that out of the way, there are two good ones out there. The Vortex and the Vararam.
First off, "cold" air (more accurately "ambient" air, for your die hards out there, which still from a relative standpoint, is still "colder" than underhood air) and ram air work. And cars running such systems generally outperform those which do not.
Many, myself included, have proven that the same car will perform better running a Cold Air/Ram Air system than it did running a system utilizing hot underhood air.
The Vararam is a favorite among those getting the best performance from their cars. From a performance standpoint it is unmatched and many people here have seen dramatic improvement following the install of the Vararam.
A good cold air intake system won't show much on a dyno. As they work best when the car is actually moving. Besides, no one races on a dyno. The Vararam uses one of three filters
RACE - designed track use only!!!! offers the the most flow of all their filters. This filter is not the best to use on the street.
SUPER STREET - this is their standard filter and is designed to be the best compromise between flow and filtrations, this is for your daily driver.
BAJA - this filter can also be used on your daily driver, and offers the most filtration of all their filters. This is the standard filter which comes with the Vararam. There are no reported problems with this filter for its's intended use.
These are not Cold Air Intake systems and have no place in a CAI discussion. They breathe hot under hood air and do not give the performance benefits of a CAI. Any discussion of the Blackwing or the Stinger is irrelevant.
Also there are those who are going to try to dissuade you and hijack your thread with talk of "filtering" and "hydrolock". Some will even tell you that "there is no such thing as cold air" or "ram air."
Again, pay them no mind as you asked a simple question. What is the best CAI available?
Now that we have gotten that out of the way, there are two good ones out there. The Vortex and the Vararam.
First off, "cold" air (more accurately "ambient" air, for your die hards out there, which still from a relative standpoint, is still "colder" than underhood air) and ram air work. And cars running such systems generally outperform those which do not.
Many, myself included, have proven that the same car will perform better running a Cold Air/Ram Air system than it did running a system utilizing hot underhood air.
The Vararam is a favorite among those getting the best performance from their cars. From a performance standpoint it is unmatched and many people here have seen dramatic improvement following the install of the Vararam.
A good cold air intake system won't show much on a dyno. As they work best when the car is actually moving. Besides, no one races on a dyno. The Vararam uses one of three filters
RACE - designed track use only!!!! offers the the most flow of all their filters. This filter is not the best to use on the street.
SUPER STREET - this is their standard filter and is designed to be the best compromise between flow and filtrations, this is for your daily driver.
BAJA - this filter can also be used on your daily driver, and offers the most filtration of all their filters. This is the standard filter which comes with the Vararam. There are no reported problems with this filter for its's intended use.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Originally Posted by Robert56
Right on input. The Vararam is the proven leader in performance circles. Do a search on this in various areas of the forum and you will find the proven results. Most guys with the best CAI/DR times run the VaraRam. On the the issue of ram effect, just stick your head out the window at 100+mph and see if the air is still static, or if it is ramming it into your face, basic pyhisics, imo. You won't see much on a dyno, but at speed at the track gains of .2/.3/.4 are seen and this equates to 20/40hp. Now why is this, The Freaking Ram Air Effect.
94 degrees out there today. And considerably hotter than that under the hood of my car after I have been driving it for 30mins to an hour.
How anyone can think that any intake system can take in hot underhood air in temperatures like that and still expect decent performance is beyond me.
94 degree air is quite "cold" compared to the temperature of the air in the engine compartment of a car operating in such heat.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,804
Likes: 358
From: Northville, MI
Originally Posted by Robert56
Right on input. The Vararam is the proven leader in performance circles. Do a search on this in various areas of the forum and you will find the proven results. Most guys with the best CAI/DR times run the VaraRam. On the the issue of ram effect, just stick your head out the window at 100+mph and see if the air is still static, or if it is ramming it into your face, basic pyhisics, imo. You won't see much on a dyno, but at speed at the track gains of .2/.3/.4 are seen and this equates to 20/40hp. Now why is this, The Freaking Ram Air Effect.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,640
Likes: 0
From: Sunshine State
Originally Posted by Gordy M
According to engineers who test ram air effects--aircract mfr--a 405 hp Z06 makes about 2 hp at 75 mph from ram air, at 140 mph it is 8 hp and if you could reach 350 mph it would make an additional 60 hp. At any given speed, a properly set up ram air effect produces hp.
You have to COMPRESS the air to get more into the engine. It's great to think that the forward velocity of a car is being converted into a free supercharger, the actual air pressure gain is extremely small at automotive speeds. For example, at 150 mph, the pressure gain when air is efficiently brought to rest is 2.75 percent. Because this is a dynamic effect, it is proportional to the square of the air velocity. At a more realizable automotive speed of 75 mph, the effect (again with 100 percent efficient conversion of velocity into pressure) will be only one-quarter as great — that is, just under seven-tenths of one percent. In fact, velocity energy is not converted into pressure at 100 percent efficiency. A figure of 75 percent efficiency is usual, which reduces our ram-air gain at 75 mph to one-half of one percent.So all the claims of the ram air crowd is BS!! The best you can hope for is an UNOBSTRUCTED supply of ambient air.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,027
Likes: 6
From: Shiloh Ohio
I believe the error many have with ram air is they think the only way an engine can get more HP is if the air is compressed. Not true, if you provide ram air to the intake this will reduce the parasitic HP loss associated with the engine intake. The HP gains have nothing to do with compressibility. Sometimes we need to use plain old common sense to solve the problem. Do ram air setups on motorcycles and cars work, of course they do.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 5,022
Likes: 1
From: TEXAS
What your engine wants is COLD air. Cold air is more dense and thus is more oxygen rich. More oxygen means a better burn means more HP. Same exact principal when spraying nitrous oxide, which is oxygen rich.
Ram air is mostly a fallacy unless you are traveling at a very high speed or you have a supercharger.
Ram air is mostly a fallacy unless you are traveling at a very high speed or you have a supercharger.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,640
Likes: 0
From: Sunshine State
Originally Posted by shurite44
I believe the error many have with ram air is they think the only way an engine can get more HP is if the air is compressed. Not true, if you provide ram air to the intake this will reduce the parasitic HP loss associated with the engine intake. The HP gains have nothing to do with compressibility. Sometimes we need to use plain old common sense to solve the problem. Do ram air setups on motorcycles and cars work, of course they do.
I don't know where you went to school, but try and get a refund. You're reading all the BS from these vendors. Your Vararam inhibits good airflow. Bends and small ducts.
