I have 2000 convertable and want to upgrade the intake. I have been looking at the Vararam, but I have heard good and bad things about it. I was wondering how it performs in the rain or on wet roads. Not that I'll be looking for those conditons but I don't want to be SOL if I get caught in the rain. If anyone can share their experiences or has any advice, I'd appriciate it. Thanks.

 

The only problems with water is if you drive through a puddle that is deep enough to be sucked into the intakes.... Rain isn't a problem.

 

Rain poses no problem and the performance is second to none. Just don't drive through flooded streets. That would be pushing your luck.

 

I had the same question and decided to go from stock to Blackwing just because my is a daily drive and there is lots of water down here.

 

Yeah, just don't do this . . .

 

With all the above. I've had mine on for 25k miles and all sorts on conditions including VERY heavy rains/winds and never had a problem.

The biggest concern with Vararam in my experience has been proper filter fitment.
The foam filter is not great in terms of letting small debris pass.
Make sure your filter fits evenly before closing the unit up every time.
Oil is recommended to help catch small particles.

Do the above, and clean it regularly, and I don't think you'll ever have a problem with it.
Scott

 

Thanks guys, does anyone have any other suggestions for intake mods or is Vararam the way to go?

 

Wow, that's a great picture! What a genius (not one of your buds, I hope?) Precariously close to flooding the stock intake!

 

There are several intakes that many Forum folks have found great results with.
Blackwing
Haltech
Callaway Honker (newer unit and lotsa $$)

And a few others I'm forgetting about right now I'm sure.
Scott

 

I have had a vararam and had no water problems. I have only seen one post from a forum member who said he hydro locked his engine driving in water above the fog lights. I received 3 tenths and 3 mph improvement in ET and trap in the qtr mile. The foam filter is fine, I cleaned it often and made sure it was installed properly. Lately I have seen people post that they do not oil the filter, I think this is a mistake with a foam filter. Don't over oil or you can foul up the MAF sensor wire.

The installation is fairly difficult for a novice mechanic. Some shops will install them for around 100-150 bucks. There is a thread on the forum with detailed instructions for installation, this is better than the ones that come with it.

 

Here ya go

 

I have had the BlackWing and the VaraRam. I think you will find the VaraRam performance to be excellent, especially if you need the consistency required for bracket racing.

I had some fitment issues although they were small and easy to correct. The instructions that ship with the product look like they were done by a third grader. They were unprofessional beyond belief and they left an important detail. That being the proper use of spacers, which they supply in the kit, if you are running an aftermarket air bridge. I had to go to their website to get that information but I knew about it in advance because of this forum.

IMO.... the biggest single issue is that foam filter. I ran it for about 4500 miles with PJ1 filter oil on it. PJ1 is available at any motorcycle shop catering to the off road crowd. It's great stuff with a foam filter and again, I learned about it here.

The fit of the foam filter is something you need to be really careful with. If you do a search and read the many threads here you will see a few where the intake air was getting past the foam because it did not seal up. This is an installation error but it is easy to foul up. In addition the foam begins to break down around the edges very quickly and that makes getting a good seal even harder.

I have solved all of these problems on my car and I have replaced the foam filter with a K&N unit that I siliconed into the housing. I am not the first to do this and it's not as radical as it sounds. It's easy to clean because the VaraRam housing in front of the MAF is removable which makes the filter easy to clean even though it is permanently mounted in the VaraRam housing.

One problem I had that I have never seen anyone mention is that the opening that attaches to the MAF is smaller than the MAF. Perhaps it was made for a 78mm MAF but I have a later model 85mm MAF. This causes it to bump into the MAF screen and close the small holes within the MAF screen. I solved this problem by cutting the back end off of an old MAF, enlarging the VaraRam opening, and then JB Welding the ring I cut off of the old MAF into the inside of the VaraRam where it meets the MAF. I blended it in using more JB Weld.

Now the MAF and the VaraRam opening are the same size and probably flow better. This all sounds like too damn much trouble I am sure but the final results have been worth it. It just takes some work. There are however, alternatives.

 

Vararam is the way to go........ Nuff said!!

 

LeMansBlue04, you should have gotten a silicone coupler that mates the VR airbox to the MAF. My MAF and airbox fit nicely together but, as you say, maybe your's was for an older 78mm setup. Bummer you had to go through all that to make it fit. Here are a couple of shots.

The hardware, etc.


The finished setup


I also added an extra set of latches to mine for a more secure seal.


Btw, I also ran a Blackwing for about a year and I agree the VR was an improvement.

 

That looks nice with that power duct on it, I was planning on getting one too.

 

It does look good. I also found the vararam fit better with my after market air bridge. The stock one had those two tabs and they did not quite line up.