I have been involved in a few posts about CAI's here. I FINALLY got a chance to install my Vararam this weekend. My impressions are as follows:
#1 It is the biggest PITA to install that you can imagine. They forget to mention that if you have an 03, like I do, there are front brake cooling ducts which are right in the way of two screws that you need to get at to drop the old covers around the fog lights.What a PITA.
#2 As several members have said, the fit and finish are not great. Out of the box, it looked OK, but now that it's in, I'm not real thrilled with the look.The ducts in front show silver rivets when you look at the front bumper, and the way the ducts sit is not to my liking. Some black paint will hide the rivets, and I suppose I can tweek the ducts to get them right.
#3 The all important: what does it do. Here, we are OK.There were no issues driving the car. I did the 50 mile adjustment course suggested,to reprogram the computer and MAF, and the car was fine.On the highway from 40 or 50 up- Holy Crap!I drove my car several weeks ago, and now, from 40 or 50 to 90, before I knew it was quite a difference. I'm not in the habit of going 90 on the highways around here, and I got there alot faster than I expected it. The car doesn't seem to "pull", but it accelerates very smoothly, and alot quicker in my SOTP perception.
#4 Overall opinion. It is alot cheaper than the Honker,which seems way too pricey for what you get.Is it just the name you pay for? However, the look of the Honker is cleaner, but does it work any better?These are the trade-offs. As far as performance, Vararam does the job. As far as looks, fit, and finish, it does leave alot to be desired.Would I do it again? Maybe. Would I go with a Honker or a Vortex? Maybe. Am I going to get under the car and change anything now? NFW. Not after all the cuts and scrapes putting it in. Oh, and yes, it does take about 3+ hours to do, and it would have helped to have another person there. I did it after work Friday night. Don't do that!
Hope this helps. If you have any questions, you know where to find me.

 

Your car's brake ducts are just like every other model year, no difference..

Yes, the Honker is worth the price; I had a Vararam, custom installed and sealed K&N, and after months of paranoid / OSD (justified BTW) checking of the intake tract for debris, I ponied up the bucks for a Honker, sold the Vararam for a loss. Never looked back.

 

I've been vararam for about 3 years, and love it. One of the best features in my opinion, besides the performance, is the fact that it converts the 'aestetic only' front end, to actually being a functional air scoop. I hate fake scoops.

 

Another functional improvement is the Z06 foglight screens. It hides the rivets, and keeps the intake from sucking in debris...and small critters.

 

I just installed a Vararam about two months ago, and I was impressed with it for the most part. Of course, compared to my ghetto'd K&N connected directly to the MAF, it looks like bling.

 

I put mine in yesterday. It was a real super PITA. I had close to four hours into it. It is pretty cheaply made compared to the average plastic garbage can at Walmart. The rubber pads were misaligned on mine. The rubber pad was unglued on one side. 2 of the 4 holes to reconnect the wiring harness were not in the correct place. The opening for the fog lamps are too low. The instructions were poor at best. They should provde some tools/parts like an angled #30 torx, and the plastic fasteners that must break during the average install. I have that stuff, but most won't. Maybe the functionality is good, but it is a 75 dollar kit at best. I drove mine a few miles to see if I had the connections correct, I did not test the performance aspect yet. I'm really amazed it is so cheaply made. It is low bidder construction. If I had to do it again, I would try the Honker, based on positive comments concerning construction. By the way, I just squeezed the brake cooling ducts, and twisted them out of the way. I would also recommend an air tool or electric screwdriver for all of the fasteners. I am going to silicone the filter in place because I am concerned about leaking.

 

Have the vram.......I like it!

Buddy has the honker,.......better construction,...almost twice the price

Performance wise,I don't think the honker has the umph the vram does, but it is'nt far behind for sure..

The only thing I don't care for,and maybe it's just me,but it bugs me that with the honker and others that you cut the shroud to gain access to the radiator's chute,you are actually robbing the car of some of it's cooling air by sucking it up the intake....Also you may not get as cool of a charge when the car is warm as the air is passing right by the hot radiator

It may NOT make much difference, but it HAS to make some

Just one of those little things that annoy me, like fit and finish,but I never hear anyone mention it

.02 deposited

 

[/QUOTE]
... I am going to silicone the filter in place because I am concerned about leaking.[/QUOTE]

make sure you let that silicone dry and cure completely before you run the car, I've heard that uncured silicon will kill O2 sensors...

 

I installed mine 2 years ago on a snowing spring morning . No help apart form Cajundude's instructions form the Forum
It fits just fine, no need to silicone in the filter.
It works and I think is hard to detect from the perspective on non-vette owners.

 

True, the foglight screens would be a good addition. I also agree with the other responses- the instructions( what instructions? they were like something from Borat) were ridiculously bad. Photos didn't match details by the numbers, and they were too vague. Cajundudes instructions helped, and his service and price were good too. Also the foam pads supplied to seal the unit together around the filter were coming off and misaligned too. Didn't anyone ever hear of quality control there? As an upgrade, and a newer generation model, all this stuff should have been resolved.However, it was such a PITA to do, that it will stay for a while. A neighbor has a 99, and we were talking about if he should get one or not. I don't know if I'd recommend it, but at least I can give him a hand now if he chooses to go with it.

 

By the way, I forgot to mention, that a sensor which was attached to the old fan shroud on the lower left hand side as you face the car had no place to go on the Vararam. I suppose I'll have to drill a hole to reinstall that, or is there something in those useless instructions that I've missed.

 

 

The temperature senser goes goes back in the same hole it came out of.......Uumm, you did put the fan shroud back.....didn't you? That is where the senser goes. Hope that helps.

Roger T