I did an install in about 90 minutes, taking my time, up on ramps.

It gets tedious taking out all of those small screws - but thats all.

Drop me line if you need help - your about 15 minutes aways.

 

Thanks I probably will need help lol!!!

 

For the people who have the vararam, how necessary do you feel it is to install the z06-style screens? Anyone had any issues with water ingestion?

 

Believe me you want those screens! you will be amazed at how much that intake "sucks" Any help you can get for keeping the debris out will be worth it.
I personally have not had any issues with water, and i do drive in the rain. But i dont think it would be wise to drive through 6 inches of water either.

 

Get the screens on order today.

 

Ok soo i guess i need to order some screens now too bc my vararam will be here tuesday thanks to byunspeed!

 

FYI,
Group purchase going on for the screens.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=2043316

 

Vararam

 

You bought from an excellent vendor, just don't forget the screens, they are a must with the VR-B2.

 

I will believe it when I see it

 

Unless you drive your car nose first into a small river you wont have to worry about water. The screens are not necessary, that is why the filter is there. Screens are really only there for looks.

 

I kinda disagree with you there. You will have leaves, pine needles, and small animals all up in there.

 

I believe I'm in agreement with nikolbag. Again the fiter will stop oblects (leaves, pine needles and small animals),and water shouldn't be a prob. unless you drive through several inches of it. I know I won't be doing that.

 

We have both...
Vararam on my C5
Blackwing on my wife's
Tonight at dinner she asked me to get her a Vararam...
said my car is faster than hers....

 

Vararam just came in yesterday!!!

 

I have no doubt the Vararam will add performance - too many testimonies herein to ignore.
But.....in MHO the first and foremost job of a street driven intake is to effectively filter the air.
To get the VR sealed properly will require some, ah, persuasion and sealer goop.
Blackwing quality - absolutely tops.
VR quality - well, it adds performance and it's cheap.

Concerning cold air, which is the big issue:
I hooked up the scan tool and took some IAC temps on the BW with Z06open foglight shrouds. As long as the car was moving at all, the IAC matched the outside temp within 1 degree. However, when I stopped for a red light, the IAC temp would immediately begin to climb. It took a couple of minutes of driving to bring it back down. So, this is the downside to the BW - heat soak, timing retard in town (or in the staging lane at the track).

Seems the Honker has it all, but plenty of "Corvette tax" to go with it!

DG

 

Curious, what were the iac temps on the vr?

 

I finally bit the bullet on Tuesday and received my Vararam in the mail today. I initially had concerns about the build quality, fit, and finish. I was assured though that if I'm not happy within 30 days, I can return it. ...I almost was ready to return it as soon as I got it out of the box, then was ready to return it when I tried to piece it together and see how everything fit. I'm sure I'll really want to return it once I start trying to install it on my '02 Z06. The build quality....

The green filter seems like it'll have all kinds of gaps around it and won't seal at all once the system's all put together. Then the thin foam gaskets that are supposed to stick to the two tubes once put together, have holes in them for the screw heads and don't even line up with the screw heads. Two of the four holes are way way off. Then the middle where the two tubes connect seems like it'll bow away from the filter causing a large gap. The air box that holds the filter has some thin foam tape around the inside edge, but it only seals up against the filter on the corners... the other 80 or 90% of the perimeter has a gap. The foam gaskets that attach to the two ram tubes aren't cut properly to fit into the corners of the filter box, so they'll have to be trimmed to fit. And the whole unit just has an amatuer build quality to it, like it was made in someone's garage.

Now... with all that said, at this point I'm still determined to keep it and use it. As The Wrench said, it'll require some help and extra materials to get it sealed up properly. There's NO way I'd install it just as it is... Lord knows how much dust and dirt would make it into the engine. I guess it is what it is: great design but little effort or money put into build quality. I'm sure its performance will make up for its other shortcomings. It'd just be nice to buy something new and use it right out of the box.

Tonite I got a few varieties of foam and rubber weatherstripping that will be of good use. I've called Vararam all afternoon, but got no answer or callback yet. Steve has been great so far, so I'm sure he'll help me through it. I'll report back on how my installation went.

 

Madman, I never installed the VR. Just couldn't bring myself to obsess over possible unfiltered air leakage into the engine.
But, I assume the VR would keep very close to ambient in all conditions.
And very possibly, under full throttle, the Blackwing would pull in some underhood air and mix it with the cool foglight air.
So, I think definitely for performance the VR can't be beat.

DG

 

TV Lance:
Hang tough Dude. As I advise anyone who will listen, just get a tube of Locktite silicone from Walmart and run a bead around the top of the filter and put the filter in the upper housing. Then fill all the gaps around the filter and foam. Do a nice job of sealing it and try not to make a mess. hehehe. Anyways let it dry over night. Nothing can possibly get past the filter. I've cleaned mine twice so far and it isn't much of a hassle at all.

Depending on what you paid you may want to test it BEFORE gluing the filter in just in case you want to return it but I bet you keep it.

You won't regret it once you start driving it.