I was thinking of buying a cold air intake... i was wondering if any of you did this and/or felt a difference after install.. o and its the intake that has a 3 1/2 " outlet to dual cone filters.

Supposedly people are saying a 10 to 20 Hp increase..? if so im in on this!
thanks, andy

 

Good basic mod with decent power gains. Intake and exhaust are always the first mods to do.
somewhere in there sounds about right

 

I would suggest Varam....I did get a confirmed Dyno increase of 12 HP if I remember correctly.

But where it really shines is when the car is moving. On the dyno the Vararam cannot show it's real potential since the set-up thrives on the car moving foward to push air into the intake. 40 mph on up was SIGNIFICANTLY better after the vararm.

Just IMHO

 

The promise of huge horsepower improvements by manufacturers can seldom be backed up with proof. Only two might produce close to 20hp, the HONKER or the VARARAM. That's because they draw only outside air independent of the engine bay. The rest of the so called "cold air intakes" might be better referred to as "cooler air intakes".

Unless they're sealed off from the engine bay in some manner, they still draw warm air from inside the engine compartment to some degree. They might produce some power increase, but probably not 10 to 20hp. Real power increases are more likely with a professional tune in addition to the air intake. A professional tune could benefit even a stock air intake system. You might have to get a tune to avoid some annoying codes associated with an air intake change.

And the promise of power increases are at higher rpms/speed than most street cars ever operate at...at least not for long periods of time.

For the most part, owners buy after market intakes for the car show WOW factor, bench racing/bragging rights, and the increase in the sounds of incoming air. That's what owners usually equate to more power.

If you elect to buy an air intake, be realistic in your expectations.

 

I am thinking with the Vararam or the Honker you may see 10-12 hp gain,which really isnt bad for the price of a vararam.

 

Whatever intake you choose, to get a realistic intake charge youre gonna have to modify the radiator shroud. Since the C5 is naturally a bottom feeder, the air charge coming from underneath the front end into the filter (whatever brand it is) you will get a more realistic benefit.

 

The Vararam does not gets it's air from the bottom,it takes it directly from the front of the car where your fog lamps are.

 

If you're going with the twin cone intake, I suggest you also think about cold intake fog light screens (older C5s had a closed housing). The openings on each side will channel air directly to the cone filters. That'll make it more of a cold air intake.

http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...6&dept_id=1353

 

I went with a Blackwing.

 

I know that the Vararam gets air from the fog light area. What I said was with a modified radiator shroud and an attached scoop FROM THE BOTTOM FRONT of the car, it will suck a lot more intake air than the Vram and will cool the engine compartment as well. The Vram will only ingest air into the intake. I have the Blackwing and the mod shroud and the temp never rises above 190. AND with the approaching fall weather, maybe cooler

 

you will definitely notice some gains from an intake. the stock c5 intake is super restrictive. the biggest intake mod i noticed was switching to an ls6 intake manifold. you can pick one up for around $325. no need to buy new coolant tubes as you can just cut off some of the ribs on the bottom of the manifold.

-Dan

 

Modifying the shroud sounds like a good idea.. now the stock airbox comes completely out right? when it does, is there an opening where the air can come in from the bottom? or do I have to cut away some plastic to get the air flowing? i really dont want to have to install fog lights by buying those open air screens..

thanks
-andy

 

Don't forget the vortex rammer...

It draws air from under the car.. the same way Honker does it. I'm satisified with it

 

When the original airbox comes out ,there is no opening in the radiator shroud. there is a thread at on one of the other forums that I saw but that was after I had srapped the original aftermarket intake (MTI Ram-Air intake). I removed the top half of the assembly (airbox and panel filter), where all that was left of the aftermarket system was the modified shroud,and scoop attachment. I bought the Blackwing, mounted it in the original air box position, and the added pep and throttle response was amazing. There is a thread on one of the other forums that has a detailed step by step of modifying the radiator shroud by removing the shroud, cutting a measured hole in the center , and installing one of those plastic triangular wall files from Home Depot (about $10 in parts) and reinstalling the shroud. I did the same thing on a car club buddys vet and hes been happy with it. His induction system (Halltech filter and powerduct) is in the same postion and is very effective. Another plus is the fact that the air coming into the engine compartment is helping to bring the underhood temps down a bit. Its a little bit of work ( a good part of a Saturday afternoon) and as far as astetics, its barely visible from underneath the car. All in all, a "real" cold-air system that is actually pouring outside air on the motor!!

 

Also when installing the Vortex Rammer what do you think makes it work?? YOU HAVE TO CUT THE SHROUD!!

 

Hm.. vortex does bring air from where radiator gets air.. just like Honker.

Additionally, the honker comes with the pre-cut shroud but that's because it's $500.. you can just buy another shroud.

When you have a system like honker/vortex, you can open up fog light area and let air cool engine down.

 

Go with the Vararam!!! Easy install and you will be very happy with the results!!!

 

Have a Callaway Honker system and am very satisfied. Don't penny pinch and if you look under parts for sale there is one available at a fair price.

 

Honker does not come with a pre-cut shroud...only a template to show you where you need to cut your factory shroud. Having said that, I am very pleased with my Honker.

 

If you buy a new one you have to make the template and then cut the shroud. The one that is for sale under parts was installed and the person selling is including the cut shroud. In any case it's a nice hook-up and you can hear and feel the difference.