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Picked up a new vararam cai a couple months ago. Never being a fan of the oil type filters I started to search for a paper alternative, thanks to member HOXXOH he listed a few. Not being able to find my first choice amsoil EEA240, I went with a WIX 49186. I first tested the vararam as delivered using a toro blower and an air flow meter, it showed 1,100 fpm on the meter.
The vararam green filter has 47 pleats and is 15"x 4" x 3/4" tall
Wix 49186 has 131 pleats 16"x 4 3/4" x 1 1/8" tall
overall hight 3/4" vararam, 1 1/2" for the Wix.
To fit the Wix I just had to trim the corners very slightly with scissors, to fit start the ends and push in twords the center. I did remove the foam gasket on the top portion of the vararam since this filter is about 3/4" taller and the orange rubber of the wix will sit and seal fine.
I also removed the foam on the bottom half in favor of slightly thinner foam and also placed the foam a little farther twords the outside to seal it air tight
Testing with my toro blower and a air flow meter showed :
stock vararam green filter 1,100 FPM
Wix 49186 paper filter 900 FPM
I know it's not the best test equipment but I'm sure a better test rig would probably show about the same percentage between the two.
BTW the blower was set as low as it would go, and there was a ton of airflow at the outlet "to MAF" side! Not sure about RAM AIR, but I think the scoop facing forward in clean air at the grill should do more than under the hood .
I run the K&N 33-2522. A member on here did some testing a while ago and showed it to be a good compromise between performance and filtration, which is what it comes down to. If I recall correctly, he also tried the Amsoil filter and it showed an airflow restriction at the track. Just other options if you wanted to continue your testing.
I love independent comparison testing, especially when using methods that are not overly high tech.
Much thanks to demon 340.
Since my initial change to paper filters, I've tried several brands. Some are made by the same manufacturer (similar part numbers) and the results were very similar, regardless of price.
I agree the flow is more restrictive as shown by demon340's cool testing, my timeslips, and scans with HP Tuners software. I remove the filter altogether if I want the very last bit of power at the track, but that's rare. Getting far better filtration for 99.9% of the miles I drive, is far more important to me than .005 seconds in the 1/4 mile.
I'm currently using the Fram CA 10085 and on the shelf is the STP SA10085. Other than price, a different color seal is all I see.
Here's the list that I compiled.
Amsoil - EAA240
Purolater - A25596
Fram CA - 10085
NAPA - 9186
WIX - 49186
STP - SA10085
Carquest - 83186
The past few years, I've swapped back to the OEM housing with the stock Donaldson filter during the Summer. Living in Phx where daytime highs below 100 are rare, I want as little restriction to the radiator as possible. All the racing is done in the Winter anyway.
Thanks guys... I'm sure the vararam will make a difference on my LS2 , but I will be porting the intake and a slight blend radius on the TB high spots so if I feel a jump in performance it will be hard to quantify how much of the gain is the CAI. I went with the Wix over the Fram due to the lack of expanded metal support on the back side of the filter, the Wix just has a glue strip on it which MIGHT flow better, but who knows..
I love independent comparison testing, especially when using methods that are not overly high tech.
Much thanks to demon 340.
Since my initial change to paper filters, I've tried several brands. Some are made by the same manufacturer (similar part numbers) and the results were very similar, regardless of price.
I agree the flow is more restrictive as shown by demon340's cool testing, my timeslips, and scans with HP Tuners software. I remove the filter altogether if I want the very last bit of power at the track, but that's rare. Getting far better filtration for 99.9% of the miles I drive, is far more important to me than .005 seconds in the 1/4 mile.
I'm currently using the Fram CA 10085 and on the shelf is the STP SA10085. Other than price, a different color seal is all I see.
Here's the list that I compiled.
Amsoil - EAA240
Purolater - A25596
Fram CA - 10085
NAPA - 9186
WIX - 49186
STP - SA10085
Carquest - 83186
The past few years, I've swapped back to the OEM housing with the stock Donaldson filter during the Summer. Living in Phx where daytime highs below 100 are rare, I want as little restriction to the radiator as possible. All the racing is done in the Winter anyway.
Tom: I've read so much about the stock filter delivering an ample supply of air, so much so that the after market is not needed. If true why do the swap in the first place
Thanks
Bobby
Tom: I've read so much about the stock filter delivering an ample supply of air, so much so that the after market is not needed. If true why do the swap in the first place
Thanks
Bobby
Tom: I've read so much about the stock filter delivering an ample supply of air, so much so that the after market is not needed. If true why do the swap in the first place
Thanks
Bobby
If your talking about stock air boxes then the LS3 does flow very well and the vararam would not be much of an improvement, but for LS2 any decent CAI is a improvement.
Tom: I've read so much about the stock filter delivering an ample supply of air, so much so that the after market is not needed. If true why do the swap in the first place
Thanks
Bobby
Lower intake air temperature. Cooler temps = denser air
If your talking about stock air boxes then the LS3 does flow very well and the vararam would not be much of an improvement, but for LS2 any decent CAI is a improvement.
Yep, LS3
Originally Posted by OneMoreVet
Lower intake air temperature. Cooler temps = denser air
no debate for me, my REAL world experience always showed a tenth or two in the 1/4 mile when I sealed the induction system to 100% outside air , worked for my homemade air box on my demon and 71 superbee ram charger hood, plus other iron I've owned!
There's a lot of homebrew research out there comparing oil to paper-type filters.
If I recall correctly, the verdict was basically minimal performance gain in exchange for slightly increased debris penetration (for oil-type filters). Basically, not worth switching from paper.
I think I've seen a lot around here regarding the poor intake design of the LS2. What are some good alternatives that are California legal?
Well I've put 100 miles on the car and it definitely picked up some HP, I installed the vararam with the paper filter, blended in the TB ridges, and finally ported the intake it has a 160 t-stat. I would say it feels like it rpm's faster, especially over 4K, also much more of a kick when shifting the manual trans in the 3,500 to 4,500 range. No SEL's, flat spots, idles right at 600/650rpm. Very pleased, now the ZO6 exhaust!
04-14-2018, 08:14 PM
C6 Vararam paper filter fit and "test"
