we use and have installed both. both gains are the same at the strip. comes down to athetics. which one you think looks better. vara ram says they have ram air from the nose and vortex is a bottom breather still and vortex says vararam is able to suck up water.....if you drive your vette thru 18 inchs of water well.......

 

Sorry I can't answer you question as you expect, but I think both have benifits. Both let you bring in cold air, which increases power. It comes down to which one you perfer.

 

check out the airaid awesome product great quality and 250 dollars shipped, people will say it's not as good as brand x but that is just brainwashed vette owners thinking more expensive=better.

 

Vararam probably makes the most power of all the CAI units out there. They seem to be the most popular as well. The issue with them is that people here have complained of poor build quality and bad install instructions. My biggest reason for passing on the Vararam was the numerous complaints about poor seal a month or 2 down the line. The last thing I want to think about is whether my 450 dollar CAI is allowing unfiltered air and dirt into my engine.

I cannot speak for the Vortex as that was not one of the CAI's I researched. For me it came down to the Killer Bee w/Beehive or the Callaway Honker. I liked the Killer Bee because it did not force me to cut my shroud up. By the same token without cuting the shroud I knew getting cold air in was going to be no better than the stock unit.

I decided on the Callaway Honker. It requires the shroud be cut and allows cold air that is forced up the shroud and into it's large K&N panel filter. It does not scoop air like the Vararam but it is also much higher off the ground and will not ingest water as easily. I will say that Vararam or Honker I was not concerned about ingesting water. My car barely sees the rain so crossing a river was never an issue for me.

I just finished the install of the Honker this weekend. If you have an 08 Z51 prepare yourself as it was a PITA to get the shroud out and unlike the Vararam, you MUST remove the shroud to rivet the lower Honker box to the shroud. All in all it took about 5 hours to do the whole job and quite honestly I feel no difference in my 45 minute drive home. I can hear it sucking air but as far as SOTP HP, I didn't feel any. I'm sure it makes more power on the track but I'm still glad I did it. It's the first real mod that should be done when looking to get the most out of your car.

Good luck with your decision!

 

the vararam is the fastest

 

 

Not exactly apples and oranges BUT I had the Vortex rammer on two of my C5s. I thought it was a nice well built unit. I ending up going back to the Blackwing with a cold air box cover which was a similiar set up but the blackwing was a much larger filter. I preferred that set up over the Vortex.

On my C6 i went from two K&N drop in panels to the Vararam and will not be changing it unless I get a supercgarger down the road (doubtful however). I will also say I think the build quality is better on the Vortex but the Vararam's performance is proven in my mind and test results back it up.

 

A few months ago I went through the same decision making process you are going through now. I ended up with the Vortex. See my reasons why along with some other goodies here. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1963296

 

my vararam is the best cai i have ever owned. I've driven through huge downpours on long trips on the interstate and always checked the filter. Nothing wet at all. I was nervous about that but extremely happy with my decision to get one