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You just CAN'T always avoid the deep water. Last week 4 of us were on the Hot Rod Power Tour: 2 C5Z and 2 C6Z. As we crossed Houston on I610 a thunderstorn caused flooding on ALL roads, including the freeway. We could NOT exit as the access roads were more flooded than the interstate lanes. The middle lanes had "less" flooding and both side lanes were deeper. Of course the jacked up pickup trucks roared past at high speeds, and the resulting "bow wave" covered all 4 Corvettes. The C5 with the VR2B hydrolocked but the C5 with the Blackwing did not. Both C6 Z06s with aftermarket intakes did not hydrolock. Thats the difference.
In high performance driving schools we teach students too LOOK UP THE ROAD. too avoid any things on the road / track. same with puddles. LOOK UP THE ROAD and watch were your driving
they can't most of them are staring at their phone
what i did on my varam was cut a rectangle piece in the back of it higher than the front inlet so if the front inlet gets under water the engine can still suck from the higher up cut in the back kind of how a helicopter inlet works to dump out sand/FOB
Wouldn't it be better to just stay with the stock filter if you're going to wrap the high-flow filter to filter better (and thus counteract the high-flow-yness)?
Maybe.
And the fact is they also don't provide a direct path of cold air either, ultimately costing one the maximum performance gains that they desire in the process.
Ya can't have it both ways.
Once again, I bought a Corvette to race/drive/corner quickly with, stop well and look good but it's a VERY poor design for hauling a family of five and/or off roading/rock climbing.
That still doesn't make it poorly designed vehicle by any means.
It's a series of gives & takes and there are ALWAYS some sacrifices/compromises in the name of speed.
Long tube headers/high flow cats/X-pipes are, going by the letter of the law, illegal in EVERY single state and can get your car impounded if the officer/spot check inspector is keen/well versed enough. Yet we still do them because we want that big power gain. Why is that (potentially costly) risk acceptable but this one isn't?
People need to prioritize and figure out exactly what 'performance to safety' ratio they're looking for.
EVERY air intake system (even the factory unit) is susceptible to permitting water in (yes, some more than others), if the puddle is big enough then NONE are truly immuned to hydrolocking.
I agree if you are driving through water that is deep enough to hydro lock it you have more problems than that at that point ...
I have had mine on and drive in all kind of weather .....never once worried about hydro lock ...
You guys apparently don't know this is a 5 year old thread that got dredged up by a newbee.
But anyway, this is what I keep in the hatch if I ever have a concern and have no other alternative. It's just a piece of 1/8" foamboard held in place with a bungie. Assuming the water is not deeper than the lower part of your bumper (and you shouldn't be driving if it is), this'll keep the wave created by oncoming vehicles from entering through the grille.
Without something to block waves, your other option is to shut off the engine before the wave arrives.
BTW, I use a paper filter in my Vararam. It not only filters more dirt, but it's a lot less likely to be hit with enough water that could force it's way farther up the intake.
Vararam mesh filter and you can see through it.
Paper filter and not even a hint of light.
Last edited by HOXXOH; Jun 23, 2016 at 10:15 PM.
Reason: spelling
I just ordered a Vararam Snake Chamber intake but after reading all the horror story's about hydrolocking I'm really concerned about installing the intake (as it rains a lot here) But isn't there a temporarily (only when driving in rain) solution for it? For example, when it rains, can't I just put a sponge into the intake hole and when the sky clears up pull it out??
