Best Cold Air for C7
 

So which is the best one, or the favorite?
Haltech or Vararam, or which?

Lt1? Stock air house with BMS filter or any other high flow filter. Save your money. The stock system is a cold air intake. Hell I bet every new car out now has a CAI. My 155 HP mazda3 does. Ram style CAI actually.

I have to disagree .... the stock air filter pulls air from inside the fender ....not really a true cold air system and neither are any aftermarket that pull from the same region , take a look inside that area....

The Vararam is the only true CAI system that pulls ambient air from the gap between the fender and the hood and constantly produced lower IAT's over the stock LT1 system for me week after week at the track

Not to mention the great sound that it produces when you jump down hard on it
Dave

Have you actually proved this or just guessing? I put thermocouples in that hole. It's virtually ambient temperature.

Also, let's see the data for lower IATs on track. I'm surprised you're logging IATs on an NA LT1. Since there is no vararam for forced induction yet.

T1 is ambient, t2 is fender hole. T3 and t4 is when I was running the open procharger intake. Before I went back to stock airbox.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...bb4c6995cf.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...15728a815b.jpg

heres what happens when you sit still for long.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...96bc599892.jpg

^^^ interesting. Thanks.

Bruno I log my car also so no its not all guessing , how accurate is the ECM , not sure but that's all I got to go on , if you read my posts you know I don't just make statements and yes they all get hot when just sitting ....but there are many variables we are not looking at when measuring the fender hole over ambient and how fast does that fender hole cool down once the car is moving ....

Dave

I forgot to answer your question as to way I was logging IAT's

Two reasons , one while reviewing my logs when I was running my LS3 at the track because of a trace knock I was seeing at the 1st to 2nd shift ( just needed more fuel) I was amazed at how much timing was getting pulled because of IAT temps , now I am not a professional tuner by any meants but I know my way around enough to get me in trouble

When I added the Vararam to the C6 I saw instantly the amount of timing , once moving, that was now not being pulled and the car was consistently 2 to 3 tenths faster under the same DA , Air temps etc , Down here in the south we were lucky to experience the same crappy DA , high humidity and temps , which I also log along with any changes I make to the car and it was pretty much the same crappy weather for about a 2 month span

So as I always do I baselined my LT1 and saw the same thing happening ,with a 3,500 DA on a 90 degree day on stock run flats the best I could muster out of the car was a 12. 2

I figured it could not hurt so I added a Vararam the following morning , the first run down the track resulted in a CEL for multiple misfires and a lean condition as I guess I did not drive the car enough to allow the LT and ST fuel trims to adjust . After resetting the CEL and making sure that the car was not missing I ran it several more times down the track and so on the very next day , the same time of day and under close to the same crappy conditions but this time with the VARARAM the next run popped a 11.9 followed by a 11.8

Dave

Interesting. Point is. A lot for the improvements is due to a less restrictive filter.

I really would like to see IAT from anyone, before and after.

Also, I did WOT pulls and the fender thermocouple never moved. That was with the fender hole open to the engine bay and a supercharged car. I'll try again with the stock filter and take a look again.

Anyhow thanks for responding. Glad you saw an improvement. But the stock filter is Def a cold air intake.

Before
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...fb5f0e615d.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...9362eab110.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7765f39045.jpg
After
T1

I figure most of the improvement are due to the tubes being larger and also smoother. Not so much the airbox. Never the less I have had 3 other Vettes which I added Quality cold air kits all using dry style filter and saw decent gains with all. Now when my new Vararam arrives Monday I will see if it make any difference.
I only want to add 20/25 rwhp total and I will be satisfied. I am thinking ported throttle body and a borlas X-pipe should do it.

anymore lights CEL after the car adjusted?

Dave
Do you still get CEL after car has adjusted?

No CEL , the VARARAM has been on the car for a few months now and several thousand miles along withmany trips down the quarter mile . And it's still pulling the same times for those that say the gains are short lived because the car runs lean and then adjusts

Dave

Thanks Dave for the reply nice to know I won't have any problems. How's the fitment? Also does it make the exhaust any louder? I am looking for this great noise you are talking about as I was just going to do a BMS filter then you mentioned the noise along with Actually results.

The fit and finish is great , easy to install, and as far as exhaust noise gain , there is only the intake noise gain ... For exhaust noise gain I have the Borla Catless X pipe along with a mild to wild switch and the AFM tuned out . This is how a Corvette should have sounded from the factory ...

Dave

Thanks I use the range device to take v4 out works great and I got the 2017 z51 with the NPP factory exhaust on race mode it's got a good sounded.

Just add the borla , pull the fuse or M2W and you will be extremely happy

Dave

Do you think your tune is why you never got any lights with the intake? Like your tuner adjusted for the intake air/fuel or did you have this on before any tube? Sorry for all the questions.

You know that In track mode, as long as you're not below 1750 rpm in 4th gear, the exhaust is wide open at all times. At least in the manual.

Nope , I test and log all my changes, along with the many variables of the weather just so I know what worked and what did not work , baseline was stock , I then added the VARARAM . Then the track closed , I have since added the Borla Non Catted X pipe and a 93 octane tune . Track opens at the end of the month but now I have way better weather conditions so I wont be able to really compare the results against last year . But I will baseline it again and then add headers and a much more aggressive tune

So in short, no the tune had nothing to do with it and after a short trip to the track and one full throttle run down , the long term and short term fuel trims compensated and there was no more CEL or multiple misfire code

Dont unplug the MAF during installation , there is no need to , just unscrew and transfer , Bolt it on , drive it under varying throttle conditions for maybe 20 miles , working slowly to a few full throttle pulls and u will be fine , even if ubdonset a code during this initial period, just clear it
Good luck and let us know how it works out

You will love it
Dave