Josh H

I have read and researched until my eyes were bleeding, and I still don't know the truth about CAI systems on an LS3. I see some posts saying the stock intake on an LS3 is not a restriction and there are no real power gains to be had by swapping it out, and then I see some folks saying the addition of cold air being drawn in from outside is where you will see the improvement. The issue there is a have a Grand Sport with the Z06 style nose scoop that supposedly provides fresh, cool air to the filter area. So I say that to say this, does anyone have any real world results (dyno or drag strip) from doing a direct comparison between the stock LS3 intake on a Grand Sport and a quality aftermarket CAI like the Vararam or the Honker? I'm planning to do some long tube headers and a tune, but I would like to know if there will be any significant gains from swapping out the factory intake. For the record, I have seen several posts where people claimed XX hp after swapping the intake AND tuning, but I don't know how much of that gain is attributed to the intake and how much is the tune. Thanks.

jaredtxrx

The physical LS3 air intake is not a restriction (well, at typical power levels). Now, is there some power to be gained by getting some colder air into the filter? Quite possibly, but the intake unit itself is not a choking point.

Boomer111

Cooler air mans more power but getting safley is another thing.

Also the MAF sensor is very finicky regarding turbulence.

Had the Vararam and removed it due to emissions testing and slight surging and more so the fit of the box and filter.

I understand they improved it some but it is still a snorkel bottom feeding the filer gets more debris and it isn't as good as the stock at filtration.

Save your money and get a tune, even a stock engine will see nice gains. I saw 24 rwhp and 18 rwtq with a tune only on a MN6 LS3.

MTPZ06

There's more power in a tune than a CAI...but they do work well together. Especially when dealing with the aforementioned MAF turbulence, that is prevalent with a lot of aftermarket intakes. A true CAI will add some HP...but not those crazy 30 HP claims you see. More importantly though; by ingesting cool ambient air it will also keep your IAT's from pulling timing out of the car, which in turn decreases HP.

Vararam's are proven to work; but they are plagued with fit and finish, and I personally wouldn't use one. I highly recommend the Callaway Honker, which I feel is just as effective as the Vararam, without the fit and finish issues.

LT's + Honker + Dyno Tune should net you a nice gain.

madmatt9471

Absolutely love my VARARAM and have no issues at all - 2009 LS3 A6

Thanks,Matt

emoFTW

Get either a Halltech or Vararam. Can't go wrong with either one. I have a Halltech right now. You can search my name, I created a thread last year sometime about the two. There was some very good information in that thread. It's worth a read.

Josh H

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Emo, I read through most of your thread and found it very informative. I was a little disappointed to see a couple of the vararam users being so argumentative toward someone with direct real world back to back testing experience between both intakes. Those types of attitudes cause people to not want to share their experience. Still a very good source of information. I really like the sound of the Halltech intake with the beehive heat shield. Does anyone know what gains can be had by going to the 108 maf sensor instead of the 103?

MTPZ06

For the most part, tune versus non tuned on 108 vs 103. I have the MF103 on my C6Z because I'm on stock tune, and I have zero MAF turbulence issues. If I were tuning the car...108.

Josh H

I will definitely be getting the car tuned.

Dano523

Josh, it not really what you gain with a CAI, but what you are not loosing instead.

Hence as the intake starts to pull in hot air, the ECM will start to retard the timing so the motor will not have detonation problems.

Even at 86 degrees of air temp going into the intake, the car is starting to pull timing, and the hotter the air the motor is pulling in, the worse the timing is pulled.

HOXXOH

If you want real world gains (not dyno numbers) for cheap, then prop the shroud.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1586336347

FNBADAZ06

Do you participate in any form of racing ? If so, the form of racing you do might steer your decision more than a dyno chart.

If you're doing it more for dyno or looks, pick the one that looks the most appealing to you and have a dyno chart skewed to get the numbers you want.

Suns_PSD

I've had 3 CAI's on my '08.

What I can tell you is that a Vararam well tuned, and then a swap to a Halltech, gained me 5 rwhp right there on the dyno.

However, I have a gauge and one of the parameters I can watch is intake air temp. The Vararam was notably cooler when idling in TX rush hour traffic.

So if I was a drag racer for sure I'd get the Vararam or something similar.

I like to take my car to the roadrace track occasionally. I wanted the better power, the Halltech has much better fit and finish, doesn't block my radiator (the Vararam will absolutely increase engine coolant temps at the track 10-15 degrees), and has much less danger of hydro-locking on a wet street drive. So for me the Halltech is a no brainer.

But when stuck in traffic on a 100 degree day, IATs will spike up to 150 pretty easily with the Halltech, and the engine will feel really fluffy, rich, and slow, when first taking off. It takes maybe an 1/8 of a mile for IATs to drop and you feel the engines responsiveness come back. In traffic the Vararam would usually top out at around 127 degrees or so as a recall and take longer to get there so this effect was way less.

FNBADAZ06

, hence why I asked what type of racing (if any) the OP would be doing.

FYI....I have both a Vararam and the Halltech CF103 with carbon shield, like your car, and like you I have the ability to monitor my IAT's.

Drag racing, and maybe even 1/2 mile events where ram air can be a factor at speeds in excess of 150+ MPH, Vararam is my prefered "CAI".
Road racing, appearance, and general driving/cruising, the CF103 is my prefered CAI, as the Vararam does block airflow to my radiator and is not nearly as sexy looking as the carbon fiber tube and shield

During the summer time, I'll re-install my CF103 and heat shield. Winter months (and my racing season) the Vararam will be installed.




Halltech installed



Vararam installed

Josh H

I will not be using it for any sort of competitive racing on a regular basis, but part of the reason I got the car instead of a base model or even a Camaro or something less handling oriented is because I want to be able to use it for autocross events and road racing type track days. I will probably do some drag racing as well, but the only interest I have in the dyno is using it to get the tuning dialed in on the car. If there is some sort of dyno event going on, I may go out there to hang out and dyno just for fun, but peak numbers are of no interest to me. I'm looking for power under the curve. I'm also not building a show car, but I want a product that is built with quality components that fits and functions as it should.

2L8LUZ

Pull out your FOG LIGHTS and see what difference it makes... Cut shroud on top of that and you'll the best any of the aftermarket kits!!

CAI with all of the above and you get fuc* me airflow...

FNBADAZ06

Excellent reply.
For your needs, I'd go Halltech all the way with the beehive heat shield Consistent power and sufficient heat shielding with MAF forward design will keep IAT in check at autocross and road racing events. The Vararam will block some of the airflow going to the radiator and oil cooler on a GS/Z06 car, which may cause some hotter operating temps for both engine coolant and oil on a road race style event where sustained engine loads exist......drag racing and 1/2 mile racing last between 10 and 20 seconds of WOT operation.

Suns_PSD

Can I ask what intake manifold that is that you have installed and what you found using it?

FNBADAZ06

It is the MSD Atomic Airforce intake manifold, which I had ported by Tony Mamo. The manifold has a larger plenum volume that the FAST 102 intake, and with the runner length in the MSD it has shown to have a greater peak power output than the FAST. I installed the manifold in conjunction with a few other mods so I can't give you a specific output gain with the manifold alone.

449er

Excellent post explaining what a good cai actually does/does not do for your engine performance