Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

The first mod on my G8 GT was a dyno tune. My power rose from 307rwhp/333rwtq to 325rwhp/335rwtq with the tune (87 octane tune by the way). It was all outlined here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/dynamomet...e-g8-tune.html

Yesterday, I installed the Vararam cold air intake for the G8 as the second mod. I've seen some pretty outrageous claims from different people on the gains from installing the VR. Mine was going to be a true A-B-A comparison. Tuned with the Vararam, back to tuned with the stock air box, back to the tuned with the Vararam. All on the same dyno within a one hour time period.

The results for the Vararam were good, but certainly not nearly as high as other people's gains. We dynoed the Vararam and it made 335.5rwhp/341.5rwtq. Then we reinstalled the factory airbox and it made 325rwhp/335rwtq. Then we reinstalled the Vararam and it made 336rwhp/342rwtq. A gain of 10.5rwhp and a torque gain of 7. This gain was not as much as some others had posted which leads me to believe that perhaps the Vararam may gain more on an untuned application or maybe people were testing the stock airbox with a stock tune and the Vararam with a power tune. If that's the case, then my total gains for VR and tune were 28rwhp and 9 rwtq. More in line with the big claims some have been making.

Here's the dyno of the Vararam compared to the stock airbox. All adaptives were reset before each pull and the oil/water temps were all the same. We used 93 octane to insure there was 0 knock. Like I said, this was a no-BS test.

WKMCD

iTrader: (2)

Nice results - nice car.

I love it when you have to start a thread title here with "No BS"...

RJB01camaross

Great comparison and gains!!

pharmd

iTrader: (4)

Nice job, way to separate truth from hype.

lilbuddy1587

iTrader: (1)

Have you done any logging while the car is actually moving to see if it is making more power as the speed increases? Hasn't it been said that the Vararam is designed to increase power while moving?

Quik Sand

iTrader: (6)

Nice G8...

Damian

iTrader: (89)

A G8 holds 18-20 gallons of gas right? So if 93 octane is (at most) .25 higher than 87 octane, you're saving a measly $5 per tank, for less HP.

I don't get these "87 octane" setups, but whatever tickles your pickle. Nice work Pat, you do a great job of helping lead the way for others with R&D.

black_z

iTrader: (4)

Agreed. Especially if you have the coin for a new car and modifications. Nice comparison, Patrick.

allngn_c5

iTrader: (3)

I get it, 250-300 (based on your $5 a tank savings analogy) or even more if you drive a lot saved per year. That doesn't sound like much, but its money in your pocket.

How much more could/would be gained with a 93 octane tune ? 5 rhwp/rwtq ?

Pat G, very nice true A-B comparison. Nice touch putting her back to stock then back to the VaraRam. Way to back it up, especially all with in 1 hour !!

Beau@SDPC

iTrader: (14)

This is also assuming you would get the same fuel economy running from low grade to premium....if you spend more at the pump but are allowed to go longer on a single tank, then is there a difference?

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

Josh, we tested the G8 with 93 octane and my 93 octane spark tables. With all the tweaks made to the spark and knock tables, there was no power difference between my 87 octane numbers and the 93 octane numbers. Basically, this is saying that there was no additional power to be gained for the extra 2-3 degrees of timing that 93 octane allowed us to run. On an LS3 with higher compression and more aggressive cam, this may not be the case, but on the L76, it was.

WSsick

iTrader: (13)

i think i missed all of these outrageous claims of crazy horsepower. could someone clue me in as to what im missing? what kind of gains were people claiming?

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

From the Vararam website:


At a glance:

• Produces a real-world 35hp+
• A direct bolt on
• No chopping or cutting on the car
• Unreal throttle response
• Flows 1400-2000CFM+! (Depending on the filter used)
• Reduces 0-60mph by a full ½ second! (As tested 5.2 stock vs 4.7 & 4.65 best with
VR system NO TUNING!) With a tune, we saw 4.4 sec but no grip to go faster.
• Reduces ¼ mile ET by 3 tenths and adds +3mph Minimum Guaranteed, or we will
take the unit back and pay shipping both ways!
• (NO TUNING) w/ tuning you will go even quicker.

I've seen people on the G8 boards makes claims in the 20+ rwhp range, but I don't know what kind of tune the baseline had verses the after version. For what it's worth, a heat-soaked IAT sensor vs a cooled-off IAT sensor can make a 10 rwhp swing by itself from the timing that gets pulled with elevated IATs. I've seen this skew results in the past with stock tunes. IATs did not affect timing in my tests.

WKMCD

iTrader: (2)

So what are you saying here???

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

In a nutshell Kevin, I'm saying that if anybody gains more than 10 or 12 with the VR intake on a G8, they are seeing other benefits beside the decrease in air intake restriction the VR provides. A hot IAT sensor on the BEFORE test vs a cool IAT sensor on the AFTER test can add 6-8 degrees of additional timing. That's going to make the AFTER test look better than it actually is. On my test, all the timing and A/F variables were eliminated. I'm not sure if I can say the same for the other tests. Regardless, the Vararam is a fine product and the gains will probably increase over the chassis dyno numbers with forward vehicle speed.

allngn_c5

iTrader: (3)

Makes sense to me. Good explanation Pat.

lilbuddy1587

iTrader: (1)

Anything on this one Pat?

ScreaminRedZ

iTrader: (3)

I really want to go with the Rotofab because it's looks awesome, but people seem to be picking up better with the Vararam at the track so I'll probably end up going with that.

Great comparison, Pat. Thanks for the info! (great color G8 btw )

Patrick G

iTrader: (14)

Yes, I finally had a chance to log the MAP numbers of the stock airbox vs the Vararam on the dyno and at speed. Here are the findings:

Stock Air box:
kPa would drop from 101 to 96kPa at WOT on the dyno and at speeds of over 100mph. No ram air effect.

Vararam:
kPa would drop from 101 to 98kPA at WOT on the dyno. (2 kPa better than stock).
kPa would hover between 99-100kPa at speeds above 60mph with an occasional 101kPA. (4-5 kPa better than stock).

Net result, the Vararam gave 2 kPa less restriction on the chassis dyno vs. the stock air box and added an additional 2-3 kPa in pressure at speeds above 60 mph. Since we gained around 10rwhp on the dyno with a 2kPa gain, it is possible to pick up a total of 20rwhp over the stock airbox at speeds over 60mph considering the 4-5kPa gain of the VR vs. stock.

allngn_c5

iTrader: (3)

Very good info PAT G !!

I'd love to know how well my VaraRam flows at speed. Considering how well the car runs I am going to assume its doing just fine.

Whats the fastest you've taken the car up to, and is there any measureable difference between 60 mph and 100 mph ??