Vararam vs Hurricane Intake
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From: Houston
Vararam vs Hurricane Intake Deciding which intake to go with for 07 C6.... Which is better. Which offers better protection from water getting into the intake? Gonna buy one today so just wanted to get final opinions.... Thanks
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From: sofla
Originally Posted by Mr.427
The Honker flows better "flow bench tested" and fits better than any other aftermarket unit. I had a Vararam and opted for the Honker. Very pleased with the difference.
I dont see where flow testing has anything to do with these setups, besides proving they are no restriction.
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From: Atlanta
Originally Posted by sprayjunkie
Did they flow it a 100 miles per hour?
I dont see where flow testing has anything to do with these setups, besides proving they are no restriction.
I dont see where flow testing has anything to do with these setups, besides proving they are no restriction.
I went from Vararam to Honker as well. Much better fit and design. The filter area is much larger as well and the filter fits without leaking. I had to silicone in the K&N on my Vararam to keep it from leaking and the K&N loses a lot of filter area due to their lousy rubber end molding process.
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ive had both, the vararam is nice but, it actually block heat extaction from the engine bay and its fitment is nowhere near as nice as the callaway honker! check out the honker!
anyway....
Here you go check this out, I saw this on th CF, it looks almost like the the honker but way less than $500
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1547392
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1561268
Oh yea, love my Vararam, averaged between 3 to 3.5 tenths decrease in times in a 1/4 mile, and 3 to 4 MPH trap speed
Last edited by chevyvett1; Nov 29, 2006 at 08:44 PM. Reason: add to it
I have a C5..and rock the vararam. For that application, there is nothing better. It isn't a dyno box...it's a MPH box. Thats where it works, not in some shop on the rollers.
As far as the C6 goes...i've installed the vararam unit, and the lingenfelter unit. The customer liked the fitment of the lingenfelter better...and honestly, so did i. As far as numbers, or results, I honestly don't have them.
If your driving through enough water that your worried about water intrusion throgh your airbox..you may want to pull over.
With the vararam on our cars(c5's), we gained between 3-4mph in the quarter.
As far as the C6 goes...i've installed the vararam unit, and the lingenfelter unit. The customer liked the fitment of the lingenfelter better...and honestly, so did i. As far as numbers, or results, I honestly don't have them.
If your driving through enough water that your worried about water intrusion throgh your airbox..you may want to pull over.
With the vararam on our cars(c5's), we gained between 3-4mph in the quarter.
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From: sofla
Originally Posted by Mr.427
Don't get me wrong the Vararam is an fine cold air system but with the twist and turns and much smaller filter area it just does not flow as well as the Honker. Now as for the claim of "ram air" well that is just
I love vette dudes...how many of you actually tested the gains from your airbox at the track, where it was designed to work, as opposed to on a dyno?
And, if the Vararam was causing ANY restriction, wouldn't it kill some power on the dyno? V-Series' car doesn't drop off power till like 6800rpm, I dont see any restriction there. Take it to the track, as that is where the clear winner will shine.
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From: Atlanta
Originally Posted by sprayjunkie
So the ram air is BS, yet magically this Vararam that flows less then the honker or whatever adds a CONSISTENT 3-4 mph on just about every Vette its ever been installed on.
I love vette dudes...how many of you actually tested the gains from your airbox at the track, where it was designed to work, as opposed to on a dyno?
And, if the Vararam was causing ANY restriction, wouldn't it kill some power on the dyno? V-Series' car doesn't drop off power till like 6800rpm, I dont see any restriction there. Take it to the track, as that is where the clear winner will shine.
I love vette dudes...how many of you actually tested the gains from your airbox at the track, where it was designed to work, as opposed to on a dyno?
And, if the Vararam was causing ANY restriction, wouldn't it kill some power on the dyno? V-Series' car doesn't drop off power till like 6800rpm, I dont see any restriction there. Take it to the track, as that is where the clear winner will shine.
The gains you see from the Vararam are NOT from the ram air effect,(there is NO + boost) they are from the cooler air you are receiving by not using a stock set up, which gets it's air from the engine bay. I saw very small top end mph change and little (about 1/10th) 1/4Mi. Time changes from the Vararam to the Honker. What I did see was a much better engineered product that improved throttle response and offered a much better filter and fit. Frankly, any cold air intake is a vast improvement over the stock system but IMHO the Honker is the best of the CAI's on the market. Now here is a simple way to see just what a CAI can do. Simply dyno your Vette with the hood up and then with the hood down. If you have NO cold air induction system you will see a drop off in horsepower that is from 8% to 15% with the hood down. You do the same thing with a vette with a good CAI and you will see HP remain the same with the hood up or down. This has nothing to do with so called RAM AIR, it's cooler air! Now, let's hear it for the Vette Dudes
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From: sofla
Originally Posted by Mr.427
Yes, us vette dudes
The gains you see from the Vararam are NOT from the ram air effect,(there is NO + boost) they are from the cooler air you are receiving by not using a stock set up, which gets it's air from the engine bay. I saw very small top end mph change and little (about 1/10th) 1/4Mi. Time changes from the Vararam to the Honker. What I did see was a much better engineered product that improved throttle response and offered a much better filter and fit. Frankly, any cold air intake is a vast improvement over the stock system but IMHO the Honker is the best of the CAI's on the market. Now here is a simple way to see just what a CAI can do. Simply dyno your Vette with the hood up and then with the hood down. If you have NO cold air induction system you will see a drop off in horsepower that is from 8% to 15% with the hood down. You do the same thing with a vette with a good CAI and you will see HP remain the same with the hood up or down. This has nothing to do with so called RAM AIR, it's cooler air! Now, let's hear it for the Vette Dudes
The gains you see from the Vararam are NOT from the ram air effect,(there is NO + boost) they are from the cooler air you are receiving by not using a stock set up, which gets it's air from the engine bay. I saw very small top end mph change and little (about 1/10th) 1/4Mi. Time changes from the Vararam to the Honker. What I did see was a much better engineered product that improved throttle response and offered a much better filter and fit. Frankly, any cold air intake is a vast improvement over the stock system but IMHO the Honker is the best of the CAI's on the market. Now here is a simple way to see just what a CAI can do. Simply dyno your Vette with the hood up and then with the hood down. If you have NO cold air induction system you will see a drop off in horsepower that is from 8% to 15% with the hood down. You do the same thing with a vette with a good CAI and you will see HP remain the same with the hood up or down. This has nothing to do with so called RAM AIR, it's cooler air! Now, let's hear it for the Vette Dudes
And you say there is NO ramair effect? So lets see here....if we ran a bone stock C5 in the 1/8 mile back to back from the stock induction, to the Vararam, we would see a small gain in trap speed due to increased efficiency and some cooler air. Now, let do the same test at a 1/4 mile strip, and the difference will be more like 3-4 mph, which in my world, is a HUGE difference. Can you attribute this simply to cooler air, which no matter what you do, is still going to be ~ ambient?? I dont think so. Obviously, there is a ram effect going on, even if it is only allowing the engine to breathe easier, as opposed to making boost.
As someone who works in a shop with a dyno going all day in the name of R&D, I can tell you that improvements on the dyno DO NOT always translate to improvements in performance on the street or track. A dyno is definitely no place to test the effects of a ramair or CAI.
Let me know if you have any hard evidence to contradict this post.
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From: sofla
Forgot to mention-
when V-series Techs Vette was tuned here, we realized the car was going slightly lean at high speeds(another reason that you should always do street tuning once you get done on a dyno) so, we made an appropriate change in the fuel curve to add a bit of fuel up top. Now, that killed a bit of power on the dyno, but guess what, the car was noticably quicker now. I would have to imagine that any ramair that causes a car to start leaning out at WOT over 70-80 mph MUST be moving a ton of air at those speeds, and you will NEVER see that on any dyno.
when V-series Techs Vette was tuned here, we realized the car was going slightly lean at high speeds(another reason that you should always do street tuning once you get done on a dyno) so, we made an appropriate change in the fuel curve to add a bit of fuel up top. Now, that killed a bit of power on the dyno, but guess what, the car was noticably quicker now. I would have to imagine that any ramair that causes a car to start leaning out at WOT over 70-80 mph MUST be moving a ton of air at those speeds, and you will NEVER see that on any dyno.
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From: Atlanta
Originally Posted by sprayjunkie
What you say here makes no sense. How can you see the effects of a CAI or ram air while sitting still on a dyno?????
And you say there is NO ramair effect? So lets see here....if we ran a bone stock C5 in the 1/8 mile back to back from the stock induction, to the Vararam, we would see a small gain in trap speed due to increased efficiency and some cooler air. Now, let do the same test at a 1/4 mile strip, and the difference will be more like 3-4 mph, which in my world, is a HUGE difference. Can you attribute this simply to cooler air, which no matter what you do, is still going to be ~ ambient?? I dont think so. Obviously, there is a ram effect going on, even if it is only allowing the engine to breathe easier, as opposed to making boost.
As someone who works in a shop with a dyno going all day in the name of R&D, I can tell you that improvements on the dyno DO NOT always translate to improvements in performance on the street or track. A dyno is definitely no place to test the effects of a ramair or CAI.
Let me know if you have any hard evidence to contradict this post.
And you say there is NO ramair effect? So lets see here....if we ran a bone stock C5 in the 1/8 mile back to back from the stock induction, to the Vararam, we would see a small gain in trap speed due to increased efficiency and some cooler air. Now, let do the same test at a 1/4 mile strip, and the difference will be more like 3-4 mph, which in my world, is a HUGE difference. Can you attribute this simply to cooler air, which no matter what you do, is still going to be ~ ambient?? I dont think so. Obviously, there is a ram effect going on, even if it is only allowing the engine to breathe easier, as opposed to making boost.
As someone who works in a shop with a dyno going all day in the name of R&D, I can tell you that improvements on the dyno DO NOT always translate to improvements in performance on the street or track. A dyno is definitely no place to test the effects of a ramair or CAI.
Let me know if you have any hard evidence to contradict this post.
You want hard evidence on ram air? Just google it and see the requirements for true ram air effect as it has nothing whatsoever to do with "breathing better".
Or talk to any engineer worth his salt. Or simply ask that question on Corvette Forum. I am not here to educate you but what you see (increases in 1/4 mile times) is from cooler air (and perhaps some larger volume) being ingested not from some type of ram air effect. Here is another example that may ring a bell: notice how your times greatly improve in cooler weather? I guess you think that is ram air effect? 
If you truly think that you are adding some type of boost above atmospheric pressure through the Vararam or any cold air intake for that matter.....well I got a small bridge in New York for sale. Now I accept that you think the Vararam is the best thing since sliced bread and I am happy for you but don't confuse this with the "ram air effect". 
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From: sofla
Again, WHEN A CAR IS MOVING, AS CARS DO, THEY GET FRESH, MOVING AIR. WHEN A CAR SITS STILL ON A DYNO, IT GETS THE AIR SITTING THERE IN THE DYNO CELL. THIS IS NOT THE WAY THE CAR RUNS IN REAL LIFE, EXCEPT WHEN IDLING AT A STOP. WHICH PART OF THIS DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND???
I have at no time stated that there is 'boost' present from any ramair. What you dont seem to get is that the motor has to 'work' to breathe through the induction setup. By 'ramming air' into the induction setup you eliminate this work, thus making the motor more efficient.
Like I said, you have no empirical evidence other than a suggestion to Google ram air, or ask an engineer. Hmmmm.
I won't even touch the Corvette forum comment, except to say that there are guys there who seem convinced that certain color Vettes are faster than others...
On topic though, what does your 427 trap at?
Im curious to know how it compares to my buddies MTI C5R 427 with the Vararam, it goes 130+.
I have at no time stated that there is 'boost' present from any ramair. What you dont seem to get is that the motor has to 'work' to breathe through the induction setup. By 'ramming air' into the induction setup you eliminate this work, thus making the motor more efficient.
Like I said, you have no empirical evidence other than a suggestion to Google ram air, or ask an engineer. Hmmmm.
I won't even touch the Corvette forum comment, except to say that there are guys there who seem convinced that certain color Vettes are faster than others...
On topic though, what does your 427 trap at?
Im curious to know how it compares to my buddies MTI C5R 427 with the Vararam, it goes 130+.
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From: Cleveland, TN
...Well to add to the bickering.. Lets just break down the word "Ram Air".. Who made up that word anyways? Pontiac for their WS6? And from now, we should all know how efficient THAT Ram Air system was..The air had to travel through 2 opposite angled baffles just to get to the air box.. A true CAI is exactly what is says it is.. COLD Air Intake.. I believe that, my friend, is where you're picking up your extra MPH.
The VaraRam brings that cold air to the FILTER, which is then SLOWED down, and then the air is given to the motor to use. We all know how boosted motors work, and how they get there big HP gains.. they used the POST filtered air and then "RAM AIR's" it into the motor..
The big thing is that the RAM AIR affect is being slowed down when it hits the filter, and then you're getting your flow #'s to what the actual filter can handle. The intake just paves the way for the air, thus giving you a better performing system..But that's just the way I look at things.
The VaraRam brings that cold air to the FILTER, which is then SLOWED down, and then the air is given to the motor to use. We all know how boosted motors work, and how they get there big HP gains.. they used the POST filtered air and then "RAM AIR's" it into the motor..
The big thing is that the RAM AIR affect is being slowed down when it hits the filter, and then you're getting your flow #'s to what the actual filter can handle. The intake just paves the way for the air, thus giving you a better performing system..But that's just the way I look at things.
Last edited by Blck00Vette; Dec 2, 2006 at 01:24 PM.
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From: Atlanta
Originally Posted by Blck00Vette
...Well to add to the bickering.. Lets just break down the word "Ram Air".. Who made up that word anyways? Pontiac for their WS6? And from now, we should all know how efficient THAT Ram Air system was..The air had to travel through 2 opposite angled baffles just to get to the air box.. A true CAI is exactly what is says it is.. COLD Air Intake.. I believe that, my friend, is where you're picking up your extra MPH.
The VaraRam brings that cold air to the FILTER, which is then SLOWED down, and then the air is given to the motor to use. We all know how boosted motors work, and how they get there big HP gains.. they used the POST filtered air and then "RAM AIR's" it into the motor..
The big thing is that the RAM AIR affect is being slowed down when it hits the filter, and then you're getting your flow #'s to what the actual filter can handle. The intake just paves the way for the air, thus giving you a better performing system..But that's just the way I look at things.
The VaraRam brings that cold air to the FILTER, which is then SLOWED down, and then the air is given to the motor to use. We all know how boosted motors work, and how they get there big HP gains.. they used the POST filtered air and then "RAM AIR's" it into the motor..
The big thing is that the RAM AIR affect is being slowed down when it hits the filter, and then you're getting your flow #'s to what the actual filter can handle. The intake just paves the way for the air, thus giving you a better performing system..But that's just the way I look at things.