1 Week Vararam Review

[Scott@Bjorn3D]

Well I have had it on the L99 for a week and thought I would give you all my thoughts. I have also talked to Patrick allot during the week with questions learning about the Vararam and cars computer.

Setup of my car:

GMPP Street Axle Back Exhaust
Rear Tires are Hankooks Z Rated Ventus ST

With my car before the Vararam I could spin the Hankooks up to about 3K with just WOT the car. Now with the Vararam I will spin them all the way thru 1st gear and at times will spin some in second.

The above was with traction control off.

With traction control on with stock setup slight spin of tires in first and then T/C would kick in. With the Vararam tires spin and T/C kicks in but at times the T/C light is even coming on under WOT.

At stock if rolling up to a stop light and it turned green and you punched it the car would pause then respond. With the Vararam it just goes and pushes you back in the seat.

I have also seen in several stock L99's that when WOTing it near the 2nd to 3rd shift the car will bog for a second. This is now gone.

Now for the bad. The computer has to learn every single tempature range. This means the car may buck a little until it gets about 100-150 miles in every set of tempature ranges GM has programmed for the car. Mine got set and works great in the 45-60 range. Today it is cold and it is bucking a tad bit and idle is a little rough. BUT is has been getting better with me driving today in the 35 degree temps of today so far.

Patrick told me it will just have to learn all the temp ranges and once it does the car should be fine. I tell you what it does sound mean and throw me back in the seat alot more than stock. The front end actually feels light when under WOT.

Well that is my impressions so far. Any changes I will update.

Scott

[Ghost of Vincent Price]

Sounds like every other CAI plus bucking.

[hamad_311]

for how much did u get the vararam intake,,, do u know anyone who wants to sell his?

[Jekyll-N-Hyde]

I dont understand why this CAI makes the Car buck.

After 100/150 miles will the Becking stop ?

And is it a promise that when I get my Vararam Cai and install it on my L99 will it buck for a while as well?

Thanks Scott for the upate

[Scott@Bjorn3D]

I do not know how much the Vararams cost. Vararam gave me this unit for free.

The car has to learn air fuel mixture along with temps and set the timing and such. Since you are bringing in alot more air into the car than stock it has to learn it. The one thing I can say is no codes have been thrown so far. I have heard some CAI throw codes due to car being to rich or to lean.

So far the car is quicker and sounds meaner. The bucking went away after 2 days of driving in the 45-60 range. Now when I say bucking it is not like my car is surging forward or surging really at all. You can just feel a small pull then pull back and when it does happen the tach moves about 200 RPM. Idle will bounce around 200 RPM or so when learning the new temps but after it has figured it out idles good. Actually mine idled better with the Vararam than stock in the 45-60 degree range outside.

Right now the temps are just being crazy around the country. Will be interesting to see how spring and summer temps do. Jannetty Racing (could be spelled wrong) did air intake temp readings and once the car gets 88F temps coming in it pulls timing and really drops the HP. If the Vararam can keep the air cooler coming in to the MAF I should not lose as much HP in the hot summer.

[POWERFREAK]

Originally Posted by Ghost of Vincent Price

Sounds like every other CAI plus bucking.

geez...do you need to troll in every Vararam thread? You don't want one...don't buy one.

[SS 376]

Originally Posted by POWERFREAK

geez...do you need to troll in every Vararam thread? You don't want one...don't buy one.

[Camar0wn3d]

Originally Posted by Jekyll-N-Hyde

I dont understand why this CAI makes the Car buck.

From what Patrick explained to me (hope I remember this correctly), if the fuel trims go beyond a certain amount, the engine freaks out and the ECM will close/re-open the throttle (thanks to the throttle by wire) to attempt to re-gain control the amount of air coming in.

After 100/150 miles will the Becking stop ?

I believe after the ECM learns from how it's running, the bucking will go away, or at least be less noticeable. Ambient temperatures have a lot to do with it also.

I went ahead and re-scaled my MAF calibration after about 50 miles and 99% of the bucking went away immediately. The only times I get bucking now is at the transition from very low throttle to closed throttle and in my log, my fuel trims go way negative (like -10% but before my tune it was +10%, still have some tuning to do), so this data would support the theory above.

And is it a promise that when I get my Vararam Cai and install it on my L99 will it buck for a while as well?

It all depends on your setup and other mods from what I understand. You may not get any bucking. If you do have any problems, call Patrick at Vararam and he will get you running right, their support on this product for me has been second to none.

Bottom line though, this unit is AMAZING.

[axis]

For those that have put a computer on the PCM, what are your FT's? 3D stated +10 and I remember someone else saying his was around +15. Just wondering if this is the norm? The variation could be from the different size filters too.

Thanks for the honest review Scott. Hope all is going well in your personal life and glad you got to keep the car.

[hamad_311]

Free, haha wanna sell ill pay you $400 wat ya think

[camaro1]

if the engine is bucking / surging , you need a tune, i would bet your STFT/LTFT's are way out of wack!

[Ghost of Vincent Price]

Originally Posted by POWERFREAK

geez...do you need to troll in every Vararam thread? You don't want one...don't buy one.

Well it sounds like every other review of every other CAI, plus bucking. Im not allowed to mention that? Geez, Vararam is the only company out there talking smack on other products....the only one. If they werent so cocky with there comments I wouldnt care, but I hate when companies talk shit and dont back it up, or put out a faulty product. Still waiting to see 30hp improvements over stock.

Im sure that the vararam works just as good as, and possibly better than every other intake out there, but when they talk smack, it better be a flawless product...which I havent seen one flawless review yet.

[Camar0wn3d]

Originally Posted by Ghost of Vincent Price

...Geez, Vararam is the only company out there talking smack on other products....the only one...

I haven't heard them talk ANY smack about other products....links?

[Slowhawk]

You guy's sure go indepth about this air filter assembly.

For year's they have been making products and for years Corvette owners have had the same problem with aftermarket air filter setup's like this.
What happens is the airflow changes dramaticly and the computer tries to compensate for it.Remember the car is tuned for the stock airbox so changing the airflow will throw things off.Luckilly the GM computer can make changes to compensate.Is it the correct way -no, but it works.

The correct thing to do is to tune the car for the mods done to it.This will set in fuel trims and get the computer tuned back to the factory correction factor and greatly improve drivability,power and gas mileage.Spend all the $$ on bolt-ons but no $$ to make it run 100% doesn't make sence to me?

Now,tuning and warrenty problems. Well,you can thank the tuning software company's selling everyone tuner packages.If it wasn't for the people that hacked tunes into there cars in the past,blow them up and then try to warrenty them we wouldn't have this problem with warrenty's. FYI-I've known of 4 cars that were tuned and went for warrenty and none of them were denied coverage.So,just be smart about it.