Cold Air Help

[Talladega]

I am going to get a cold air intake soon and have basically narrowed it down to three. Vararam, CAI or Airaid, each has their pro's and cons. Here is the way I see them:

Vararam:
Pro: Completely sealed unit, includes washer relocation, has built in scoop, cheapest
Con: Seems to be the small guy in the market and therefore the least reputation

CAI:
Pro: The big dog and biggest reputation, best looking unit, sealed from the top
Con: Most expensive paying for the name, blocks washer bottle unless I spend another $100+ to relocate it

Airaid:
Pro: Recommended by local speed shop, does not block washer bottle
Con: Not sealed unit so it's bound to suck some engine heat in

The way I see it they all produce similar HP, plus or minus a few doesn't matter, besides I'm at altitude so everything is reduced anyways. There is one I am leaning to but am seeking some input, I am not asking for guys to simply chime in and say they love the unit they have, most people do. I would much rather hear from guys who HATE the unit they have and why they hate it. Or guys that have something else but would rather have one of these three. Or possibly most valuable input from someone who sells or installs all three and doesn't really have a dog in the fight so to say.


Thanks in advance

[bluebonn]

Out of all you posted I was interested in them as well when I bought mine but I went with Rotofab because it just looks sweet as heck under the hood and mine was painted to match the car.

Really it just depends on the look you want I have never been the one that likes a box closed looks much better open. depends on the theme your planning under the hood. For me it's going to be all Rotofab items I just think they look good.

[StingrayblueSS]

Did you ask why they recommended the Airaid? I have an Airaid it seems to do the job but if i was to replace it i would get the Z28 one.

[0331Marine]

AirAid is nice I ran one for about a year. I was waiting for the Vararam to come out for the 2012+. Vararam is track proven time and time again. I'm sure CAI is also good, but Vararam got my money.

[0331Marine]

Also, AirAid does seal. It comes with rubber trim to seal to the hood.

[Talladega]

Originally Posted by 0331Marine

Also, AirAid does seal. It comes with rubber trim to seal to the hood.

I figured it did similar to the K&N I had in my other Camaro. I just was never convinced that seal was as good as CAI's or Vararam's.

[Avenging Orange]

Another topic discussed over & over & over....
Do some reading......OR...flip a coin.

[2010reddevil]

Well, I picked up nearly 5mph in the 1/4 using the CAI unit and headers. It takes a pretty sizeable power difference to pull a 3800+lb car that much faster. Dunno how much each attributed to the gain, but it is what it is.

[Bo White]

Rotofab

[pyroguy]

Out of the three you listed, Vararam is excellent, but more involved installation. You have to tilt the radiator back to install it, not for the faint of heart. CAI is a very good brand and should be rather simple to install. No, they don't give you the washer fluid relocate, but it's not the end of the world if you don't have it. I would personally skip the Airraid and go straight to Roto-fab. That's what I'm currently running on my car and it is the second car I've installed one on. They're excellent and seal exceptionally well against the hood to keep the engine heat out. Good luck in your decision and happy modding!

[Gunmetal Speedster]

Originally Posted by Talladega

CAI:
Pro: The big dog and biggest reputation, best looking unit, sealed from the top
Con: Most expensive paying for the name, blocks washer bottle unless I spend another $100+ to relocate it

?

It doesn't block the w/w. It has a lid over it to insulate the intake and reduce heat soak/keep IAT's down. The transparent filter inspection lid is attached with three ¼-turn fasteners and can be removed in ~30 seconds. Should you need to access the w/w bottle, filter, or anything else located inside the box, you could access it with complete ease using a flathead screwdriver.

[Avenging Orange]

A little history of the C.A.I.....the hole on top where the plexiglass thingy is was originaly designed to be open. It was made to mate up with a ram air hood designed by MPD for the '04-'06 GTO. The plexiglass was put in place for those not utilizing the hood. If my memory serves (and thats pretty scrambled by the chemo) MPD was one of the first distributors of the C.A.I. product......and very hard to get. I had to wait a month for delivery for my Goat....but it was well worth it.

[Smokin19]

JMO
All the cold air intakes you have mentioned take in more air than stock and to varying degrees will add some HP. I highlighted cold for a reason. A cold air intake system increases airflow by dropping the air coming into an engine to a lower temperature. Why is this important? As air gets colder, it gets denser. This means you get more oxygen within a smaller volume. More oxygen means more power.

This is why I went with the CAI brand and also installed the scoop. The enclosed box ensures I am always drawing air from outside the engine compartment.

Again JMO.

[Tom And Cheryl]

I went with the CAI unit because of the cover, insulated and doesn't depend on the hood to seal and keep the hot air out