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Old 12-11-2012, 09:40 AM   #1
Cruuzin LV
 
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Vararam's Claims

This is actually not a question about the Vararam intake itself but claims about the other intakes and probably why so many people struggle figuring out where to spend their money. Myself included.

So on the Vararam website there is a flow vs the competition and this is one of the statements.

"OEM stock air-box, with a GREEN HIGH PERFORMANCE replacement panel filter. Here is the surprise of the group for all to see. With nothing but a Green High Performance filter (outflows K&N by 20%) this $65 filter allowed the OEM box to nearly match the best of the rest for a fraction of their cost and without the heat soak penalties of some of the systems."


So they say that the stock intake and a green filter is in the top 5 for air flow over these...


New Era Performance
a CAI
LMR
Breathless Performance
Hennessey
FastLane
K&N
Halltech



"In huge print at the top it says

If you can't outflow us you will never outrun us!
You thought all intakes were about the same? Not a chance!"


So here is my question does Vararam really expect people to believe that a simple drop in filter provides more air flow than the majority of the intakes out there with the exception of roto-fab?


Your thoughts?
http://www.vararam.com/camaro-vs-comp.html
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Old 12-11-2012, 09:49 AM   #2
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Don't be confused by manufacturer "claims" (marketing). Focus on real world results. There is some garbage out there but Vararam and a few others do produce very solid gains.
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Old 12-11-2012, 09:50 AM   #3
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I understand what you're saying. Every intake manufacturer is going to say theirs is the best or at least at the top of the pile.
Testing 'standards' are left to interpretation. Many variables can be manipulated. Ones claim about what it prevents is no different than ones claims about what is adds. IMO, it has to come down to cost and appearance because the bottom line is they ALL perform within the same specs. No one intake BLOWS AWAY the competition. Again, just my .02.
And I purchased a Vararam mainly because it doesn't look like the rest.
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Old 12-11-2012, 10:03 AM   #4
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The only claims that matter are the ones made on the dyno and the strip.
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Old 12-11-2012, 10:12 AM   #5
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The only claims that matter are the ones made on the dyno and the strip.
Not if you are a daily driver. I for one could care less about the dyno and track. I do care whether my engine feels like it is bogging on the street due to heatsoak. What makes my 60 mile round trip eveyday more fun is what I care about.
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Old 12-11-2012, 12:26 PM   #6
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It isn't all about flow. I actually agree with VR that most intakes probably don't flow much better than stock. The stock design is pretty good for what it is. There are no severe bends or restrictions at all, and the lower part of the air filter housing contains a large port to suck in cold air.

I believe most HP gains come from relocating the MAF and modifying the design to lower IATs. High IATs trigger the CPU to pull timing.

If someone had time I bet they could use a green filter and play with MAF locations in the stock intake and get similar gains to aftermarket intakes...but it will still look ugly!
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Old 12-11-2012, 01:15 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by babytiger View Post
I understand what you're saying. Every intake manufacturer is going to say theirs is the best or at least at the top of the pile.
Testing 'standards' are left to interpretation. Many variables can be manipulated. Ones claim about what it prevents is no different than ones claims about what is adds. IMO, it has to come down to cost and appearance because the bottom line is they ALL perform within the same specs. No one intake BLOWS AWAY the competition. Again, just my .02.
And I purchased a Vararam mainly because it doesn't look like the rest.

Was the Vararam hard to install? I was looking under the hood of my 2012 camaro and couldnt really see where air would flow into the intake at??
Looks like the bumper cross bar is in the way.
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Old 12-11-2012, 01:20 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toehead93 View Post
It isn't all about flow. I actually agree with VR that most intakes probably don't flow much better than stock. The stock design is pretty good for what it is. There are no severe bends or restrictions at all, and the lower part of the air filter housing contains a large port to suck in cold air.

I believe most HP gains come from relocating the MAF and modifying the design to lower IATs. High IATs trigger the CPU to pull timing.

If someone had time I bet they could use a green filter and play with MAF locations in the stock intake and get similar gains to aftermarket intakes...but it will still look ugly!
Do you think that a reflash from SCT or Diablo would help as far as configuring the computer to not pull timing as much?
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:09 PM   #9
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I've always wondered this myself. I just asked in the tuning forum. I am pretty sure I read that the SS pulls timing at 88 degrees where other cars are closer to 100. I think timing is also tied to kock/false knock.
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:18 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruuzin LV View Post
Was the Vararam hard to install? I was looking under the hood of my 2012 camaro and couldnt really see where air would flow into the intake at??
Looks like the bumper cross bar is in the way.
At this point it doesn't matter what the vararam does or doesn't do for us because it does not fit the 2012 cars!!! Sorry if you want a vararam you going to have to wait...
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:51 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by alcal1084 View Post
At this point it doesn't matter what the vararam does or doesn't do for us because it does not fit the 2012 cars!!! Sorry if you want a vararam you going to have to wait...
Yeah I'm aware of that. I guess my question more than anything was is it really worth getting a CAI if the stock intake with a panel filter can supposedly flow the same amount of air or more than the competition.

But as Toehead stated the real challenge with the Camaro's intake is intake temps. So in theory the best thing to get more cold air into the intake would be a ram air intake like Vararam or a "true CAI" since most of the intakes on the market are shortram air intakes and utilize the air flow from behind the headlight. I don't understand the benefit of a RAM air intake with a cone filter like "Airraid or Cold Air Inductions" over a stock intake with a green panel filter aside from appearance?
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:54 PM   #12
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You really can't go wrong with either. VR, CAI with scoop, Rotofab etc.. Those 3 in particular each offer something a bit different.

I avoided the VR as it required tilting my radiator, left a gaping ugly hole in the front drivers side and is kinda cheaply fabricated.

Choose what you want and go with it. There are others i just used those 3 examples.
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Fast cars have rubber on the quarter panels...you sissies need to knock it off.

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Old 12-11-2012, 02:56 PM   #13
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I know one thing for sure, the Vararam filter is a mother f'r to get out and clean when needed. I had the Vararam unit on my Siverado pick-up truck and there is no easy way to get the filter out other than unscrewing the duct work and pulling the entire unit out of the tube.
I really like the look of the product. I looks like it came from the factory. Just a pain to clean the filter.
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Old 12-11-2012, 02:58 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruuzin LV View Post
Yeah I'm aware of that. I guess my question more than anything was is it really worth getting a CAI if the stock intake with a panel filter can supposedly flow the same amount of air or more than the competition.

But as Toehead stated the real challenge with the Camaro's intake is intake temps. So in theory the best thing to get more cold air into the intake would be a ram air intake like Vararam or a "true CAI" since most of the intakes on the market are shortram air intakes and utilize the air flow from behind the headlight. I don't understand the benefit of a RAM air intake with a cone filter like "Airraid or Cold Air Inductions" over a stock intake with a green panel filter aside from appearance?

I have a CAI. Here is some differences over the stock setup with a green filter. The CAI filter box is larger covering the entire washer bottle area as well. It is coated in thermal material to keep engine heat out. The tube is ceramic coated to dissipate heat. the outside of the tube is blazing hot while the inside is cooler as the heat is drawn out and a scoop is offered to draw in air from down low by relocating the washer bottle. The stock box doesn't offer those benefits.

While the flow may not be the same it will run cooler and that equals HP.
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