Vararam Dyno on LS3 - coming soon

[hollywood21639]

Thanks for all the info. I like the idea of having ram air intake but it seems people on here are happier with the CAI intake and are getting a little bit more power out of it on a stock engine. Since both are running the same price I think I'll go with the CAI.

Do cat-back exhaust and intake and see where that gets me. Maybe a tune, but not right away.

[Viral]

The consensus seems to be that the cai Inc and VR get similar dyno results, but most people who have owned both seem to think the VR feels faster and produces real results on the drag strip. I'm still trying to baby it through the first 100 miles but it definitely feels stronger.

As for tunes, you can get a used predator on here for well under $200 and put on a canned tune or email tune from cmr tuners like Jannetty or *******, then put your stock tune back for any dealer trips. Not sure what all the concern is there

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Originally Posted by Viral

As for tunes, you can get a used predator on here for well under $200 and put on a canned tune or email tune from cmr tuners like Jannetty or *******, then put your stock tune back for any dealer trips. Not sure what all the concern is there

Well, the problem is even though you have put your tune back to stock, GM can tell if the tune has been altered in anyway. So if you break something, the dealer is instructed to check the ECM for alterations. If it shows them, then they will deny warranty work.

[mike25]

Originally Posted by Viral

The consensus seems to be that the cai Inc and VR get similar dyno results, but most people who have owned both seem to think the VR feels faster and produces real results on the drag strip. I'm still trying to baby it through the first 100 miles but it definitely feels stronger.

As for tunes, you can get a used predator on here for well under $200 and put on a canned tune or email tune from cmr tuners like Jannetty or *******, then put your stock tune back for any dealer trips. Not sure what all the concern is there

dealers can still see if the modules have been flashed.

[Viral]

That's true, but unless your tune caused the damage, they won't even look. Maryland speed said they have dealt with 100s of tuned camaros and none have ever been denied warranty work after putting the stock tune back on.

[SC2150]

Same here. 7 years of it and the only denial was for a vette owner changing his own spark plugs (local crap dealer) instead of having them do it. Could not believe it, but we have yet to have a warranty denied for a tune. They WILL look if there is a catastrophic failure though.

[mike25]

Originally Posted by Viral

That's true, but unless your tune caused the damage, they won't even look. Maryland speed said they have dealt with 100s of tuned camaros and none have ever been denied warranty work after putting the stock tune back on.

trust me, if your issue is halfway serious, they will check the modules for tunes. its a standard procedures..i guess it depends on the nature of the work.

[IndeedSS1]

Originally Posted by Viral

That's true, but unless your tune caused the damage, they won't even look. Maryland speed said they have dealt with 100s of tuned camaros and none have ever been denied warranty work after putting the stock tune back on.

Apparently, not correct any longer. MS sells stuff. Even a couple of the honest tuners on here will tell you truth, even if it costs them. I for one respect that. Do a search and you will find at least two members on here denied work based on the flash counter.

[Toyaholic]

Lots of threads about this. Most are saying any tune will void the warranty.

[axis]

Originally Posted by Viral

That's true, but unless your tune caused the damage, they won't even look. Maryland speed said they have dealt with 100s of tuned camaros and none have ever been denied warranty work after putting the stock tune back on.

Are you sure you want to trust someone that's trying to sell you something? Nothing against MS but that goes for pretty much everyone. First rule of thumb is, if they are trying to sell you something, question what they have to say. That's not to say they are lying to you, just be careful of what you believe.

Warranty work comes down to the dealer you're working with. Some are known to be VERY mod friendly, while some will balk if you take your engine cover off. It would be well worth your while to ask around to see if there are any dealerships that fit in the mod friendly category. I would look around in a WIDE area, just in case.

Your VR numbers are pretty much inline with what others have posted and puts them in the upper middle of the pack. Unless i'm mistaken, others have posted some pretty good Tq numbers with their VR units as well.

[IndeedSS1]

And to add to what Axis just said. Even if the dealership is mod friendly, should an issue arise that needs GM, not the dealership's, approval to do the work there in lies the problem. They GM will request screenshots of your ECM information. These screenshots should have the VIN, flash counter, as people are calling it etc.

GM has a bulletin on the ECM and voiding the powertain warranty. The owners manual has a warning in it, which I've never seen in any of my previous car's manuals.

Just be informed. I would hate to see anyone over a financial barrel. I can't tell you how many times I tuned my last car and put almsot 100k miles on it without issue. The Camaro, I've been very reluctant.

[hollywood21639]

Originally Posted by axis

Are you sure you want to trust someone that's trying to sell you something? Nothing against MS but that goes for pretty much everyone. First rule of thumb is, if they are trying to sell you something, question what they have to say. That's not to say they are lying to you, just be careful of what you believe.

Warranty work comes down to the dealer you're working with. Some are known to be VERY mod friendly, while some will balk if you take your engine cover off. It would be well worth your while to ask around to see if there are any dealerships that fit in the mod friendly category. I would look around in a WIDE area, just in case.

Your VR numbers are pretty much inline with what others have posted and puts them in the upper middle of the pack. Unless i'm mistaken, others have posted some pretty good Tq numbers with their VR units as well.

True, I ran service/parts dept. for a Land Rover dealer and some things are up to the tech judgement and service manager.

I just don't want risk it on a 35k+ car. At least not right away.

[Viral]

Thanks for the advice guys. I gave ti some serious consideration and went ahead and pulled the trigger. I don't plan on doing any hard core mods yet, and I'd think something like headers would be much more obvious and easier to blame than a stock ECU that had been flashed and reset, but maybe I'm wrong. In any case, it's too late for me, since I've already added a canned tune in the past

Back on topic, I actually haven't seen many otherwise stock cars with a vararam dyno. I think the 1 or 2 I've seen were pretty similar to mine, but they seem to really wake up with the addition of other exhaust mods and tunes. I probably could have squeezed another few HP and Tq out of my dyno had they had any real fans on the car. The two they used were about 18-20" each, not much bigger than a good sized home fan. I would guess it pushed no more air than 20mph or so.

[IndeedSS1]

Originally Posted by Viral

Thanks for the advice guys. I gave ti some serious consideration and went ahead and pulled the trigger. I don't plan on doing any hard core mods yet, and I'd think something like headers would be much more obvious and easier to blame than a stock ECU that had been flashed and reset, but maybe I'm wrong. In any case, it's too late for me, since I've already added a canned tune in the past

Back on topic, I actually haven't seen many otherwise stock cars with a vararam dyno. I think the 1 or 2 I've seen were pretty similar to mine, but they seem to really wake up with the addition of other exhaust mods and tunes. I probably could have squeezed another few HP and Tq out of my dyno had they had any real fans on the car. The two they used were about 18-20" each, not much bigger than a good sized home fan. I would guess it pushed no more air than 20mph or so.

You should be fine as long as you don't wind up with any major powertrain/drivetrain issues. The overwhelming percentage of people won't have anything to worry about.

You likely have quite a bit to gain with a tune for your mods. A lot of canned tunes make only minor changes that fit the average car. Since you've already broken the seal you may as well get properly tuned.