Vararam V6 intake installed!

[derek19]

Good News:

GOT IT INSTALLED!! .

My buddy who has the V8 was there during the install. Once we started it up and gave it a few revs, he instantly noticed a different sound from under the hood and the exhaust. A much deeper tone than what it was before.


Bad News:

Something isn't right with the install. I got home after the install and putting some miles on the car and the intake had moved a little bit closing the gap where it gets its air. i was able to fit my camaro key in the gap when I installed it but now I can/t I had to push the intake back down.

I'll check it out tomorrow and take more pictures. Here a two of what I took.

[rolnslo]

Originally Posted by TonyNo

Hmm. I thought I saw that was only for the V8's?

For some reason, about 3 out of every 4 tries, doing this on the V6 will cause the ECM to reset back to the factory settings for things like the timing curve and the long term fuel trims. No clue why it doesn't work all of the time but it seems to be consistent in what it does when it works.

Originally Posted by cntryman77

I think this Vararam screwed up my car...I had the gas pedal floored in 3rd gear & I was only going 15 MPH...oh yeah, & there was this foul smelling smoke coming off my tires too...lol

Nice! Don't think Vararam can do much more to help you out of that mess.

Originally Posted by bmorecam

depends on what type of dyno you are putting your car on. As you can see with all of my mods and even with my e85 tune I am still under 300 at 284std and 291 ASE corrected on this low balling dynojet 248x. Rolnslo know how low those things read with his original dyno numbers. Rolnslo, is ARD the place where you got the stock 230's run on 248x? or is that a different place?

but again, all depending on how that dyno is setup and what type... you might be able to pull it off. Good luck to ya cant wait to see those numbers.

ARD has a DynoJet 224x. Prior to working with Vararam, I could dyno all day long at ARD and hit 244-245hp consistently on 87 octane. With 93, I'd hit 250-251hp. The low 230's runs were done at a different shop.

[rolnslo]

Originally Posted by derek19

Good News:

GOT IT INSTALLED!! .

My buddy who has the V8 was there during the install. Once we started it up and gave it a few revs, he instantly noticed a different sound from under the hood and the exhaust. A much deeper tone than what it was before.


Bad News:

Something isn't right with the install. I got home after the install and putting some miles on the car and the intake had moved a little bit closing the gap where it gets its air. i was able to fit my camaro key in the gap when I installed it but now I can/t I had to push the intake back down.

I'll check it out tomorrow and take more pictures. Here a two of what I took.

Sounds like you didn't get the band clamps tight enough on the hose. Even in your last picture, I can see a gap between the hose and the throttle body. Loosen the clamps, push the intake down and towards the engine as far as you can, then tighten down the clamps. You aren't going to do anything other than squish the hose if you tighten them down a lot. If you are using a screw driver to tighten the clamps, I'd suggest switching to a socket instead for better torque/leverage.

[derek19]

I was afraid and the guys who were helping were afraid if I tighten the clamps to tight on the hose, it would squish it. I'll fix it tomorrow and hopefully it stays.

Thanks for the help.

[rolnslo]

That hose is pretty tough and can take it. Focus mostly on getting the clamp on the throttle body tight because you don't want the intake to move or to allow air in under the hose where the clamp is.

For the clamp on the intake side, I'd loosen it up a bit and slide it closer to the intake and the edge of the hose. I have my clamps installed pretty close to the edges of the hose on both sides.

[TJ91]

After watching the install video, I have to be honest, im quite confused about how the scoop works and how exaclty it looks like in the grill area. I thought I knew how exactly this intake works but after seeing the vid and componants, I got a little lost along the way.
Does the scoop in the grill actually look like a scoop or is it a flap flap?

[rolnslo]

The air scoop is a flat piece with the attachment points bent at an angle. This allows the attachment points to hang down vertically but causes the large flat area of the scoop to sit at an angle behind the grille. The air hits the large flat area and is then directed upwards towards the intake. Let me see if I can draw a diagram for you from the side....The upper 2 '|' represent the attachment points. The '\' represent the air scoop portion that angles forward to catch the air coming in from the grille.

|
|
 \          <----
   \        <---- air flow
     \      <----

[TJ91]

ahh thats how it works, based off the first pics, I thought it was an actual scoop LOL
Thanks for the explanation. Most important part is that it clearly works, cant wait to get mine!

[gundaaniyan]

any one get a increase in mpg??

[gundaaniyan]

Originally Posted by cntryman77

Thanks, the Rit dye is easy to use & for $2, it's cheap..lol

how do u put the rit on filter???

[rolnslo]

Originally Posted by gundaaniyan

any one get a increase in mpg??

I still can't keep my foot out of it after 11k miles with some form of a Vararam intake installed. Based on my fill up tracking, I guess I can say that I haven't seen a decrease in mpgs but there is certainly an increase in performance.

I commute 40-50 miles per day over the same roads and this is my daily driver. Over the first 20k miles (stock intake), I averaged 21.37 mpg (manually calculated). My last 3 fill ups (after installing the production VR unit) were 21.77, 21.31, & 21.78 mpg. I don't necessarily beat up my Camaro but I strongly contemplated changing my license plate to "0to60", if that gives you an indication on how I prefer to drive with the Vararam intake installed.

[cntryman77]

Originally Posted by gundaaniyan

how do u put the rit on filter???

I ordered a cleaning/oiling kit ahead of time, so I just used the cleaner as instructed (spray, wait 15 minutes, rinse)...then I soaked the intake in the dye (mix powder & water in a throw away tin foil cooking pan)...then you just rinse as the dye directions call for, let the filter dry, re-oil & install...I actually did the dying while I was installing the intake on the car

[cntryman77]

Originally Posted by rolnslo

I still can't keep my foot out of it after 11k miles with some form of a Vararam intake installed. Based on my fill up tracking, I guess I can say that I haven't seen a decrease in mpgs but there is certainly an increase in performance.

I commute 40-50 miles per day over the same roads and this is my daily driver. Over the first 20k miles (stock intake), I averaged 21.37 mpg (manually calculated). My last 3 fill ups (after installing the production VR unit) were 21.77, 21.31, & 21.78 mpg. I don't necessarily beat up my Camaro but I strongly contemplated changing my license plate to "0to60", if that gives you an indication on how I prefer to drive with the Vararam intake installed.

what I was wondering is how the people who also already have this intake say it really pulls in 3rd & 4th gear at 3000-5000 rpms...I hit 60 in 2nd at about 5500, so I never make it to 3rd or 4th...LOL

[bmorecam]

Just a little tip for peoples having problems getting the throttle lined up right.. put the red rubber ring on the intake side first than work it onto the throttle body itself. Push the radiator towards the grill while working the intake onto the throttle body. Dont be afraid to give some muscle.