CAI vs Fastlane vs ADM Cold Air Intakes

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by Baltimorejohn1

You're welcome and hey just noticed you have a vararam....
How is it doing with the radiator?

I might get the itch and scrath it until the Z/28 gets here.......

No issues with the radiator. The cooling system works just the same as it always has. The Vararam intakes now come with a heat shield to help with heat from the radiator. So far the intake temps are almost identical to outside temps when the car is moving. When at a stop the temps creep up slightly but go back down as soon as the car starts moving again.

Originally Posted by Quick

I love my cai by CAI....wouldn't trade it for any two of the others....just saying.

I hear ya. Most people feel exactly the same about whichever brand they have. CAI is a good set-up but it isn't my style. I like ram air systems! If it weren't for Vararam I would have gotten the CAI, probably...

[litle88]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

The upgrade to the tuned version is an extra hundred dollars. It is just the back half of the box. I'm porting the intake manifold because I plan to do a cam, heads, and Vortech blower in the next year. I found a core intake manifold for a really good price so I figured I might as well do that now. It's all part of a puzzle that is incomplete so far.

Depending on how they port it, I wouldn't do that to one that I'm about to put boost thru it big bro. Many remove the center supports and actually thin it out some. If your putting boost the intake won't be much of a restriction if you ask me. Just my .2 cuz!

[litle88]

With a vortech you won't be able to use the vararam any longer either. Just my.2

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by litle88

Depending on how they port it, I wouldn't do that to one that I'm about to put boost thru it big bro. Many remove the center supports and actually thin it out some. If your putting boost the intake won't be much of a restriction if you ask me. Just my .2 cuz!

Yea you have a good point. The stock intake manifolds are pretty decent. Do you think I'll run into problems with a ported manifold on a boosted engine? I'm not planning on huge boost. Maybe 8 lbs max.

Originally Posted by litle88

With a vortech you won't be able to use the vararam any longer either. Just my.2

Yea that sucks man. And I love my Vararam soo much, lol! Once I go with the blower I will just sell the Vararam. I don't plan to ever go backwards, so once the blower is on it will stay on and I'll never need the Vararam again (sniffle)...

[Jason@JacFab]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

Thanks for all the videos. I like the look of the JacFab system. I wonder why it only makes 9 more hp. I think he is still working on it. It looks killer tho!! Vararam is probably the best while the car is moving!! I currently have the no-tune set-up but I'm upgrading the the tuned version once I get my intake manifold ported out!!

Only 9 more hp than.... what? K&N? 3 trips to the dyno and it's shown +17, +18, and +17.5 when compared to a stock airbox. (Without a scoop)

Never tried the Fastlane intake, didn't see the need to. ADM, and Roto-Fab are on my list of intakes that I would like to try, but I haven't run out and bought them because I didn't view them as big "players" in the Camaro intake market that I needed to be "better" than... The best thing that the ADM intake has going for it, is that it puts the MAF inside the airbox, which should help keep it cooler/report lower IAT's, great idea! As far as I know, it's currently the only intake on the market that does this?

I've tried the rest mentioned in the thread title, along with 2-3 others not mentioned before I would consider some of the others. Keeping in mind, I haven't dynoed every one of them, I have tried them all at the drag strip. I've seen between 0-1 mph gains at the track vs stock, to about a 3-4 mph gain at the track with two of the three intakes you have narrowed your search down to.

But none of them that I have tried hold a candle to the one that you can't even get.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by RacnJsn95

Only 9 more hp than.... what? K&N? 3 trips to the dyno and it's shown +17, +18, and +17.5 when compared to a stock airbox. (Without a scoop)

Never tried the Fastlane intake, didn't see the need to. ADM, and Roto-Fab are on my list of intakes that I would like to try, but I haven't run out and bought them because I didn't view them as big "players" in the Camaro intake market that I needed to be "better" than... The best thing that the ADM intake has going for it, is that it puts the MAF inside the airbox, which should help keep it cooler/report lower IAT's, great idea! As far as I know, it's currently the only intake on the market that does this?

I've tried the rest mentioned in the thread title, along with 2-3 others not mentioned before I would consider some of the others. Keeping in mind, I haven't dynoed every one of them, I have tried them all at the drag strip. I've seen between 0-1 mph gains at the track vs stock, to about a 3-4 mph gain at the track with two of the three intakes you have narrowed your search down to.

But none of them that I have tried hold a candle to the one that you can't even get.

Heh, I must have been drunk when I posted that. I've been following the making of your Could Rush system and I knew it should be good for at least about 15 hp. When I saw the "9" I mistakenly thought it was hp. But now I see that it was tq. My bad. I'm looking forward to yours becoming available for purchase. I think it's gonna shake things up for the top intake makers!!

[Jason@JacFab]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

Heh, I must have been drunk when I posted that. I've been following the making of your Could Rush system and I knew it should be good for at least about 15 hp. When I saw the "9" I mistakenly thought it was hp. But now I see that it was tq. My bad. I'm looking forward to yours becoming available for purchase. I think it's gonna shake things up for the top intake makers!!

Every time I have tested it, the design has been changed... The very first prototype, which was a little rough, is shown in the video posted. It only showed about a 9 tq gain... Why? Not sure, the biggest change from the original prototype to the 2nd intake tested was the removal of 2 bends (much like the ADM intake design) from the intake tube... The only reason they were there was because the dimensions of the original fiberglass velocity stack/filter clamp piece were off, so the tube had to be modified.

The second test shows a 16 tq gain, while the 3rd test after yet another redesign shows a 24 tq gain.

[camguynj]

Originally Posted by mikeyg36

The window tints only make the exhaust louder if you have a long throw shifter.

Black fuzzy dice adds 7hp, lighter colors 10hp ( something to do with the contrast colors of the dots , more contrast more wind drag).

[Hurst]

[Camarojt]

Originally Posted by Firefighter

Actually the ADM seems to be more versatile and adaptable. The Box is the same between all of his intakes. You would just change a couple of the silicone pieces to adapt to other set ups. For example today you are N/A then you add a Maggie or a Whipple... give ADM a call and he sells you a couple of parts and you have a working intake for your set up.

ADM RACE CAI is one of the top intakes out on the market! It is indeed the only design that has the MAF inside the sealed box. And from a box to box comparison, it's hard to say that there is another better constructed air box.

And one of the most valuable features is the versatility! You can start out NA and change your mind and go supercharged and not have to start over like what you would have to do with most others!

Jason I'm not saying that your intake is or isn't better Bc it's still too new, but I can't see how you would be naive enough to say that ADM or Rotofab are not quote "big players" in the Camaro intake market? I guess if your saying are they the most hyped and most marketed by vendors, then yes you are correct, but if you go by performance and value then they are both strong contenders.
Some of the FASTEST cars have ADM intakes so again dyno isn't the end all. Lets see some track times.

[BlaqWhole]

Originally Posted by Camarojt

ADM RACE CAI is one of the top intakes out on the market! It is indeed the only design that has the MAF inside the sealed box. And from a box to box comparison, it's hard to say that there is another better constructed air box.

And one of the most valuable features is the versatility! You can start out NA and change your mind and go supercharged and not have to start over like what you would have to do with most others!

Jason I'm not saying that your intake is or isn't better Bc it's still too new, but I can't see how you would be naive enough to say that ADM or Rotofab are not quote "big players" in the Camaro intake market? I guess if your saying are they the most hyped and most marketed by vendors, then yes you are correct, but if you go by performance and value then they are both strong contenders.
Some of the FASTEST cars have ADM intakes so again dyno isn't the end all. Lets see some track times.

I'm not an expert on this, but wouldn't the MAF inside the box give a less accurate reading of actual air temps going into the engine? And couldn't that inaccuracy cause a tuning or AFR issue? I would think that you'd want the ECU to make changes based on the most correct temp. The difference in the box could be pretty significant.

[Camarojt]

Originally Posted by BlaqWhole

I'm not an expert on this, but wouldn't the MAF inside the box give a less accurate reading of actual air temps going into the engine? And couldn't that inaccuracy cause a tuning or AFR issue? I would think that you'd want the ECU to make changes based on the most correct temp. The difference in the box could be pretty significant.

Yes you are correct Blaq, it could. The reason for the design that way is Bc ADM tested this extensively and came to the conclusion that by the ECM reading the temp in the airbox, it accomplishes something far more important than the slight inaccurate IAT that might make your air fuel a tad off. And that finding was that TIMING is worth way more power in the end result than air/fuel. Not to say that air/fuel is NOT important. It's just not MORE important. 1degree of timing pulled can be worth up to 10hp. Timing is pulled based off of intake temps!

So while all these so called comparison tests only give a snap shot at how each intake compares to each other with NO CHANGES TO TUNE OR CIRCUMSTANCES, you don't see the real picture as to how that same intake would perform in a multitude of situations with a corrected tune! You can have a CAI that is gaining you 18hp in perfect conditions.... But throw it in a hot environment, like say in the staging lanes or a stop light while driving on the street, and now that same intake is gonna make less hp due to TIMING being pulled!

This is where the difference in the temp that the ECM READS IS IMPORTANT! Less timing pulled = MORE HORSEPOWER! And if someone thinks that the Intake temps in their CAI are the exact same as ambient, under hot weather and stop and go traffic, then that person must believe that there engine puts off no heat and that their intake does not HEAT SOAK WHATSOEVER! Which is another reason I think ADM's combination is 1 step above someone like CAI inc. both have a tightly sealed well constructed box, so that in itself helps keep the temps cooler than an open lid style. But the MAF placement INSIDE THE SEALED BOX is gaining you TIMING.

Now, your tuner can adjust for the air/fuel and give you the best of both worlds! A well tuned ADM RACE CAI, is IMO the top of the food chain in OVERALL PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY! And it looks good too!

I will say that probably on a perfect weather day at the track, -1000 DA Vararam would hold it's own Bc I do like how it puts down power too. Just don't think it will in all other situations regardless of the addition to the heat shield. MAF is still gonna read what it reads and placement is the key.

[Jason@JacFab]

Originally Posted by Camarojt

Jason I'm not saying that your intake is or isn't better Bc it's still too new, but I can't see how you would be naive enough to say that ADM or Rotofab are not quote "big players" in the Camaro intake market? I guess if your saying are they the most hyped and most marketed by vendors, then yes you are correct, but if you go by performance and value then they are both strong contenders.
Some of the FASTEST cars have ADM intakes so again dyno isn't the end all. Lets see some track times.

Yes, what I was getting at is that the ADM, and Rotofab don't seem to get pushed as hard as say CAI, and Vararam... At least from my perspective, from looking at everyone's mod threads and signatures, I'd have to take a wild guess and say that they are the #1, and #2 sellers in the Camaro5 community, respectively. Don't get me wrong, Roto-fab looks to be up at the top also, and seems to have good gains... I think the ADM intake has only recently started to gain popularity and is finally starting to be mentioned more and more, which is great. But until recently, I would rarely see it mentioned... So in this instance, obviously, I want to try and build something as good as, or better than the top dawgs, wouldn't you agree? Why go out and buy a K&N and try to make it just better than that? Shoot for the moon.

Originally Posted by Camarojt

Yes you are correct Blaq, it could. The reason for the design that way is Bc ADM tested this extensively and came to the conclusion that by the ECM reading the temp in the airbox, it accomplishes something far more important than the slight inaccurate IAT that might make your air fuel a tad off. And that finding was that TIMING is worth way more power in the end result than air/fuel. Not to say that air/fuel is NOT important. It's just not MORE important. 1degree of timing pulled can be worth up to 10hp. Timing is pulled based off of intake temps!

So while all these so called comparison tests only give a snap shot at how each intake compares to each other with NO CHANGES TO TUNE OR CIRCUMSTANCES, you don't see the real picture as to how that same intake would perform in a multitude of situations with a corrected tune! You can have a CAI that is gaining you 18hp in perfect conditions.... But throw it in a hot environment, like say in the staging lanes or a stop light while driving on the street, and now that same intake is gonna make less hp due to TIMING being pulled!

This is where the difference in the temp that the ECM READS IS IMPORTANT! Less timing pulled = MORE HORSEPOWER! And if someone thinks that the Intake temps in their CAI are the exact same as ambient, under hot weather and stop and go traffic, then that person must believe that there engine puts off no heat and that their intake does not HEAT SOAK WHATSOEVER! Which is another reason I think ADM's combination is 1 step above someone like CAI inc. both have a tightly sealed well constructed box, so that in itself helps keep the temps cooler than an open lid style. But the MAF placement INSIDE THE SEALED BOX is gaining you TIMING.

Now, your tuner can adjust for the air/fuel and give you the best of both worlds! A well tuned ADM RACE CAI, is IMO the top of the food chain in OVERALL PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY! And it looks good too!

I will say that probably on a perfect weather day at the track, -1000 DA Vararam would hold it's own Bc I do like how it puts down power too. Just don't think it will in all other situations regardless of the addition to the heat shield. MAF is still gonna read what it reads and placement is the key.

Very well said... Most rarely ever think about what it's going to do on the street when you're sitting at a stop light...

[Camarojt]

Ok cool! I do agree with that assessment then Jason! Most people on the forum are CAI inc supporters, and they are a good intake. But you and I both know that when it comes to forum sales, the snowball effect will prevail! The more vendors that pop threads 4 to 5 times a day to represent their product, the more people buy it, then there is more people that in turn post comments about it when we see the millionth thread saying "which CAI should I get?" Your right tho, ADM CAI isn't all over the forum, Bc there aren't 10 vendors selling them or pushing them. Andy lets his engine builds and track times they put out speak for themselves. Then if people want performance, they come to him.

Most newbies will just pick a side and follow the leads of the majority when it comes to choosing a CAI. I myself am out to pull the #1 spot on the Fast List so I only care about performance, not the hype that comes with a part. But to each his own. They can follow the masses, or follow the FASTEST!

I like the fact that you are out to tackle the "brand X" monster and even out the lopsidedness of the market! Hope your CAI does well.