Just installed vararam intake yesterday and am not really sure if im happy. When i spoke to one of there techs they assured me of a product that would make a big difference, mainly in throttle responses, acc..ect. IDk im not really "feeling" any changes..car seems to acc and pull as usual..(as with my stock intake). Am i missing something? i did have a corsa cat back already before the intake. Maybe i was expecting something radical, and not noticing the diff? Will a tune make it better? currently just running on 93 octane fuel and lots of pedal mashing. On a positive note the car sounds mean as hell!! Thanks for any input!

If you have the stock tune, you need to go thru the relearn procedure. I don't know how long that takes.

To be honest, I too was not BLOWN AWAY after install. I could hear it sucking air. But, did you disconnect your battery for at least 2 hours?
I could tell a bit more pep upon acceleration. But, where you are really going to notice it is at high speeds. I do almost all in town driving.
But I do know when I get on backroads and gas it hard the thing damn near throws me into the backseat! lol

And my burnouts are as strong as ever! (note to self: gotta stop doing burnouts)

What were you guys expecting, a supercharger for $300?

of course not a supercharger u dumb bastard! just expected a little more pep, something different than stock! did not do the relearn b/c tech at vararam said "just drive the car" when asked about the relearn. What promted this post was another saying by the tech at vararam "it's gonna feel like a new motor" I call bull****, as I see it. Thats what these forums are hear for...

First of all, you really should have done the battery disconnect. It does force the computer to learn more quickly.

Second, when I installed mine (with the battery disconnect) I definitely felt a more responsive throttle. Is it a GINORMOUS difference? No. But I know when I get a proper tune on the car, it will put all that extra air to proper use.

I would suggest doing the battery disconnect and giving it another try.

And my burnouts are as strong as ever! (note to self: gotta stop doing burnouts)[/quote]


Made me laugh out loud. Thanks man!




Jeff

of course not a supercharger u dumb bastard!

lol

What were you guys expecting, a supercharger for $300?


Well....at the end of the instructions it does tell you that we essentially have a baby supercharger.


I did the relearn thing & I also can't feel a drastic improvement. I do feel some improvement but nothing major but maybe mine hasn't finished the relearn. I will say that I gained about .5 off my 1/4 mile time since I installed it and it sounds real good.

I'm sure I'll be much happier once I get it tuned.

of course not a supercharger u dumb bastard! just expected a little more pep, something different than stock! did not do the relearn b/c tech at vararam said "just drive the car" when asked about the relearn. What promted this post was another saying by the tech at vararam "it's gonna feel like a new motor" I call bull****, as I see it. Thats what these forums are hear for...

Dumb bastard... :)

Before I got a tune I could also mainly feel a difference in sound only. This as with any other CAI would need a tune to realize its full potential. Without a tune you would maybe get 15HP which most people would not feel. Vararam also indicated that the Ram Air effect starts to take place at > 45 MPH.

Well....at the end of the instructions it does tell you that we essentially have a baby supercharger.


I did the relearn thing & I also can't feel a drastic improvement. I do feel some improvement but nothing major but maybe mine hasn't finished the relearn. I will say that I gained about .5 off my 1/4 mile time since I installed it and it sounds real good.

I'm sure I'll be much happier once I get it tuned.

So I am interested to see how many bolt ons that you can buy for $350 will give you a .5 gain in the 1/4 mile. Divide the cost of a supercharger by $350 and multiply by .5 and let me know if you get what you paid for. The Vararam has the best gains for a CAI, but the true advantage is when you reach 50+ mph and hit the gas. It keeps pulling harder and harder the faster you go up well past 90+. Guys that don't read all of the instructions and don't get the full benefit immediately deserve to wait for the full benefits. Take it a step at a time. If you want the feel of a supercharger, buy one. :slap:

---And my burnouts are as strong as ever! (note to self: gotta stop doing burnouts) ----
I second this...

.Would doing the superchips cortex make a difference?? or just tuning it through a Dyno..?

of course not a supercharger u dumb bastard! just expected a little more pep, something different than stock! did not do the relearn b/c tech at vararam said "just drive the car" when asked about the relearn. What promted this post was another saying by the tech at vararam "it's gonna feel like a new motor" I call bull****, as I see it. Thats what these forums are hear for...
Yes, just drive the car - for two weeks as it adjusts over two -three tankfuls of gas. And you should have gone to 87 octane to reduce engine power to 355 from 361 before the intake install as much of its claimed power is from the pure base level parameters. Eric's situation is different as he already has a tune. Consider that you may already have acheived 90% of teh power potential of eth intake simply by your exhaust and running 93 octane. These gains are not cumulative, but each claimed increase is for that product alone without making any other changes - if an intake is good for 15hp and an exhaust for 15 you will NOT get 30 by doing both. And unless they show you a dyno chart for your particular vehicle, as in G8 not Mustang GT or INfinity G37, then assume all HP claims are crank and must be reduced 15-20% for wheel hp.

When getting my car tuned, the owner told me that the general rule of thumb is you need to gain 20 whp to notice a difference. That is a guideline they give to people who want 'noticeable' power.

If you're on the fence about an intake...spend your money on a tune (or both if you can afford it). You WILL notice a difference with a tune, that I can say for sure (as I ran with a tune only at first). It is proven that a tune and intake will make a huge difference as we ran two G8's with intake & tune against a stock G8 at the same track, same time, and we were consistently posting .5 seconds quicker speeds in the 1/4 mile on my car (which the tune was screwed up to begin with), and 1 second quicker with the other G8 that was properly tuned, but also has HSRK, X-pipe, and Exhaust. That is huge.

I you had to choose between the two, get the tune first. You can always get a quick re-tune (from Vector anyway) if you upgrade your intake.

Oh and you can see for yourself in mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzrEJJgmgiM

And the stocker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqo_IWOvHvU&feature=channel

Camera work blows, I know :)

14.2 for the stock, 13.7 in mine. I ran a 13.2 in the other guy's G8...which he ran as well, and a couple 13.3's...it was a bit humid that day out as we had thunderstorms rolling in, so our times were a slower than they should be. I know the 13.2 G8 was running 13 flats the week before at the same track. I've got to make another run at it now that my tune is fixed and torque management set to 0% (was at 50%), and also added a HSRK.