TonyKarter
05-03-2009, 08:18 AM
I went to Vararam in Pasadena, TX on Friday before going to Houston Raceway Park that night. I met Patrick and Steve and came away THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED with both of them and their operation. Both of these guys are true professionals in the business and set a high standard that other shops should aspire for.
I am truly blessed! I was going to install the intake right outside the shop. I had just finished loosening the hose clamps when Patrick comes outside, takes over, and installs it for me! The designer of the Vararam installed mine! Can it get any better than that? I know my way around a toolbox, but nothing compared to Patrick's ability. He could have done it with his eyes closed...kinda like Private Gump assembling his rifle. It was a done deal in about ten minutes, although he said most people can do it in 15-20 minutes. He literally stopped his day and devoted his time to making sure that I was as well cared for as humanly possible. A true professional. If more businesses were run the way they do theirs I have to think this country wouldn't be in the mess it's in right now. And Steve comes out and gives me a free filter cleaning kit. Am I blessed or what!!!
When he was installing it he told me some things about our car that most people would miss. Did you know that our engine is installed off centerline, slightly towards the driver side? Apparently this is done for weight distribution correction for the Australian right-side drive version of our car, but makes our's driver-side heavy. And the GTO's engine is installed out of line, kinda sideways in the engine bay.
Patrick has driven virtually every kind of race car out there, and raced many of them. Educated at Rice University, he later did intake research for Ford Motor Company's performance division. He definitely has the credentials. Vararam's Pasadena shop has state of the art flowbench and fluid dynamics software, and our intakes benefit from the same expertise that Patrick puts into the intake/filter products that he does for many high profile racing teams. Trust me, he has forgotten more about ramming air into an engine than we collectively will ever know.
I left there and went straight to the track, about twenty miles. Initially, I was .3 slower than my best stock times, but as the ECM adjusted to the new setup, I dropped my times .3 BELOW my previous best. Had I put more miles on it before I went, and had the ECM had more time to adjust to the new setup, I have to believe there were a couple of tenths more to be gained...time shall see.
STEVE AND Patrick...MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU GUYS...YOU ROCK!!!
I am truly blessed! I was going to install the intake right outside the shop. I had just finished loosening the hose clamps when Patrick comes outside, takes over, and installs it for me! The designer of the Vararam installed mine! Can it get any better than that? I know my way around a toolbox, but nothing compared to Patrick's ability. He could have done it with his eyes closed...kinda like Private Gump assembling his rifle. It was a done deal in about ten minutes, although he said most people can do it in 15-20 minutes. He literally stopped his day and devoted his time to making sure that I was as well cared for as humanly possible. A true professional. If more businesses were run the way they do theirs I have to think this country wouldn't be in the mess it's in right now. And Steve comes out and gives me a free filter cleaning kit. Am I blessed or what!!!
When he was installing it he told me some things about our car that most people would miss. Did you know that our engine is installed off centerline, slightly towards the driver side? Apparently this is done for weight distribution correction for the Australian right-side drive version of our car, but makes our's driver-side heavy. And the GTO's engine is installed out of line, kinda sideways in the engine bay.
Patrick has driven virtually every kind of race car out there, and raced many of them. Educated at Rice University, he later did intake research for Ford Motor Company's performance division. He definitely has the credentials. Vararam's Pasadena shop has state of the art flowbench and fluid dynamics software, and our intakes benefit from the same expertise that Patrick puts into the intake/filter products that he does for many high profile racing teams. Trust me, he has forgotten more about ramming air into an engine than we collectively will ever know.
I left there and went straight to the track, about twenty miles. Initially, I was .3 slower than my best stock times, but as the ECM adjusted to the new setup, I dropped my times .3 BELOW my previous best. Had I put more miles on it before I went, and had the ECM had more time to adjust to the new setup, I have to believe there were a couple of tenths more to be gained...time shall see.
STEVE AND Patrick...MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU GUYS...YOU ROCK!!!