well i picked up a miniram intake with a 58mm throttle body.... the tpi was great while it lasted but i want a true performance engine so a buddy sold me his miniram intake with the bbk 58mm tb for 250.00... i know i got a killer deal but that is only because he went a totally different route with his 406... i was wondering how much of an improvement would the mini ram be over my tpi setup.. here are my engine mods... i dont want to go much bigger than a hotcam because this is my daily driver... i will add 1.6 rockers to it to give it more bite but thats about it.. also i was thinking about getting a vigilante 3000-3200 stall by the end of summer to get right into the powerband and make up for low end loss... then the last piece would be to get afr 195s when income taxes come in next year..... i just want a bad *** 355...

ENGINE MODS......
fresh 355 bored .30 over 4 Bolt Main Vortec Block
10243880 Gm cast Block
Blueprinted Performance build ( bored with thrust plates)
9.7 to 1 Compression
Milodon Main Cap Bolts
Eagle 5140 Forged Steel "SIR" Lightweight Connecting Rods
ARP Rod Bolts
Eagle 4340 Forged steel crank
Upgraded Clevite 77 H Bearings
Kieth Black Hypereutectic -12cc dished pistons
dura-bond hi performance coated cam bearings
Pioneer heavy duty brass freeze plugs
Internally Balanced Eagle rotating assembly (rated at 650 horsepower)
Elgin Lifters
Heavy duty flywheel
New harmonic balancer
LT1 mini Starter
Highflow radiator
High flow water Pump
ARP headbolts
Rebuilt L98 heads with manely springs, retainers, screw in studs
SA performance double timing chain
GM LT4 HOT Cam

218/228 .492"/.492" 112 LSA

Comp Cams 1.5 roller tip rockers


INDUCTION/FUEL DELIVERY MODS.....
Fully ported and Siamesed Plenum, egr walls grinded down
Fully Ported and Siamesed SLP Runners port matched to Plenum
Edelbrock Ported Highflow Intake port matched to runners
SLP's CAI with K&N air filter and SLP's special modded intake hoses
IAT relocated to SLP CAI box
48mm throttle body with Airfoil
180 thermostat
Hypertech 4028 200/185 degree fan switch
SVO 24lb Injectors
Heated O2 sensor
Crane's AFPR set at 43psi

OIL SYSTEM MODS.....
Melling 10553 Oil pump
hardned pick up
L98 Oil Pan

Rear End mods.........
built 9 Bolt Borq warner 3.27 Gears (rated 385hp 416Tq)
TA performance aluminum rear end girdle Cover
1/2 pint fluid increase
15 degrees cooler operating temp
ARP rear end Girdle cover Bolts
aluminum driveshaft
Neapco brute force u-Joints

 

You will not see much benefit using the Miniram with that small cam. the miniram is a high RPM mainfold that produces a wide flat torque curve with large intake ports and large lobes with sufficient duration to support high rev power. In order to benefit for the Miniram's design, your engine needs to support good power to past 6,500rpm.

You will miss the TPI's midrange torque.

BTW, you say you want true performance? You should take a ride in my full length TPI 87 IROC Beasty sometime. Be sure to bring a fresh pair of underwear. You'll need them afterward.

 

so your saying i will be in worse shape with the miniram

 

ive been reading into this and the miniram similar to lt1 cars... there are plenty of stock headed lt1 cars putting down 350+whp and 360+wtq with their stock intake with just a hotcam and supporting boltons.. look at the ls1.. yes their intake can flow up to 6500 just like the mini ram... yet stock cammed auto cars with just exhaust and other boltons will kill a tpi.. i have a tpi similar to yours..... its fun driving it and all but tire spinning and low range power is all its good for..... its no fun when all you can do is spin tires and run out of steam past 50 or 60mph... i had a 10 inch 3000 stall and it did just that, tire burning but no power up top... so i recently went back to a corvette stall.... i want something different.. i had this setup for two years and i want more than just the tire burning low range power.... it gets old quick...

 

I think you will be ok. Even tho the cam is "small" its larger than stock and even on stock motors, miniram/hsr will out run a TPI car although its close. You will extend the rpm range with the miniram and with the right gearing, that could mean faster car because you'll have more area under the power curve. Use that power and it will run faster ET's/mph.

Miniram is a better match to AFR heads since it flows more than TPI unless you do what the california guys do,and cut/weld up the base to open up the port to match the head. Miniram can do that box stock 1205 port.

There are LT1 guys with hotcam and ported heads making 380whp with LT1 intake. Dont see many TPI cars with same cam doing that and the ones that do are running heavily ported intakes and thats gonna cost you.

 

well for 250 for the miniram intake im goint to do it.... and if i dont like it will put my tpi intake back on and sell the miniram for alot more than i paid for it... im just tired of tpi and i have big plans for this motor..... i have too much torque and i get tired of spinning all the time with no performance up top.....

 

i considered what the people do in cali but still i just dont want to go through all that..... in the end tpi is a pain the in *** to work on and take apart...... plus i need a new tb anyway.... my stock 48mm is all worn out so if anything im getting a deal out of this...

 

How can you get tired of TPI? It's great. Personally I love the outstanding torque that my TPI throws down, especially when she's daily driven. If you want to even out the powerband then I would have went HSR, but for $250 I would def try out the miniram, because youre right; you can always swap it out.

 

Miniram still will have torque but its not gonna come on like TPI does...its gonna be strong up 3000 rpm to redline and TPI is mostly 2800-3500 and dead.

You will need to retune for this miniram intake. Its gonna shift the fuel curve around alot, but MAF can compensate fairly well.

 

The Miniram will neeed at least the AFR 195s in oreder to breath the way it wants to. It can be ported to support AFR 210s. It will want a cam like the ZZX(240/240 @ .050 .560/.560) or the Comp XFI304. You seem to have a bottom end that can support the revs. The Mininram with one of those cams and the right heads will rev strong to 7,000. Your TPI would do alot better with a cam like the ZZX. TPIS made 420hp at 6,200 with this cam in a long runner TPI with ported stock heads.

My TPI goes from 50-100 in about 5 seconds and doesn't stop pulling. I shift at 6,800 with my soft rev set at 6,900. So I'm going 90 when I engage 3rd with 3.23 rear gears. My Beasty runs circles around my son's 02 Ram Air TA with Borla exhaust. He's still afraid to hold the IROC through the second gear upshift. Before I installed the LCA relocators and the 255 tires, the car would get squirrely at 60mph just holding the throttle down. I've had the car at 195mph and would have passed 200 but for the 6,500 rev limit I had at the time.

 

Well I am going to use it... this wont be my daily for long.. but I wanna slap on some Afr 195 heads then by next summer maybe step up to a can in the mid 230 durations if I feel like I want more power... either way tpi will hold me back because I want to build a powerhouse.. tpi just makes it power all low and little up top... . the Californian guys are trying to make true tpi flow like its not tpi and more mini ram like.. how ironic.. I'm not dealing with all this porting tpi stuff cause in the end its still a pain to work with and take apart. How many videos do u see with tpi cars hanging with other built SBC or ls1s . Tpi wasnt meant for all out power.. this mini ram will just open my options up for the future when I do decide to get a much bigger can..

 

You got any dyno numbers or better yet, track times on that setup? I'd love to see how that motor runs, it sure does seem very strong. Huge cam for a TPI, definately something you dont see often. That cam would make power to well over 6500 rpm in a 355 so a miniram would fit that well. It may even outpower your TPI

 

Yeah, honestly, I've thought about going Miniram. $250 for that manifold was a steal as it sells for $850 new. I'm just making the point that TPI can make excellent power, you just have to push the envelope. The ZZX was originally ground for highly modified TPI. But yes it is a good grind for the Miniram.

I'm not afraid of a big cam as long as the engine is designed to support it. I can tune around the low idle vacuum especially with programmable EFI. I know I gave up some mid range torque with the change from my original 223/230 @.050 503/510 cam. But the extended upper end makes up for it. The TPI needs all the airflow it can get. The high flow air lid and Ram Air really helped. I'm still retuning my base fuel map to make up for the difference.

I plan to make some runs at Woodburn dragstrip this summer to see what trap speed I can make. I know that ET will suck with all the tire spin.

 

i think im having a change of heart... now i have been thinking about using the 58mm tb and selling the mini ram intake and my stock 48mm tb...... i just love the look of tpi too much to get rid of it... my car will always be a street car and i really wouldnt have any use of the minirams 5000 plus rpms.... i guess only paying 250 made me think things... ima just stick with tpi and just get some nice heads and call it the day.....

 

Did we talk you out of it? I think you will be pleasantly suprised by the results if you install the AFR 195s (think about the competition upgrade too), and the ZZX cam. There is a member who made 400+rwhp with the same basic setup.

I didn't mean to talk down the Miniram. I was only debating your position that TPI can't produce true performance. TPIS has done some amazing things with the Miniram. And they can be very streetable, even in formidable setups. The combinations I detailed for you with the ZZX or the Comp XFI304 would in my opinion be streetable. They are both cut on a 112LSA and while they definitely produce a choppy idle, I don't find it unpleasant. I even run my ZZX with a 2,300 stall. The 3.06 low gear of the 700R4 makes this possible.

Whatever you choose to do, enjoy it. There will always be faster cars than yours or mine. I gave up trying to best the OEs when they came out with the 635hp ZR1. Forget about it. Just do the best you can with what you have and love it for what it is. It's still faster than 90 percent of the cars out there.

 

Yeah do what makes you happy but I honestly think you would love the miniram even tho its plain looking. It will have a solid power band and still make good torque. It will do well on stock heads and much better on 195 cc heads, regardless of what cam you use. For the price, i'd still try it first to see how you like it. Then if you dont, sell it off and make a good buck out of it.

True that! No matter what you do someone is faster. I run 9's but there are cars out my way that run faster. "street" cars that go mid high 8's. Just crazy what you can do these days. Just enjoy what you build and have fun with it.

 

well what ever you do buy it for 250 !!! You can always sell it and make money on it!

 

My TPI pulled hard past 3500, and she for sure will with my new setup

 

well if any of you want the mini ram intake i will sell it for 350 dollars yes 350 dollars.... it only comes with the manifold.... you just need to buy the fuel rails and gaskets.... so if your interested just let me know... ima stick with my tpi and try to max it out..

 

if you ever need more power, just boost it or spray it.

 

ill prolly spray it just incase some one wants to race me.... whats a good amount of spray i could use on my engine here are my engine mods

ENGINE MODS......
fresh 355 bored .30 over 4 Bolt Main Vortec Block
10243880 Gm cast Block
Blueprinted Performance build ( bored with thrust plates)
9.7 to 1 Compression
Milodon Main Cap Bolts
Eagle 5140 Forged Steel "SIR" Lightweight Connecting Rods
ARP Rod Bolts
Eagle 4340 Forged steel crank
Upgraded Clevite 77 H Bearings
Kieth Black Hypereutectic -12cc dished pistons
dura-bond hi performance coated cam bearings
Pioneer heavy duty brass freeze plugs
Internally Balanced Eagle rotating assembly (rated at 650 horsepower)
Elgin Lifters
Heavy duty flywheel
New harmonic balancer
LT1 mini Starter
Highflow radiator
High flow water Pump
ARP headbolts
Rebuilt L98 heads with manely springs, retainers, screw in studs
SA performance double timing chain
GM LT4 HOT Cam

218/228 .492"/.492" 112 LSA

Comp Cams 1.5 roller tip rockers

 

Keep it mild, 100 shot is all you really need.

 

miniram is sold