PaveTim

I've got a ZZ4 engine with trick flow heads. the cam is small only 209 duration and about .470 lift. I like the low end torque but when I come to a long stretch of road it stops pulling at like 4000 rpm. I was gonna go up to a comp cams X-tremem energy 269 or 276. Now my questoion for you guys is do you think it's worth it to soup up my tpi or buy miniram. About same price. I have edelbrock hi flow base, but i'd need 52 mm body, and high flow runners which is still about $800.
I won't see too much at the track but I like street power and just when i'm on the highway at 60 I want to punch it and for my car to set me back in the seat. I've hear the miniram is too much and TPI is too little, but I really don't like the superram. I will probably just go with the miniram. You guys agree.
I'm fairly new at this and don't mind spending the money but I don't want to spend $2000 and not like what i get.

IROCKZ4me

You don't necisarily need a larger throttle body to make more power at higher RPMs. It wouldn't hurt, and might add maybe 8 or 10 HP or so, maybe a little more, but it isn't required by any means.
However, If you want to make more HP at higher RPM shorter runners are pretty much a requirement. You can go Mini Ram to get very short runners, but you can also get shorter runners in the form of siamesed runners. With them you can have the medium length runners like the Super Ram and LS1 intakes, while keeping your base, plenum, Tbody, and original looking configuration.
A benefit of the siamesed runners is that they can be modified to shorten or lengthen the intake ports, if your combo or needs change in the future. You can remove more of the dividing septum to shorten the runners more, or you can weld, or have welded, the septum back up to lengthen the ports.
Just an option

I would not recommend SLP siamesed runners unless you intend to thoroughly port them to increase their cross sectionaly area. They are cast and do have quite a thick wall that can be ported considerably, but as cast they are small. If you want a set that don't need porting first I would recomend Arizona Speed & Marine siamesed runners (also available from TPIS). They are extuded tubing and sheat metal. They can not be ported, but have a large diameter already. You can lengthen or shorten the septum (welding required) as needed to custom tune them, or just bolt them on as is. For best results, port the plenum to match the runners.

PaveTim

Thanks for the info that really helped out. From what i've been hearing the miniram is good for high rpm hp. The car is a daily driver and I don't hit high rpm often but would like to know if I want to have some fun on the street at 6000rpm the power is there, you know. Well thanks I think I might go that way of the siamesed runners.

Grim Reaper

Before I decided to go Miniram (to be installed this spring), I too faced the same dilema that you did. It seemed that none of the alternatives were "perfect", they all had good points and bad points. So I chose the qualities that were important to me and ignored the qualites that weren't.

It helped narrow down the field but I still didn't have a "clear winner". So I started to "chat and e-mail" with people that were using the various setups. On thing became really apparent, the happiest people were the ones with the Miniram. Yes, I actually talked to one guy who dumped his Miniram for a Superram and was very happy with it. But the vast majority were very happy with their Miniram.

Also, most guys that had a Miniram had tried one (or more) of the various other alternatives, including a few that swapped from a Superram. The one thing that they all said is, that while they MAY have lost a little TQ (and it's more of a "peakiness") depending on the head and cam combo you match it to, you won't necessarily even see a TQ loss. Some actually swear that their Miniram combo has more TQ below 2,000 rpm than their TPI. And the few that have 383s claim that their Miniram setup feels torquier than their original L98 combo.

I also have a complete 3.73 rear end (which I picked up 3 years ago) which, should I feel I lost too much low end TQ when I convert to my Miniram , I will just swap and that will more than compensate for any lost TQ. But I will do that only after seeing how it feels with 3.23s for awhile.

BTW, have you done a search on "Millican" who has done a tech article on converting an LT1 intake to work on a Gen I block? I don't want to speak for John, but if you are apprehensive about doing the actual conversion work, you MIGHT be want to talk to John whether he or others he may know, that would do the conversion for you. You must get the LT1 intake yourself though.

In one fo the better "dyno programs" that has "pre spec'd" intakes to chose from, they reate the LT1 intake and the Miniram virtually identical (unless you have a big port Miniram or vortec port Miniram).

Jason87GTA

I agree Glenn, just from a SOTP experience, no torque is lost with a Miniram.

Go for the Miniram, you won't be disappointed!!

Bill's86Vette

TPIS suggests for a 350 engine with a miniram to use 3.73 gears (and a 2800 stall converter if equipped with an automatic.)

If your car now doesnt have the SOTP you want, what rear gears are in it now?
Do you have highway gears?That will make the car feel slower then it is.

Porting and welding SLP runners is alot of work and isnt worth doing unless youre skilled at that.Paying someone will set you back 200-400 bucks depending on the person doing them.But they can be made to perform.

The miniram wont pass emissions/inspections and that something to consider as well if its very strict where you live.
Youll need the proper prom burned for it, and it removes the EGR system as well.

The SR works well but is a PITA to install...but is a compromise between the two.Choices eh?

IROCKZ4me

Keep in mind also that a lot of times people confuse better "throttle response" with more "torque" and the two are not the same. Air/fuel and timing calibration have almost as much of an affect on this as hardware. Also that the "driver seat dyno" is not accurate. Just driving the cars, given the same axle and tranny options, a stock L98 (long runner) felt quicker than an LT1 (short runner), even though the LT1 is a quicker car. Same thing when compairing an LT1 to an LS1 car.
After driving an LT1(short runner) car, When you drive an LS1(medium runner) car, you say "geeze this thing doesn't have as much torque as my old LT1 did", but it actually has more (as well as more HP) and is much faster.
Also you must keep in mind the necessity of matching all of the parts to work with the most synergy. Puting long runners on an engine that would work best with short runners will of course choke it. Likewise a short runner on an engine that would best work with longer runners will never make its best power in it's most "usable" range. As a basic rule of thumb, larger displacement motors don't need the longer runners as much as smaller CID motors to make the same torque, and often benifit from the improved high RPM breathing as well.
Just more thoughts

By the way, AS&M runners and a matched cam will pick your max RPM upto about 5600-5800 on a 350. "Best power" would be 2500-5000 or so.
A Mini Ram will max out over 7500RPM on a 350. Best power will be around 3200-7200 RPM with a matched cam.