Has anyone tried this intake? I have, and had nothing but hell with it. Car runs worse than before, and everything else is right. Gonna go back to the Edelbrock Performer.

 

I havent owned one, but I have talked to many people that do. General consensus seems to be that they perform adequately, but the appearance leaves something to be desired. But you arent the first person to complain about poor performance either.

 

An intake shouldn't make THAT drastic of a difference from the Performer, unless an entire runner is plugged....I have the Performance Products RPM and it's been fine...but ditto on the outer finish, I just didn't care (read: cheap).

You've checked for vacuum leaks I'm assuming...

 

A relevant quote from one of my favorite authors, David Vizard:

"Never assume that a widely advertised manifold manufactured by a well-known company will work well. I wrote an article for Hot Rod Magazine in which I tested about fifteen street manifolds on a mildly built small block 350 Chevy. The best manifolds - and there were three or four - produced 10 to 15 more horsepower than stock, but the worst of the bunch produced an amazing 56 less horsepower than stock...The lesson is obvious even on a street engine: The difference between similar looking intake manifolds can be over 70 horsepower. Not a trivial number."

How to Build Horsepower Vol 1 p.61

Cheaper manifolds can "look" just like a proven design, but it is better to pay a few extra $$ for something that has been known to work. Just food for thought, not specifying any manifold as being good or bad.

 

Like a real RPM Air Gap? That's a widely advertised intake!

I have the Crosswind intake, and besides cosmetics, it's fine. Like mentioned above though, the casting is rougher.

BTW, I'm not saying the original Air Gap is not as good on performance, maybe even better. But didn't Edelbrock sell a 'Torker" too?

Sometimes it seems like a crap shoot when you're trying to find a decent intake at a reasonable price.

 

All well and good but I believe that book was published way before Professional Products entered the market place.
My Crosswind (vortec) manifold works fine. I've had the (Edel) RPM an Air gap and performer to compare.
In my opinion they are a good buy for the $$$.
As with any part you would want to inspect it for obvious flaws at the point of purchase. Some of the stuff sold on Ebay is factory rejects sold for scrap. buyer beware here.

 

I apparently got one from Jegs back in '97. Weiand Action + for the 396. The head mount surfaces weren't machined square. Sucked in oil from the valley something fierce.

 

Well, I've decided to scrap the top of the motor. A set of World Product sportsman 2 heads popped up at a great price. So, I'll get them ported, New intake, bigger cam. I WILL GET INTO THE 11'S!!!!!!!!! Vortecs will be gone!