I've been slowly researching the MiniRam, StealthRam, and SuperRam and am still puzzled as to which would be best.

I currently have just the stock 305 but when I do build an engine, I'm going 383.

Anyhoo - Which do you think is the best of the 3? Which gives the most power overall?

What are the prices and where can you get them?
How hard are they to install?

If my 305 is rated approx 190hp now, can I really expect the 95hp that the SuperRam claims on their site?

 

No way!

 

The thing you need to keep in mind when reading about these new intakes is the sales pitch they give you is misleading. They will say 95 more HP @ 5500 RPM, which might be true, but what you need to think about is peak HP vs XXXHP @ XXXXRPM. The 95 more HP @ 5500 RPM is true because the TPI intake sucks after 4500 RPM. So instead of making 190hp @ 4500 RPM, you'll now make like 200hp @ 5500 RPM (whereas the TPI intake will make like 110 hp @ 5500 RPM). So you really do make 95 or so more HP @ that RPM, but the peak HP difference is small. Its a sales pitch. As far as peak HP numbers (this is really what we're looking for), expect to gain like 10-20 HP depending on the other mods you've done. Do a search on this website and look for the Dyno Graphs. Its pretty much been proven that the 'Ram' intakes dont make the huge power increase they lead you to believe. The 'Ram' intakes give your car more top end power. Different powerband. Thats it.

 

That makes sense...

Being that, would you say that they are not really worth it?

Lets say you built a 383 and wanted (lowball) 250hp. Stock TPI with say ported intake system or a "ram" system?

 

For a 305, 95 hp is a little hard to believe. For a 350, the argument that CrazyHawaiian put forth would make a little more sense. Either that, or they will claim 120 hp for a 350!! Remember that GM put the same manifold on the 350's as they did the 305's, so the restriction that the TPI places on any given engine will be more severe on the 350's just because of it's higher breathing capacity.

TPIS claimed the same 95 hp gain on the 350 they tested with their Mini-Ram. I bought the Mini-Ram (not based on their claim) because I wanted SOME more top end power. It does indeed make more top end, but 95 hp worth? Like 25THRSS said, no way.

If it's one thing I like most about my Mini-Ram is the ease of installation and maintainance. Those TPIs are notorious for vacuum leaks, installation difficulties, etc. The Mini-Ram is a simple one piece design (and good quality too) like the LT1, and it runs very very well. I'd recommend it to you.

 

How much did the complete kit cost you?

 

i had a 383 stroker with the stock 305 tpi intake with 22 lb injectors and a 212/218 duration at .50 comp cam with .440/.464 lift it ran a best of 13.2 @ 103.5 mph then i did a superram install it went to 13.0 @106.4 that wasnt too bad but these superrams are a pain in the neck to install first time took me 10 hours but now that i gotten experience with it only take me about an hour with the engine out. i keep hearing about how easy the mini rams are and i have personally worked with those on another friends car and its a A+ on ease of installation and a C on super.

 

About $1200. That's with the fuel rail kit too.

 

Of two 10ths is all $1200 gets, I might wanna stay with TPI and just do some upgrading!

A 383 with stock 305 TPI pulling 13.2's is still DAMN impressive if ya ask me.

 

They're worth it if you want more top end power. The TPI is a low end torque monster. Pulls nice to 4500 rpm. If you're building your car for low end torque, then the TPI is a good choice. The 'Ram's' are for top end, so not as much pull down low but can pull hard to 6500 rpm (depending on motor mods of course). I prefer top end power because I find it more fun to drive. Not saying its a better choice than tuning for low end torque, but each has its ups and downs. I plan to build my motor to spin to 6500 rpm (on boost) and the 'Ram' intakes are a perfect match. So for me it is worth it. If its worth it for you depends on what you want. I dont expect to gain alot of power by swapping the intake alone, but combined with aftermarket heads, cam/springs, a blower, and a 6 speed tranny .... it will be a blast to drive. My goal is to keep up with my friends Z06 (pulls hard to 6500 rpm).

 

You can get a LT1 intake conversion for 1/3 that.

 

thanks it was alot of fun killed alot of cars with that set up i had the trickflow twisted wedge heads outta the box with stock rocker arms and 9.2 compression ratio hyper pistons, rebuilt tranny with shift kit, 3.73 rear,2000 stall converter and the cam i just posted earlier, stock suspension, t-tops, msd6al, and a fully loaded car with a stereo.the car weighed 3510 with me in it. if u are interested i can sell u the cam along 22lb injectors and the chip that was burnt for that combination. all 3 of them for 250.

 

Yeah. Unfortunately, I had never heard of that option until I got on to this site a few months ago.

 

I disagree with that. My Camaro has quite a bit more off the line torque now than when I had my TPI set up. The only place that the TPI outshined my Mini Ram was between 3000 and 4000 rpm- the range that the TPI's are tuned for.. Everywhere else, the Mini-Ram's flat torque curve is significantly better.

I believe that even the 90's LT1's had more torque outside of that 3000-4000 rpm range. I'll take flat torque curves over sharp peaks any day.

 

Well you know what I'm trying to say. No need to argue. For you it affected your mid range power instead of your low end power. I've read different results with different 'Ram' intakes. The end result for you was more top end power right? Did you do any other mods besides the intake swap to make more low end power?

 

But he gained 3 mph. Thats about a 30 hp increase over the TPI setup. Remember the faster you get, the more it takes to get those extra mph.
So I think he did pretty good to gain 3 mph with the intake swap. the et would most likely improve with some tailoring to the new intakes powerband (gears, stall, etc.)
Alot of people are happy to get a 30 hp gain from $1200 heads.

 

Sorry, not trying to argue.

No, no other mods. It was a plain ol' ZZ4 with a TPI, and then a plain ol' ZZ4 with a Mini-Ram. Definitely an A to B comparison. I definitely have more top end power with the Mini-Ram, but also more low end. It's in the mid range that the TPI works better- unfortunately, it's such a narrow range. The AFR heads went on several months after the Mini-Ram swap.

 

custom plenum stealth rams are available here custom stealthrams

TPI

super ram

miniram

custom stealth ram

custom plenum stealth rams are available here custom stealthrams

MODIFIED SINGLE PLANE

IVE RUN ALL FIVE
EVERYONE so far has reported back that once they got it tuned correctly for the massive increase in airflow that in was a major increase in the engines abillity to make hp in the 4000rpm-6500rpm ranges and a slight loss of low rpm torque
again look at the dyno results, vs a ported siamese aftermarket base, the CUSTOM STEALTH RAM pulls hard to over 6600rpm
keep in mind a stock TPI flows about 200cfm
a moddified tpi flows about 230cfm
a super ram flows about 245-250cfm
a stealthram flows 275plus (300cfm with port work) CFM WITH LONG ENOUGH RUNNER FOR GOOD TQ
a mini ram flows about 280cfm but has extremely short runners
http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~davis/z28...age021105.html
if your interested heres a few links

custom stealthrams

cost for the swap to the custonm stealth ram is about $800 in most cases if you buy the package deal,(custom plenum, base,fuel rails,fuel pressure regulator and you find a good salvage yard small base HEI distributor, if you buy a HOLLEY 890-160 the price jumps to about $1000, thats still a much lower price than the $1250-$1300 that the MINI RAM and SUPER RAM sell for new
if you already have a STEALTH RAM BASE and FUEL RAILS just the custom PLENUM is $275

link
edelbrock base
used TPI

vortec tpi base
compare that to a super ram at $1300 plus

link

or the mimi ram at $1250
link

pictures you might want to look at

 

What does the custom StealthRam flow? I'm interested in replacing my TPI intake with a StealthRam soon and If you know of a version that flows better I'd like to consider it! I've already got the twin 58mm TB, and tuning will be taken care of with a 749 ECM with a $58 custom chip. This will be going on a L98 with a Vortech S-Trim V1 supercharger, and a little later on I plan to do the heads/cam/springs/etc. Thanks Grumpy!!

 

grumpy where did u get the info saying that superrams only flow 245-250 cfms. just curious been told it was more than that.

 

Ive seen several super rams flow test results. OUT OF THE BOX they flow about 245cfm-250cfm, ported they flow in the 260cfm-275cfm range from what Ive seen and seen posted on several sites
keep in mind that the cylinder heads most guys use can,t even flow that well. the HSR flows about 275cfm out of the box and can be ported to flow close to 300cfm per port

heres a PORTED SUPER RAM FLOWING 279cfm
http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...gmhtp_pumping/

HERES A STOCK SUPERRAM FLOWING 240cfm
http://www.cruzinperformance.com/accel/page2-2.html

 

grumpy so if i had the heads ported to 285 cfms then i ought to go with the hsr to make the most out of the combinaton wouldnt u think? im a little dissapointed in those nbrs i thought they were more than that. ohh well i learned something

 

grumpy wouldnt u think getting the hsr would do much better for me. i have heard that if u flow match all the intake that it makes the best power. aint that right???

 

Keep in mind that the flow numbers aren't the only thing to look at.
The runner length also determines where the powre band is.
My 383 with SuperRam base, headers, exhaust, zz9 cam, 1.6rrs and stock plenum/runners/TB was running around a 13.6 @ 106MPH on street tires (2.2-2.3 60fts )
After adding only the SuperRam plenum/runners and 24# injectors I am running 13.3 @ 109-110MPH with the same tires and 60 ft times.
I don't know how much the base alone gave me but I bought the complete setup used for $800-$900 and the plenum/runners alone (plus injectors) gave me an easy 30-40 HP. You decide if it's worth it or not.

 

"grumpy wouldnt u think getting the hsr would do much better for me. i have heard that if u flow match all the intake that it makes the best power. aint that right???"

YES, while it depends on your combo(gearing,stall speed,cam, cylinder heads,displacemen,ETC.
the HSR can potentially produce the best results for the money spent of all the currently available intakes, 60hp-90hp plus improvements have been recorded swapping from a stock highly restrictive TPI intake to a STEALTH RAM, yes it takes both the correct combo and tuning to use that big improvement in air flow but at least youll not have to worry about the intake restricting performance. my 11:1 cpr 383 corvette picked up in excess of 70hp with the swap, but the TPI intake was SEVERELY restricting my engines breathing, most of the improvement will be in the 4400rpm-6600rpm so a cam and cylinder heads that match that rpm range are a big help in getting the most from the intakes better air flow
read this info below carefully

http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...holleystealth/

http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~davis/z28...age021105.html

http://www.newcovenant.com/Speedcraf.../induction.htm

keep in mind its the total COMBO, that matters, there are no MAGIC parts, MATCHING both THE ENGINE PARTS AND TRANS STALL/GEARING ARE MANDATORY for BEST RESULTS
if you need an extra 1"-1 3/8" hood clearance
link

 

Where can u get a lt1 conversion kit from.

 

www.lt1intake.com

You should win a prize or something, this must be the 1,000th time it's been asked.

 

sweet maybe ill get a free intake lol

 

Something I've seen also, is the fact that the HP gains are where the TPI dropped. So youre 62HP gain is where TPI makes nothing.

HOWEVER, in retrospect, the torque line of a ram is much more stable and a constant high. TPI has a HUGE peak then drops like a rock.

In the 1/4 mile, you can't use all the torque TPI makes because it makes the TQ so low in the powerband.

Think of this... you take off from the line, feather the gas because of the overpowering torques ability to spin the tires (Bad 60' times), and then revs to 5000-5500rpm, and shifts into the next gear. At that next gear you're doing about 3000rpms. Same will happen with the next shift, and if manual the one after that.

THUS the rams making more power up high, makes you faster in the quarter, because that is where the engine RPM spends most of it's time.

Also, this is why rams like to be shifted around 5500-6000+ rpm, because it keeps the engine RPM in the places where TPI has nothing.

 

Same thing on the road courses, at least with my lead foot. With the TPI, corner exits were tough because tipping in the gas would break the rear end loose. Last week at Pocono with the Mini-Ram, I could still spin the rear tires slightly and drift the rear but it was much more controllable. Lap times came down from 1:12 best to 1:07 best, and I was only using 3rd and 4th gear on the T56 instead of shifting to 5th on the straights to keep the engine making power...now I just wind it out to 6200rpm at the end of the straight.

 

I keep reading threads where alot of people saying the TPI revs to 4500 rpm and thats it. With my stock tpi, and headers with 1.5 roller rockers, my car loved to turn 5500. Once in a while it has hit 6000, although its floating the valves. And I kind of dissagree with the guys say stock tpi's have no top end. It isnt the greatest top end, but I think it has to do more with the 3.23 gears. I also have a custom 700r4 that is fully manual with a 2500 stall. My best time with bald *** tires (****ty '60ft's) was a 13.9. That suprised me considering the tranny is built more than the motor, oh wait the motor wasnt built,lol. Never the less, I am in the process of purchasing a mini ram. Not because I think I need more or less top or lower end, just because I want more hp/trq. anyway I've rambled enough....

 

You are definitely over-revving your setup. There is no need to go past 5000 RPMs with the stock TPI because there is a noticeable drop after 4400 RPMs. The top end we are referring to is higher RPMs, not top speed. Your gears will help you on the freeway but will not have anything to do with you making HP at a higher RPM.

 

yeah u definintely are overrevving that thing. i had a 383 tpi motor the power would die after 4900 rpms for me so theres no need to be goin past 5000 on a tpi unit. u need to lower your shift points and i garantee u will get better Q/mile times.