This is NOT intended to be a insult!--I'm here to learn.

I want to put together a 350+ RWHP TPI 350 car. I have a stock low mile bottom end 1987 TPI 350. I would like to use the following combo (or something very similar)

TPIS MINI RAM Intake
TPIS ZZ9 cam (or similar/custom grind)
A good Cly. Head such as AFR 195's.
Custom PROM (Burn my self or use a dyno shop)
1 3/4" headers. (bigger?)

All engines are air pumps. Although the designs are a little different they all do the same thing. A few close friends have very impressive 5.0l fords that pass smog. One is a 306ci engine with AFR165's and mild cam--340rwhp. The other has a 347ci engine AFR185's moderate efi steet cam profile and makes just over 400rwhp. --I know the AFR heads for FORD are 100%CNC'd and flow a little better than the Chevy versions but shouldn't some of these TPI combos make more power?

Does TPIS way over shoot their HP figures (results)??? They claim 450HP combos are basicly their heads, cam and intake.---That should be 375rwhp!

Also is their a good cast iron center bolt head out-there for SBC's? How are the VORTEC head combos doing?

Please enlighten me!

And Post your COMOBS with RWHP figures! (if you have them)

Thanks, Dan

 

Which rwhp numbers are you looking at? Most of the users on TGO as well as most third gen owners are using LTR (TPI) as the intake system, and not something that is higher revving like the superram and mini-ram. The long tube runner style TPI system was built to create more torque, which is used to launch harder.

A couple of visual examples:

1) Semi-Siamesed LTR System 350CID

2) Holley Stealth Ram 350CID

As you can see the Holley StealthRam isn't running a radical camshaft and still made 345rwhp, which is 44hp more at the wheels than the TPI system.

The Ford intake system is actually pretty good and the internals are really lightweight. This is why you can find the engines for so cheap, they are cheap. That doesn't say that they wont make some nice power and last a while, but they can crack a block pretty dang quick.

Stock for stock the mustang 5.0 liter vs the camaro 5.0 liter, the camaro made 5hp more up top, but is a much heavier car. Both the camaro and the mustang are going to need some intake mods in order to get more than 350-400hp at the flywheel, everything has it's limits. The camaro will be more costly to fix up and the 5.7 with the proper combo will make the power you are looking for.

Does this help at all?

 

Also, most mustangs that you see being played with are T5 cars. T5 = more rwhp.

 

Yep, this is the TPI forum. TPI for the most part means long tube runner. There's only so much power you can pull outta this intake.

Jump over to some of the other forums to see what some Mini-Ram/HSR intakes are making.

 

Don't get too carried away looking at PEAK HP numbers on TPI cars. Look at the whole power band. The TPI makes more power all the way through the band than most engines. Therefore even with less HP it can still hold its own when run on the track. A 300 RWHP TPI engine with the LTR is a strong engine. Looks weak on paper but in a car runs better than you would think, since after-all HP is directly proportional to torque.

Nobody would expect my 240 RWHP 305 TBI to pull a 5,000 lbs brick to a 15.9 @ 87 in the 1/4 using 3.08 gears but it does. That is because my 240 RWHP is there by 4,200 and carries to 4,700 or so. My torque is over 300 ft/lbs at the wheels from 2,300-4,400 as well. TPI cars are the same way. When you look at 1/4 mile data from a LT1 vette vs. a L98 vette the times are pretty similar. Fact is the L98 is faster up to just before the 1/8 mile where the LT1s HP advantage becomes apparent. A very mild TPI 350 of the same 300 flywheel HP would dust a stock LT1 which is 300 HP.

 

I have 251 rwhp and 318 rwtq . untuned

setup is in sig .... I ran a 14.5 @ 95 mph with 300 lbs of balast ...bald tires and 3/4 tank of gas

I LOVE the TPI . makes for a really tourqey car ...fun to drive .

 

TPI is only really good if you can get that tq to hook up...

sometimes it is best to sacrifice some bottom end power with mini ram like intakes to get it off the line better without spinning the tires to hell and back LOL and take the better high end HP to pull thru the 1/4 mile.

but TPI on the street or short course, 1/8 mile or so is plain mean! if you hook up well, that tq boosts the car forward

 

I agree. I made 253 rwhp and 355 rwtq.. Needless to say the best 60' that I've gotten is a 2.2 on street tires.

BTW the TPI unit on my car is totally stock aside fromt he GM 24 lb injectors

Kat

 

I don't think he's talking about tpi folks........ The combo he wants to use is a mini-ram/ZZ9/AFR195, 350. Fman, I think you could make 350 rwhp with this combo and a manual trans, but I would use a different cam. The tpis cams are fine I'm sure but I think you could get somthing better than a ZZ9 for less. Look at comps new XFI cams in a hydro roller, I would at least use the one with 218 degrees on the intake. Remember these engines are bigger than 302's so don't sell yourself short with too small of a cam.

 

Thanks, the more I research --the more I'm coming accross combos that make decent power. I appreciate the info. -Dan

 

This is true. What I've notice alot of guy do is add bigger cams, better heads and whatnot, but yet they forget about compression. Right now I'm ruinning about 10:1 on stock B2L heads (Felpro 1094 headgasket .015 thickness) and a LT1 cam.

I know as soon as I change the intake over to a HSR or a Mini Ram I'll be somewhere in the 280ish hp range with about 330-340 ish tq.

Kat

 

Thats about what I'm looking for with stock ported tpi/afr 180's/zz4 with a 1.6 intake rocker. This is on a flat top, zero decked 350. After I feel comforatable tuning the computer I'll swap the cam and intake.

 

Well, if you are going to spend all that money anyways, I'd invest in a caron fiber driveshaft. A stock driveshaft is heavy steel, which can account for some of the power loss, so slap on a carbon fiber one (weighs only 10 lbs!), and you'll have less powerloss from the fly to the wheels!

 

It isn't much gain vs. the cost. For 800 dollars I'll spend money towards a better set of heads than a CF DS.

IMO

Kat

 

Isn't aluminum good enough for most applications?

 

To a point IMO.

I've seen a few aluminum ones twist in half. IMO once you are in the 12's toss the AL out the window and get a 3" steel one.

Kat

 

what about a carbon fiber shaft ? What would it take to snap one of them ....I am thinknig of one for in the future .

 

From what I've read the epoxy breaks.

Like I said, 800 dollars can be spent better else where.

Kat