The only pictures I've seen of installed minirams show a modified IAC housing. Can the stock throttlebody with the coolant passages be used with the Miniram? TPIS does not mention anything about this on their website. I need to drive my vehicle in the winter and want the coolant in the lower IAC housing.

 

I have just completed a miniram installation and you have to cut the water inlet pipe off even with the housing under the throttle body for it to clear the thermostat housing. Other than not running coolant through throttle body, everything else is same as tpi.

 

Most people bypass the coolant from the TB to keep the heat down on the intake (and get cooler air into the engine). The original reason GM ran coolant through the TB was to help prevent "icing" of the TB blades.

I am willing to bet that it gets much colder where I live than you. In the past, when my F-body was a daily driver, I drove for months in extremely cold weather; . sometimes as low as -30F. My TB ws bypassed and I never had any problems with "iciing" of the TB. I think you would have to be up in the Arctic before "icing" became a concern.

BTW, I no longer drive my F-body in the winter. It is now "summer only" and preferably on sunny days.

 

Why the swap Mike?
I don't think you have enough cam for a mini to help you any.
And your old intake didn't have a clearance problem.

 

I wanted to get away from the remote thermostat setup. The mini-ram allows for less clutter in my small engine compartment.

In regard to the LT4 hot cam, are you suggesting that I'm going to lose any noticable power by swapping from the LT1 to mini-ram?

From the research I've done here, it looks like the biggest difference between the LT1 and mini-ram is price. I did not get the impression that I'm going to lose power.

If you're saying the the min-ram has the potential for making much more power than my engine is capable of making (b/c of cam/heads), then I agree.

It comes down to this...
My daily driver has been an '03 Silverado SS. I'm aiming to sell the Silverado (marriage, house payments, the typical mid 20s story)....and would like to make the S-10 a daily driver again. I want a very streetable engine that also is fun to drive.

When I first purchased the Silverado, my S-10 (with LT1 and LT4 hot cam) was noticeably more fun to drive. I'm simply looking for the same results using an intake that doesn't require all the extras.

 

HA! You obviously don't live with my "better half". You don't even know cold.

 

Compared to Montana and North Dakota or even Illinios, I know there are times it feels like the tropics in Kamloops. We usually do get down to -30* in the winter but it usually only lasts a week or two at worst.

That is why I was so happy the day I could upgrade the F-body to "toy" status. It broke my heart having to drive her winter and have some yuck in a truck blast by well over the speed limit in a blowing snow storm and pepper my car with rocks - taking out my windshield and ruining my hood. I swear the Highway Maintenance companies are now using Crushed -3/4" instead of sand now to reduce their cost (and increase our insurance claims). Do you think that maybe those HMCs are getting kick backs from the Glass & Body shops?