I'm a newbe still to Chevy in general but keep reading the tpi setup sucks for higher Rpm becouse of the runner length? Plz correct me if I'm wrong. My problem is I love the look of the tpi set up but want to make some great power one-day and keep the tpi. Question: if I'm correct that it's the runners that couse the tpi to lack topend what would happen if I cut out let's say 2 ins from the runners and had them fitted back together. Or am I going at this wrong and it would meas up the way the system works.

 

There's really not anything to shorten. The plenum sits right above the intake base, so there really isn't any room for that to drop down, which would be necessary if you shortened the runners. Plus it would make the air have to wrap around an even tighter corner than it already does. The only good way to shorten the runner length is to cut them off and extend the plenum, which is exactly what the Super Ram does.

But, keep in mind that runner length is only part of the problem. Runner diameter is also an issue. Aftermarket parts address runner diameter to a certain extent, especially with the First Fuel Injection system, which is basically an aftermarket interpretation of TPI.

It also depends on just how fast you're interested in going, and what you intend to use the car for. Most folks see high 12 or low 13 second 1/4 mile times as "slow" these days, but the fact is, a high 12 or low 13 second TPI car will feel like a monster on the street. You'll feel like you have a 454 under the hood with a car like that because of all the torque the TPI makes. That makes the car a lot of fun, and is exactly why I stuck with TPI on my 350 that's going into my GTA instead of taking the "easy" route and slapping a Stealth Ram on it.

 

I couldn't agree more. ....and to add to that, a lot of the "feel" is about suspension and the overall age of the car. I had a buddy in HS with a '68 Camaro, 327/4spd. The car was in fair condition, but it was SO much fun to drive!!!! It lifted on acceleration, dove into turns and stops, creaked and rattled ALL the time, but made the otherwise slow car seem like a lot of fun all the time. ...then another friend recently had a c5 z06. The power was undeniable, but it was so well behaved, so smooth, so quiet, so stable that it honestly was pretty boring. Not even close to being as fun as that old 68.

 

If you didn't like that C5 Z06, don't bother driving a C6. My buddy has a '10 Grand Sport that I've driven, and I was bored to death with it. The Torque Management and the silly throttle opening curve made it feel like a Corolla at anything less than WOT. On the other hand, the 03 Z06 that I drove was a much more raw, "fun" car in comparison. A C5 Z06 is on my short list for cars I want to buy.

 

Yea a 12 sec car is more then enough for me. I'm happy with the 305 but I want little more pep off the.line. I've kicked the idea of a super charger 383 but for The price of a kit I could buy a wrecked 2000 camaro ss and do a ls1 t56 swap... Idk I'll do some more reading and see what.will fit me better. What are the times people.are pulling with a stock ls1 t56 swap.

 

You can get larger diameter runners that will extend the rpm range up a bit, drop the torque level a bit & raise the horsepower level up some, all at the same same. There there is siamese-ing the runners that essentially do the same thing, but alter the 8 long runners look of the TPI.

Or you can built your owns large tube runners for cheaper than the first option I mentioned but it does require having the know-how of cutting the runners off the flanges & putting the new runners on. Which means aluminum welding or epoxy "welding" them together, which works great!
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tpi/...w-runners.html

There are threads here on TGO about all these methods which can be found through the Search feature, unless somebody knows it off-hand & shares the link here.

Here is a link to magazine article about TPI types of intakes & how the torque & hp curves will change.
http://xtremecarzone.com.au/index.php?showtopic=386

 

If you want that top end "burst" you need a shorter runner intake like a single plane, cam and head accordingly. If youre looking to extend the power range some you can with LTR setup but its torque peak or area it really pulls is much much lower. So build and gear the car for torque and save a whole lot of money and headache. I have one of those "top end" builds and they are NOT cheap...nor reliable as a lower rpm torque motor would be. I mean it all sounds good til you have to live with and maintain it all the time. Not for everyone

 

I think ya really need to decide what your goals are, and how much money you're willing to put into it. How much can you do yourself? Is this a daily driver that needs to be reliable? If I were ever to buy another stock L98/Automatic car, and I didn't wanna get too deep into it, I'd do all the basic free mods, exhaust, gears and a converter, and get a tune. Right there, you've just DOUBLED the fun factor! ......or do a T5 swap instead of the converter. It's hard to suggest what to do without knowing your plans. Some people would consider exhaust and rear gears a lot. Some people aren't happy unless they hand build a 500hp motor. Some people have $500, some have $5000.