all i ever here is TPI suck this and that! well the way i look at it, a mini ram or somthing like that may be better for the best ET possible at the strip.(better at draining my pocket too) but what about street racing?! TPI and it's brute low end tourque is perfect for that. how often do u actually race a 1/4 on the street anyways. so for my porposes, a modified LTR setup is perfect for humbling other cars on the street.

 

It really depends on how you race really. If you do a lot of stoplight street racing, TPI will throw you out in front pretty quickly because of its low end power. But once you get into third gear you should probably call it quits before some ******* in a 5.0 mustang catches your ***

Don't get me wrong, I love my TPI, I love my low end torque. But I would substitute some of that torque quite quickly for a miniram system that would give me consistent power throughout the rpm range.

Just dont try racing anyone on the highway, it just doesn't work.

------------------

1992 Formula 350
-SLP 1 3/4 Headers
-Ported Plenum, Polished w/ polished runners
-Airfoil and other small bolt on mods

 

TPI already has so much lowend torque that you can boil the tires on a WOT launch from a stoplight. Even with the stock TPI you can't make full use of all that torque. The idea is to trade some of that torque for some upper RPM horsepower. The idea that a MiniRam motor doesn't have enough torque in the lowend to keep up with a TPI is ludicrous when you consider a balanced MiniRam setup. Read my original post on this topic a long time ago....
https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/...ML/000351.html

Tim

------------------
TRAXION's 1990 IROC-Z
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org

 

Look, here's the fact of the matter. Tim's car was running 1.7 60's BEFORE he went to a bigger stall and more powerful cam. Now explain to me how cool your brute low end TPI is when you're probably stuck in the 2.0s or worse cuz of tirespin, not to mention low power. Right, TPI rules in the stoplight races...against hondas. A fast car is a fast car, and given the same work, the MR car is gonna be faster.

------------------
Ed Maher - Moderator @ The TPI & Carb Boards
92 Z28 Convertible - Quasar blue / Tan top
305 TPI A4 2.73 - 14.7 @ 93.6
Stock except ported plenum and dual cats
-=ICON Motorsports=-

- Definitely prototypes, high powered mutants of some kind. Too weird to live, too cool to die

 

Ed you couldn't have put it any more bluntly than that.

 

Blunt as a brick to the head.
I've beaten alot more than Hondas with my TPI set up


------------------
Rob P
89RSconvtZZ4TPI Edelbrock Intake
SLP Dual Cold Air Intake 1 5/8" Headers Semi-Siamesed Runners, IROC
suspension, alum shaft. Numerous mods.
92Z28convt5spd (stock)
71Impala convt 402BB
BETTER DRIVING THRU SUPERIOR HORSEPOWER!

 

Oh, Really! I have a hard time believing that.

------------------
1992 Camaro Z-28 custom 25th anniversary, 5.7 TPI auto, 2.73 posi, t-tops, arctic white with 92' medium mettalic gray stripes with black border stripe.

1967 Pontiac Catalina 2 door fastback, 400 v-8, auto, cameo white, dark red interior

1987 Olds Cutlass, 350 Rocket, auto, dark gray/light gray interior

 

Adam62083 you have a sweet bird. I have only liked a few thirdgen firebirds....and yours is one of them. Any more pics?

 

Adam, that is one of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen. Very nice.

------------------
91 TA 5.7 TPI Automatic
w/WS6 and 3.23 rear.
K&N Cone Air Filter (at the end of the plastic tube), Hypertech Coil, Moroso Blue Max Wires, Bosch Platinum plugs, JET 180*fan switch, JET air foil, Dual cats with Flowmaster 3" cat-back, GM Performance PROM, Complete PST components on front suspension, Spohn LCAs/Panhard bar.
My car only uses Mobil 1 synthetic fluids.

 

hahaha, yeah, would it be me if i said it any other way.

I just hate hearing people rag on miniram motors like they make 220 lbft of torque. To say TPI is superior to a MR in stoplight races is just retarded. Given the same level of work, the MR car will be faster, less peak torque at 3200 rpms or not.

 

never mind

[This message has been edited by BadSS (edited November 02, 2001).]

 

Even my 305 TPI has a hell of a time hooking up. Full throttle in 1st hahaha, maybe after 15-20 mph. Start from a roll at say 15-20 mph in 1st, traction? hhahahaha. Just happened earlier tonight, won both races though to 80mph+ against the same supposely 20 psi. turbo talon FWD(upgraded turbo/electronic boost controller/blow off valve etc.). How much freaking low end torque do you need? So it's a race on the street, how long do you stay below 3200 rpms? only the launch that you couldn't hook up b/c of lack of traction. I have nothing against the TPI, just it's application in performance/sports cars sucks, trucks and jeeps(mudding, towing, trails) emissions and gas milage(maybe?) that's where it should be at.

I do have upgraded suspension BTW, tires may suck(yokohomos), but LCA(metco), LCA brackets, panard bar(hoochkiss), 50/50 drag shocks(comp. eng.). If you love the TPI so much, please buy mine when I can afford something else.

------------------
14.62@96mph headers, muffler, chip, ghetto stuff, duct tape
89 GTA 305 TPI 5 speed 3.42 gears

 

TPI did one thing great... sold cars. Imagine going to a dealership and test driving a Vette or F-body in the late eighties. Everytime you touch the pedal the tires light up. That would be awsome compared to some of the other anemic cars you would have test drove. Salesmen don't like it when you ask "Let me take her up beyond 5 grand and see how she pulls." Thats just my 2 cents.

 

You know that sounds like a good theory. I like it. rev it to 5 grand?(I guess that would bother them.) I hope I don't ever have the funds to go looking for a new car that will satisfy my needs/wants. So, you're saying dealerships wouldn't like it if you want to see how much rubber u can lay in 2-3 shift during a test drive of a Z06 or viper.(new cars)

 

Hey I didnt mean TPI cars are dogs on the highway but come on, don't tell me they haul *** on them either!

And guys I have a lot of pictures of my car, but I know this board is pretty strict about posting stuff like that. I'll put some up in the Appearance board in a few minutes.




------------------

1992 Formula 350
-SLP 1 3/4 Headers
-Ported Plenum, Polished w/ polished runners
-Airfoil and other small bolt on mods

 

You miniram people can bite me.

I'm not about to spring for that $2000 price tag. So what if my superram engine can't breath over sixgrand? My crank told me that it agrees with the TPI; it really doesn't want to go over 6000 either. TPI rulez. And with my LCAs, relocation brackets, and drag radials I'm gonna be obnoxious at every traffic light. Because I CAN. All praises to TPI.

------------------
91 Z28
Come see The Vicious...

 

LOL, I agree. TPI makes a musclecar feel the way a musclecar should. Theres mods to do too to mess with where it makes its power, not many, but there is some and most of u guys probably already know them. It has its advantages too.

[This message has been edited by IROCZTWENTYGR8 (edited November 01, 2001).]

 

Traxion gets his 1.7 60's through the use of 3.73's, front skinnies, and a partially gutted interior and the converter that allows him to launch in the powerband where he produces more torque than off idle ... I'm guessing. His car is pretty fast, but I don't agree with gutting the interior and front skinnies. Why not just put a spool, slicks, and slicks, change out the glass for lexan and install solid motor mounts?

There are some fast cars out there with the tpi setup, but if you are serious about all out speed, buy a miniram.

 

Dude you better at least know what you're talking about before you open your mouth. Tim's car was running 1.7 60's way before he ever put skinnies on. In fact, IIRC he only even borrowed the skinnies once, and those were basically just big MPH runs.
Also his car is full weight, all stock. The only thing he's removed is his heater box (he doesn't drive it in winter anyway), and that doesn't even seem like it's been out for long.
oooh, so he runs 3.73s, you act like he has 5.13s or something. And ooh, so he runs a nice converter, he only had a 2800 stall on all his previous runs. Thats FAR from extreme.
And BTW, it's also the stock unopened longblock and stock unrebuilt tranny.

But anyhow, th epoint is, a fast car is a fast car. It's ludicrous to even try to compare a MR car to even a mid-high 13 second car. If it's done halfway right it will be MUCH faster than that. And torquey or not, TPI does not give you some wild holeshot advantage on a faster car. Now if you've got a nice LTR set-up w/ some good heads, matched cam, good tuning, you might have half a chance. Of course the MR car will still way out-MPH you anyway so he'll be blowing by you by 300' anyway.

 

Ed, you seem more and more disgruntled every time I post. I'm not trying to get you riled up, bud. This is what I said:

"Traxion gets his 1.7 60's through the use of 3.73's, front skinnies, and a partially gutted interior and the converter that allows him to launch in the powerband where he produces more torque than off idle ... I'm guessing."

The operative words here being "I'm guessing." Of course, you know his car better than I, so your statements carry a bit more validity than mine, but maybe you missed something... My guess, In fact, I'd say it was an educated guess, owes to the following information originally posted by Traxion:


"After installing the MiniRam the best I could muster was 13.0's @ 106mph. That was SLOWER than my previous best of 12.58 @ 108mph with the SS-LTR setup. I did A LOT of research and determined that my injectors were maxed out. I swapped to 30lb SVO injectors and tuned my PROM accordingly (I do my own tuning). The next run to the track netted a nice 12.52 @ 110mph. Having the ability to custom tune your own PROM on a HEALTHY setup can yield some serious power. With skinnies and no front swaybar I ran 12.24 @ 112.xmph"

and also

"am still running the same cam that I was running with my Semi-Siamesed Large Tube runner setup (218/224, 0.527/0.538 lift with 1.6s, 112LSA). I gained almost 5mph by switching to the MiniRam, running skinnies, dropping the front swaybar, and removing the seats. How much of that was due to the MiniRam? Realistically, probably 3mph. For me, this shows that the 218+ intake duration cams LIKE more intake. Heck, that was 3mph above the SS-LRTs. Imagine the gain over standard LTRs..."

https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/...ML/000352.html

So, I think Traxion wouldn't mind me comparing his LTR car to the miniram counterpart. He picked up .06 seconds and 2 mph when switching from the LTR's to the MR. Maybe I'm wrong, but your reply makes it sound like anything with a miniram is fast. You and I both know that there are some d@mn slow minirams out there, and most of those guys post on this board.

I'm not claiming a "wild hole-shot" advantage ... in fact I didn't really claim anything, so please get down off my *********. The only thing that I would like to know from the man himself is whether or not he ran a 1.7 60' with the exact same setup, with the exception of the miniram, that he ran a 1.7 60' with the LTR intake. If he had the seat out when he ran the LTR's, was it also missing when he ran the MR? I say this because, although the car is fast, when you start talking about dropping the sway-bar and removing the passenger seat, you are making a transition away from a street car and into a dedicated racer, just my opinion. A street car has to do everything well, not just go fast in a straight line. If this board wasn't created for street cars, then maybe it's the wrong web address for me...

 

Geeez ... no need to argue over me. I don't deserve that much attention ... rofl

Basically - I always pull 1.7x 60ft times. With the MiniRam I have seen everything from 1.74s all the way to 1.79's. This includes the one run I did with skinnies/no swaybar/no passenger seat as well as the other runs I have done with full weight. Also - keep in mind that comparing my LTR setup to my MiniRam setup isn't really a great comparison ... its an OK comparison, but not a great one. The MiniRam likes more cam and more stall. I was still running my SS-LTR cam and my SS-LTR stall as well as my SS-LTR headers (smaller). We'll see what happens the next time I go to the track The next time I go to the track I will make some runs with full weight, stock wheels, interior, etc. That will be a better comparison.

Also - my 12.24-12.5x runs with the MiniRam were done with the AC/Heater in place. I only removed that a little while ago.

Tim

------------------
TRAXION's 1990 IROC-Z
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org

 

I wanted to add to this topic since it is always a HOT topic.

LTR cars, SS-LTR cars, SR cars, and MR cars can all be really fast. But, there is always a 'break-point' where the intake becomes the bottle neck with regard to horsepower. IMHO - it takes horsepower to have good 1/4 times.

Regarding NA 350 engines, it seems to me that this break point is somewhere in the low 12's. You eventually reach a point where the LTR setup (and even the SS-LTR setup) just cannot flow enough air to support the car pulling REALLY hard in the last 1/8 of the 1/4.

I know that my SS-LTR setup would have easily gone deep into the low 12's. But, that's -probably- it. The MiniRam offers me more potential. I can go faster with the MiniRam. Anybody who doesn't see that the MiniRam offers more potential is wearing blinders. Now - I am not knocking the LTR setup! They can be really fast. Low 12's is nothing to sneeze at. But, I know that I want more. The MiniRam has the potential for more ... especially for big cubes which is where I will eventually end up. To each their own. I like ease of maintenance, big cubes, flat torque curves, and the potential for sick 1/4 times.

Tim

------------------
TRAXION's 1990 IROC-Z
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org

 

TRAXION, I'm just interested in the chronology of your mods ... I'm talking from the stock tpi to the present.

So far I know this....

12.58 @ 108mph with the SS-LTR setup
What all does this entail? Cam, Heads, Rockers, base, plenum

13.0's @ 106mph with the same setup above - LTR's + miniram

12.52 @ 110mph...same as above with 30lb. SVO's and prom tuning.

12.24 @ 112.x mph ... with skinnies and no front swaybar.

Where did the 3.73's happen? Where did you put in the converter? There had to be a few cam swaps along the way, and heads too. Did a throttle body happen?
What I want to know is what happened before the 12.58@108. If you could fill in the blanks I'd appreciate it.

 

Sorry TPI guy, all of that wasn't directed at you. The stuff about the 'wild holeshot advante' was directed to the earlier posts that TPI torque rules the stoplights which is just foolish.
My main point to you was that tim's car is not a gutted car in the slightest. And that his 60's were the same with both set-ups. Thats all.

 

I never went to the track when the car was stock.

I did about every bolt-on imagineable and ran 13.6's@102mph on street tires. I was still running the stock heads, stock cam, stock converter. Major mods were chopped airbox with ram-air, 52mm TB, ported plenum, AS&M SSLTRs, TPIS BigMouth, 1.6 rollers, SLP 1-5/8" headers, gutted cats, flow catback, suspension parts, 3.73s, TPIS Level 4 prom (YUCK!), shift kit .... blablabla.

So....

Bolt-Ons: 13.6's@102 on street tires

The rest of my runs are on DRs...
AFRs + 218/224 Cam: 13.0's@107
PI Vig 2800 stall: 12.5's@108mph
MiniRam: 13.0's@105mph
30lb SVOs + Tuning: 12.5's@110mph
Skinnies, no swaybar, no pass seat: 12.2's@112mph
MiniRam Cam, Stall, Headers: ?????

These times are VERY difficult to compare back to back though. They were conducted at 3 different tracks at a variety of temps and humidity. The first MiniRam run (13.0@105) was done on a very hot day and traction at the track totally sucked. The SSLTR Cam/Head run (12.5's@108) was an absolutely beautiful day with low temps and awesome traction.

I am mainly interested in what the car will pull right now. I now have a cam, stall, and exhaust that complements the MiniRam setup. It should be interesting.

Tim

------------------
TRAXION's 1990 IROC-Z
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org

 

When do you plan on running it again?
Cant wait to see how it does

------------------
91 B4C 305 TPI - SOON TO BE 383
TREMEC 5-SP, STOCK 1-BOLT REAREAND w/342 GEARS, K&N, AIRFOIL
EDELBROCK HEADERS, DUAL CAT TO HOMEMADE Y-PIPE & 3.5" SINGLE PIPE W/ FLOWMASTER, CRANK PULLEY, MSD, FUEL PRESS REG, COWL HOOD, WELD WHEELS
14.1@ 98MPH
-------------
OTHER RIDE
67 CAMARO - STREET CAR, BIG BLOCK, PUMP GAS
350TH w/ATI 10", 12-BOLT w/373 GEARS
10.47@129 1.55 60FT. ON MOTOR - ET-STREETs w/MUFFLERS

 

WAIT a d@amn second guys!
i NEVER said that TPI was better than a miniram. i just said that is doesnt suck, and that it fits my needs fine. i dont have a couple grand to blow on a miniram when i could spend that money on a blower and actually pass emissions! now dont try to say a MODIFIED LTR setup w/ a blower wouldnt not out perform a miniram car. im not denying the fact that a miniram car will allways out perform a LTR car w/ same engine, thats no debateable im just saying TPI fits my needs..... there fore it DOESNT suck to me.

 

Since when did the miniram not pass emissions? I thought it was fine in that respect.

 

Ok, so you put a 3500 stall with the MR. Well now you can certainly beat the TPI off the line. But ever try autoXing a car w/ a monster stall? It sucks and you will get your @** kicked every time. My car is my daily driver and I expect it to do more than just go in a straight line. If that means I have to sacrifice a few tenths then so be it. I want a car that is well rounded, versatile. I won't get that with a miniram and a huge stall. Instead I can spend the extra $1000 on suspension goodies.

------------------
91 Z28
Come see The Vicious...

 

Ok, I figure I'll put my $.02 on this one! First off, the mini-ram is a nice piece. However, I will be sticking with the long tube runner setup for a few different reasons. 1st, close to $2,000 for an intake is f***ing rediculous! For $800 more, you can purchase an INTERCOOLED Procharger that will give you an additional 100hp at the back tires (more or less depending on application combination). Or, if you just wanted to have a drag car, for $2,000, you could build a badass carbuerated small block that would drag a comparable mini-ram motor! I have a combination that I'm currently putting together (long runner style) that should net me at least 11.90's in the 1/4 mile (NATURALLY ASPERATED) and will look like a stock TPI setup with the exception of the aluminum heads and SLP siamesed runners. The siamesed runner compensates "slighty" for the long runner design, compared to the shorty styled mini-ram. The only thing a TPI motor would need to keep up or beat a comparable mini-ram car would be a 50 shot of NOS. Thats alot cheaper than a mini-ram! Again, I DO like the mini-ram, it would be nice to have, but I and many others cant justify the cost!

------------------
1991 Z-28 350 TPI, 700r4 with B&M shiftkit, 2400 stall, B&M Console Megashifter, 4th gen power seats, MSD6A, Blaster2 Coil, Holley 58mm TB, Ram-air, MSD 8.5 super conductor wires, Flowmaster catback, Crane rollers, march pulleys, and all free mods. (Currently in body shop getting fresh paint!!) I miss her! =(

 

Whoever pays $2000 for a MiniRam is stupid. It's only $899 + Standard Fuel rail kit. You should be programming your own PROMs not matter what setup you run so that doesn't matter. TPIS PROMs are junk anyhow. If you want to upgrade your LTR setup it would cost you about $800. So, you're argument about money is basically stupid ... sorry. If you consider the cost of upgrading both setups then you really aren't saving much by sticking with the long runner setup. Furthermore, if you decide to pursue the LT1 intake then you would have a short runner manifold for CHEAPER than the price of upgrading your long runner setup.

About the 3600 stall: First of all, for autocrossing you don't want to have an automatic anyhow. So - its actually a moot point. Anybody who takes autocrossing even halfway seriously will convert to a manual. Furthermore, have you ever been in a car with a Precision Industries 3600 stall? During any part throttle driving the converter is very tight. If you took a drive in my car you would never guess that I was running a 3600 stall. Kudos to Precision for an awesome converter.

Tim

------------------
TRAXION's 1990 IROC-Z
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org

 

OK, ladies. I think we can all agree the TPI is a good setup as well as the MR and SR. TPI just isnt AS good as the MR or SR. cant we all just get along?

------------------
*1989 RS
*Red, Daytona Turbo fiberglass hood, chrome 16x8 IROC wheels
*355 CID
*TPI ported plenum, SLP siamesed runners, Edelbrock high flow intake
*SLP 1 and 3/4 headers with 3 inch catback
*Richmond 3.73, Auburn Posi
*Modded 700-R4, 2800 stall converter
*eibach pro kit and hotchkis sturt tower brace

 

Exactly ck. I think any halfway inteligent person can read this post and determine that nobody is ragging on nobody, it's mostly a lot of misundertanding (and tim i never knew you took that stuff out, i thought it was just skinnies that time.) Also, i've ridden in tim's car and you definitely would never guess it has a huge stall. It's a very efficient converter and makes it's high stall only when pressed under a lot of torque.

In summary, you can make a fast LTR car. You can make a MR car even faster. On the street the faster car wins. Depending on your budget, tastes and goals there are many combinations that may work. There are 2 kinds of people that rip on LTR set-ups. Those that look down on them because they ultimately got held back by them, and those that were too stupid to make it run right in the first place so they blame the TPI.
No more fighting or i'll just close this cuz fighting about miscommunication is just dumb.

 

I would prefer a modified TPI setup over a mini-ram for 2 reasons:

1) I think it looks cool
2) Some mods will improve top end power and more revs, while still achieving good low end torque.
3) It looks cool hehe.

Remind you... if I was building a full out drag car with EFI.... I would go with a different setup, Accel Superram comes to mind very quickly But, my 1988 GTA is a total street car, and the TPI is fun on the streets, and not too embarassing at the drag track either.. best of both worlds in my opinion.

PS. TPI also cures my need to pull some sweet smoke shows and getting it sideways on corners its theraputic.. hehe

------------------
1988 Pontiac Trans Am GTA L98 5.7L, Black on Black with 114,000kms.
Custom 3" Stainless Exhaust Y-Pipe back (High flow Cat and Flowmaster Mufler)

 

Some other comments...

1) IMHO, TPI is by far the best looking intake that was ever built. I think the TPI is a beautiful work of art in intake design. It does look way cool
2) SuperRam is an awesome tool tray when working on your car. You can pile all sorts of tools and bolts on there.
3) MiniRam looks stupid but is really easy to work on.

hehe,
Tim

------------------
TRAXION's 1990 IROC-Z
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org

 

i agree 100%

 

Yeah, LOL!!

 

I'm pretty sure I know what the SuperRam is (isn't it the Lingenfelter/Accel one?), but what is the MiniRam? Any thoughts on how good the Edelbrock Hi-Flow TPI is? Right now I'm looking at it or the Lingenfelter one...

 

THE TPI system, iIRC was one of GM earliest attempts as EFI(besides x-fire) and there for you need to give it a little slack. It look cool as hell as stated before and for teh street it is good, now if you want a good street car that can power out of the turns and not just drive ina stright line ( that is what the TPI was built for corect) just mod the TPI. now, seeing that the cars came with that it is already cheaper then a MR. I like the MR but it just does not suit my needs...TPI gets good MPG, low end - mid range power, and is a work of art... ahhh hell with it, i am just beating a dead horse

------------------
1987 Black 305 TPI 5spd IROC, G92, 9-bolt 3.45, Lowered, Cat-back, Air Foil, Sub Frames, Huge sways.

AIM: IROC 5spd
http://www.geocities.com/chevy5spdiroc/87Roc.htm

 

I want a miniram but I heard it isn't emissions legal. In NJ I have to worry about that unfortunatly.

 

Ok, ladies, LOL! Here it is, both the HP and price of the MR, straight from the source:

http://www.tpis.com/pg41-44.html
http://www.tpis.com/pg9-12.html

For those of you too lazy to link, I'll summarize:
miniram $895
fuel rails (must have) $355
Stage VI PROM (ditto) $575
And the total comes to ... $1825.



------------------
Michelle
92 Formula 350
91 Z28

 

Ahhh shutup and just buy an LS1

 

lol....hehe

Weellllll..... I like this for those of us that are within drving distance of TPIS and can burn our own PROMs (which is much better than having TPIS burn you one for a lot of reasons):

Miniram: $800ish
Fuel rail kit: $355
Stage whatever PROM: $0
Total $1155ish

Myron usually has a few 'blemished' units laying around that he will sell for a discount .

------------------
1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
My GTA

The Minnesota F-body Club

 

If you pay a single cent for a TPIS chip you are a moron.
If you believe that a TPI car modded to the point that you can even compare it to a MR car, and that it WON'T need any chip work, you are a moron.

In other words, stop adding the cost of the chip into the MR, it just sounds stupid.

 

Again - more crap. You do not want to buy their PROM ... its sucks. You do not want to buy the f-body Fuel Rail kit ... it also sucks.

$895 + $295 = $1190

Now, lets try to find the cheapest TPI stuff that is GOOD stuff....

Edelbrock baseplate: $360
AS&M extruded runners: $395

That's $755 not including porting the plenum and doing significant port match work on the Edelbrock baseplate. Add in the price for porting the plenum and the price for working over the intake and the price jumps up by about $200. That makes the combo like $955 ... only $250 cheaper than the MiniRam. The price difference is NOT as huge as everyone makes it out to be.

Tim




------------------
TRAXION's 1990 IROC-Z
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org

 

yes but, if you don't buy their prom you have to buy your own prom burning equipment...now the difference is 400.

Ok here is a different view


Lets say you port the heads your self do all the free mods and get differnt intakes. One the LTR and the other MR. Now WITHOUT ADDING NOTHING ELSE, which is better for the street. I would have to say the LTR. That is my view and i am sticking to it.

 

if u are not moded up the *** i would have to say that too.

 

You have to pay to play with these crazy expensive EFI systems. If you can do your own porting and at least feel confident enough that you know what you’re doing,, then porting the stock base and SLP runners for theTPI is pretty cost effective. It also appears to me with the LTR type design you need less gear and torque converter to run similar times compared to a carbed intake,, which has similar rpm characteristics of the miniram. I also like the idea of being able to shorten and shape the SLP runners to suit the application - that worked very well for me. So,, depending on your head flow,, engine/car combination,, and your porting skills,, you could go low-mid 12’s with a relatively inexpensive TPI intake system. However, if you see yourself going any faster than that,, or you can’t do your own porting,, then I’d go with a carb (if it’s a possibility for you) or I’d pay to play the EFI game with the miniram. Traxion is right about the cost difference not being much if you compare the better out of the box pieces (that require less work) and/or the cost of someone’s time to prepare a LTR set up just to compete with the miniram in a low-mid 12 second car. Actually the low- mid 12 “wall” for the typical LTR set up is about where the miniram starts to shine,, so you sure have the potential to go a lot faster. Don’t get me wrong,, I love this modified TPI set up on our IROC,, it runs mid 12’s and the mid range pull is unreal. It may not run up to 6500rpm,, but that’s OK,, it wasn’t meant to. So,, NO the TPI system DOES NOT suck,,, but you gotta know its limitations and not get torqued when someone points them out to you.

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86 IROC - 9.8:1 - 355, TFS twisted wedge heads, 218/228-110, fully ported GM base and plenum, SLP runners, 52mm BBK, 24# SVO, 88 350 GM EPROM, 1 5/8" Headman headers, 2.5" Dynomax, TH350, 2200 stall, B&M Megashifter, 3.23 peg leg, 245/45ZR17 on 212 Eagles - Best run - 12.53/112.4 on 26x11.5 ET Streets.

 

You need PROM burning equipment for both setups if you want them to perform. The difference is still $200.

Tim



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TRAXION's 1990 IROC-Z
Best Time = 12.244 @ 112.51mph (1.778 60' / 7.819@88.32mph in the 1/8)
All Natural. No Force. No Drugs. Stock Bottom End. Stock Body Panels.
Gunning for NA 11's with bigger cam, bigger stall, and bigger exhaust.
-=ICON Motorsports=-
Moderator: PROM board at thirdgen.org

 

ROFL...

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1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
My GTA

The Minnesota F-body Club