C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

Super Ram vs. TPIS Miniram

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 02:15 PM
  #1  
KEVS_L98's Avatar
KEVS_L98
Thread Starter
Intermediate
 
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: IRVING TX
Default Super Ram vs. TPIS Miniram

I am in the planning phase of a complete engine rebuild , im looking at adding LT headers and either a Miniram or Superram but i cant decide which one to use .
I know that with the Mini Ram i am looking at LT1'ish numbers with everything else stock. and headers/exhaust, but what about the Super Ram. Which will give me the most bang for my hard earned bucks?

Any one who is using either would be of great help

Thanks in advance!!!
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 02:27 PM
  #2  
85vet's Avatar
85vet
Melting Slicks
25 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,426
Likes: 4
From: Heidelberg PA
Cruise-In V Veteran
Default

Do a search!!!!
If the function is working you will find hours of reading dealing with the two intakes.
Bottom line - the complete engine including intake has to be a package. MR works on certain packages while SR does the same for specific engine packages.
You have to decide what you want from your engine before a real decision can be made.
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 04:00 PM
  #3  
vader86's Avatar
vader86
Team Owner
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,160
Likes: 1,733
From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Default

Yes if the search works then you'll find more than you want to read.

Either is capable of great numbers, but the engine combination suited to each is a little different.

Plus I would not use the MR on an automatic.
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 04:57 PM
  #4  
mos90's Avatar
mos90
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,379
Likes: 4
From: rome ny
Default

i have a miniram on now. 91, 350, tpis longtubes, dart pro1 heads, 11.1 6speed 3.33gears. im still in process of getting all the bugs out and doing a cam swap. going with a tpis zz-x cam 239/239 @.050 .595/.595 lift. it is a bit large for a street car but ill deal with it.

basiclly to get make it worth installing either the miniram or superram, lt headers, heads and cam are almost a necessity.

and your type of driving and personal preference will dictate your choice..

i will let you know how i like the minram with this new cam after i get it tuned right.
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 04:59 PM
  #5  
Caboboy's Avatar
Caboboy
Le Mans Master
20 Year Member
Veteran: Navy
St. Jude 20 Year Donor
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,889
Likes: 2
From: Castro Valley Calif.
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Default

Originally Posted by 85vet
Do a search!!!!
If the function is working you will find hours of reading dealing with the two intakes.
Bottom line - the complete engine including intake has to be a package. MR works on certain packages while SR does the same for specific engine packages.
You have to decide what you want from your engine before a real decision can be made.
This is perfect advice (if the search does indeed function )

The only other things I might add is a MR is a HP (RPM) oriented intake, while the SR is a torque (lower RPM) intake. One other factor to be considered is the SR carries an EO numbr and is therefore smog compliant
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 05:06 PM
  #6  
LD85's Avatar
LD85
Race Director
25 Year Member
 
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 12,772
Likes: 17
From: Indianapolis IN
Default

Ask yourself:

1. Do you have a forged rotating assembly?
2. At what RPM do you want to shift at? shifting at 5800-6000rpm on the street takes up the road pretty quick.
3. Do you want a major SOP feel at low end or upper end?
4. The MR likes gears, at least 3.53 but more like a 3.73 or even higher

Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 05:07 PM
  #7  
LD85's Avatar
LD85
Race Director
25 Year Member
 
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 12,772
Likes: 17
From: Indianapolis IN
Default

Ask yourself:

1. Do you have a forged rotating assembly?
2. At what RPM do you want to shift at? shifting at 5800-6000rpm on the street takes up the road pretty quick.
3. Do you want a major SOP feel at low end or upper end?
4. The MR likes gears, at least 3.53 but more like a 3.73 or even higher

See sig
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 05:12 PM
  #8  
JAKE's Avatar
JAKE
Le Mans Master
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Default

Just a few days ago I posted several links to sites where actual back to back dyno comparisions were posted of the MR, SR, HSR and even a siamesed system.

As others have suggested, do a Search and you should find them. I believe the title of the post is "Flow Numbers, Flow Numbers, Flow . . ."

Jake

Last edited by JAKE; Mar 23, 2005 at 05:16 PM.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 05:34 PM
  #9  
LD85's Avatar
LD85
Race Director
25 Year Member
 
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 12,772
Likes: 17
From: Indianapolis IN
Default

http://dtcc.cz28.com/flow/
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 06:53 PM
  #10  
ralph's Avatar
ralph
Le Mans Master
25 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 6,172
Likes: 11
From: somers, ny
Default

Oh no, not this again. We should just have this put on a sticky at the top so we can refer to it by number....LOL.
Reply
Old Mar 23, 2005 | 07:21 PM
  #11  
cv67's Avatar
cv67
Team Owner
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Default

Originally Posted by ralph
Oh no, not this again. We should just have this put on a sticky at the top so we can refer to it by number....LOL.

Sounds like the member is new. Welcome, by the way! Enjoy your buildup
Reply
Old May 25, 2005 | 01:37 AM
  #12  
Sinister Fiero's Avatar
Sinister Fiero
1st Gear
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Fort Wayne Indiana
Default

I have used both intakes on street cars so you might call me "experienced" pertaining to this topic. Here is my advice...

First of all, if you have a 350 or smaller displacement engine and don't feel like revving the daylights out of your engine (more than 6000rpm), I suggest you stay away from the miniram. If you have a 383 or larger displacement engine and you want your powerband to be maximized in the mid- to upper-RPM ranges, then the miniram is for you.

I tried the Miniram II on a mild 355 SBC, TFS Twisted Wedge G1 heads, headers, LT4 HOT-CAM (even tried a slightly smaller cam per TPIS's advice), etc, auto trans w/3000 stall, and 3.73 gears in my 3500lb 86 Monte Carlo. The car could only muster a best of 13.6et @ 105mph using the miniram intake. With the slightly smaller cam (per TPIS advice), the car went 2 tenths and 2mph slower in the 1/4. Put my ported TPI setup back on and the car ran a 13.45 @ 103mph, plus part-throttle, around town driving greatly improved. The miniram intake didn't allow the engine to make any torque below about 3500 rpm. What's worse is the engine didn't even feel like it really started to wake up until I reached about 4500rpm and then it wanted to keep going well past what I felt was a "safe" red-line of 6400rpm using the factory hydraulic roller lifter setup. I guess if I had a manual trans, the miniram would have felt more "at home" than it did with the auto.

To make a long story short the Monte met with an untimely demise and I "upgraded" to an 87 Trans Am GTA. (probably picked up a little weight but lost wind resistance). Around that same time I traded the miniram in for a SuperRam with ported Edelbrock base. Right away the first thing I noticed was I got most of my low/mid range torque back. If I had to rate the powerband on a scale of 1-10, 1 being a stock TPI with massive low end TQ, and 10 being the miniram with maximum top RPM power, the Superram would come in at about a 6. While it doesn't have the ultra-low RPM grunt of the stock TPI, it does have a very broad power band more suited for what I consider to be a daily driven street car. Keep in mind the miniram absolutely sucked trying to drive around in traffic, might as well have had a tired 305 carburated. The Superram seemed to work quite well on my mild 355 so I decided to dyno the engine.

Link to the dyno chart (Superram): http://dtcc.cz28.com/gta/dyno.htm

378hp and 440tq SAE corrected power readings at the crank. Notice how relatively flat the torque curve is on the dyno chart. Obviously the Miniram never came close to producing this level of torque nor could it produce the same torque curve. After I dynoed the engine, I went to a one-step bigger cam (Comp Xtreme 224/230) and ran this combo at the track with a best of 13.1et @ 109mph.

Basically what it boils down to is: if you have a car that weighs more than 3300lbs and has a 350ci or smaller engine and will be seeing primarily street duty, I suggest you go with the Superram, you won't be disappointed.

Now don't get me wrong, the Miniram intake works, but you better have a good rev kit installed and make sure your engine can handle those higher revs or you won't be getting the most out of the miniram's short runner configuration.

Last edited by Sinister Fiero; May 25, 2005 at 01:41 AM. Reason: fix spelling errors
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Super Ram vs. TPIS Miniram





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:11 AM.

story-0
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-8
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE