Why does everyone talk about having to spin the miniram up to 6k to make power.

The miniram looks just like an lt1 intake to me, which seemed to be a pretty effective intake design for some performance.

I am also pretty sure that the lt1 cars were not that much different than the L98 except exhaust,and compression.
Some of the lt1 auto's even came with 2.59 gears, so why do people make such a big deal out of the miniram power band range when 92+vettes came with that design from the factory, yet you don't hear people saying how "they hate lt1 because it can only perform at 6k".

Many people say "the lt1 cars are fun to drive" too, so what am I missing here, or is it just how things get blown out of proportion on the Internet?


(I do realize the motor, and gears need to be able to accommodate the rpm range for the intake to perform at it's best)

 

The mini ram works fine at low RPM but if you are planning to swap intakes and keep the RPM limit less then 6000 RPM there are better intakes than the mini ram. The mini ram gives up some low end torque while gaining high RPM power when compared to other intakes like the stock TPI, FIRST, superram, or Stealth ram. If you never plan to run engine to 6000 RPM then you would have better performance from one of the other intakes. If you have no issues with 6000 RPM and have decient supporting hardware the mini ram is a good choice.

You are correct when you mention that the mini ram and stock LT1 intake are nearly identical. If the factory was willing to use a short runner intake on a stock engine then you can use it without any issues other then some torque loss potential. (It will operate fine)

 

When I went to the Mini I didnt even notice the famous torque loss. A good tune has a lot to do with that.

 

When I had my 94 & 96 LT-1 Vettes, I truely enjoyed the "street" manners of both cars (both had 3.07 gears) and I was actually "let down" when I went up to 98 LS-1.... This did change however, when I installed a Pro Torque converter in the LS-1...but that is another story..

I planned on installing a modified LT-1 intake manifold on my 89 (because of the expense of the Mini-Ram) but it's possible that " lil_mike " may buy it, and if he does I'll look in another direction for an intake. My point is that the two LT-1 cars I had made "excellent" torque compared to the TPI of the 89 (which is one reason I planned on the swap). I do have buddies who changed 89-90 Vettes to Mini-Rams and both are autos, and both noted very small street torque losses compared to the TPI's the cars came with. The only thing they did have issues with was the tuning, as it took quite a bit of work to make it right for the Mini-Ram, but once done they run fantastic!!

 

An LT1-like setup with good tune, and you wont notice a power loss. People think since these short-runner intakes make their optimal HP at high rpm, that its where they make all their HP, which is not true. An LT1/MR car can be quick off the line. Its a pretty good flat torque curve with the right combination, all you have to look at is some LT1 dyno curves.

 

For the most part this is right, the mini makes a flat torque curve. The reality is that people don't always like a flat torque curve especially when they are switching from a TPI. I think of this as akin to choosing the right cam, people need to not think about numbers but think about actual use. As a DD or stoplight romper, how often are you taking a motor to 6500RPM?

The TPI has a peaky torque curve that makes the car feel quite fast, however it doesn't last long.

The Miniram has a flat torque curve, so the same power flattened over a broader RPM band really doesn't "feel" as powerful, but does feel like it "pulls" longer. This is what people really mean when they talk about the loss of low end torque. This also will absolutely occur...unless you had too big of a cam mismatched with the TPI.

Truth be told, up to around 2500 RPM or so, a short runner intake can make even more power (at least on a dyno) because it is a lot easier to accelerate a short column of air into the intake runner than a longer column of air from a TPI. From 2500-4500 the TPI will shine and then from 4500+ a short runner intake will do better.

For a 6000 RPM peak with a 383 I think you want around 7" or intake runner (not including the head) not coincidentally, this is what LS motors have. The closest fit to this is the HSR and XT. This is part of why this tunnel ram intakes always do so well on dyno shoot outs.

Those people that hate the Mini for only performing at 6k probably shouldn't have a Mini (or don't...) or are people who actually like to cruise around in their Vette. Let's be honest, when you are just driving around on a Sunday, how often do you take it up to 6500?

The reason why the SuperRam is so ideal is it makes power to 4500-5000 RPM. You still have a peaky torque curve so it feels really powerful and you don't have to rev it much higher than the TPI to make more power. So in terms of a DD/street bruiser it is hard to match.

If you put a Mini on (with a fitting cam) you will have to spin it to 3500-6000 to really get in the sweet spot for power output. Nothing wrong with that at all and you can definitely make a lot more horsepower (remember: horsepower=(torque*RPM) / 5252 ). But unless you actually like to wring out the motor like that, you will be disappointed.

There is nothing wrong with having a 500tq/ 400hp motor and likewise there is nothing wrong with 400tq/500hp motor, you just have to use it correctly and be comfortable using it as such.

(And yes, gears also play into this appropriate use though depending on the motor, you can make enough torque that 3.07s feel just fine. If you want to be able to "get scratch" in all gears though, definitely swap to 4.10s but especially with torquey 383+cid motors can make do with some of the more economic gearsets which might make the motor feel a bit like a dog with a less powerful motor and a high rpm intake.)

 

I know this may be slightly off topic, but just how close would an L-98 with the LT-1 intake be to a true 92-96 LT-1 Vette? I mean compression, head CC, cam specs, etc.

 

Extremely close

 

The main differences are cam and heads.

 

LT1 cam has more lift .450 or .460 or so. LT1 has flat top pistons and 54cc chambers for more compression also. Early L98s had dish pistons with 58cc chambers. Small things add up.

 

, but the little differences between an 87', and a 90' are about the same at best. I would like to drive a l98 with true duals, and a mini with 3.07's, then a stock 92' with 3.07's and really see how different they are.

 

My 406ci MR did not pull hard until 3200-3500 with .576 lift and 233/233 duration on an L987 style engine

 

Well,

I can tell you for a fact that if you rode in my car before and after the mini........(everything else being the same, cam, heads, etc) the mini gave me nearly 1/2 second in the quarter and passes went from 108 to 111 to 112 mph over the Edelbrock baseplate/runners I originally installed on the engine rebuild......now with the 3.73's added later.........this thing pulls extremely hard........you sure are not thinking " I just lost a lot of torque" ......it just has a rush of power from 2500RPM on up......like a sports car is supposed to....just my opinion.......and as far as 6000RPM.........that comes pretty quick with my set up......you don't wait for 6000 RPM too long....believe me

 

That is great to hear.

 

People who say that are mistaken.

Better stated would be "If you want to be able make power at 6000, you need a miniram." (vs other commercially available bolt-on intakes)



And in my personal experience I saw limited gains putting the MR on a stock head / cam 85. Which is really no surprise. The heads and cam were ill equipped to feed a 350 at any real RPM.

 

I like the miniram. I don't have any torque issues. In the video HERE I nail it from a rolling start and it has no problem spinning 12 inch wide rubber. At the end of the clip, it shows a little burn out. I did that in first gear (~3 feet long) and the rest of it is in second gear, nursing the throttle. I could have kept on going and going, but the (private) road that I was on has so many bumps that it was causing wheel hop, so I got out of the gas.

In relation to a comment in this thread "when you are just driving around on a Sunday, how often do you take it up to 6500?"
My answer; every single time I drive it !!
I just need to iron out some error code issues so i can drive it again.

 

 

Thanks for that reply, I am very prepared for the stock heads, and cam to stop at their normal quitting point, but I will remedy that some other time, but in the mean time I know the mini is a much better intake than stock.

 

Your stock heads are way ahead of the 85s so I think you will see much more benefit than I did and be very happy in the mean time

 

In the end of the video, it shows your car. Does it have the 12 inch wide rubber in that picture?