Went to the track past Saturday and with all of the mods I did to the motor I had great times with the low end / up to the 1/8 mile and practically died there after. I need to change the upper end of the motor. Which do you feel is a better set-up.......... The TPIS miniram or the LPE super-ram?????
Price wise I believe for the complete set-up they are about the same.
Please advise, Thanks!!!
FRED

 

if you spend any time under the hood at all the miniram would be the clear choice. it makes a smoother power curve than the super and is more suited to high rpm HP. i have 3 major gripes about the super ram. #1 it's made by accel. #2 they are just a hooker to work on and there in no space, a lower manifold gasket leak would take hours to change. #3 they are more prone to leaking than the stock TPI espessialy around the top lid. the miniram is simple and there are some published back to back tests floating around, TPIS had a few, old issue of chevy high performance had a few. if i spent the $1200 it would be a no brainer, i'd have TPIS on the phone.

 

I am a previous superram owner and I say, MINIRAM.

It took over an hour just to plug my injectors in on the superram. (no freak'n space) and the high rpm horsepower was crap. (this was with stock ported base though)

 

If you have a 6speed, definitely MR. If you have an auto, i would go SR.

 

What do you want....

High RPM Power
Low-Mid RPM Power

I went Superram because it allows me to really screw outta the corners, and still pull hard up to almost 6000 RPM. I did not want to rebuild the bottom end for 7000 RPM.

p.s.

I have a stick, went against the grain, and am MORE than pleased.

 

No contest here - the TPIS MiniRam. Hands down, the best TPI replacement setup available for the L98. Period.

And anyone who tries to tell you that you'll loose low-end torque with the MiniRam is full of it! Unless you plan to swap-out the cam with some mega-high lift, long duration piece, the stock (or even a mild) cam combined with the MiniRam will give you excellent low-end grunt, with the freedom to rev well over 6000 RPM.

Besides, take a look at the fuel injection system on the '92-'96 LT1 & LT4 equipped cars. Looks almost identical to the MiniRam doesn't it? I've never heard anyone complain about the performance of an LT1 or LT4...

Call TPIS and don't look back.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I went with the SuperRam because my car would like to be an all-out drag racer, but in reality it spends 95% of the time cruizing at 2000rpm and stop-light demonstrations.

The Mini-Ram doesn't start breathing untill 4000+ RPM. Here is a website of a guy that has dynoed the MiniRam vs Stock TPI. The miniram sucks for torque and HP below 4000. That is just not realistic for a street-driven car.

Take a look this guy did a bit of an experiment: http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~davis/z28/winter01/dyno/

Here is his home page too. After you look at the dyno graphs and the HP/torque comparisons the decision is clearly a SUPERRAM for a street car. http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~davis/z28/

There is a new system out called the StealthRam, and its made by Holley you will have to scroll down this page a bit to see it. http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/WhatsNew/WhatsNew.html

It is fairly inexpensive and produces some power, so they say, but it is on two-month backorder.

Oh.... and Scorp is right, unless you have a bottom end that can handl 7000+ rpm don't bother with the Mini-Ram.


Yes the Mini-Ram does cost more than the SuperRam. You need to buy a fuel rail kit, intake manifold, and plenum for the miniram. All you need for the SuperRam is the plenum/runners and the intake manifold. Your old fuel rails bolt right up. I bought mine for $1100 from a Chevy dealer in Oregon. Email me if you want their info.


Good luck! :cool: :cheers: :cool:


[Modified by Kieran ***, 6:24 PM 6/2/2002]

 

I think that's enough said about the Accel SR. I have run both also, including the ProRam. Accel leaves a lot to be desired, mismatched parts, incorrect milling, holes where they aren't supposed to be, air leaks,accessibility, etc, etc, etc. You WILL lose a little low-end from the MR, but from headaches and installation viewpoint, not to mention power, so far the MiniRam wins, 2 thumbs up! I will let you know about the Stealth Ram, if/when I get it, it does have hood clearance problems, tho'.
Johnny

 

In the dyno you've shown maybe. On most setups it will start hitting hard at ~3000.

The mini ram is one piece plus the rails. The list price from TPIS is $1250 with the rails $895 + $355. It can be purchased else where cheaper.

I've read a lot on the forum recently how expensive the SR has become. Apparently your $1100 is a very good deal. I think Jegs is listing the base, runners and plenum (without gasket sets) for ~$1280.

If you like your SR, thats :cool:, I'm not gonna :U on it. I would just ask that you make sure you have your facts straight before start :smash: something.

:cheers:


[Modified by 96LT1, 11:00 PM 6/2/2002]

 

The Miniram always looked like a good deal to me but it's not emissions legal so for a lot of people the Super Ram is the only choice.

Install/Remove it twice in one week and you'll become homicidal. I actually sold mine because I was tired of dealing with it. It does seem to offer really good performance though. Beach Bum has a pretty mild 383 setup and he runs 11's all day and drives to the track. Lots of good midrange torque.

The Miniram can make good mid- and top-end power. It would probably be best to run it with a matched combination of heads & cam. It is basically an LT1 intake for an L98. I've never really heard of any LT1 owners complaining about low- end torque.

 

This states it exactly.. Granted Mike Davis' dyno runs are with the LT4 hot cam and his torque is around 300ft. lb. between 4-4.5K roughly right?

Well the main thing is you have a good COMBO the Miniram can be just as streetable as the Superram IMHO. with my set-up I am getting 340 ft. lbs at 3550RPM this is at the wheels too. I feel my car is very streetable..

Everyone has their own opinion on which intake is better then the others. All I am saying is that it is not just the intake. It is also the parts you buy to go along with it.. Heads, Cam, ETC.


[Modified by -=Jeff=-, 3:01 PM 6/3/2002]

 

Why is the SR such a bear to install???????

 

It took me 6 hours to install the runners, fuel rail/injectors, and plenum. :) It was my first time, so I went slow, but still. :eek:

There are 12 small 12-point 1/4" bolts that go into the plenum from the bottom that are a bear to get at. I was using a very small 1/4" wrench. I'm getting a 12-point 1/4" drive socket for the next time, it should be small enough not to have interference issues. There are also 4 other larger bolts that you install from the runners to plenum from the bottom. I cheated and put them in from the top with super heavy duty locktite. ;)

 

I think Scorp nailed it. I tried putting a 12-point 1/4" socket on a 1/4"-driver but still couldn't reach most of the bolts. They take forever to tighten. You can save time by cutting slots into the ends of the bolts. That way you can use a tiny flathead screwdriver from the top to get the bolts snugged down. You also have to remove like 4 rockers just to get at some of the runner-to-lower intake bolts. By the time you put the whole thing together your RTV has cured.

EDIT: Why are all our L98 manifolds "rams"? I don't associate sheep with high performance ;)


[Modified by jmr302, 4:28 PM 6/3/2002]

 

How does things change if Miniram is on big inch smallblock? Has anyone ever tested it 420+cid engine? How about 11:1 comp ratio,big hydraulic rollercam,good 215/220 darts and Miniram ? Is there any dyno experiences for set up like this?

Thanks

 

I'd be curious to know as well.

 

I've got the mini ram on my More Performance 396. Dart Pro 1 215 heads, Comp Pro Magnum 1.6 RR, Crane Cam w/ 222/230 .542/.563, 10.5:1 CR and Hooker Super Comps, 30# injectors and a 52mm TB. Right now I've got some tuning issues, so final numbers are still a couple of weeks away.

With issues, I'm seeing a torque curve of 350 ft lbs @ 2400 rpm up to 380 ft lbs @ 3800 and back down to 350 ft lbs @ 5200 rpm.

The car is in stock trim as far as pulleys, Air pump, A/C, and the restrictive OEM mufflers that came on the early 86's. It is running excessively rich and I believe the timing is off.

There is a lot more in this engine and setup. I will be posting more info as I get it.

 

Go mini-ram, I just got done with the installation of the mini, and I cannot stress enough how much this cleans up the engine bay!! They send ARP intake manifold bolts, IAT relocation kit, and the fuel rails installed ready to go. Now to take a head off, It would take half the time. And did I mention that the miniram, though it looks like a Lt-1 intake in their pictures, is actually an air gap manifold, sweet. :cool:

 

Really? I had both on my 396 stroker and I have a sitck. I picked up 54 lbft of torque with the SR (430TQ vs 376TQ) and also gain HP. I also had tuning issues with the MR but I am **** about tuning. The SR for me was the best choice. I evaluated both and for my driving style the SR fit my needs better. Sure its a pain to install but usually anything in life that is worth something is hard. In my case I don't have high HP numbers to brag about but my car is fast. Fast enough to scare me for sure. I like torque and lots of it. The MR on my car was a just a dog plain and simple. I had a 96 LT4 Grand Sport and it had the same dog feeling as my car did with the MR.

If your in persuit of the best quarter mile times then the MR is probably a better choice. If most of your driving is putzing around on the street and you have a stick, then the SR is better. Keep in mind though that evertime someone asks this question, you get many responses and usually you end up just as confused! Good luck!

 

89vette,
Just wondering...what rear gear you're pulling, to make it such a "dog"?