when does a tunnel ram intake become helpful

i would like to go with a tunnel ram
here is my combo
svo block
TFS A heads cnc ported
4.150 stroke
4.500 bore
single 1250 qft
around 14-1 comp running vp c14
cam is a comp done by lem i lost the cam card but it is a 800 or so lift
solid roller deal

my class limits me to a single 4500 carb
530 cid limit
i come out around 5000-6500 depending on what gear i run that day and track conditions
this is a truck pulling deal
would it hurt my performance to run a tunnle ram
it would be nice to be able to play with differnt top plates
i guess if it wont hurnt i will run 1
would it possibly help a lil bit?

You would be alot better off to modify your single carb manifold. Engine that small you would never over come the weight gain with the rpm range you have. Imo.

weight isnt any concern
but your saying the single intake is gonna perform better?
i think i have heard that befor thats why i am asking befor i
switch maybe i should keep what i got?

when i put the tall "holmes" intake on mine it made more tq but it may not be the way to go for your setup.the other short runner t/r could work for more rpm.

let me clarify. you will lose alot of accelleration rate below 6500. Imo you might see a small bog or dead area and probably will not see any noticable gain till above 7500. You could always go to a 1450 and rework the manifold etc. If you are in the game for a sheet metal tunnel ram the rules will change.

I have only done a few of these UPGRADES??? but, the tunnel ram made more torque every time. Although the single carb was a regular 2 circuit #7320 Holley 1150 Dominator in all the cases, (two originally had a FRPP manifold and the other originally had a flat bottom TFS manifold). The tunnel ram had 2 carbs of the 4150 variety. One with two 1,000 CFM Holley HP's with annular boosters, one with 850 Holleys with the choke horns removed and the other with 2 Quick Fuel 950 CFM Pro Series.

The torque was about 2% to 4% better at near the same RPM and the power was about the same - just held on a bit longer at the top. Two Dominator type carbs were not used in any case on the tunnel rams; (although, at a later time I learned that it would have been better still with 1050 Dominators).

Now that there are better single 4 barrel carbs available, there might not be a whole lot of difference.

1450? i am unshure what that is

jesse wrote:1450? i am unshure what that is

BIG azz carb!

we are limited to a 4500 carb

jesse wrote:we are limited to a 4500 carb

It's a 1,450 cfm 4500 series carb.

jesse wrote:we are limited to a 4500 carb

Thats wide open...... Thier are "Some" avaliable way bigger than Lems quoted 1450......

so a 1,450 cfm carb or bigger might be helpful on a tunner ram?
altho my motor is only a 528 it dose have a 4.500 bore and i relize that is small
compared to others but my 1250 seems to feed it just fine
if a bigger cfm carb will help i will for shure look into it
i have been back and forth on the tunnle ram thing for awhile now

Jesse if they can get 1300 hp from a single carb c460 why do you think you need a2x4 A460 engine, just makes tuning a little more difficult and with not that much increase in hp. use the KISS method

I think that your best money would be spent with a (properly executed) trick flow single carb manifold, the correct spacer or spacers and a 1450 qfx with custom calibration. However this is only my opinion.

Jesse, I have one of those 1450 QFX carbs, and they are a great carb, and Phillip made an honest 1200hp with a single carb on a C head big inch engine. Mine wasn't quite that good on HP, but I didn't have a few of the tricks that really help up the HP, like a crank trigger or vac pump. You would do well with one of these carbs on your engine, give Lem or Phillip a shout and visit with them about it.

Are you planning an enderle in the future?

Jesse, Lem,Charlie & Phillip set me up with that combo & it is bad azz Lem sold me the intake,Charlie tuned it up for me & Phillip set me up with the carb & tuned it. The combo put up some Great numbers on the dyno & the power held on a long time.I believe Lem said it was hang'n in there like a hair in a biscuit. I was thinking I would like to try the T-ram with the big carb but have yet to do it. maybe next season-A

great advice guys thanxs
maybe i will put my qft 1250 up for sale and look into a 1450qfx
i will give phillip a call
i am more than happy with my 1250 but yes i do want more
power even if it is just a few i still want more lol
so far i got a dry sump set up comming
and i will do a vac deal also
i am trying to get close to 1,000 hp with my combo
and run it 8,000 rpm's for the most part
this last season it ran 7500-8000 depending on the track
but it didnt seem to want to go over 7500 altho it did
it would drop to 7500 farily soon
for some reason my combo only made around 800hp on the dyno
but i was told that this dyno was not a happy one
i know i wont see 200hp gain on any bolt on parts
but maybe 50 or so
if i were to upgrade my vlaves to titanum i would think i should be able to hit 9k
but i only have a forged scatt crank maybe that would become the weak link?

Are you buying a new dry sump system?

no it is used
from a good source from this site
it is a weaver

Just wondering. The new Peterson stuff pulls a lot of vacuum.

o wonder how much a 3vane weaver will pull?

just an update
i have decided to keep my single intake
just dont see how a tr can help me that much
i am gonna try to get a 1450 carb
i have my current 1250 qft for sale
but if i cant get what i am asking i will run it again
it seems to work good for my combo
thanxs for all the great advice and help