Track Tac

Intake manifolds

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TritonJrBluePlate

Member
How much power gain do intake manifolds provide? We’re running a Super Stock class that has a $400 engine claim + engine swap rule. The intent is to let folks modify their engine but to keep cost down. EC has straight or curved intake manifolds that cost $43. As far as I can tell there is no rule against them.

But, how much power can be gained with them?
 
I don't believe the manifold itself
Will add power . Only if you experiment with tuned length .
Too increase power in a certain range. Total Intake length , cam timing and exhaust pipe tuning all have too coincidence.
 
typically the curved manifold is to keep the carb away from the tire. only way to find out is extensive dyno testing if either has ram tuning and where its effective range is.
 
There isn't much if any difference in power. Ideally, if fitment isn't an issue use the straight intake. Air is lazy and doesn't like to turn. Fuel is more likely to fall out of suspension by sticking to the wall where the intake turns. Automotive engine builders will usually heavily burr or texture more so in those areas in an intake manifold to try to break the fluid tension and re-atomize the fuel. The curve isn't severe with these intakes and the difference in length isn't much so any advantage or disadvantage would cancel out or be every minor.

In almost any class that a isn't box stock 196, there are better measurable gains or advantages(cam profile/timing, carb tuning, compression, porting, etc) that you're not splitting hairs for better performance.

The intakes are mostly to address fitment issues and interference with the starter recoil.
 
Mark @ EC said:
There isn't much if any difference in power. Ideally, if fitment isn't an issue use the straight intake. Air is lazy and doesn't like to turn. Fuel is more likely to fall out of suspension by sticking to the wall where the intake turns. Automotive engine builders will usually heavily burr or texture more so in those areas in an intake manifold to try to break the fluid tension and re-atomize the fuel. The curve isn't severe with these intakes and the difference in length isn't much so any advantage or disadvantage would cancel out or be every minor.

In almost any class that a isn't box stock 196, there are better measurable gains or advantages(cam profile/timing, carb tuning, compression, porting, etc) that you're not splitting hairs for better performance.

The intakes are mostly to address fitment issues and interference with the starter recoil.
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Does the same apply to a velocity stack? Thank you for a clear response. I actually called EC about this issue today.
 
Usually the velocity stack is included in the length. It issue with tuning the intake and exhaust pulse resonance is fitment. Once everything is calculated fitting it to the engine without parts hanging outside the kart or without compromising in another area makes it impractical. We thought for the sake of knowledge to test it on the dyno just to see if it would net much but we haven't had the time.

Even then not every engine would be the same so if you found a combination that worked two prove the theory doesn't mean if applied to every engine and I mean calculated for and setup according to the math or physics that it would gain more than a headache. For example, it may show for engines over 8500rpms the gains are substantial which proved that it works but if you then built a combination for engines turning less than 7000 then it may not prove beneficial. It could be air speed or overlap not to mean the changes at the track in elevation, humidity, etc that influence fuel density in the air charge or changes in exhaust temperatures, etc.

Back in the flathead days when the looped pipes came on the scene they worked great unless you were indoor racing in the winter. The looped exhaust header was too cold to help accelerate exhaust which helped during overlap to pull more fuel and air during induction. Rather than having the engine tuned for two different pipes most went back to the straight exhausts.
 
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