I did say "IMO"... I have run stock iron 4v, Performer, RPM, and F4B to name a few... The Performer couldn't out-performer the stock iron part... just a little lighter. It actually has smaller ports than stock 2 or 4v intakes. Like said by others, the Performer flat out dies at 4500. The RPM is not much better, from experience... and doesn't fit well under the hood. The F4B is the Shelby part for cryin' out loud... fits great, spins up better than the Performer, almost looks stock when painted Ford blue. You can scare up the Edelbrock part used for cheap, or get a new FMS version. The Shelby and old FPP intakes are the same, and made by Edelbrock as well, but they are marked up too high for a driver. Good luck Dave Edit: I'll make some folks cringe! The BEST EVER induction that I have run on a stock 302 was an F4B topped with a QUADRAJET! They are a much misunderstood carb, like the Holley... They take some thought to tune, but once you dial them in they are great for drivers. I would run a QJet before the crappy Edelbog AFB any day. But for outright performance, you can't beat a Holley. The best thing about a QJet is they have excellent throttle response, get great mileage, and the secondarys are similar to a vacuum Holley... in that it's hard to overcarb (if it's adjusted properly). Dave
The Performer is a darn good manifold. How anyone figures that it pulls to only 4500 is beyond me. The RPM is even better. Performer will pull to 5500 (assuming your cam and heads are up to snuff) and the RPM to 6500. The RPM fits just fine under the hood, and the F4B is simply overpriced. I've had my Performer since 1989 and have never regretted it...
How is the F4B "overpriced"... I see them for 50-150 depending on condition and who's got it... My RPM didn't fit well under my hood, but then I like a tall filter element. The Performers, both, will spin to 7500 rpm if your cam is up to it, that doesn't mean they are making power. The worst mistake I ever made was believing the hype and replacing my Torker 289 with the RPM. I gained no bottom end to speak of, and lost power from 3000 up. There is a difference. But then we are discussing a stock 302 here I suppose...
My 2 cents: I had an F4B on my car for a long time. Good intake! Most would probably be real satisfyed with it. Mine was old (like they are all I suppose!) and eventually it cracked by the thermostat housing. So I was looking for an intake too. Here's my opinion- they don't spend time designing these intakes for nothin'. Certainly Edelbrock has much more sophisticated means of intake design these days. Newer intakes will be more efficient, and make more power. They wouldn't make new tooling if that wasn't the case. I doubt they'd discontinue the F4b if it was better than it's replacement. So I replaced my intake with a Weiand Stealth. This intake claims to have good low-end and pull to about 6000 RPM. I bleieve it. Felt the same low-end as my F4b, but pulled harder in the high RPM (noticibly), I gained about a half MPH in the 1/4, and at the time I dragged about every 2 weeks so I had a lot of datapoints. In the tests I've seen (magazines) the Stealth is about the same as the Air-gap. I like the idea of the air-gap keeping a cooler charge. It wasn't out when I bought the Stealth. The Stealth has a rear coolant passage, unusual for aftermarket intakes. Makes for a good clean place to tap your heater lines. Anyway, you still have to pick an intake that fits your package. Don't put a tunnel ram on a stock engine, etc. But that said I'd buy the newest USA-made design, it's probably the best. Stealth or Air-gap. If you are really on a budget, find something used, even if it's not the all-out best you'll still see a big improvement on stock! Whatever you do I wouldn't buy a new intake that's a repop of old technology (Ford Cobra Intake)... not worth it in my opinion. As for filter, get the std 14" x 3" 'low profile' air cleaner (that fits way over the carb), and you can fit pretty much anything in there, along with a 1" spacer.
Guys you have given me a wealth of Intake info to consider. I will let you know which one I go with & how it performs. Thanks, Mike
TL, let me rephrase that, I can get over 4500rpms out of my Performer 289, but the power curve drops at 4500. I have experimented on the track, shifting to as high as 5500, but my times are better by a tenth or more if I shift at 4000 or 4500. It is still pulling, just not accellerating as fast as it does up to 4500. I do agree that the Performer is a very good intake for a street driver. But I do periodic track runs, and wish for more accelleration. I have had no complaints with my performer, and would recommend it for a mostly stock car, but mine is quickly becoming less and less stock. In the next week or so, I will be dropping on those GT40P heads and Hooker 6901s, and will probably wish I had gone with a higher performing intake from the beginning.
related: It took three runs before a buddy of mine could hold back from spinning the dog stuff out of his BBC. You could literally SEE the acceleration drop off at higher rpms. He'd been shifting out at 6200 - I suggested he try 5500 just to see what it'd do. Like I said, his shift light came on and he STILL ran it up to 6K+ for two more times. It was a wonder he could even see for the bright yellow light in his eyes for so long. In short, his specific engine setup ran a much better e.t. when shifting at a much lower 5450-5500 r's. Others setups need to spin to 8+grand to achieve the same thing. I look at it as the engine being a 'system' - not just throwing big-money, big-flow parts at it. Ask Ivy. His little 306 pulls the front end off the ground every launch (okay, so he's light and probably has a 15:1 CR ) . I'm through babbling now.
That's your cam, heads, and the 8:1 compression ratio dictating the power drop-off at 4500 RPM, not the intake manifold, however if you're really into racing as you say, you're gonna want a Performer RPM or the Weiand equivilant...
I am not "really into racing" but am "really damned addicted"!!! :chillpill :chillpill :chillpill Excuse me, I am OK now. But seriously, the first time I gunned it at the 'tree, I was hooked for life, even though I had "raced it" on the highway and from redlights, and even though I probably only had 140HP at that time. Actually is a sore spot between the wife and I. She says "you have us on this damned budget where we can only buy $100 of groceries a month, so you can spend $500 a month on your car!" I really didn't mean it to be that way I keep trying to tell her "It was YOUR great-grandmother's car...I am doing it for YOU!" She doesn't see it that way.
The BEST EVER induction ...topped with a QUADRAJET! I ran a Q-jet for years on my 289. Once you figure out how to tune with the rods and jets, it was a very smooth running carb. And when those huge 2+" secondaries opened up it was pretty impressive. Got mine off a big block Buick, of all things.
sorry if i'm off topic but can you use a Q-jet from a SB chevy on a performer 289 i have always liked how they are good with milage an then they open up to get power-and i have one laying around thanks alex
can you use a Q-jet from a SB chevy on a performer 289... Yes, you just need to get a spreadbore-to-square adaptor. Most places sell them for about $20, seen 'em even cheaper on eBay.
thanks i need a new spacer anyways-mann i cant imagine it with a 4bbl it revs up so good with a 350cfm 2 bbl
Pick up a Torker 289... You won't regret, and if you do, sell it. That is the absolute BEST EVER street/strip intake for an SBF. The small plenum gives great tip-in and low end, while the single plane aspect keeps it puttin' out as high as your cam will spin. In 94 I worked in a speed shop and my co-workers were all into the new RPM intake. They went on and on about how my car would be so much better with the RPM instead of the old school Torker. I swapped one on... boy did it suck. I gained little to no bottom end, and my engine stopped pulling after around 3k. Of course it still pulled, but it felt like it fell flat on it's face because I had been running the Torker for years and was used to it. A 2" spacer helped quite a bit, but was not practical. The Torker went back on and I haven't looked back. If some of the younger guys that swear by the RPM would run a Torker, they would be sold... especially in a light body/small engine car like ours. My .02 Dave
I will look around for a Torker, just to see what price they run. Isn't that the tall single-plane with the four long "legs"?
