VETDRMS

As promised, but a little late, I got it all back together and made time for a couple of days at the track.

First night out was just a street night with no track prep and the track was very slick so it was next to impossible to get my 60' down below 2 second.

Saturday was a bracket day so there was plenty of VHT and rubber.

Results?: A TIE!

The air was not as good as I expected. Although it was cool, it was very humid with the occasional drizzle. Density altitude was at 5300' all day. For this kind of weather with the Victor Jr. the car will typically run 12.1-11.9 seconds at 110-114mph with the slicks.

I expected the car to run a better short time and maybe lose some ground on the rest of the track. The short time was better and I got a new best 60' of 1.64'. My previous best was a 1.67 with the Victor Jr.
Also, for the first time I was having some wheel spin out of the whole with the slicks. I can usually run 20lbs with the Victor Jr., but I still got a little spin at 16lbs with the Air-Gap.

I was down 1.5 MPH compared to the Victor Jr. This could be due to the headwind we had.

Best run of the day was an 11.95 @ 112. Race weight was 3600lbs and DA was down to 5150'.

VIDEO: 11.95 @ 112

The big difference between the two is the shift point. The Air-Gap produced a near identical ET but with a shift point nearly 1000rpm earlier! I could produce these ET's by shifting at 5500-6000rpm while the victor was shifted from 6500-7000rpm to achieve these ETs.

I will give the edge to the Victor Jr. by at least a tenth, and 1-2 MPH. The big difference is on the street. At medium throttle the torque difference is noticeable, and the car is actually more FUN to drive.
The reduced RPM's will also increase longevity of parts.

One thing I should note is that my torque converter is better optimized for the Victor Jr.'s RPM range. It stalls off the line at 4200rpm and will stall at 5000-5200rpm in 2nd and 3rd gear. With a tighter torque converter the Air-Gap may be quicker.

Also, I used the same 2" HVH Super Sucker spacer I use with the Victor Jr. This spacer is designed for use with an open plenum intake and HVH makes a different spacer for the Air-Gap. Even so, the spacer was worth 2 MPH and 1 tenth over a 4 hole 1/2" spacer.

All in all, I am very impressed with the Air-Gap manifold, it held its own with the Victor Jr. and netted nearly equal times with a 1000rpm reduction in RPM.

So, it's a tie with the edge going to the Victor Jr. The track will be closing in a week so any further testing will have to wait till next year.

big_G

That's good info, nothing like time-slips to back up theory!

GrandSportC3

great review....

BTW - I think that the best intake for your setup would be the Victor E... However, it will have even less bottom end power and torque than the Victor Jr, but you'd pick up 15+ HP at the top end..

Hmmm.. in the video you seem to have tail wind.. All the smoke blew forward

MotorHead

This is what some wise man posted a few days ago

QUOTE "Glad to hear you are back running Travis

Here is my take on the two intakes. The Air Gap is very good intake that does not give up much to any single plane and it is even better than some of them at the track. So basically for the street it is the intake to put on your motor.

Now here is lkicker, if you are trying to get your lowest e.t. or you are running heads up the 1/10 sec or so you will get from the VIc Jr. wcould be the difference between a win or loss therefore it warrants you putting it on.

I have a Vic Jr. on my 406 ci because I like the way it looks " QUOTE

VETDRMS

Thanks G!

Oliver: I am sure a switch to lower gears would do the trick, but I would have to sacrifice too much driveability.

Wayne: Wise? Huh? :P I haven't decided on which one to keep on the car. I may go back to the Victor Jr., it is an easy change that doesn't take more than a few hours and the cost of one gasket set. I may actually put the Victor Jr. back on this week and go out racing for the last day of races.

MotorHead

I was thinking about puttting the spare Air Gap I have on mine but I don't really need any help in the torque department down low, I will see if I feel like swapping when I check my roller lifters before I put it away for the winter

MotorHead

Just watched the vid, man that sounds mean, and really fast for that altitude, that's like 10.xx s at sea level

Guru_4_hire

Wish I could use one.

But an RPM airgap, a mighty demon carb, and a extreme velocity carb hat aint gonna fit under any corvette hood.

VETDRMS

Wayne: Maybe someday I'll make it down to sea-level, but by then I am sure it will be making a lot more power.

Guru_4_Hire: I have a stock medium rise hood ('74). The Victor Jr. and the Air-Gap both fit with a 1/2" spacer and a Moroso drop base air cleaner with a 3" filter.

Guru_4_hire

The EV hat is 4" tall. I would need about an additional 2" of clearence

VETDRMS

EV hat???

Oliver Hey, way to be observant! The majority of the day there was a head wind. That was my second to last run and there was a light tail/cross wind. The victor would usually run 111-112 in headwind conditions, the MPH the rest of they day was from 110.25-111.0 with the head wind.

Guru_4_hire

http://www.superiorairflow.com/extreme_velocity.htm

VETDRMS

Guru: Ohhhh, OK, I gotcha. Are you building a super charged motor??

Guru_4_hire

Turbocharged.

I will probably end up with the weiand torker 2 equivilant. Some people are saying that the dual planes react weirdly with blowthrough fuel distribution. But I would like the off boost throttle response and drivability.

I wont be the only person with hood problem determining engine tech.
The LT1 and LT4 have short runners like the Vic Jr. This problem was overcome with the LSx series engines with the runners running over the plenum, which was made possible with the use of composites.

Guru_4_hire

Thanks for the vid though, it went into my archive

SmokedTires

Good to see you running strong again Thanks for the review, and video, car sounds great

VETDRMS

Thanks Mike, have you tried any spacers with the Air-Gap? Mine responded well to a spacer.

Nate '69

Great review!
I'd also like to know if anyone has used a spacer on the RPM air gap and specs - results? I may try one.

Thanks,

SmokedTires

No, I haven't tried any spacers yet, I think I'm going to have to figure out some reverse lights before I'll be able to get it inspected so I can take it to the track again. I started looking at the Tremec manual to see how to run the wires.

VETDRMS

Nate '69: I used both a 1/2" four hole spacer and the 2" HVH spacer. The 2" HVH spacer was good for one tenth and 2 MPH.

EddieJ said a 1" open spacer was good for 2 tenths for him.

Mike: Inspected? The track tech checks that?