When you’re assembling a serious boosted LS3 engine, the intake manifold isn’t just another component, it’s the visual and functional centerpiece of the entire build. Traditionally, high-end manifolds are carved from billet aluminum, delivering strength, rigidity, and a premium appearance. But Performance Design’s addition to its Carbon TRc (Tunnel Ram compact) intake manifold lineup challenges that formula with something lighter, sleeker, and far more modern.
A Centerpiece For Boosted Builds
Introduced this year at SEMA 2025, the TRc is an evolution of the company’s Carbon TR naturally aspirated manifold and its intercooled sibling, the Carbon TRic. This newest version is engineered as an under-hood, short-runner intake optimized for boost while still working for naturally aspirated applications that prioritize fitment and aesthetics over maximum torque.
The original Carbon TR became a fan favorite thanks to its signature carbon V-twill pattern and double-bubble plenum. Still, its 5-axis CNC-machined billet base made it expensive and too tall for many factory hoods. Performance Design listened. The TRc retains the carbon-and-billet construction that made the TR iconic, but rebuilds it from the ground up with a priority on manufacturability, modularity, and broad fitment including the ability to run under a stock C6 Corvette hood.
Top-Spec Carbon Fiber Engineering
At the heart of the TRc is a one-piece molded carbon fiber plenum, crafted using a highly advanced bladder-molding process. Layers of braided carbon sleeve with alternating weave directions are wrapped over a bladder, laid into a billet aluminum mold, and reinforced with additional hand-laid carbon fabric. Once infused with resin, the mold becomes a self-contained heating and pressurization system.
The result is seamless joints without the need for any secondary bonding capable of handling 50+ psi of boost without deformation or failure. This process not only improves strength but also significantly reduces manufacturing complexity and cost, which are two key factors behind the TRc’s development.
Modular Billet Components For Versatility
Bolted to the carbon plenum is a set of CNC-machined 6061-T6 aluminum runners, built in two pieces to clamp around the plenum using O-ring seals. Inside the chamber, a compact velocity stack plate optimizes internal airflow and distributes boost pressure evenly. A 105 mm billet throttle-body flange is bonded using aerospace-grade adhesive and handles the interface to large-frame throttle bodies commonly used in big-boost builds.
One Carbon Plenum, Many Applications
One of the most significant engineering wins of the TRc is its modularity. The same carbon plenum can be paired with different runner packages for a wide range of platforms, including the LS7, LT1, and LT4, and cathedral port is on the way for LS1/LS2/LS6 applications.
The Carbon TRc manages to accomplish what few intake manifolds can: blend high-end appearance, extreme boost capability, under-hood clearance, and modular versatility into a single, striking system. For enthusiasts chasing a modern, lightweight centerpiece for their LS3 or almost any other performance platform, the TRc stands out as one of the most compelling new products of SEMA 2025.
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