Supercharger Question

[DoHcHoLlIdAy01]

I was thinking about supercharging my Cobra. I have looked at the Paxton, Vortech, and Procharger. I was wondering, I know that the 03 04 cobras went to a iron block because the Aluminum one couldnt handle the power. Does that mean that my block in my 01 cannot handle the power of a blower. Also what are some of the benefits of one brand over another. Do the 2003/2004 blowers fit on a 2001? Is it even worth the $3500-$5000 or will I regret it when the motor blows?

 

[Kyle-02GT]

Your car+5000 probably would get ya close to an 03 cobra Then ya have the resale, stronger engine/trans, and a higher upper limit on the cars ability.

I traded my 02 GT when I was going to S/C it Figured 14.5K(GT Trade)+5000(S/C)+1000 MISC Upgrades=20.5K and it would still be a GT

I payed 25.5 for my 03 new last august and that 5 grand I'll more then recover with the difference between the 2 cars values.

 

[chuckstang95]

Im wandering the same thing, but my car is a 99 with 81000 miles and Im wandering if its worth spending 6k to supercharge or just try and buy an 03/04. How well do they engines and all the other stuff hold up to the added power? Im talking only about 6-8 pounds and a very safe tune.

 

[99SVTAddict]

First off, it will most likely cost more than that if you buy all new parts.
Labor will be another $1K or so.

The 03+ blower will not work....but you can buy a KB though.
The aluminum block will work just fine unless you plan to make insane power.
Plenty of 600-700RWHP with aluminum blocks running around.

The part you need to worry about is the rods and pistons....most stock bottom ends with good power/high boost will crack a ring on the piston (#7 or 8 piston).

All blowers are good....main difference is whether you want a roots/twin screw or a centrifical blower as each delivers the power at different RPM's.

 

[1996COBRA]

ford went to an iron block to bring costs down more than anything. the aluminum block is fine, the pistons and rods are what goes in these block (like 99SVTaddict stated). You might regret it if you can afford to get a rebuild or a forged shortblock.

 

[BlakeGT]

so, in other words, you wouldn;t have to worry about the crankshaft and the block for a 2001 cobra?? i was looking at gettin the dss piston and rod kit. which comes with: D.S.S. Forged Pro-Lite Series pistons, 4340 forged H-beam rods with ARP2000 rod bolts, Sealed Power moly rings and Federal Mogul. So my engine would be just like the 03 cobra then??? Meaning, i could handle 650 hp

 

[99SVTAddict]

Cobra crank is already forged, so yes, in simple terms just worry about the rods and pistons. I had the aluminum block bored over and Diamond assembled the short block with Manley rods and Diamond pistons (keeping compression at 9.85).

There's other things to think about to like oil billet gears, head gaskets, ect....
I would also upgrade to ARP hardware.

Would it be just like an 03 Cobra motor....no. There's a lot more to that motor than just a forged bottom end (like heads, cams are different, and the blower has an intercooler). But you would have a bullet proof bottom end that will take a beating as long as you have a good tune and run the right gas.

 

[99CobraJMS]

Once your engine is done, You will need to then focus on :

1) Fuel Management. I went to a 2003 tank and pumps to get 540-ish at the rear and still ran out of fuel. I added the KB Boost-A-Pump and now got plenty of fuel at 565 at the rear now.

2) IRS. The 99 is weaker than an 03/04, I spent serious $$s on IRS SHafts and part upgrades (GKN Stage IIIs, bushings, IRS brace...etc) but eventually added a solid axle.

 

[BlueEyesRedDrag]

I just had a Vortech S-trim with aftercooler installed three weeks ago so I am still a noob when it comes to the road ahead.

The S/C kit was $5,390.00 (p/n 4FR218-040SQ) . Installation was another $1,375.00.

I still need to get a custom tune, so I am running on the chip that came with the vortech kit.

Boost seems to come on late and you don't make full boost till you get to 3rd or 4th gear. Example, wide open throttle in 1st gear makes about 1.5 to 2.5 psi before you have to switch to 2nd gear. You won't see close to 10 psi until 3rd or 4th gear.

 

[MysticVobra]

If your only seeing 1.5-2.5 psi at the top of 1st and 2nd then something is wrong. It shouldnt matter what gear your in, only what your engine rpm is at wot with a centrifugal blower. If your set up to make 10 psi then you should be seeing at least close to that at the top of each gear.

 

[DoHcHoLlIdAy01]

Sounds like it is a lot of work to supercharge an 01. I looked at vortech's website and they make it seem like all you have to do is install the kit and you have 464 HP or 490 HP w/cooler. I am not ready to take the engine apart, I just got the car. When do these engines typically start to smoke and lose power? I know it depends on how you drive it (but an estimate). When it starts to go, then possibly a rebuild w/blower.

 

[99SVTAddict]

Boost seems to come on late and you don't make full boost till you get to 3rd or 4th gear. Example, wide open throttle in 1st gear makes about 1.5 to 2.5 psi before you have to switch to 2nd gear. You won't see close to 10 psi until 3rd or 4th gear.

What he said above...boost is determined by RPM, not load or what gear you are in.

These engines will last a long time if left alone. You can always slap a blower on there, keep it under 10 lbs of boost, tune it safe and enjoy 420RWHP for a long time with a good tune.

 

[chuckstang95]

it may feel like ur making less boost in 1st and 2nd because your spinning the tires, but like they said, boost is determined by how high ur reving

 

[BlueEyesRedDrag]

Your right. I ran it to the rev limiter in 1st gear and got about 9 psi.

 

[Procharger95]

Go with a TURBO KIT because they not only make more power but they are much easier on the block and stock internals. The blowers add much more stress on the crank plus they waste power to turn them, sort of like an air conditioner. You may already know this but essentially a supercharger making 450 rwhp is causing possibly 500+rwhp worth of wear on the motor to turn versus a turbo that is only causing 450rwhp worth of wear when it's making 450rwhp. Just be sure to get a good dyno tune.