Superchargers 101

[Bikerdrumr]

So you've got several different types of blowers: screw-type, centrifigal, roots. And you've got brands: Saleen, Paxton, Kenne Bell, etc.

I'll be getting an 08 GT daily driver and I want to go w/ a moderate amount of boost for reliability and cost, say about 400 rwhp.

Why would I spend approx $5K for one brand, when I could get another for about $3K? (This is of course before the install.) To be specific, I'm looking at a Paxton.

By the way, anyone in NJ/eastern PA know of a good installer?

Thanks!

 

[kenaimone]

you are going to have to do some research before you make this purchase. i would get the roots style. the big kenny bell to be exact. the roots style gives you more grunt down low. also the install will be much cheaper. and you cant beat that whine. as far as companies, you are lucky to have places like jdm and crazy horse. but do some research, it is a big investment to not be happy with. try to drive some cars with both so you can see what you like. but 400 is real easy on these cars. good luck

 

[steedman07]

I tossed this around for 1 month before i decided..I went the cheaper $$ route and put in a Vortech...If $$ wasnt an issue, Kenny Bell...But i tell ya, i love how it is on the tamer side down low, and raises hell after 3,500 or so rpm's.. With 4:10 gears, it takes absolutly no time to get to the sweet spot for my Vortech to wake up, NO time at all.. Can only speak for myself, but $3,500 for Vortech, 39lbs. injectors, 255 lph fuel pump, and a Diablo tuner(didnt need it, already had SCT2), and a bigger Mass air meter...a good investment in my book..Add an intercooler/methanol injection, and you can get some serious horsepower for still under the cost of a Kenny Bell.....Good luck

 

[anthony05gt]

you are going to have to do some research before you make this purchase. i would get the roots style. the big kenny bell to be exact. the roots style gives you more grunt down low. also the install will be much cheaper. and you cant beat that whine. as far as companies, you are lucky to have places like jdm and crazy horse. but do some research, it is a big investment to not be happy with. try to drive some cars with both so you can see what you like. but 400 is real easy on these cars. good luck

Kenny Bell blowers are not roots type. They are twin screws which are more efficient that roots blowers. Kenny Bell blowers also don't make any noise or whine like a Whipple twin screw does.

Bikerdrumr, you have to decide just what you want in a blower. Do you want instant off idle mad torque? Do you want your power more in the mid and top end? Centrifugals come on at or over 3000rpms in general so the car feels normal unless it begins to rev. Once the car revs it just pulls hard to redline. Most centrifugals make some noise at idle and whistle while cruising.

Roots and twin screw blowers have instant-off idle torque. They pull hard at low rpm's and pull hard. The mid range power is great and the top end power is good. You really feel them in the low and mid though. Maybe the top doesn't feel as strong as the centrifugal blowers because the strong bottom end gets your attention, but yes the centris do pull harder up top.

The difference between the roots and twin screws is mainly the rotor design. The twin screw just is more efficient. '03-'04 Cobra guys upgrade their roots blowers to twin screws when looking for more power.

If you are looking for 400rwhp and that's it then I'd suggest a non intercooled Whipple twin screw kit or a non intercooled Paxton kit. You just have to decide where you want to feel the most power....down low/mid or mid/up high. Also, do you mind the noise of a Paxton at Idle. I know Vortech offers an SQ (super quiet) version of their centrifugal blower and I'm sure you can buy the non intercooled version of the SQ Vortech.

 

[Bikerdrumr]

Excellent explaination

Kenny Bell blowers are not roots type. They are twin screws which are more efficient that roots blowers. Kenny Bell blowers also don't make any noise or whine like a Whipple twin screw does.

Bikerdrumr, you have to decide just what you want in a blower. Do you want instant off idle mad torque? Do you want your power more in the mid and top end? Centrifugals come on at or over 3000rpms in general so the car feels normal unless it begins to rev. Once the car revs it just pulls hard to redline. Most centrifugals make some noise at idle and whistle while cruising.

Roots and twin screw blowers have instant-off idle torque. They pull hard at low rpm's and pull hard. The mid range power is great and the top end power is good. You really feel them in the low and mid though. Maybe the top doesn't feel as strong as the centrifugal blowers because the strong bottom end gets your attention, but yes the centris do pull harder up top.

The difference between the roots and twin screws is mainly the rotor design. The twin screw just is more efficient. '03-'04 Cobra guys upgrade their roots blowers to twin screws when looking for more power.

If you are looking for 400rwhp and that's it then I'd suggest a non intercooled Whipple twin screw kit or a non intercooled Paxton kit. You just have to decide where you want to feel the most power....down low/mid or mid/up high. Also, do you mind the noise of a Paxton at Idle. I know Vortech offers an SQ (super quiet) version of their centrifugal blower and I'm sure you can buy the non intercooled version of the SQ Vortech.

This the info I needed I was looking for. Thanks, anthony05GT. And kenaimone, you are right, I do have to do some more research. Better yet, I've got to live w/ the car for a while to see what I want. I've always been more into the low-end torque of an engine. The way I look at it, I'll be bringing ALOT of attention to myself If I get addicted to high-rpm boost, especially with louder pipes! Thanks, all!

 

[kenaimone]

steedman thanks for the correction.

here is a link for a sick shelby gt with a kb

http://boostedperformance.net/pages/video.html


good luck.

 

[StonePony]

I guess somebody at KB forgot to take the noise out of my blower....

 

[ranger04]

I'm leaning toward the pro-charger myself, it's alot of scatch, but I got thir packet in the mail and they seem to know thier stuff. The blower is self contained as far as oil and they have an air to air intercooler. Kinda stupid, but it also lets me keep my power by ford inatke cover. I only want around 400 hp as well, I might even go with an na stroker of some kind, still researching that. Mrr has a 5.8 stroker block, but have no details, they also have a 5.0 stroker for 3,200.00, thats not to bad.

 

[romancer]

By the way, anyone in NJ/eastern PA know of a good installer?

Thanks!

You can't go wrong with JDM engineering in Freehold!

Here is their website.

God Bless and be safe,

 

[LV51FER]

I have the Vortech SQ intercooled 462hp package but you can buy the non-intercooled version. To all intents and purposes, the Vortech is invisible. It's not noisy at idle or at full chat and in daily driving, the car drives like any other car but floor it and the power delivery is very much like a turbo with a sudden rush - so sudden that it's short-lived even with 3.55 gears and you're hitting the rev limiter. It's certainly fast but remains docile at lower speeds. The car returns about 19.5mpg on average.

The Rootes style blower is a single screw which literally turns the air along a screw while a twin screw also compresses. There is no doubt that they provide a different driving experience with loads of torque by 200rpm. The possible downside is that it's easier to break traction if you put your boot in and get it wrong.

With the Vortech, even though it's a very fast car, you still have to row the stick and can easily be caught on the hop in the wrong gear so really it depends on whether you like grabbing the car by the scruff of the neck and working it or letting the engine do the work for you.

I suppose that with so much more torque low down, you might also put more stress on the drivetrain with the non-centrifugals.

 

[blacksheep06]

I tossed this around for 1 month before i decided..I went the cheaper $$ route and put in a Vortech...If $$ wasnt an issue, Kenny Bell...But i tell ya, i love how it is on the tamer side down low, and raises hell after 3,500 or so rpm's.. With 4:10 gears, it takes absolutly no time to get to the sweet spot for my Vortech to wake up, NO time at all.. Can only speak for myself, but $3,500 for Vortech, 39lbs. injectors, 255 lph fuel pump, and a Diablo tuner(didnt need it, already had SCT2), and a bigger Mass air meter...a good investment in my book..Add an intercooler/methanol injection, and you can get some serious horsepower for still under the cost of a Kenny Bell.....Good luck

That's a good deal. Where can you purchase that package for $3500? I would definately consider a deal like that in the near future.

 

[steedman07]

That's a good deal. Where can you purchase that package for $3500? I would definately consider a deal like that in the near future.

Get ahold of Doug @ Sutton high performance...It was a good deal... going w/ some kind of cooler in the spring, but for now, even on a safe tune, its alot of fun...

 

[blacksheep06]

Get ahold of Doug @ Sutton high performance...It was a good deal... going w/ some kind of cooler in the spring, but for now, even on a safe tune, its alot of fun...

Thanks, I've been debaiting for a while and I'm still not sure if I want to take the plunge.

That price makes it more tempting though.

 

[steedman07]

I was a fanatic of keeping it N/A, but if its going to happen, its going to be more $$ to even get close to the rwhp of F/I, especially something intercooled..I decided after alot of thought to do it, and im not disappointed at all.. Its like learning to drive a new car, especially w/ the addition of 4:10's, it shifts different, it drives different, but the power difference is woody worthy..

 

[TGJ]

For the original poster. Have you considered a Turbo kit? I am considering F/I with my 05 Mustang GT. A Turbo is similar to a Centrifugal SC however thye work off of the car's exhaust instead of being belt driven. They are the most efficient type of FI and will make more HP than that of a SC. The down side of a Turbo is that the underhood temperature will rise because of the Turbo's.

I have owned a couple of factory roots type SC'd cars( 90 TBird SC and 00 Grand Prix GTP ). I have owned a Fox Mustang that had a Kenne Bell Twin Screw that was later changed to a Vortech T-Trim. I used to race that car so the Centrifugal SC was better for me than the Twin Screw was.

Looking at the options of FI for the S197 platform, I really like the idea of a single turbo. A good designed single Turbo kit like PowerHouse's will give almost the instant power that is seen by Roots and Twin Screw SC and will blow them away powerwise in the upper RPM. That kit is priced similar to the Kenne Bell and other SC kits...

I'm leaning toward the pro-charger myself, it's alot of scatch, but I got thir packet in the mail and they seem to know thier stuff. The blower is self contained as far as oil and they have an air to air intercooler. Kinda stupid, but it also lets me keep my power by ford inatke cover. I only want around 400 hp as well, I might even go with an na stroker of some kind, still researching that. Mrr has a 5.8 stroker block, but have no details, they also have a 5.0 stroker for 3,200.00, thats not to bad.

You really need to start researching info before you post...

1)MMR's 5.8L is a Big-Bore 5.4L, it is NOT A STROKER BLOCK...

2)You will have a hell of time achieving 400 RWHP with a 298 - 302 CI N/A Stroked 4.6L. I have been following JDM engineering has been producing. With just about every bolt-on, CNC ported 3V heads, 11:1 compression ratio stroker from JDM made 370 RWHP in a 5 Spd Manual Mustang. The only mod that car doesn't have is a set of cams.

The cost of that would be around $8000.00 Breaking it down, $3500 - $4000 for the assembled Stroker Shortblock, $2200 to have your 3V heads ported, $1200 for the headers, $1000+ for the other bolt ons( Throttle Body, CAI, UDP's, Electric Water pump, CMCV deletes, tune ).

 

[Bikerdrumr]

The turbo is not what I'm looking for in type of performance and price. More price than anything. If I had a more solitary life, I could justify anything I want for the car, but it's not the reality. ALL of you can relate, I'm sure. So.....

After actually visiting JDM this past week, I am VERY impressed with them. The Saleen S/C they normally install is really nice, and the torque it delivers is what I would be looking for performance-wise. But it looks like I will definitely stay N/A w/ the car. However, JDM will be doing the work. (CAI, tune, 3:73's, UDP's, and maybe a handling pkg.) I can't wait to get started!

 

[anthony05gt]

I guess somebody at KB forgot to take the noise out of my blower....

They definitely don't whine like a Whipple, not that that's a bad thing. KB makes some great pumps.