Vortech Aspirations

JD1964

there is enough sticking out to grab on to
15 Year Member
Jun 28, 2013
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I'm considering a power added such as the V3. Vortech lists their entry level kit as adding 50hp. They show 225hp gets boosted up to 275hp. So I assume this is based on a completely stock 5.0.

My question is, if a 5.0 is not completely stock, such as mine with some moderate upgrades like the GT40 stuff, bigger TB, aftermarket exhaust, etc, can I expect the added hp from an entry level V3 kit to be more than 50hp?

BTW, I already have a 155 gph fuel pump so that should do for the entry level V3, I think. I'm also aware that I'll need bigger injectors and proper calibrated MAF to match the injectors.
 
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I can't imagine a blower only adding 50hp. Should add at least 100. Am I missing something here?

Kurt

The entry level kit is 5-6 psi. Maybe that's why its a smaller amount.

But the 50hp increase is based on a stock 5.0. I was hoping that a modified engine would have better gains.
 
I put the 6-8# kit on not too long ago. I used the fmu w my 19lb injectors + stock maf and all the rest of the jazz that comes w the kit that a lot don't recommend. It idles the same as before runs great no issues. I don't have any hp #'s since the kit but one of these days when things slow down and the bank acct recoops some I'm gonna take it to the dyno and let em tune it or not tune it if they think they can't get anymore out of er, either way it'll cost me the same. Before the kit I had 223 rwhp. But anyway talk to 84Ttop, I got mine through him. Good guy, good deal, great advice and support.
 
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You would be looking at the difference between the SCi and Si kits. They are rated for producing different amounts of air flow (cfm). The bearing case and general overall dimensions are the same but the impeller and volute design are much different. The Si operates at a much higher efficiency and is far superior in impeller design. As far as HP, both kits are under rated in my opinion and any modifications will only help your ultimate HP goals. The SCi is a great entry level kit but really doesn't leave room to grow. The Si is a very versitle blower and is more than capable of laying down 600rwhp with the correct supporting components. If you wanted an idea on a kit pm me and we could go over some of the options. Full kit vs standard kit and sci vs Si etc
 
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You would be looking at the difference between the SCi and Si kits. They are rated for producing different amounts of air flow (cfm). The bearing case and general overall dimensions are the same but the impeller and volute design are much different. The Si operates at a much higher efficiency and is far superior in impeller design. As far as HP, both kits are under rated in my opinion and any modifications will only help your ultimate HP goals. The SCi is a great entry level kit but really doesn't leave room to grow. The Si is a very versitle blower and is more than capable of laying down 600rwhp with the correct supporting components. If you wanted an idea on a kit pm me and we could go over some of the options. Full kit vs standard kit and sci vs Si etc

It is likely I will be in touch with you about this. I'll probably ask some questions here as well. I'm planning a trip to a big Ford event in Carlisle PA next week and there might be a chance to gain knowledge and perhaps parts as well there.

Thanks for your input.
 
You say the SCi doesn't leave room to grow. I suspect that you mean in it's initial delivered state it can only produce a limited amount of boost. However, on the Vortech website they say the SCi can later be upgraded to higher levels. Here's the quote from their site >>

"5-6 PSI Entry-Level Systems

The entry level 5-6 PSI, V-3 SCi model is perfect for the budget minded enthusiast. The system can be upgraded later to higher output systems."


What is involved in upgrading the SCi? Do you have any idea on the cost of such upgrade? Mainly the blower parts.
 
My main reason for starting with the entry level SCi is my engine is completely stock bottom end and pushing 60K miles. I'm not afraid to put some extra stress on it but I don't want too much. I think that to take advantage of what the higher level SC kit can do, I would need to change other things that are already working well in my current combo. At some point I my yank and rebuild the engine and then I could beef it up and introduce other parts to compliment a higher boost level. At that point I could upgrade from SCi to SC.

What I have right now is running great and I believe everything about it (except for injector size) would work well with the entry level SCi. I'm on a budget and cant get too ridiculous on the spending aspect.
 
I dont know exact upgrade numbers although I've heard 900 bux thrown around. As 84Ttop mentioned the casings are the same. The head unit would need sent back to Vortech to have the internals upgraded

That sounds good to me. If what you say is true, the cost of upgrading is close to the initial cost difference between the SC and the SCi. Perfect!
 
That sounds good to me. If what you say is true, the cost of upgrading is close to the initial cost difference between the SC and the SCi. Perfect!
The upgrade would consist of an impeller and volute change. After it is all said and done if would be a hair over the cost difference between the two kits. Getting the Sci now would be a great way to save some money that could be used elsewhere in the build. The options are endless really
 
The base SCI kit is a great entry level kit to get you in the game. But that doesn't mean thats all its worth. When you are ready for more boost there is NO reason to send it off for an upgrade. The internals are fine on that head unit and very capable of plenty of boost.
If you go to the headunit comparison specs page on the Vortech site you'll see that the sci headunit is very capable and can be spun to an internal rpm of 53000 with efficiency.
All you need to do when you're ready for more boost is to buy an aluminum discharge tube with a bypass valve, upgrade your pulley settup to 8rib with a pulley combo to achieve whatever boost level to suit your needs.
In short you can pulley the h-ll out of it.
I know this because it's what I did on my 89 Saleen.
It started on my stock engine making 4psi and 312rwhp. I threw money at my engine and supercharger combo a little at a time as I could afford it.
When I sold the car last year it was making 14 psi with a 2.95/6.87 pulley combo making 450 at the tires. That was on ported stock E7 heads and stock cam.
The new owner of my car (who is a good friend) has since swapped to Edelbrock heads and Trick Flow cam. It is now making 518 at the tires.

Not too shabby for an entry level supercharger.
 
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You can get the entry level kit and for a few bucks, put on a smaller pulley to increase the bnost. Just don't spin it over the max amount per Vortech. A much cheaper alternative than buying the more expensive kit. I had an old A trim that was pushing out 10lb of boost with s pulley change and a power pipe, before I sent it back to Vortech for an S trim upgrade. The A Trim was their entry level kit at the time- same 5-6 lb of boost as delivered.
 
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What injector size should I be looking for?

I wouldn't mind a size that would work well with the entry level SCi but also have some room for growth.
 
What injector size should I be looking for?

I wouldn't mind a size that would work well with the entry level SCi but also have some room for growth.

You really need to think about and decide what you future ultimate goal is. When I first added the supercharger to my Saleen, I went with 30's and 73mm matching MAF. I did NOT use the provided FMU from the kit. The 30's alone will support up to around 400rwhp. So, If 400rwhp is your ultimate goal go with 30 pound injectors.
But, if you plan to some day make in excess of 500rwhp get ahead of the game and get 42's and 80mm MAF. It can be easily dialed in on a dyno with tuning software, such as an SCT chip.

This time around with my red vert I knew from the get go what my ultimate goal was so I went with 60 pound injectors and a ProM 80mm MAF. I have plenty of room for growth with those.
 
You really need to think about and decide what you future ultimate goal is. When I first added the supercharger to my Saleen, I went with 30's and 73mm matching MAF. I did NOT use the provided FMU from the kit. The 30's alone will support up to around 400rwhp. So, If 400rwhp is your ultimate goal go with 30 pound injectors.
But, if you plan to some day make in excess of 500rwhp get ahead of the game and get 42's and 80mm MAF. It can be easily dialed in on a dyno with tuning software, such as an SCT chip.

This time around with my red vert I knew from the get go what my ultimate goal was so I went with 60 pound injectors and a ProM 80mm MAF. I have plenty of room for growth with those.

400rwhp is enough for me. So, if I look for 30's, what type of donor vehicles might I find them on?
 
Chances are you won't find those on a donor vehicle. You'll need to buy them new. Google around, all the big sellers have them.

Ok thanks. Now for the MAF issue. I have a 70mm MAF already. Instead of buying a calibrated MAF to go with 30's, can I have my ECU tuned to work with the larger injectors? I've heard that is a better option. Any opinions on that?