Superchargers

CAMM All-Star Location: On The Highway To Hell Posts: 4587

Gladius wrote:

Are you set on a Vortech? Have you looked at the twin screw by Kenne Bell or the roots by MagnaCharger?

I was in the same boat, although I quickly decided against the Vortech in favor of a twin screw... my dilemma was going with a blower or a Hellion twin turbo setup. I opted for the Kenne Bell in the end because it looks much better on the motor for shows and cruise nights (the turbos are hidden pretty much) and I prefer the instant kick in the pants boost. I don't want to wait for a turbo to spool up or a centrifugal supercharger to gradually build boost. The twin screw comes on strong at around 2k rpm and produces a super flat torque curve from that point on through the rev range - which is what really gives you that rush of speed out of the gates.

With that being said, the Vortechs produce lots of power and at the strip they win lots of races. They just don't have the same seat of the pants low end burst of power for passing like a twin screw or roots.

Oh, and I opted against the roots S/C in favor of the twin screw so when I build that 426 stroker in the not too distant future I can run 20lbs of boost if I get the urge. Smile

But if you go Vortech, you'll love it too. They have a great product for sure.

The Kenne Bell is a great system and was my second choice. I don't know who told you that centris spool up gradually. I won't let anyone drive my car because if they hit the skinny pedal just a little too hard from a stop sign it wants to eat the street. I chose the Vortech after researching blowers for a year. It builds the most hp per lb. of boost than any other blower on the market. I'm running a 91 tune on 93 oct and making 500rwhp now that's just as safe as you can get on 6lbs of boost.

CAMM Member Location: Valparaiso, IN Posts: 34

Illinois Chaos wrote:

The Kenne Bell is a great system and was my second choice.

Yup, as is the Vortech, ProCharger, MagnaCharger, etc. They all have their selling points. They appeal to different people for different reasons.

Quote:

I don't know who told you that centris spool up gradually. I won't let anyone drive my car because if they hit the skinny pedal just a little too hard from a stop sign it wants to eat the street.

No one told me, I've driven them. I guess you need to drive a twin screw or roots car to realize the vast difference in power delivery. If you think your Vortech is jumpy, you simply won't believe the throttle response on a Kenne Bell or MagnaCharger. Centrifugal blowers do build boost more gradually than screws or roots, that's a pretty well known fact. A screw or roots are positive displacement blowers so they are in boost practically off idle. Centrifugal blowers aren't positive displacement, and do in fact build boost in a more linear fashion which is a positive attribute for several applications as you can read below.

http://www.superchargersonline.com/content.asp?id=5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_type_supercharger

From the Wiki page:

Quote:

Due to its design and lack of low-RPM boost it is often employed on near-standard compression engines. This means that it can facilitate airflow at higher engine RPMs, when most motors tend to have poor volumetric efficiency, without substantially increasing cylinder pressures at low- to mid-RPM operation, causing knock. This principle makes this type of supercharger ideally fit for a "bolt-on" type power adder, with no modification of the pistons and/or compression ratio necessary. Since gasoline must mix with air in a fairly narrow ratio to achieve combustion, the fact that centrifugals do not add much air at low and mid-range RPM's means fuel mileage is near-stock in the cruise RPM range. They appear to be most popular with cars that have a sufficiently large engine to provide adequate acceleration from a standing start without boost, while at the same time avoiding wheelspin. Then, the engine encounters breathing limitations in the mid-RPM range, often because it may only use two valves per cylinder. Centrifugals are also popular in places where the power-adder must be removed for frequent government engine inspections, as the exhaust system is unaffected (as it would be with a turbocharger).

Compared to a turbocharger (which uses an almost identical compressor design, but instead is powered by exhaust gasses), a turbo charger has the benefit of being able to reach peak boost earlier in the RPM range. A turbocharger will maintain the desired boost pressure by leaking excess gasses using a Wastegate, to keep the boost pressure at the desired level and also allow the engine to continue accelerating. A centrifugal supercharger does not have the ability to do this, so it will always make peak boost at the engine's own peak RPM (provided that the engine's peak RPM isn't beyond the peak efficiency of the compressor). The flaw in this application is that the engine will not have the same torque at lower RPM, using a centrifugal supercharger.

I know you're proud of your Vortech and you should be, it's a great system that wins many races. But the links above pretty accuracy explain the differences.

Quote:

I chose the Vortech after researching blowers for a year. It builds the most hp per lb. of boost than any other blower on the market. I'm running a 91 tune on 93 oct and making 500rwhp now that's just as safe as you can get on 6lbs of boost.

You do realize one dyno will tell you 500hp and another will tell you 480hp, right? There's not a defacto standard in dyno's, some are more conservative than others especially among different brands. It's a great way to base line a motor then measure improvements and to tune a build, but I wouldn't take their horse power results too literally.

Here's some info from a guy that builds dyno's.

Quote:

"Accuracy", for many reasons, is a very relative term as far as dyno's go. Just how accurate is anyone's dyno? Take 2 motors, test them on 2 different dynos, one comes out at 100hp, the other comes out at 110hp, but they run the same lap times. Which dyno is "accurate"? Which one is giving you the correct numbers? Horsepower is simply a calculated number. Dyno 10 engines on the same dyno at 100HP, put them all in the same bike one at a time, and they all run the exact same lap times. Is the dyno accurate? No, the dyno is however "repeatable". "Repeatability" is what you want in a dyno, test the same engine time after time and get the same results. Take one of the 10 engines from above, change a pipe or a cam so you get 5% more power, run it against all the others again. It runs 5% faster, you re-dyno it and it still says 5% better, now you have an "accurate" and more importantly, a "repeatable" dyno. A couple hints: Always start your tests at the same engine temps and settings. Pay close attention to weather conditions. Get yourself a good barometer, thermometer, and humidity gauge, and enter the conditions into the program each time you make a run.

CAMM Member Location: Braselton, GA Posts: 99

my vortech shows 24psi when i mat it and 24psi when i shift Smile

CAMM All-Star Location: On The Highway To Hell Posts: 4587

Yeah, I'm not going to start a war of the blowers.

CAMM Member Location: Valparaiso, IN Posts: 34

Yeah, let's not. There're never pretty or fun and that certainly wasn't my intent.

Smile

CAMM All-Star Location: South Holland Posts: 1206

LOL......Tim is making waves and only has 7 posts!!!!!

I like this guy......he knows his stuff too......

CAMM All-Star Location: On The Highway To Hell Posts: 4587

Well I do know exactly from personal experience the differences in blower designs. I have owned a 426 hemi w/ 8-71 blower on it, my 81 Transam Nascar had a turbo on it and now the Vortech. Like Tim says it's all about personal preference and what you use it for.

CAMM All-Star Location: South Holland Posts: 1206

Yep....and I stand by the phrase "any forced induction is awesome!!!!" LOL I love my supercharger!!!

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