Just got a vortech supercharger from a friend and plan on retro-ing it on my 2.2 sometime in the next few months. I just wanted to know what kind of psi i can run safely on it. It's fitted with an 8 psi pulley, but is that the same kind of boost as a turbo would give or are you supposed to run superchargers lower. Any tips on setting it up? Is a boost controller necessary when the s/c is set up with a specific pulley? What addl. parts are necessary for running a supercharger safely (i'm not lookin to run the quarter just want a little extra power on the highways). My plan's were injectors, ignition, plugs, and wires. I would also think that underdrive pulley's are a no-no. Thanks for any help guru's .

 

safely would be 5-7 psi's. Usualy when you buy them they are running at 7psi stock. hell, have fun, and good luck with it. Is it made for your car?

 

typo: usually*

 

nope it's just a stand-alone supercharger i'm going to bend all the piping and build all the brackets myself. It's probably going to take a few weeks of steady working to get it to look clean.

 

damn i didnt even know you could supercharge our engine, how much did you pay for it.

 

nah, 5-7 is pretty significant for a SC. I'd say be on the safer side and do 5 max

 

yeah 5psi on stock

 

why cant the engine take more psi ? It has a low compression ratio does it not. Inform me on what will be needed to turbo her at 11 psi or more . Thank you

 

haha do it, dont cry when you blow your motor.

 

Turbos boost more then SC's do. For 11 psi i'd recommend building up the bottom end. You could probably do 8 psi safely w/ a turbo on a stock motor.

Having low compression to start doesn't do it, you need to build up the internals to make it strong

 

neijb or whatever his name did like ~12-13psi on a 2.slow stock block. But then again he had a spare engine ready cause he was expecting the motor to blow.

**Turbo...not SC**

 

Still wondering about the boost controller.

 

run it low first....see how it feels then try going up if you wanna risk it =P start at maybe 5-6?

 

Can you afford an intercooler to go along with it? More effect for the same boost.

 

^^ yep.

 

Ummm...Superchargers change boost through pulleys. You can't change boost on the fly.

 

Can't you BOV it to control the boost though?

 

WTF? No.

 

Whether the charge is cooled or not could play a big role. If not, I don't think anything more than 6psi of hot air would be smart.

 

On a Vortech (centrifigal supercharger), a bypass/blowoff valve can be used, to bleed off excess boost, or how a normal bov/bypass would work....so yes, it can be used to control maximum boost.

 

You are thinking of a wastegate. Not a blowoff. And it does bleed off EXCESS boost...But it does not CONTROL boost levels. SC boost levels are pulley dependent.

 

Thanks for the info.. an intercooler is about 3-4 hundred right?? and does that signifcantly drops the air temperature through the supercharger? Another problem im going to run into is where i can fit an intercooler that it won't interfere with the radiator, any suggestions on effective placement?

 

move the radiator back

 

Actually now that i'm thinking about it an intercooler is not neccessary with a s/c because the s/c is not using exhaust air (like a turbo) it's using cool air in. If this does'nt make sense to you let me know please.

 

true, but they can be effective w/ SC units also, vortech makes a sweet power cooler

 

I think its called an "AfterCooler"...or something like that.

 

Actually, I'm thinking a blowoff/diverter/bypass valve. And yes, it can control maximum boost level by bleeding off boost , and will relieve boost pressure off engine load.

 

Just to add to the previous post, the reasoning for capping boost with a bov/diverter/bypass, is being able to modify the boost curve with a theoretical higher "pressure" pulley. For example, a smaller pulley to obtain more boost in the lower rpm range, but will exceed maximum desired pressure at a certain rpm threshold. Which can help a small displacement, centrifigal supercharged motor...similar to the effect of a quicker spooling turbo.

 

So if your pulley makes 7 psi how are you gonna push it to 10 with a bov?

Blow off valves are just secondary safety systems...They protect the intake manifold and engine from boost spikes and overboosting. THATS IT. You can't "vary" a boost level...Only cap it. Thats what an EBC/manual BC/pulley is for...not a bov.

 

An example would be a "10psi" pulley to change/increase your boost curve in a lower rpm range, since a supercharger is rpm dependent...then capping it at 7psi by bleeding pressure, since a "10psi" pulley would be driving the supercharger beyond your desired boost threshold. The bov is used as a wastegate as in a turbo application.

 

yeah jackson racing prides itself in it's "ingenious" air-to-air" and 'water-to-air" intercoolers. combined with a pulley upgrade they can safely increase boost levels by 3-4 PSI on stock motors with RELIABLE trannies

 

I know what you're saying...But I'm arguing that you can't UP boost with a bov. Thus you cannot "change it"...Technically, all your doing is minimizing max boost...its still building X amount of PSI...its just that its being bled out before it goes in.

For instance...a 7 psi pulley CANNOT be changed to more PSI.

 

I said it can cap max boost, never said it can increase boost. I think there was a miscommunication somewhere along the lines.

 

The original question was if you can CONTROL boost through a BOV. You then entered into explaining how it caps max boost. That to me is not controlling boost since you can't increase it. I think that is where we differ in ideas.