Supercharger Disadvantages

[jsukey]

Those Hellcats are all about the green light go. What little feedback I've seen on them, especially handling-wise, has been poor. Have seen several such vehicles on mountain roads make god-awful mistakes...

A screaming SC can certainly get the pulse going. They are parasitic by nature. For all out top-end power, turbos are the way to go. SCs can often deliver power sooner and in a more predictable manner.

That said, I'll likely go with a turbo in my next build. I like light and I'm very much a minimalist. One can see hints of such in my 3rd gen build... Was a fan of the Ariel Atom long before it made its way to the States. Thinking of a Miata turbo build in such a kit like the Exocet.

http://exomotive.com/

Something I can build with the little ones...

Can't argue with you there! First off, I am a fan of being normally aspirated. I can't get enough of the Arrington 440 stroker in my Jeep SRT8. I had originally planned on sending my Jeep to Stage 6 Motorsports in Jacksonville, Florida to let Harrison Zauke do an 88mm turbo setup on it. He has completed quite a few, and it puts the Jeep at 1100 wheel horsepower, running 9's in the 1/4 mile. As I look back 4 years down the road now, I'm glad I chose the route that I did. I haven't had a single issue out of the 440, and it has been pushed hard. Ran a best of 11.08 @ 118 mph through the 1/4.

 

[jsukey]

Those Hellcats are all about the green light go. What little feedback I've seen on them, especially handling-wise, has been poor. Have seen several such vehicles on mountain roads make god-awful mistakes...

Also another reason why I love my Jeep. With the all wheel drive, it is unbelievably predictable, even with 550 wheel horsepower. Wherever it is pointed, that is where it's going when you mash the skinny pedal! Can't say that I wouldn't absolutely love a new Trackhawk though. The main reason, is having a bumper to bumper warranty while making 707 horsepower! The second reason would be for the upgraded interior. Mine is just a toy, so there's no way I could justify spending the cash on a new one.

 

[JayRolla]

Also another reason why I love my Jeep. With the all wheel drive, it is unbelievably predictable, even with 550 wheel horsepower. Wherever it is pointed, that is where it's going when you mash the skinny pedal! Can't say that I wouldn't absolutely love a new Trackhawk though. The main reason, is having a bumper to bumper warranty while making 707 horsepower! The second reason would be for the upgraded interior. Mine is just a toy, so there's no way I could justify spending the cash on a new one.

I loved my AWD Talon. At 400whp and 2800lbs and awd it was insane light to light.

I love my na car now just as much and I really love the unpredictability of it. RWD is just a blast. I was going to SC but decided to go the na route of cams, heads, ect to get near 500whp and then run a 100 shot of nitrous for the track days.

 

[lockedlex]

FWIW, I had my 00 for 7 years before I decided to SC. I have no regrets and I don't see any downside. The mileage is pretty much the same if I lay off the throttle (WOT), so that's not really an issue.

But having all that extra power has made it much more drivable. I don't have to plan lane changes or worry about getting on freeway onramps and love being able to power up hills. And the additional cost to run Premium is only $1.50 more per Tank in SoCal--not really going to break the bank.

Also, I read through years and hundreds of posts on the SC thread and one common theme was that it didn't affect the engine reliability and was generally very reliable.

I think for owners that have gone from NA to SC, there's no going back. For owners that have only had NA, there's more hesitation.

For me, it was a choice between a newer/more powerful 4Runner (which I wasn't really into) or the SC, the SC made more economical sense than buying a new SUV.

To the OP, don't let an SC stop you from buying the truck, it'll be fine.

 

[gamefreakgc]

The sound of a SC at WOT is intoxicating. I put my MINI on non-op shortly after getting the 4Runner... Miss driving it. I designed a top mount, forward-facing intercooler for it and worked with a vendor in SoCal to bring it to market. The Roots SC can get quite hot. Exposing my ignorance here... Is there an intercooler for the 3rd gen SC?

No, but the grey superchargers can be custom fabbed since the supercharger can be removed from what essentially is an upper intake manifold. I have seen photos of one done but it was a lot of work. That's why so many of us S/C folks have an extra injector to help with those intake temps, that's all we can really do.

I loved my AWD Talon. At 400whp and 2800lbs and awd it was insane light to light.

I love my na car now just as much and I really love the unpredictability of it. RWD is just a blast. I was going to SC but decided to go the na route of cams, heads, ect to get near 500whp and then run a 100 shot of nitrous for the track days.

I've ridden in my neighbor's CTS-V with a supercharger, highly recommend it. However, with how much power there is on tap it rarely ever goes into boost, unless you are racing it. Also, if you haven't swap out that stock intake ASAP, it's very restrictive and there's lots to be gained.

 

[JayRolla]

No, but the grey superchargers can be custom fabbed since the supercharger can be removed from what essentially is an upper intake manifold. I have seen photos of one done but it was a lot of work. That's why so many of us S/C folks have an extra injector to help with those intake temps, that's all we can really do.



I've ridden in my neighbor's CTS-V with a supercharger, highly recommend it. However, with how much power there is on tap it rarely ever goes into boost, unless you are racing it. Also, if you haven't swap out that stock intake ASAP, it's very restrictive and there's lots to be gained.

The 2nd gen cts-v has supercharger stock. Does he have a 2nd gen? The stock air intake nets zero gains on dynos when upgraded unless you mean the intake manifold and throttle body then yes there are gains to be made on my 1st gen.

 

[Jidaran]

Love it. Wish this country embraced the wagons more.

Same here. I've been driving 240s and 740s since I was in high school. No one makes a well buitl wagons with that sort of cargo capacity any more though, hence my current search for a 4Runner.

 

[gamefreakgc]

The 2nd gen cts-v has supercharger stock. Does he have a 2nd gen? The stock air intake nets zero gains on dynos when upgraded unless you mean the intake manifold and throttle body then yes there are gains to be made on my 1st gen.

You are right, he has the 2nd gen that came with the supercharger from the factory. I didn't realize yours was a bit different. Perhaps the 2nd gen has a different intake, the one he took was was incredibly small tubing full of accordion folds and sound baffles. I was baffled on why it was even on there!

 

[JayRolla]

You are right, he has the 2nd gen that came with the supercharger from the factory. I didn't realize yours was a bit different. Perhaps the 2nd gen has a different intake, the one he took was was incredibly small tubing full of accordion folds and sound baffles. I was baffled on why it was even on there!

Yeah. Lol. The 2nd gen intake sucks. 1st gen is good. 1st gens are na ls6 motor from older zo6 corvette. I can slap the Camaro zl1 charger but wont clear the hood and would need fiberglass. So going to cam and bolt on to 500whp and then add 100 shot nitrous for track says.