I'm looking for input on twin-screw supercharger kits.

I have a 2000 5.4L 2V in an F150. I know Kenne Bell makes a twin screw kit. I have done my research and am sure this is the way I want to go when I supercharge my truck. Are there any other companies that make twin screw supercharger kits, not just the 'charger, but the full meal deal.

The truck is a tow vehicle, so that the reason for the specific s/c type. I don't want to go with a roots, as I plan on trying this with the stock internals for a while. I also don't want to have to engineer the thing myself, hence the reason for a kit.

Thanks for any information.

-Kerry

 

I gotta add that I love mine.

 

32V??? am i missing something here? i must know

 

It's a Lincoln DOHC version of the 5.4. Originally found in Navis and the Blackwood.

I found that Whipple has info on a kit, but their official site said they weren't currently released, even though a few places have been taking orders for some time. They also mentioned 2002-2004... must have something to do with either engine or tranny improvements.

Allen uses a ported M90 Eaton in their kit. I like that it fits under their intake manifold. Like a sniper position... but it's a Roots type and they only put in 5psi. They also show installing a fuel pump, but don't list it in their parts list.

-Kerry

 

I wouldn't be so worried about roots style superchargers with keeping the stock internals - as long as you keep the boost levels reasonably (as hkiefus can attest too ... bent rods...).
Having said that, from what I have read (never actually tried this), Roots style superchargers increase your Intake Air Temp more than Twin-Screws - due to the air path, which is bad for power.
This can be counteracted with an intercooler though...

You said you are looking for a kit, and there are a few manufacturers around...

A couple of questions you want to ask yourself...
How much of an improvement would you like?
Are we talking a tyre burning tow machine? or just giving a little bit of extra power?

For a 2V (and a twin screw) you have a choice of KB and Whipple pretty much...

 

The M90 is too small for the 5.4L IMHO. It's overdriven for this application.

An M112 from a Litghtning is better, but still a roots-type. These can put out a lot of power, and you can buy a used Lightning blower, get an install kit to put it on your truck, and you'd be set for very little $$$, relatively speaking. Likely around $2K for the parts.

Whipple's are nice. I'd choose one if price was no object. I'd go with the Lightning blower, as noted, if you wanted to save some dough,

 

Thanks for the input Fred, Mr. Jordan -

You're right I have things to consider, I was just hoping for more options than what I have when it comes to kits. It seems the 3V engine has a new kit out every other month, and it makes me sick....

While I would love nothing more than to be able to roast some tires, I have to go with practicality at the moment. The truck would eventually be relegated to nothing but a tow vehicle/show piece in 4-5 years, I'd still need to use it in commuter duty until then. Nothing too exotic at this point, but still upgradeable. The intercooler was already weighing in, as I was also going to attempt this using 87 octane when not towing.

I like the Lightning intake idea, but I'm not too keen on the fact this 5.4 currently has a 4R70W behind it. While I could swap that for a 4R100... I have other plans, like a ZF S6-650 from a SuperDuty. That'll probably wait until the 4-5 year point, as that is a major modification. As would be a major engine overhaul, like swapping out the current internals for forged and going with a new top-end.

So, in short, in the next year I'd like to go with a positive displacement supercharger that's going to be upgradeable.

I appreciate the thoughts and ideas... all are being considered. I just wish I had the cash to throw around and go all out right off the bat. Then I would have gone for a Lightning intake or custom setup.

-Kerry

 

You can keep your 4R70W and build a monster box out of it.
http://www.factorytechtransmissions....ATS&Category=2

I know of a couple guys with this monster boxes, one guy had 800hp, 800 lb-ft going thru his 4R70W before the torque converter went...no fault of the tranny, which still works great.

Since you're still a bit away, the Whipple's should be sorted out...but I was under the impression they had already released them. They've been "about a month" away from releasing them for like 2 years...but I thought those issues were done. Wierd.

You could also get an intercooled Procharger centrifugal (what I run), but its sounds like you are set on the positive-displacement blower, which is great also.

I'm in a similar situation as you will be...truck is now not my daily driver, so I want to keep it nice and build it into what I want it to be. When my motor goes, I'll put a built block in, and I'll run a larger procharger on her. Cool think about prochargers: the mounting bracket is the same for their "regular" street blowers, so I can swap-out my medium-boost P1-SC for a higher-boost D1-SC...all I'd need is a re-tune.

 

I second the idea that a M90 would probably be too small, and that an M112 would be a better bet (and a cheaper option too)
As for this:
My experience with the 4R70W is that they all go south eventually, and you could get a transmission that lasts 20k, or 2million, admittedly the torque transferred through it (and the weight it has to haul round) does have a deciding factor in the life (Mustangs and Crown Vics transmissions are going to last longer).
BUT, the good thing about those transmissions being fitted to other Ford vehicles (most specifically the Mustang) is that there are a lot of cheap upgrade kits for it.
A place like Baumann engineering might be able to help.

However having said that, I would see no reason why you couldn't run 7lb or so and not have a problem

 

I have always been partial to manual transmissions, my reasoning for going with a stouter manual over an auto. I do know about Baumann, I have recommended them to others building up torque monsters, wanting o/d automatics, based solely on their reputation alone. Thanks for bringing that up though, I had not fully considered that option. Now you have my mental gears turning. Perhaps a manual shifted 4R70W?

When I started my research on power adders I looked at centrifugal units, as their kits tend to be the lowest in cost. Procharger appealed to me intially, because of their ability to increase boost do to the intercooler being an integral part of their kits.

However, I had other items to consider. For towing applications, which is an important item in my case, I feel the positive displacement chargers are the way to go. I have been looking, quite intensely, at the KB offering. Mainly because of the twin-screw for cooler ops design... adding an intercooler to their design would increase the potential for lower octane fuel use and, later on, the abilty to increase boost once the engine was built to handle it. It would be nice, if Whipple does have the kit ready, to update their on-line literature. I'd like to be able to compare units.

The roots type M112 Eaton and the Lightning intake is a consideration based on price and availabilty. It's negatively affected by the amount of knowledge I'd need to effectively program the ECM or price I'd pay to have that done. I'd need to adapt a larger intercooler to go with 87 in that setup... the truck would effectively be down longer while I attempt this. I'd really need to have my stuff together... not too sure I would trust myself to perform this job in a week. The other kits I feel comfortable with doing in a week-end, maybe fine tuning for a month.

While the Allen kit uses a smaller charger, the thought of hiding it under the manifold actually appeals to me. Looking at the intake design, I can instantly see how I can plumb an intercooler set up inside.

Thanks for the insight...

-Kerry

 

I would agree with you on the positive displacement blower route, and I also like the manual transmission route too - BUT if you are considering a manual shifted 4R70W, it can be done... I have seen similar set ups before.
In the mean time, the 4R70W should be handle a moderate boost in power until the 6 speed transmission comes along.

Hmm... looking at the Whipple website, they don't seem to offer a blower for the 2V
I thought they did...

 

Fred,

I had gone to the Whipple website as well. It looked as though they had at least thought about it, though. However, the 3V motor kit is in production and being actively marketed... so that makes me feel like the 2V engine kit design has been effectively shut down.

One or two of the online vendors had been taking orders for the 2V kit, as well. I think the price tag was $5500 (US). They had better be offering quite a bit more than just a charger, fuel pressure regulator, pulleys, belts lines and a chip for that much. That made the KB kit look very good for $3750 + shipping, even as a factory only offering.

Gears are still turning.

-Kerry

 

if you want more power and are not the wot kind of guy i am guessing that the kenny bell is the way to go? do the kb units use different injectors of an fmu? which unit would be the most friendly to gas mileage for a daily driver?i sure do like the prochargers just tryin to make up my mind as which one is best for me. seems that the kb comes w/ all this elec. gear where as the procharger seems to be more of a stand alone unit.

if you have a superchip programmer can you have them retuned for a supercharged motor?

 

The KB, or any positive displacement supercharger, works for the WOT types, too. It's more of a do it all, across the board.

The KB kit comes with bigger injectors (probably 36lb/hr), but uses a boost-a-pump. Not sure how it regulates fuel pressure, but an FMU is not used.

People will argue with this one, but I think the fuel mileage issue in a daily driver is a toss up. The centrifugal doesn't see an appreciable amount of boost until you're running 2000rpm, unless they've got a really good impeller set up. It's still a parastic loss, so it's eating power as it spools up. There's a loss of mileage in that parasitic load. The positive displacement types are producing boost earlier, in many cases full boost at 2000rpm. More air/ more fuel.... ahh, but wait... it's also making more power. Conceivably the truck isn't working as hard to run as it would without, so I think an engine with a KB bolted to it will end up getting decent enough mileage to make up for the boost at all rpms. Just got to keep your right foot off the skinny pedal.

The KB comes with the manifold, a twin-screw supercharger with blow off valve (overboost protection), a single program chip - they assume you are only programming for the charger (and they hate aftermarket stuff, says they never saw a bolt on do what the manufacturer claims with these trucks) - that modifies the fuel mapping and timing, as well as the transmission shifts on an automatic, and the engine's anti-knock capabilities. The aforementioned fuel booster pump, 8 injectors, and a true cold air intake set up are also included.

The Procharger uses your existing intake manifold, plenum, and TB with a bunch of custom ducting routing air through an intercooler... one of the reasons they have such a high boost capability. Then you have the mounting bracket and head unit with by-pass valve. It comes with an FMU and a fuel pump. It needs it's own oil cooler, recommends larger injectors, and makes no mention of an ECU upgrade.

I don't really see a large amount of electronics in either kit. The KB uses a controllable pump... a few more wires. Outside of that... and a chip where's these electronics you speak of?

As far as superchips programming... well you should fore go the current superchips tuner and go with their SCT Xcaliber 2.... and a wide band air/fuel monitoring system. That's the biggy or find some one that'll flash it for you after a dynorun or two if you don't know what you're doing. I don't know if the superchips programming will deal with a supercharger or can be reprogrammed to do that.

I have a goal of creating a tow vehicle, so I won't have to spend the extra cash to get a diesel. My truck fits my needs, just want to be able to do it with a little more authority.

-Kerry

 

I agree: MPG is a toss-up.

While fuel used is directly related to the power output, most of the time you aren't drving WOT. When under vacuum, modern blowers (all types) use a bypass valve, which recirculates the air from the blower, so you effectively aren't really using much power to turn it.

In other words, at light throttle, your MPG won't take much of a hit at all with the blower versus without.

Here's the problem: try to stay out of the boost. You can't. It sounds great, feels great, you dip into the throttle all the time for grins. So your MPG inevitably goes down because your style of driving tends to change. I know mine did. I didn't buy the blower to baby it!

Fuel-system upgrades and a custom-tune IMHO are better than the methods used by the kits to increase fuel pressure. You'll control the air/fuel ratios WAY better (at least on the dyno charts I've seen), and power tends to be higher as well (again, based on the dyno plots I've seen).

If you add anything to your factory fuel system (besides an FMU), I think you'll need a custom tune, as the factory ECU won't support things like larger injectors. I've got a 255L/hr fuel pump and 42-lb, injectors, and my truck barely even starts with the factory ECU tune...it hardly runs, shakes a lot and won't take any throttle at all.

kspilkinton, one comment to your excellent post above:
Procharger doesn't need an oil cooler. It is fully self-contained. And internal oil temps are proven to be significantly lower than the kits that tap into the pan (like Vortech, which is also an great blower).