I eventually want to supercharge my car and have been gathering info on different routes for going blown. I got info from ATI a while back about their supercharger kits for carbed applications. Is anyone using one of these? How's installation? Is it minor mods or is it a royal PITA? I've heard that centrifugal blowers have lousy powerbands. How do their powerbands compare to a roots blower. It's pretty much come down to a roots mini-blower from Weiand or a Procharger. The roots blower looks to be a relatively simple and cheap install, but ac will probably need to be ditched, and it won't make as much power as a centrifugal. The ATI will be able to keep ac, make more power, but cost twice as much. It will also fit under the hood. What are your opinions? Any info will be appreciated. Thanks.
Matt

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82 Camaro:
350
Erson cam, ported heads,Comp Cams 1.6:1 rocker arms
Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, Holley 600
Crane Hi-6 ignition, Accel supercoil
TH350 tranny with 2500 stall.
Eibach Pro Kit
SLP 1 3/4" headers

 

I think you may have answered your own question.

Centrifugal Blower- The centrifugal does have a peaky power band. Your boost doesnt start until 3000 or so, and doesnt max until redline. So if you have an 8 psi @ 6000 rpm kit, then at 3000 youll only see 2 psi. But the efficiency of the cetrifugal is better than the Roots blower. And it takes less HP to drive a centrifugal than it takes to drive a Roots blower.

Roots Blower- INSTANT BOOST. My daily driver has one on it. The down side is that the manifold inlet temps are SKY HIGH (typical of a Roots blower). And it takes more HP do drive this thing than if I had a centrifugal.

Consider this. If you had two engines set up EXACTLY THE SAME (cam, heads, fuel system, compression, etc) and both made the same boost, the centrifugal would make more peak HP and TQ, but less AVERAGE HP and TQ. The Roots will have immediate full boost, giving it the off idle low end advantage. There will come the point when the low efficiency and high parasitic load of the Roots blower will start costing HP. Thats when the centrifugal will take over and start edging out the Roots. Once this starts, it all over for the Roots.

I hope this answered your question. If it was my decision, I would go with the Centrifugal.

 

I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I'm building a 383 carbed motor that will be supercharged. I personally chose ATI with an intercooler. The intake air temp will be much less than a roots style; therefore allowing me to run more compression and worry less about detonation. Making it a better choice for the street. Also don't have to worry about rain getting in the "bug catcher", etc. Plus more of a sleeper look without big hole in your hood. Just my opinion- good luck on your project.

Thanks
Matt383 w/ ATI
www.sportscars1.com

 

go with the ati you won't be disapointed.
if you are on a budget get the roots.
carbs work great with a procharger just a few mods to carb and fuel system

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82z28 (currently building)
70.5 camaro
383 with D-2 procharger
best time 9.38@148

 

What mods need to be done to the carb and fuel system to prepare it? Should I convert to an electric fuel pump or will a strong mechanical pump work fine? Should I go ahead and re-plumb the fuel lines for more flow? Anything else?

 

use a 650dp and cut off the choke horn, seal the hole where the choke rod came down with jb weld, get nitropyll floats from the parts store, use normal jetting in the front and start out rich in the back.
I would use an aeromotive pump and a boost sensitive regulator from mallory with 1/2 line and return, that way you will be through with it and won't ever have to upgrade your fuel system.

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82z28 (currently building)
70.5 camaro
383 with D-2 procharger
best time 9.38@148

 

by the way ,,how is valley mills drive?? that used to be the cruise spot when I was there in college

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82z28 (currently building)
70.5 camaro
383 with D-2 procharger
best time 9.38@148

 

Valley Mills got killed by the cops about 1 1/2 years ago. There's a small street racing group that meets there, but they mostly race outside the city now. Sucks, because it used to be a blast.

 

I am a big Procharger fan,but I would consider something else besides a centrifical on a carbed car.While roots is the first choice of carbed guys looking for a blower,don't count out Whipple,they make a kit for your car too.They sell an engine package consisting of the ZZ4 and their blower putting out over 500hp on pump gas.My brother has a whipple on his car and I love it,so does he.Is the best on the street,hands down over and above centrificals.Boost comes on so fast its scary.It defintaly has a big torque punch down low for a street driven car.We have roasted many cars out of the hole in the stoplite battles because the sheer torque produced by the whipple is ammazing.Put it this way,I almost sold my setup to go with a Whipple,when they come out with a MPI manifold to take the Whipple Goodby Procharger.Right now they only offer the Edelbrock MPI manifold,next to the stock TBIs thats it.Check them out before you make a decision on anything.You will easily make close to 500ftlbs with a Whipple.Check the site out

http://www.whipplesuperchargers.com/

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Check out my Hompage,or the beginnings of one.355 dynoed at 400HP at 5800RPM & 410LBFT of TQ,on Motorhttp://www.procharged89z.cz28.com/index.html

 

Thanks for the info on the whipple. I had forgotten about them. Decisions, decisions...

 

It may be a little late..but on my families boat...were running an olds 455 full MSD igniton, Holley 4 barrel 750cfm, and an ati procharger... works REALLY well... out of the hole we get to 65 in a few seconds.... the engine was built by kenne bell..then supercharged.. lets just say over 450hp...

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1989 Firebird
-New Drivetrain Soon-

"I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT have run at all"
#3 Forever

My Site:
Click Here to see my car!

 

Let me say this. Whipples are nice, depending on how much power youre trying to make. Theyre very efficient (about the same as a centrifugal) but they still take more HP to drive than a belt driven centrifugal blower.

They dont have a "large blower" to make really high HP (unless you want to go with a twin-blower set up). But, just like a Roots blower, they make GREAT power across the whole RPM range (I drive a Roots blower equipped car every day). A Whipple (Lysholm compressor) WILL make more HP (size for size) than a Roots blower mainly due to the Whipple having higher adiabatic efficiency.

As far as a carbureted Procharger set-up goes, its all in how your carb is modified and who does it. My buddy's 421 small block popped, spitted, and farted all the way to over 700 HP at 6300 RPM (and the HP was still rising!). He's gonna get the carb modified by "The Carb Shop" and see how much HP it makes after that. Also, theres a guy I know who has a D3 on a 66 Nova. The best time Ive seen the car go was 9.41 @ 143 MPH. Its carbureted too (with no intercooler)!

Again... its all in who modifies the carb.

 

I agree with that..in the boat we were pushing 570 hp @6200 and switched to a race demon.... it ate through 60 gallons of fuel in 2 hours but bumped the hp to over 600@6600...

------------------
1989 Firebird
-New Drivetrain Soon-

"I'd rather run last in a full out race, than to NOT have run at all"
#3 Forever

My Site:
Click Here to see my car!

 

hey jaydubb. that little 66 nova with the d3 that your talking about. if it's the same car that was racing last week at Grand Bend Raceway he went 9.48 at 156mph. blowing the tires off. i do believe the carb shop has been helping him as well. the right help goes a long way when it comes to carbureted blow throughs.

 

I might get around to trying a Whipple in a year or two. I enjoyed the one my old boss had on his truck.