Supercharger and forged components

[ediconu]

I know the official statement from ATI is that the superchargers will work with the stock engine components ... bla bla bla... and that the engine won't get worn out quicker than usual, relative to your driving style.

I'm sure if I put the supercharger on my 'vette and keep the RPMs below 2, it'll all be fine, but that's not going to happen.

Realisticly, should I look at getting forged piston peices and what not if I supercharge?

FYI- my driving style is something like this... I sit in traffic for a long time keeping the RPMs between 1 and 2.... the road opens up, I zip to about 75 MPH and fly down the road for 4-8 miles, then hit the breaks and go back to the stop-and-go. When I head out at night or on weekends, I go pretty hard on it, but don't blast the top end, I just accelerate unnecessarily quickly.

If anybody actually has a Supercharged 'vette, I'd like to know exactly what you did to it in order to take advantage as much as possible. And reduce damage caused by more powerful explosions.

Mike

 

[Vettelt193]

One of the real benefits of the opti-spark is the timing control... it really helps to save supercharged LT1's from blowing themselves apart.
with that said, what really matters is how much power you want, and how reliable you want your car to be. If you want an engine that you can't break, you will need to go into the bottom end before supercharging. if you are happy with the rest of us at a 'reliable' but not perfect area, then you can supercharge on a stock LT1.

The thing to worry about is boost.... if you are worried at all, set up the boost at 4-6 psi instead of 8 psi. Since there really is no problems with an ATI procharged LT1 set to 8psi, you should have even less of a chance with problems if you cut down on the boost/power a little to gain some peace of mind.

 

[ediconu]

so it's easy to reduce the boost... that's good!

theoretically, can the chargers that are built for the LT1 go over 8 PSI if the bottom end is replaced with super-metal?

 

[chevyorange]

LS1's?

Can someone speak to this with the LS1's bottom end?

Adam

 

[vader86]

The crank itself should be ok, but the pistons and rods, ehhhh.

They bear the real brunt of any forced induction, and its pretty tough to break a crankshaft. Ive only seen that done in NHRA/IHRA drag racing.

Hyper pistons arent much better than cast, so i wouldnt expect them to last long if you run alot of boost. But I dont know the limit on how much you can run safely.

So yes, you should at least look into a set of forged rods and pistons if you want her to take a lickin and keep on tickin.

 

[chevyorange]

Thanks for the heads up...

I'm new to the idea of supercharging... well, new to actually putting into motion rather than day dreaming about it.

I'd be looking at forged components, no?

I suppose I'd probably hold out on that (as I'm not wealthy) until the LS1 in the car starts getting tired. Then, go for the gusto.

Adam

 

[ediconu]

Earlier someone pointed out that Jim from Jim's Performance shop in california was a no-BS guy, so I emailed him regarding the forged components.

He seemed to think the best way to do it was the supercharge the stock engine with the ATI pro charger because it's easy and doesn't cause problems most of the time.

I've sent him another message specifically asking if there was a large benefit to preemptively adding the forged pistons and rods at the same time as the suprecharger. When he gets back to me, I'll let everyone know his response.

Do any of you know how intensive that kind of a change is? would it take several days and several thousand dollars to get it done?

 

[chevyorange]

I keep

Getting confused on the ATI (are they Vortec)? I like the one that fits on the accessory drive in front of the engine rather than having one stick out of my hood or need a new hood.

When I do it, that is the way I think I'll go.

But I'm interested in hearing back what the response is for "guts" of the engine.

Adam

 

[ediconu]

Jim has replied:

He sais that it's a very intense project to take apart the engine and replace/hone all of the internals that would get damaged. He recommends just superchanging and kicking it down a bit on the PSI, and if there's any detonation at all, figure out how to stop it before it destroys the engine.

He says the LT1 is a pretty tough engine and can take a mild super-charge, but it obviously won't be as effective as re-building the engine and pumping the supercharger up to a higher PSI.

My plan now is to superchange and replace the exhaust system, then down the road (if it snows for a while or gets too cold and annoying) take the engine apart and do some replacements.

I'm having too much fun now driving it to take it out of commission to enhance it.

Mike

 

[WhalePirot]

Jim's in??

Ellicott City,Maryland. Glad he was of help, as he was to me.

 

[ediconu]

The Jim that i contacted was at a performance shop in california. I can't remember the details to give him a good plug though. I'll try to find them. Someone in another thread told me to contact him and he must be good because his shop is booked solid until the middle of next year.

This Jim was very helpful.

Mike

 

[-=Jeff=-]

Like Vettelt193 stated, if you run 4-6psi on your Lt1 you should be okay. Tuning is a must, as you don't want any detonation or having it too lean.

As for running on stock Hyperpistions you will be fine. It is when you start pushing more boost you will have problems.

Also Compression ration will be a factor when detemining boost. If you were to build a SC motor you would want to rung lower compression and mor psi of boost. This theory is the same for both turbo's and superchargers.

Again I think the 4-6psi of boost on an LT1 hypereutectic pistn motor will be fine, but the combo MUST BE Tuned or you could have problems

 

[ediconu]

About tuning:

I heard that messing with advancing timing and the air/fuel mixture was all un-done by the stock ECU because it would relearn how it was supposed to drive itself based on sensors.

What kind of tuning is necessary to permenantly change how the car drives? Should I change my ECU out when I get a supercharger?

Also:

While putting in the supercharger, is this a good time to port and polish the heads?

Mike

 

[tobijohn]

Again I think the 4-6psi of boost on an LT1 hypereutectic pistn motor will be fine, but the combo MUST BE Tuned or you could have problems [/B]

Followup question: With 4-6 lbs of boost, what kind of HP/TQ gain at the rear wheels would be realistic? And also, while the engine itself could handle this, how about a 4L6E auto and Dana 36 behind it? Thanks...