carguy96

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So I've come to find that I will be upgrading to a Gen 2 2.3 Whipple. My question is what size upper pulley should I get? I wanted to shoot for 600WHP, but a friend told me that with the setup I have, I can expect to safely max out at 580WHP.
The mods to my car (engine/tuning related) are:
JLT CAI
SCTBA2600 MAF
Billet Flow 2.76 Upper and 2lb lower pulley
KB Boost a pump
60lb injectors
SCTX4 tuner
Dual Pass Heat Exchanger
Ported Eaton, inlet and throttle body (currently)
Off Road X pip with Borla stingers with stock exhaust manifolds
Car made 499.6WHP and 512WTQ on this setup on 93 and 22 degrees of timing.

The previous owner put the 2lb lower on, and I don't have too much intention to remove that and put a different one on. And I am not sure what other upgrades I'm willing to do at this time.
What are some pulley sizes that are "safe" for my setup, but will still give me more power?
I was thinking of getting a 3.5" upper as that should net me about ~15 lbs of boost and up my power level. I was wondering if I could go to a 3.375" or 3.25" safely.
Someone told me my 60LB injectors and fuel pump are limiting me to "less than 600WHP" so I need some opinions/answers here.
 

decipha

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from the injector chart 60s are only capable of supporting just over 600 hp. You can kick up the pressure if your pump can keep up and get 700 rwhp out of them so I wouldnt be worried there.

I would guess your at 15 lbs now then? Its pointless to change blowers and not turn up the boost. If its an 03/04 cobra just turn it up to 18+ lbs and throw some meth injection on it.
 

carguy96

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from the injector chart 60s are only capable of supporting just over 600 hp. You can kick up the pressure if your pump can keep up and get 700 rwhp out of them so I wouldnt be worried there.

I would guess your at 15 lbs now then? Its pointless to change blowers and not turn up the boost. If its an 03/04 cobra just turn it up to 18+ lbs and throw some meth injection on it.


That is correct, im running at 15 lbs as of now on the Eaton.
I'm still planning on running 93 for now, and was told if I run 18+ lbs I might get some early combustion issues. I'm new to tuning and related items, so how would Meth help with thag?
I'm running the stock pump with the KB BAP. So even with 60's I could still get upwards of 700? I feel like at that point I'd just upgrade to 80# as recommended by someone else.
So you're saying to skip the 3.5 and maybe just drop down to a 3.25?
Wouldn't a 3.5 and my 2lb lower potentially get me to maybe a little more power though?
 

MG0h3

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You won't be hitting 700 on a stock long block on 93. Seems like 91 safely taps out around 590-600 and 93 up around 625 or so. 15 psi and 17/18 psi respectively. A lot of people tend to run the most boost they can for a given octane and possibly limit their timing for safety. Not always the best combo on the street because you want that timing in there.

Not familiar with the pulley combos on the 2.3 and remember to take elevation into account.
 

carguy96

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You won't be hitting 700 on a stock long block on 93. Seems like 91 safely taps out around 590-600 and 93 up around 625 or so. 15 psi and 17/18 psi respectively. A lot of people tend to run the most boost they can for a given octane and possibly limit their timing for safety. Not always the best combo on the street because you want that timing in there.

Not familiar with the pulley combos on the 2.3 and remember to take elevation into account.

I'm not worried about hitting 700hp, I'm mainly looking to replace my Eaton and get some more power. Was truly looking for 550-600WHP. I live in Ohio, so I guess the elevation wouldn't be a huge issue here. Pretty sure with the 3.25 upper and 2lb lower I should be making anywhere from 16-18lbs of boost which should be maybe just shy of 600 I'd think.
Honestly anything over 550whp and I'd be happy.
 

carguy96

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Does anyone have a definite answer on how much boost I could be making with my Metco 2lb lower and the combination of:
-a 3.25"
-a 3.375"
-a 3.5"
I have a 3.25" upper sitting in my garage, but I fear that it may make "too much" boost as I am running 93 and a stock bottom end.
Trying to decide if the 3.25 is safe or if I should get a larger diameter pulley.
 

me32

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Im thinking your going to want to upgrade fuel pumps for that 600hp. Im also guessing since you installed a bap you already did the wireing upgrade. Going with the Ford GT pumps would be a good option. The 3.5 would be a good option since your running a 2lb lower.
 

carguy96

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Im thinking your going to want to upgrade fuel pumps for that 600hp. Im also guessing since you installed a bap you already did the wireing upgrade. Going with the Ford GT pumps would be a good option. The 3.5 would be a good option since your running a 2lb lower.

The previous owner of my car had put in the KB BAP. So yes, that is done. I figure it's probably a good idea to upgrade my fuel pump setup. Looks like I'll be getting a Fore Fuel Hat with twin GT pumps that way I don't have to worry about blowing my fuel pump.

Do you think that 3.5" upper with my 2lb lower would put me close to 570-600hp?
 

me32

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The previous owner of my car had put in the KB BAP. So yes, that is done. I figure it's probably a good idea to upgrade my fuel pump setup. Looks like I'll be getting a Fore Fuel Hat with twin GT pumps that way I don't have to worry about blowing my fuel pump.

Do you think that 3.5" upper with my 2lb lower would put me close to 570-600hp?

Sounds like you have a good plan for your pumps.

Honestly I think with the 3.5 and 2lb youll be in the 550-580hp depending on timing. With the 3.25 and 2lb lower youll be in the 570-600hp. But timing will be your limiting factor. 22 degrees might be a little on the edge with that kind of boost. Not sure if you do any racing at the track but if you do maybe having 2 tunes would be the way to go. Street tune on the 3.5 on 93 and 3.25 with 105. That should make your goal safely over 600hp
 

carguy96

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Sounds like you have a good plan for your pumps.

Honestly I think with the 3.5 and 2lb youll be in the 550-580hp depending on timing. With the 3.25 and 2lb lower youll be in the 570-600hp. But timing will be your limiting factor. 22 degrees might be a little on the edge with that kind of boost. Not sure if you do any racing at the track but if you do maybe having 2 tunes would be the way to go. Street tune on the 3.5 on 93 and 3.25 with 105. That should make your goal safely over 600hp

Ok so if I run a 3.25 I should pretty much get ready to run E85/race gas/torco?

Would a 3.375" pulley make a difference? Like would that make a decent difference over the 3.5" but still be safe?
 

me32

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Ok so if I run a 3.25 I should pretty much get ready to run E85/race gas/torco?

Would a 3.375" pulley make a difference? Like would that make a decent difference over the 3.5" but still be safe?
If your able to go E85 which is gonna pretty much require you to go return fuel system going 3.0 or 2.75 would be great youll be 650plus easy.

With the 3.25 i would add the torco or race gas for the added safety. The 3.375 should be fine you prolly wouldn't notice a big difference. But if you dont already have a 3.5 or 3.375 and you have to buy it. Then going 3.375 would be fine.
 

carguy96

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If your able to go E85 which is gonna pretty much require you to go return fuel system going 3.0 or 2.75 would be great youll be 650plus easy.

With the 3.25 i would add the torco or race gas for the added safety. The 3.375 should be fine you prolly wouldn't notice a big difference. But if you dont already have a 3.5 or 3.375 and you have to buy it. Then going 3.375 would be fine.

If I am quite honest, I really wasn’t planning on going E85 at the moment.
I just want reliable power on 93. I’m not trying to push any boundaries quite yet.
And that is correct, I do not have a 3.5” or 3.375” Pulley now. Would you suggest just getting the 3.375” and running that?
 

c6zhombre

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I have a factory lower and 3.0 RR upper and make 18psi with factory manifolds. It makes 560 wheel with about 16 degrees of timing for 93 octane. Could it make more with more timing? For sure.....but pump gas is well, not good and variances, that you cannot test pump side, can and will happen. Stay conservative. I would think your 2lb lower and 3.25 upper would net about the same 18psi.

I have 2.6 RR upper for the E85 tune that makes 22psi. This is run with 23 degrees timing and makes 714 wheel. The car has run this combo for almost ten years. It is fantastic performance, with great low and mid range TQ......it's on this tune 99.9% of the time. I only run the 93 tune on rare occasions because it's necessary.

I don't like torco and don't recommend it.
 

carguy96

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I have a factory lower and 3.0 RR upper and make 18psi with factory manifolds. It makes 560 wheel with about 16 degrees of timing for 93 octane. Could it make more with more timing? For sure.....but pump gas is well, not good and variances, that you cannot test pump side, can and will happen. Stay conservative. I would think your 2lb lower and 3.25 upper would net about the same 18psi.

I have 2.6 RR upper for the E85 tune that makes 22psi. This is run with 23 degrees timing and makes 714 wheel. The car has run this combo for almost ten years. It is fantastic performance, with great low and mid range TQ......it's on this tune 99.9% of the time. I only run the 93 tune on rare occasions because it's necessary.

I don't like torco and don't recommend it.

Thank you for the input. I am trying to stay more conservative in regards to tuning because I’d rather have a reliable setup and I know that not all pump gas is equal.
I am just trying to make sure that whatever setup I go with, I will not exceed 18lbs of boost, which is my greatest concern. I’m perfectly happy running anywhere from 15-18lbs.
 

c6zhombre

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Thank you for the input. I am trying to stay more conservative in regards to tuning because I’d rather have a reliable setup and I know that not all pump gas is equal.
I am just trying to make sure that whatever setup I go with, I will not exceed 18lbs of boost, which is my greatest concern. I’m perfectly happy running anywhere from 15-18lbs.

I think that's a good plan. If you are worried about the boost level.....err on the side of caution. Go with the 3.375. Honestly, I think the 3.5/2 lower would be too little boost. So, it boils down to the 3.25 and 3.375 for you. As already mentioned.....if you do hit slightly lower boost than 18psi, that will keep the IAT2 levels lower so you could safely add in more timing. It's a balancing act. 19psi might make a hero dyno number.....but 16psi would achieve more repeatable performance on the streets because there's less chance of having the timing pulled due to heat.
 

carguy96

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I think that's a good plan. If you are worried about the boost level.....err on the side of caution. Go with the 3.375. Honestly, I think the 3.5/2 lower would be too little boost. So, it boils down to the 3.25 and 3.375 for you. As already mentioned.....if you do hit slightly lower boost than 18psi, that will keep the IAT2 levels lower so you could safely add in more timing. It's a balancing act. 19psi might make a hero dyno number.....but 16psi would achieve more repeatable performance on the streets because there's less chance of having the timing pulled due to heat.

I appreciate the input. I’ve had a few people tell me that it would almost be a “waste” to put the 3.5 on.
I will probably end up going with the 3.375” just to be a little more safe/conservative, especially when I’m still planning on running 93 octane fuel.
Dyno numbers are cool, but a healthy and happy motor is more cool to me.
 

c6zhombre

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I did a few searches looking for the gen2 2.3 whipple pulley/boost chart.....could not find it?! Anyways.....I did run across some old posts here where members were running a 4lb lower and 3.5 upper and were seeing 18-20psi on a 2.3 gen2. To be honest, boost numbers are all over the place, even identical combos....so it's not just cut n dry. Weather, elevation, and exhaust combos make a difference.

Have you measured the lower or found identifying markings to be sure it's a 2lb? That's seems to be an odd choice as most go with a 4lb. I'm afraid this excersize is going to require some trial and error for you because the end result is really a combo of many factors.
 

carguy96

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I did a few searches looking for the gen2 2.3 whipple pulley/boost chart.....could not find it?! Anyways.....I did run across some old posts here where members were running a 4lb lower and 3.5 upper and were seeing 18-20psi on a 2.3 gen2. To be honest, boost numbers are all over the place, even identical combos....so it's not just cut n dry. Weather, elevation, and exhaust combos make a difference.

Have you measured the lower or found identifying markings to be sure it's a 2lb? That's seems to be an odd choice as most go with a 4lb. I'm afraid this excersize is going to require some trial and error for you because the end result is really a combo of many factors.

Yeah I have found a number of different posts where people were stating that with various combinations they have seen up to a 2lb difference in boost.
I’m running the stock headers btw so that’ll also probably bump up the numbers over someone with Long tubes.
I’m locted in Columbus Ohio which I think is roughly 1,000 feet above sea level. So I’m not sure how much change that nets.

And the previous owner of my car out the 2lb lower on because he didn’t want to mess with the alternator, but still wanted to up boost with the eaton setup that the car has now.
I tried measuring it and seems it’s roughly 8 inches in diameter.
And yeah, I’m probably going to have to play around with it but want to avoid doing that as much as possible because of the cost of retunes and parts.
 

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