Supercharger on 2001 SVT Cobra - Thoughts and Comments

[Jamchin]

Hey yall.

I have a 2001 SVT Cobra. It has simple bolt ons, so pretty much stock really. Here are my questions in regards to installing a supercharger:
-What supercharger would you recommend installing?
-What are ALL the components/parts needed to install this?
-What are some other upgrades that are needed to install this supercharger and for it to work/run smoothly?
-Approximately how much HP would you gain?
-Approximtaley how much would it cost (keep in mind I live in Toronto, Canada)?
-Would you recommend this upgrade?

Ultimately I want more power, but nothing too crazy. Stock is 320hp at the crank. I want close to 400hp at the crank. I don't want to spend a whole heap of money, but if I am to spend another $2k or $3k more for like say another 100hp, then yes I will consider it.

Let me know guys!

Thanks.

 

[ShortRound]

So you have one post that states you want to stay NA then this one about superchagers????? :shrug:

 

[Jamchin]

Hey ShortRound,

Yes I have 1 post that speaks to N/A and this one about superchargers. What is wrong with that?
I want to explore all my options, as most car guys want to. I don't want to mix both into one thread, and have guys tell me N/A is better than forced induction or vice versa. I want to hear both sides, without influences.

Do you have anything constructive to add to this thread?

Thanks.

 

[01yellercobra]

IMO a blower is the cheaper way to hit 400+. The issue you're going to run into is these engines love boost so you'll have to tune it conservatively to stay around 400hp. The down side to boost is you need to save your pennies for when you need a new shortblock. And yes, you'll need one at some point. Either you'll blow your stock one or you'll want to turn up the boost.

As for what you'll need beyond the blower, the basics are injectors, MAF, and fuel pump. All of which can be found in the market for decent prices.

I ran a Procharger D1 on a stock engine for a long time. It was a fun daily. But I did end up blowing my shortblock. Took out three pistons. The sad part is I wasn't even on it hard. Just getting on the freeway normally. My personal preference is still boost though. You can hit 600hp+ easily and still retain good driveability. No need for crazy cams. And if it's tuned right it'll still get decent MPG. If you can stay out of boost that is. To be honest, sometimes I miss my F1A set up. It was a blast when it ran right.

 

[Brutal Metal]

A centri blower tuned to 450RW on the stock internals is a great power making option...

 

[TBCobra]

Nitrous

/thread

 

[Jamchin]

Hey slo984now,

Appreciate your response. I think a lot of guys want decent power, for a reasonable price, and reliability. I have been hearing a lot about, "don't bother with cams and all of that, just slap on a supercharger" and that it is probably cheaper.

Okay so a few questions, and you can answer back with a technical response:
-When you say I need a new shortblock, what exactly is going to fail/break?
-Is the stock bottom end (i.e. crank, rods, pistons.) weak? You said you took out 3 pistons, meaning it failed? How did it fail? The rods?
-Can I keep my stock block, but change out other parts like the rods and pistons? Or should I just get a new block? And which block?
-I know that when you have a supercharger, you have lower your compression ratio because you don't want your fuel/air mixture to pre-detonate. I would like 400 to 450hp at crank, anywhere in there is fine. I know that my 2001 stang has 9.85:1 and the 03/04 cobra has a lower compresison ratio of 8.5:1 (because of the supercharger). Would you have to put on a different head so that the combustion chamber allows for a lower compression ratio? Or shaved piston heads, or shorter rods, etc etc. Basically is there any modifications needed to lower the compression ratio to achieve ~400hp at crank?
-What are typical costs for blower, fuel injectors, MAF, and fuel pump?
-I had to look up F1A haha...looks like that's a particular model of a Procharger. You also said you ran the Procharger D1. I don't want to make crazy power, so which TYPE of supercharger (i.e. centrifugal or screw) would you recommend and which MANUFACTURE would you recommend as well?

I know this is a lot of questions, but I want to know what's going in my car, and I want to make sure I did my research!

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[01yellercobra]

Hey slo984now,

Appreciate your response. I think a lot of guys want decent power, for a reasonable price, and reliability. I have been hearing a lot about, "don't bother with cams and all of that, just slap on a supercharger" and that it is probably cheaper.

Okay so a few questions, and you can answer back with a technical response:
-When you say I need a new shortblock, what exactly is going to fail/break?
The rods and pistons are the weak points in the these engines. I've seen both break.
-Is the stock bottom end (i.e. crank, rods, pistons.) weak? You said you took out 3 pistons, meaning it failed? How did it fail? The rods?
The ring lands broke on the pistons. It was possible to see the ring with the piston still in the cylinder. AFAIK the guy I traded it to threw new pistons in and ran it in another car.
-Can I keep my stock block, but change out other parts like the rods and pistons? Or should I just get a new block? And which block?
The "cheapest" way to go is to keep your stock block and crank. Upgrade the rods and pistons. You can find decent deals on them all around. With those parts the shortblock will handle what 99% of us will throw at it.
-I know that when you have a supercharger, you have lower your compression ratio because you don't want your fuel/air mixture to pre-detonate. I would like 400 to 450hp at crank, anywhere in there is fine. I know that my 2001 stang has 9.85:1 and the 03/04 cobra has a lower compresison ratio of 8.5:1 (because of the supercharger). Would you have to put on a different head so that the combustion chamber allows for a lower compression ratio? Or shaved piston heads, or shorter rods, etc etc. Basically is there any modifications needed to lower the compression ratio to achieve ~400hp at crank?
You don't have to lower the compression when you run boost. My last set up had 9.5 compression. I wanted it like that because I knew I was going to run a centri and the compression keeps it from being a dog when you're not in boost. I think there's a few guys on here with stock compression and boost. And there are guys on the Mach 1 Registry with stock compression and boost. The Mach's are 10.5:1 from the factory. It's all about keeping your boost level and timing in check. And run the correct octane. You can make an 03/04 Cobra detonate with too much timing. The easiest way to lower compression is with dished pistons. We're pretty much stuck with our heads since no one makes an aftermarket head.
-What are typical costs for blower, fuel injectors, MAF, and fuel pump?
Your best best is to shop around. If you think you'll be happy with 400-450rwhp forever you can run 39lb injectors. If there's a small chance you'll want more power someday then go with 60lb injectors. For the MAF I prefer the slot style in a blow through configuration. That gave me the best driveability and plenty of range. I switched to the 03/04 pumps because that was the best back back then. But it seems a lot of guys are having good luck with the 340lph pumps available now.
-I had to look up F1A haha...looks like that's a particular model of a Procharger. You also said you ran the Procharger D1. I don't want to make crazy power, so which TYPE of supercharger (i.e. centrifugal or screw) would you recommend and which MANUFACTURE would you recommend as well?
People usually recommend whatever they're running. I've ran a Procharger D1 and F1A as well as a Vortech T trim. I prefer the Procharger because it's self contained and I like the bracket set up better. That's just personal preference. For you I would go with a centri. The only way to run a twin screw on a 99-01 is to do an eaton swap then swap on whatever blower you want. Unless you find someone selling a KB 2.1 kit.

I know this is a lot of questions, but I want to know what's going in my car, and I want to make sure I did my research!

Thanks a lot guys!

Answers in red.

 

[Dirks9901]

Is your 01 a daily driver?

 

[ShortRound]

Hey ShortRound,


Do you have anything constructive to add to this thread?

Thanks.

Yea read the sticky sections. ALOT of your questions are answered in there. You can get alot of power going FI but its hit or miss on how long the block.... sorry, the rotating assembly will hold up. Either way, good safe HP/TQ is not cheap. Just add a 50 or 100 shot if you want cheaper/quicker gains. But if you just want a fun street car, add bolt ons and gear the living hell out of it.

 

[Jamchin]

I replied to all of your comments, but it somehow did not go through...
I am not going to re-type it again dammit.

It's not a daily driver, just weekend.

And after reading all the nice responses from you guys, I don't think I am going to do the supercharger route. I looked into it, and it is too much money for me right now.

What I am going to do is get some nice rims + tires and possibly change out the rear bumper of my 2001 SVT....I do not like it, I prefer something smooth and nice like the 03/04 cobra rear bumper.

I will be creating more threads (if they haven't been created already) on some more topics like rim width, bumpers, etc.

*What are sticky sections?*
I appreciate all your comments/suggestions guys! Thanks.

 

[ShortRound]

*What are sticky sections?*
I appreciate all your comments/suggestions guys! Thanks.

They are the posts that have "Sticky" in the title.

 

[Lundy37]

I want to do it for my 01