http://www.wingswest.com/project_images/3/21_l.jpg

area51 did the kit and headers here too

I can't believe they did all that work to get that in there, along with an intercooler, and then put that big 90 degree bend on the way to the TB. There's nothing but open space right there, they could have easily made a much smoother transition.

With the blower cramming air through the pipes it really doesn't matter what kind of bends are going on en route to the TB.

They had to have moved the pump and lines for that car, the blower is sitting right where a hard line would normally be turning down ( do a quick search for an underhood pic of a normal car ).

What I can see in the picture contradicts what I heard from AREA51. The picture shows the PS resivour(sp?) but AREA 51 said it was gone. Also the blower they are using is HUGE and takes up massive space. the blower I'm looking at is about 30% larger than just the compressor housing of a turbo. A turbo basically has 2 "honeybuns" back to back with a center bearing cartridge. The blower uses a sort of transmission so the only addition is along the botton side of the blower. It won't be as thick as the one in that kit and it'll also be lower in the engine bay so no matter your exhaust you should be ok (except for the ES long tueb EL header...gag)

03P5...you couldn't be more wrong. Having a smooth path for the air to travel is KEY in ANY vehicle wether it's boosted or not. More bends = more backpressure, more backpressure = more lag = less overall boost = less response. The intake plumbing from the filter to the blower will be almost identical on my kit but from the intercooler to the TB will be VASTLY improved.

Dang, you beat me to it Rod....

yeah, during the day I'm pretty quick with a response!

AHA!! no wait! I figured out what AREA541 did. they retained the PS resiviore(sp??) and kept it full. Now the pump would keep a constant pressure on the system and help keep it cool but all it needs just have fluid in the system for it to retain SOME effectiveness. You will notice a drop in ease of steering but it won't be grinding and stiff.

I won't be doing this either....not a compromise I'm willing to make. Just wanted to clear that up.

Bah, your both daft. The powerloss due to a 90 degree madrel bend in a 3 inch pipe is going to be nil, especially with another nice 90 from the factory in front of the TB.

We never said it would cause a major loss in power, but it could have some effect on how quickly it responds to boost. My main point though, was that they just put god knows how much money into that car building a totally custom setup, then half-assed a detail like that. It can be the difference between a very well tuned car and a car that just runs ok.

A pressurized system will have a less difficult time getting air into the TB but will still be effected by bends.

Also, think about the fact that a supercharger builds boost based on rpm's so at low boost levels the blower might not be making enough pressure to get the air to the motor after the MAF reads it and that would cause all sorts of driveability. Smoothness of the inlet air flow is a big factor to me. Efficiency in EVERY aspect is KEY to me.

who cares, lol..that supercharger setup Are 51 did is badass!! and cleans as hell...any body got any idea what kinda power it makes??

I think the kit looks ok but I'm not happy with the way they did some of their things.

For starters, removing the PS is not a BIG deal but obviously more intrusive than removing the AC, especially on a show car.

Secondly, They chose a blower so large they had to custom design a header so it would fit....It looks #1 cylinder is severely crimped off. I'd want to see how that header affects the car NA. If anything a decent header like the OBX or Wagner header would fit better, free up more room and make more power.

thirdly, the intake plumbing doesn't look very efficient with all of the 90* bends and such. It would be so easy and so much more efficient to smooth those out.

I think the kit looks good from a visual standpoint, but from an engineering or performance stand point it leaves something lacking.

UPDATE Ken from Protege Garage and I are in negotians with a major supercharger manufacturer for blowers and other accessories. What we are hoping is to get full access to their products and techs to help build 2 seperate kits. An Intercooled kit running 10psi for the manual trannys and a non-intercooled 5-6psi kit for the automatic guys. Doing this allows flexibility for the new owner to choose when and what they want to upgrade.

Pricing is still a little high right now due to the fact of no official bulk discounts. These will probably have to be sold in GB's only due to the cost of purchasing a single unit. Again, this is not set in stone as we are still negotiating with them.

I'm going to have to update one of my previous goals. I had originally wanted to design a blower kit that was bolt in with basic handtools. Due to the outlet of the blower and the mounting location of the intercooler some trimming will need to be done to accomodate the intercooler piping. The non-intercooled kits will not need to do this. The trimming will be easy and non-detremental to the structural integrity of the car. This should be easily accomplished with a basic sawz-all or air-snips.

I'll be sure to keep everyone updated. Once we hammer out an agreement I'll be sure to post completed specs and stats for the blower I choose.

p.s For "Stutters"....the reason AREA51's kits were $5K was because they were one-offs and required a custom header be fabricated as well. The blower they used is probably $21-2300 from the prices I've gotten for one head. Also, AREA51 did this blower for the sole reason of building it on some companies show car as a custom project.....not in the efforts to build a reliable, inexpensive alternative to a turbocharger. There are BIG differences between the two....try to think about them next time. I've been very clear and easy to understand about everything.

Hey Matty, what's your take on the reliability of the stock internals for this project? Is it all management related, or is there a point where forged internals would be a good idea, seeing that the blower you're looking at is capable of high output.