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I want to supercharge my stang

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dominick Brittain
  • Start date Start date Nov 17, 2012

Dominick Brittain

New Member
Nov 17, 2012
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Nov 17, 2012
#1
  • Nov 17, 2012
  • #1
I have a 2002 mustang GT 4.6l all stock except the clutch i replaced the stock clutch with a centerforce stage 1. I want to work up to a supercharger but im curious of what other parts I need to upgrade before doing so. I dont want to blow my motor up lol. So if anyone could help me I would appreciate it. What parts to be upgraded and good brands
 
K

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?
10 Year Member
Mar 30, 2005
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Nov 17, 2012
#2
  • Nov 17, 2012
  • #2
You will shoot yer eye out.
 
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madspeed

Colonel Mustard
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Nov 29, 1999
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a van down by the river
Nov 17, 2012
#3
  • Nov 17, 2012
  • #3
hang out here on the forums and learn. Theres more than one way to skin a cat
 

72 fastback

Member
Apr 4, 2006
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Hamden Ct
Nov 18, 2012
#4
  • Nov 18, 2012
  • #4
I have a Kenne Bell 9psi intercooled on my o2 conv now for 2 years without any issues. I still use their tune. Mine is bone stock as well with an auto. The instant torque is awesome.
 

trinity_gt

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Jan 31, 2003
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Nov 18, 2012
#5
  • Nov 18, 2012
  • #5
I strongly suggest getting a "kit" from a reputable manufacturer such as Kenne Bell or Vortech. Everything you will need will arrive in a big box and you'll spend a weekend with a couple of buddies, reading instructions and performing parts installs until you step back at midnight and, voila, there's a complete supercharger setup on your car.

On a stock-internal car you will be limited to ~400rwHP (give or take...) and you won't really need to upgrade anything else. You might consider a set of gears in the back as a complimentary upgrade but the clutch, trans, axles etc will all be fine at that power level.
 

Bob Hughes

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Dec 26, 2011
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Southamptonl, NJ
Nov 18, 2012
#6
  • Nov 18, 2012
  • #6
As stated....there's more than one way to skin a cat. What kind of supercharger are you looking at? There's so many options....are you mechanically inclined or will a shop be doing your install? Ur gonna need upgrades to the fuel system. It really depends on what route you wanna go...things like budget, time constraints, and mechanical ability are gonna be big factors. Is this your daily driver? Can you go without your car for a weekend.....a week....a month if you run into problems.....read up on here a decide what route you really wanna go, and I'm sure everyone will give the answers you're looking for.
 

Pepperoni

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Mar 1, 2012
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Nov 18, 2012
#7
  • Nov 18, 2012
  • #7
I have heard nothing but good things about Kenne Bell.

Low boost (<10 pounds) shouldn't require a forged bottom end or anything.
 

blacksheep-1

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Oct 21, 2006
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Nov 18, 2012
#8
  • Nov 18, 2012
  • #8
I've been running a Kenne Bell 6psi, no intercooler for over 5 years now, about 35K miles. I decided on a non intercooler because you're about to put a crapload of weight right on the nose of your car which srsly effects the handling. The KB at least puts the weight a little farther back. I will say this..IMO purchase the "tuner kit" and have a local guy (that's reputable) do the tune and injectors. KB's customer service is not that well received, apparently there's some kind of disonance between California and the rest of the universe.
 

Pepperoni

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Nov 18, 2012
#9
  • Nov 18, 2012
  • #9
blacksheep-1 said:
I decided on a non intercooler because you're about to put a crapload of weight right on the nose of your car which srsly effects the handling.
Click to expand...
Maybe you can add a carbon fiber hood to the cost of supercharging lol
 
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trinity_gt

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Nov 19, 2012
#10
  • Nov 19, 2012
  • #10
blacksheep-1 said:
I've been running a Kenne Bell 6psi, no intercooler for over 5 years now, about 35K miles. I decided on a non intercooler because you're about to put a crapload of weight right on the nose of your car which srsly effects the handling.
Click to expand...

The intercooler in the blower manifold weighs a pound or two. The pump is negligible. The heat exchanger in front of the A/C condenser is another couple of pounds. The coolant is ... whatever. The intercooler part of the kit just doesn't add enough to make or break the handling. The compressor itself is where the majority of the weight is in that kit.

I'd much rather have the ability to run an additional 3-4psi of boost and the attendant HP increase than to worry about what an additional 10 pounds of hardware will do to the handling.

I'll admit I definitely feel the mass of the blower assembly on the nose of the car but can't believe I'd feel a vast difference if I omitted the intercooler.
 

blacksheep-1

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Oct 21, 2006
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Nov 19, 2012
#11
  • Nov 19, 2012
  • #11
Maybe you can add a carbon fiber hood to the cost of supercharging lol
Click to expand...

most decent looking "carbon fiber" street hoods are built over fiberglass anyway, and they usually weigh more than the stock hood

I'd much rather have the ability to run an additional 3-4psi of boost and the attendant HP increase than to worry about what an additional 10 pounds of hardware will do to the handling.
Click to expand...

True, horsepower is good, at some point I intend to do the upgrade myself, but besides those 10 pounds of hardware,you have the weight of the water, say ..two gallons, that's over 16 pounds right there. So that would be an increase of 26 to 30 pounds over the ..what? 40 pounds of blower and aluminum intake over the plastic pieces. Right where a mustang doesn't need it. In my car I did install an 04 IRS so the car is probably a little more "balanced". That's the way to make a car handle..right? keep adding heavy parts to it... lol
 

trinity_gt

10 Year Member
Jan 31, 2003
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Nov 19, 2012
#12
  • Nov 19, 2012
  • #12
blacksheep-1 said:
True, horsepower is good, at some point I intend to do the upgrade myself, but besides those 10 pounds of hardware,you have the weight of the water, say ..two gallons, that's over 16 pounds right there. So that would be an increase of 26 to 30 pounds over the ..what? 40 pounds of blower and aluminum intake over the plastic pieces. Right where a mustang doesn't need it.
Click to expand...

'Tis true, this stuff doesn't come without penalties. However, how big a penalty is an intercooler system? Consider the weight distribution of the Mustang as a whole: Suppose the stock curb weight is 3280lbs and the stock distribution is about 55/45%.

For a stock car that's roughly 1804 lbs on the front and 1476 on the rear axle. If we add two theoretical KB setups, one intercooled (70lbs) and one non-intercooled (70-26 or 44-lbs), all on the front axle, the numbers then look like this:

Case 1: Intercooled
Front: 1804+70 = 1874
Rear: 1476
Curb weight: 3280+70 = 3350lbs
Dist: 55.94/44.06%

Case 2: Non-intercooled:
Front: 1804+44 = 1848
Rear: 1476
Curb weight: 3280+44 = 3324lbs
Dist: 55.60/44.40%

The intercooled weight distribution change doesn't really seem, to me at least, severe enough to me to justify limiting power output to just 6-psi. The Mustang just isn't a precise enough scalpel for me, again personally, to care too much about carrying an additional 26 pounds over the front axle.
 
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K

Kilgore Trout

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Nov 19, 2012
#13
  • Nov 19, 2012
  • #13
^ did the math...

Anyways might look into a superdupercharger. They are lighter than superchargers, I think they have magnesium cases or something.
 

blacksheep-1

Member
Oct 21, 2006
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Nov 19, 2012
#14
  • Nov 19, 2012
  • #14
The intercooled weight distribution change doesn't really seem, to me at least, severe enough to me to justify limiting power output to just 6-psi. The Mustang just isn't a precise enough scalpel for me, again personally, to care too much about carrying an additional 26 pounds over the front axle.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, but don't forget that a large portion of that weight is in front of the front axle, this was one reason I looked into the KB instead of the other types. Front end weight is bad, front end weight in front of the front axle is very bad. So in this case the KB would be preferred over some of the other units.
 
B

blubullett

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Jun 22, 2006
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Modesto, CA
Nov 19, 2012
#15
  • Nov 19, 2012
  • #15
blacksheep-1 said:
most decent looking "carbon fiber" street hoods are built over fiberglass anyway, and they usually weigh more than the stock hood



True, horsepower is good, at some point I intend to do the upgrade myself, but besides those 10 pounds of hardware,you have the weight of the water, say ..two gallons, that's over 16 pounds right there. So that would be an increase of 26 to 30 pounds over the ..what? 40 pounds of blower and aluminum intake over the plastic pieces. Right where a mustang doesn't need it. In my car I did install an 04 IRS so the car is probably a little more "balanced". That's the way to make a car handle..right? keep adding heavy parts to it... lol
Click to expand...

How many carbon fiber hoods have you owned? I have had three (one of my strange addictions) and each is around half the weight on the stock hood. Yes they seem to be carbon wrapped fiberglass but they don't have the bracing and seem to be half as thick as the factory unit.
 

blacksheep-1

Member
Oct 21, 2006
322
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Nov 20, 2012
#16
  • Nov 20, 2012
  • #16
How many carbon fiber hoods have you owned? I have had three (one of my strange addictions) and each is around half the weight on the stock hood. Yes they seem to be carbon wrapped fiberglass but they don't have the bracing and seem to be half as thick as the factory unit.
Click to expand...

I work on a Grand Am Continental series team, we ordered up some hoods for the race car and didn't end up using any of them since they were too heavy. we stayed with the stock aluminum hood. The carbon hoods that were light flexed too much and tried to cave in, especially at tracks like Daytona and the long straight at Road America. The heavier ones work but were too heavy, so back to the stocker.
 
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