Power Adder Opinions

[roadman4.6]

After 3 years of a basically stock 2003 Gt I'm looking to add more power. Need some opinions on the various options with the lowest budget. Seems none of them are really cheap unless you can find a good used supercharger. I have looked at the various supercharger and turbo options available (kenne bell, vortex, procharger, torktech, trickflow, & on3 turbo). Many seem to be personal preference and all have there drawbacks. I think the supercharger is the way to go vs. cams & heads. Goal is to be in the 350 to 400 hp range and very safe. Car has 35,000 pampered miles with cat back exhaust, CAI & 75 mm TB. My gut tells me to go for the basic Vortex V3 unit non-intercooled with a professional tune. My thoughts are this is the cheapest option (want to stay under $4000), easiest to install and a relatively safe. In the end if my needs change it can easily be removed and sold for $2000. Want to do most of the work myself as a winter project - many of the options require new hood, moving the battery, or tubular k-member which increase the cost. Currently have stock gears - are these OK for supercharger option or go to 3.73?

Have always used this sight for honest, good advice based on everyones experience. Welcome your opinions on the best options or something different? Thanks!

 

[tannerc91gt]

Id go centri blower if you aren't looking for headaches. Nothing against turbo cars, but if you go the turbo route go ahead and get yourself some really pretty jackstands as you'll be spending a lot of quality time with them.

 

[The Mach Life]

Car is stock sans CAI and TB?

IMO you can stay well under 4k and remain completely safe with things like gears and mid pipe. Some suspension mods wouldn't hurt either considering that's the mustangs' biggest downfall. Going straight from stock to blown is huge and you're skipping a lot of fun, considerably cheaper mods to get there.

If you plan to stay mostly stock I'd roll with a centri blower and solid tune.

 

[Deleted member 38176]

I bought my D1SC procharger kit used off ebay for $3K. It was a complete kit (mounting hardware, head unit, tubing, brackets, intercooler, intercooler mounting brackets, fuel injectors, KB BAP, and a boost gauge). Everything was in excellent condition. You just have to keep your eye out and be patient (if you want to save money).

Personally, I wouldn't use "safe" and "non-intercooled" in the same sentence. Some people have ran their non-cooled setups for so-and-so miles (and thats great for them) but they are in the minority for sure. Look into a CXRacing intercooler setup. They are universal kits but a lot of Mustang guys are running them with their Vortech s/c's. I believe a CX setup would run around $500 or less.

 

[SRT Handz]

Just get the Kenne Bell.

The kenne bell is by far the best kit you can get. Comes with everything. I was gonna get a Procharger, but i am SOOOOO Glad i got the kenne bell. Fitment is dead on.

 

[72 fastback]

I went from bone stock to a Kenne Bell intercooled kit. In aproximately 1 day it went from 218 horse to 358 and the torque was just breaking 400. The first time I jumped on it at 55 mph and it went into second smoking the tires was interesting to say the least. I have nitto 555r on it now and going to order some control arms this week. Looking to get a not too loud cat back exhaust to stay with the sleeper theme.

 

[Mattstang04]

The Mach Life makes a good point. My car was a gradual build to the point it is now. It was fun, I learned alot about my car, and learned alot about what mods are worthwhile and which ones aren't. If your car has straight body lines and you like it that way, better get subframe connectors before getting any type of blower or gears.

That being said, in regards to building power and knowing the power level you want to be in, get a supercharger and don't look back. I would have liked a Kenne Bell but they were pricey and I really don't like the idea of not being intercooled. Centris aren't going to get you the low end torque of KB unit but once they hit their power range, hold on cause your car turns into a rocket.

 

[SRT Handz]

I would have liked a Kenne Bell but they were pricey and I really don't like the idea of not being intercooled.

Kenne Bell Superchargers are Water-t-Air intercooled like 03/04 Cobras.

 

[joshjwc9]

Kenne Bell Superchargers are Water-t-Air intercooled like 03/04 Cobras.

I've been running non intercooled for 2 years plus and 30k miles. My car still dynos within +-5 hp during the summer and picks up about 15rwhp in cooler months. I don't push my car to the extremes in the heat of summer but as with any blower in the warmer months you will lose power when heat soak occurs. Also, you need to remember that you will need a different MAF if you are putting together a IC for a Centri blower. I could have went with a IC , smaller pulley and put down right at 400ish rwhp but I'm not going to play with fire and blow my still stock internal 160k mile motor, like you may with a kit with exhaust and a less than average tune.

But ICing a blower setup clearly has the benefit of giving you consistent power regardless of the outside temps.

 

[Winters98GT]

Turbo>Centri>PD

That being said, I wouldn't touch a turbo kit unless you have the ability to work on the car in detail, and fab up parts. Just like I've seen here, as GM boards, the guys with turbos are those that have shops, are very talented at turning wrenches, or deep pockets.

4.6's lack torque just by cubes, but I'd never stick a heavy heater on top of my motor with a roots/PD blower. Been there, done it in one of my 2v cars.

A centri kit with a speed density tune and a meth kit is the way to go IMO.

 

[twogts4us]

Going straight from stock to blown is huge and you're skipping a lot of fun, considerably cheaper mods to get there.

I don't think I'd consider throwing tons of loot at your car to gain little bits of HP & torque my kind of fun, but to each their own. Plus you have to understand that you'll never get 'there' with bolt ons...never, never, never, ever...

If you pamper your car now, how willing are you going to be, after adding a centri blower, to rev the snot out of it? Because that's where the centris make their power.

Get a Kenne Bell and be very happy, very satisfied.

 

[twogts4us]

I would have liked a Kenne Bell but they were pricey and I really don't like the idea of not being intercooled.

Uninformed.

 

[roadman4.6]

Thanks for all the feedback! Seems like everyone recommends saving more money and getting the Inter-cooled Kenne Bell. Looks like they are around $5000 on their website. Didn't check if they were sold elsewhere cheaper. I agree about all the fun items that cost $$ and don't add up to much HP. I can see gears, subframe connectors and sticky tires to go with the supercharger; not sure what other "fun items" their talking about. Everyone on this site tells you to not waste the money for bolt-ons and spend it on a supercharger. May just wait to buy a used 2011 or 2012 which are already dropping in the mid 20K range, just don't want a car payment right now. Seems like these mods add up quickly. Ready for more power!!!

 

[tank_567]

Turbo>Centri>PD

That being said, I wouldn't touch a turbo kit unless you have the ability to work on the car in detail, and fab up parts. Just like I've seen here, as GM boards, the guys with turbos are those that have shops, are very talented at turning wrenches, or deep pockets.

4.6's lack torque just by cubes, but I'd never stick a heavy heater on top of my motor with a roots/PD blower. Been there, done it in one of my 2v cars.

A centri kit with a speed density tune and a meth kit is the way to go IMO.

Take it from me, turbos are a hand full! For you it sounds like a Vortech kit is just right! They are super cheap, easy to install, and will give you a great bump in power non intercooled (350ish). On3 turbo kits are a mess and dont come with all the parts needed to install. KB are (sorry rootz guys) , and Procharger kits are great if have the money.

EDIT: summit racing has the base level Vortech kit for 3600 bucks w/ free shipping. A lot cheaper than a used 5.0

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/vor-4fl218-130s/overview/year/2003/make/ford/model/mustang

EDIT: also check out the link below

http://mustangforums.com/forum/pipe...00-96-04gt-supercharger-kit-how-its-done.html

 

[roadman4.6]

Thanks - will check availability of used head unit and the various parts. I'm in no hurry to put this together.

Summit is about an hour from where I live in Ohio - they have a great Mustang show every year. Trick Flow is near them - that is where I checked out their top end kit. I think the advantage to the Vortex is easy removal and sale of unit if I ever sell the car.

 

[Mattstang04]

Oops, I was incorrect. Did not know there was an intercoooler option. Thanks for the correction SRT Handz. And thanks to twogts for rubbing it in. That was necessary.

 

[Winters98GT]

I'd like to add that Votech owns Paxton, as I have posted in the Off Topic section here quite a bit. You can strap a vortech blower/bracket to a Paxton unit or vise versa and it will fit. Once you get past the YSI, it changes then, but those big blowers are not in your build.

I've had an SI, YSI, and then settled on Novi 1500(vortech t-trim). YSI gave me belt issues due to an older bracket design. My Novi 1500 made 850rwhp with no air filter on the dyno, and 825rwhp with the the filter the way I drove the car daily at the track.

I agree with Tank. Get a Votech/Paxton head unit and put a kit together. The PD blower guys love them here, and even in the larger displacement motors in the LS guys. I don't race or want a ton of boost at 2500rpm. Even when racing lower hp Underground Lambos on the street, a PD blower would have been a big let down compared to my centri. Cars don't race at low RPM's on the street. If you want a quick track car that you need to throw a bag of ice over between runs, then a PD blower might be for you.

 

[usaf_branham]

Thanks - will check availability of used head unit and the various parts. I'm in no hurry to put this together.

Summit is about an hour from where I live in Ohio - they have a great Mustang show every year. Trick Flow is near them - that is where I checked out their top end kit. I think the advantage to the Vortex is easy removal and sale of unit if I ever sell the car.

I live 15 min east of summit racing. If you would like, once the salt discipates, I'll meet u over there and show u what a kennebell 2v is about.

 

[roadman4.6]

Sounds good. I am located in Brunswick about an hour to the west. Want to make sure the plan works without breaking the bank.

 

[sneaky98gt]

Coming from someone that is running a non-intercooled blower, DO NOT buy a supercharger without an intercooler, or unless you plan on throwing methanol on it.

And also coming from someone running an extremely inefficient, non-intercooled, roots-style Eaton that are the biggest pieces of junk ever (....), don't let the haters tell you they can't compete. My car is full weight on stock gears and the stock auto transmission, and runs high 11s/low 12s in nice weather, and low/middish 12s in poor weather. And it will do that EVERY time, and on the street. It would easily pick up half a second with gears and a converter. I've only ever lost one race to a centri blower, and it was a blown C6 Z06.... Heck, I even beat a badass turbo Mustang (who happens to have posted in this thread) one time....

However, I'm not naive enough to understand that the low end torque from a positive displacement blower can be completely remedied with either gears or slipping the clutch/higher stall RPM (or a combination). In a real race, from a dig, that extra torque from the PD blower is almost completely irrelevant as to which car is faster. From a roll, it IS completely irrelevant. That being said, it is a LOT of fun to have all that torque on demand in higher gears when you don't want to change to a lower gear, or just want to do a single gear pull onto the highway.

All of that taken into consideration, my advice would be to first do gears (3.73 is my opinion on the best for a blown setup) and/or a midpipe, and then install an intercooled centri unit. I'd personally shop around a bit, and you should be able to get a decent used kit for <$4000. Don't forget the MAF, injectors, and fuel pump, too (if it doesn't come in the kit).