Fox Supercharger for HCI ?

cameronc77 · Oct 19, 2020

Which one gives the most bang for the buck? Where I’m from the kits for the Vortech V3 and the Trickflow stage 1 are similar. On a completely stock engine, guys are getting 295-320 rwhp from TF kit. Will I get those numbers with a V3 in stock engine? Assuming rear end is built (axles, gears, diff etc) and catback exhaust with stock headers for now. Keeping in mind the extras I will need. ie. plugs,wires,injectors,cold air , tune etc. Each choice is pricey. Some people say toss on a supercharger and have fun. I’m thinking it doesn’t make sense to go V3 without good airflow. They Probably produce similar HP anyway. At the same, pretty cool to be supercharged! Your thoughts?

thanks.

nickyb · Oct 19, 2020

go with the v3.

cameronc77 · Oct 19, 2020

Crap. Didn’t realize my typo.
What kind hp with V3 on stock HCI?
Thanks

Dan02gt · Oct 19, 2020

cameronc77 said:
Crap. Didn’t realize my typo.
What kind hp with V3 on stock HCI?
Thanks

Probably close to the same HP as what you would get with the H/C/I setup.

I prefer H/C/I first and here’s why. A lot of these cars are still rocking engines that are 30 years old and haven’t really been touched. Doing a H/C/I setup gives you the chance to freshen the top end up versus bolting on a supercharger and popping a 30 year old head gasket 500 miles later.

cameronc77 · Oct 19, 2020

Ya good point. I want to do safe build.

7991LXnSHO · Oct 19, 2020

The other benefit is the new HCI set should flow better than the stock ones. So you will get more power at lower boost and heat levels.

2000xp8 · Oct 20, 2020

The reality is that you could probably squeeze more power out of the supercharger.
But the cost will most likely be reliability and more difficult repair.

Mustang5L5 · Oct 20, 2020

Honesly, I see costs aligning pretty close to each other when you add up all the little things here and there.

I echo what others have said. I'd hate to drop a lot of money to put a supercharger onto a 30 year old engine and have it leaking oil out of every orifice and need a refresh and reseal.

General karthief · Oct 20, 2020

Does anybody factor in longevity when deciding how to modify their car or is it 'I want it all and I want it now' thing?
When I first 'modified' my car, I knew the condition of the engine presently residing in the car. After rebuilding the brakes, upgrading parts of the suspension and new clutch and transmission, I drove it while I put together an engine that should have lasted a long time, I knew sticking h/c/i on an engine with 130k miles and one low compression cylinder would not last and putting forced induction would shorten the life of an already terminal power plant.
My point is plan your upgrades with realistic goals, while a h/c/i can last many miles when added to a block that is in good mechanical shape but forced induction needs a lot more to be dependable for the long run. It's called 'forced induction' for a reason.

cameronc77 · Oct 20, 2020

Yes I definitely agree. I will be starting from the rear end and working my way forward. My car only has 108000 KM on it. It looks and feels like a strong base engine to start with. I want to do a safe build and by the sounds of it, HCI upgrades will make a big difference.
Thanks

7991LXnSHO · Oct 20, 2020

So is that about 67k miles? Did I remember my math units in the metric system from the President Carter era?

A compression test and a leak down test, and checking the oil pressure cold, hot, at idle and say 2K RPM - with a mechanical gauge - will tell you a lot about the engine’s health before you bolt other parts to it. Maintenance, use and luck can make the difference between just broken in to almost ready for a rebuild at that age and mileage.

cameronc77 · Oct 20, 2020

Actually it’s 67,108.09 miles. Lol. Has the original cassette stereo system and everything. I have a neighbour with a 91 Fox GT. He is also an excellent mechanic so I will be using him as a resource.
Thanks

7991LXnSHO · Oct 20, 2020

If you have not seen the tech write ups, @jrichker has write ups that are full of info than most current Ford dealership mechanics have seen. They should be in a book. If your neighbor is not a member, you may be able to help him out after enough reading.
Let us know how the project goes and any other opinions about equipment or tech help that might be useful.

General karthief · Oct 20, 2020

Lots of good tech info here:

Technical Thread/how-to Index

Guys, if "that should be a sticky," then please reply to this thread with the link to your suggestion and why you think it should be added. How to determine if a thread should be included: - Does the topic address a common fox 5.0 owner's needs? / Is it a frequently asked question? / Is it...

stangnet.com

1hot87gt · Dec 17, 2020

After I did H/C/I on mine she put down 302hp at the rear tires. Heads are Edelbrock Performers, cam is a B303 and a real Cobra Intake. That was back in the early 2000’s. I remember at the time the cost of that work was nearly the same as just dropping in the supercharger on a stock, but really tight, motor. But the owner of the speed shop told me it was my choice, but if it was his car, he would do the H/C/I exactly for the reasons other guys have already mentioned.

Three years ago I finally made the plunge to a HO v3 kit. Wow. Car now makes 426hp at rear tires which is just about 500 at the crank. And to boot, car runs and behaves pretty much just like stock. Smooth idle, well except for the cam but that’s just plain cool, no surging, reliable, etc. Also helps to have a really good tuner who knows what they are doing to make all the parts work in unison with each other.

Take your time, do it in stages as funds permit, but just wanted to share with you the progression of my HP journey.

FastDriver · Dec 17, 2020

Consider both. If you start with a max effort H/C/I, you might make 300-340 rwhp, and it will cost $$$$ If you put a blower on top of that down the road, you'll be limited by the block to ~500 rwhp.

If you get a simple and affordable GT40 or similar setup and make ~270 rwhp, then when you get the blower, you'll still be able to push 500 rwhp, because either way, the weakest link is the stock block. BTW, 270 doesn't seem like much, but in a fox, it's enough to go deep 12s. I ran 12.63 at that power level with all-season tires in a hatchback a few years back.

So, whichever way you go, don't get the most expensive H/C/I or the most expensive blower. Procharger & Vortech both make good stuff. Good luck with your build.

CarMichael Angelo · Dec 17, 2020

FastDriver said:
Consider both. If you start with a max effort H/C/I, you might make 300-340 rwhp, and it will cost $$$$ If you put a blower on top of that down the road, you'll be limited by the block to ~500 rwhp.

If you get a simple and affordable GT40 or similar setup and make ~270 rwhp, then when you get the blower, you'll still be able to push 500 rwhp, because either way, the weakest link is the stock block. BTW, 270 doesn't seem like much, but in a fox, it's enough to go deep 12s. I ran 12.63 at that power level in a hatchback a few years back.

So, whichever way you go, don't get the most expensive H/C/I or the most expensive blower. Procharger & Vortech both make good stuff. Good luck with your build.

Where have you been hiding?

Steel1 · Dec 17, 2020

Welcome to the rabbit hole , whichever you choose it most likely won't stay that way ..part o the fun though !

FastDriver · Dec 17, 2020

I've been in stang-hibernation. A lot is going on in life, and I haven't made any progress to report. An out of sight out of mind kind of thing. Career/family... oh yeah... guns is where my money went, this year. Decided to get the rifles/shotguns/pistols/optics and ammo that I always dreamt about. This morning, I missed the community and decided to see what the latest was. I see we're still stumped on the HCI vs. blower debate. Prolly gonna need another 20 years to think it through ;-)

Boostedpimp · Dec 17, 2020

It is a matter of preference and given the one could be better than the other depending on the health of the engine and what goal you had in mind for the car. I've done the novi2k or v2 on a high mileage motor and it turned out great both times. I've also done the hci and it has turned out good. So for me if it were me I would take a hard look at what the car is going to be used for. If the car is simply for cruising and having fun here and there I would go the Vortech route. IF the car is going to be seeing more track time than highways I would go the hci route knowing more parts are coming down the road or more power.

With that said here is how I look a it.

With the blower route you don't have to dive into the motor at all and mess with anything. This means downtime for installation is significantly less than the other route and less complex. The blower route also affords you the flexibility on power output. You can toss it on a completely stock motor, upgrade the fuel pump and use the supplied FMU and enjoy fat chicks waving at you in no time appreciating your factory quality idle and reliability. Once that gets boring you can upgrade the injectors, toss the FMU out, install MAF of choice, swap pulley to achieve desired boost level/power output increase and get it tuned.

HCI route requires you to do your home work on combination of parts would best suit your situation and end goal. Mix matched parts don't perform well. You will be required to pretty much touch everything besides the bottom end. So you'll be dealing with stuff that has never been a part. You'll be pulling your intake manifolds, fuel rails, valve covers, heads, headers, draining coolant, radiator, fan, waterpump, timing cover/timing, cam, fuel pump etc. This is great if you want to learn and don't mind the downtime. More chance than not you will have poor idle quality dependent on cam choice of course but factor in a tune being needed. Tune isn't always needed for decent idle and good drivability but to achieve the most out of your hci setup you will.

Fox Supercharger for HCI ?

cameronc77

Member

nickyb

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

cameronc77

Member

Dan02gt

mazing how much gas smell came from that tiny hole

cameronc77

Member

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp

2000xp8

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

cameronc77

Member

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp

cameronc77

Member

7991LXnSHO

wanna catch the space herp

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Technical Thread/how-to Index

1hot87gt

FastDriver

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

Steel1

Mustang Master

FastDriver

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet

Boostedpimp

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Fox Supercharger for HCI ?

Member

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

Member

mazing how much gas smell came from that tiny hole

Member

wanna catch the space herp

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Member

wanna catch the space herp

Member

wanna catch the space herp

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,

Mustang Master

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet

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