The late-model Ford camp is a spoiled bunch. With so many power-hungry Blue Oval enthusiasts out there, turnkey kits run aplenty for everything from exhaust systems to clutches to door panel replacements to body moldings. The only way things could get any easier is if the blister packs automatically opened on their own upon arrival. The same goes for aftermarket supercharger kits. There’s one available for just about every late-model Ford built in the last 30 years. Granted that these kits are extremely comprehensive and include every nut and bolt required for boosted glory, greedy hot rodders inevitably end up pushing them beyond the manufacturer-set boost levels. We’re all for such antics, but doing so requires making some upgrades to the existing hardware. Perhaps you’ll need to get a bigger intercooler, add a blow-off valve, upgrade the belts and pulleys, or install some gauges to monitor all the madness. To help guide you through the process, we’ve compiled a handy buyer’s guide for some of the most popular supercharger accessory upgrades on the market.
Bypass Valves from ProCharger
While it’s true that the impeller wheel in a belt-driven supercharger doesn’t freewheel independently of engine rpm as with a turbocharger, certain supercharged applications still require a bypass valve. During high-rpm, low-load operating conditions, the supercharger continues spinning up substantial boost levels even though the throttle-body blade is only partially open. The supercharger has no way of knowing that the throttle blade is nearly closed. This forces air back toward the impeller wheel, resulting in compressor surge. To prevent the accelerated impeller or bearing wear that would ensue, installing a bypass valve between the supercharger and the throttle-body relieves excess boost pressure by venting into the atmosphere. ProCharger recommends installing bypass valves in any application exceeding eight psi of boost. The company offers poppet-style Race bypass valve for engines exceeding 750 hp as well as butterfly-style valves for applications producing 750 hp or less.
Gear Drives from Chassisworks
Cogged supercharger belts can hold loads up to 2,000 hp, but once exceeding that figure, you better get yourself a gear-drive system. By driving the supercharger directly off the crank through a series of gears, belt slippage is now a thing of the past. Having no belts also means that it’s impossible to throw off a belt in the event of a misfire. Furthermore, gear drives eliminate side loads off of the crank snout, thus relieving main bearing loads and reducing parasitic power loss as well. Mounting the supercharger directly in front of the engine with a gear-drive system makes it possible to feed cool ambient air into the supercharger inlet. To meet the voracious appetite of the late-model Ford market, Chris Alston’s Chassisworks has launched a new line of billet aluminum gear-drive assemblies for small-block Windsor, big-block 429/460, and modular engines. Whether you’re running a Vortech, a ProCharger or a Paxton blower, Chassisworks has gear-drive systems for mounting single- or twin head units. Highlights include a quick-change gear set, a multitude of drive ratios, self-contained oiling, and accessory drives for fuel pumps, oil pumps, magnetos, and distributors.
Couplers from Race Part Solutions
Although V-band clamps offer the ultimate in leak-free performance, sometimes a little bit of flex in the intercooler piping is desirable. With an intercooler that’s firmly affixed to the chassis, as the engine deflects from side to side on the motor mounts under load, it can place tremendous stress on the intercooler mounts and joints. This isn’t always a big deal on a race car, but street cars that see continuous acceleration and deceleration can benefit from joining the intercooler piping with several couplers. Anyone that’s built a custom supercharger or turbocharger setup is probably already familiar with Race Part Solutions. The company makes every single custom fabrication component you will ever need, including a full line of silicone couplers. They boast three-ply construction for strength and high temperature resistance, and they’re available in a variety of diameters and lengths.
Pulleys from Vortech
Factory boost is fun, but getting greedy is far more entertaining. Vortech manufactures turnkey supercharger kits for just about every late-model Mustang ever built, and sets them up at safe, pump-gas-friendly boost levels. However, for those that can foot the bill for forged internals and race gas, ordering up some more boost with smaller blower pulleys is just a phone call away. For example, Vortech offers supercharger pulleys ranging from 3.60- to 2.70 inches for 2011-2014 Mustang GTs. Since higher supercharger rpm puts more load on the belts, Vortech also offers an eight-rib upgrade kit that includes a new crank pulley, alternator pulley, water pump pulley, idlers, and all mounting hardware. The two additional ribs reduce belt slip and increases maximum belt load by 33 percent.
Boost Controllers from NLR Systems
Advancements in suspension technology and tire compounds have played a pivotal role in small-tire drag racing, but the big boost crowd wouldn’t be running nearly as fast without being able to effectively manage horsepower with a state-of-the-art boost controller. Since turbo guys shouldn’t have all the fun, savvy racers that prefer superchargers figured out how to integrate wastegates and boost controllers into their engine combos as well. NLR Systems’ AMS-1000 set the gold standard for boost controllers over the last several years, but now the company is upping the ante with the new AMS-2000. With the base model, racers can control boost based on 10 different control strategies such as engine rpm, time, air/fuel ratio, mph, air temperature, shaft rpm, and throttle-position. It also includes six data-logging channels. Upgrading to the AMS-2000 Pro adds a g-meter, and increases the data logging channels to 36. Racers can also switch between five different tunes using a selector switch.
Intercoolers from Garrett
No matter how efficient a supercharger may be, simple physics dictates that air temperature increases any time it is compressed. Since lower inlet air temperature makes it possible to run more boost and timing, and hence make more horsepower, intercoolers are essential for optimizing forced-induction performance. As an OE supplier for companies such as Ford SVT and Saleen, Garrett knows its stuff when it comes to intercooling. The company brings this same level of expertise to the aftermarket with a complete menu of universal air-to-air and air-to-water intercooler cores. To provide superior cooling and fatigue protection for today’s high-boost applications, Garrett intercooler cores are built from high-strength brazen aluminum alloys. Likewise, they boast sophisticated tube and fin designs to enhance heat transfer and durability. With cores capable of supporting over 1,200 hp, Garret offers in a broad variety of sizes and hp capacities for just about any application conceivable.
Wide-Band Gauges from AEM
Under relaxed cruising conditions or on the dyno, a wideband oxygen sensor is a great tool for monitoring the air/fuel ratio. However, at WOT or during the heat of competition, a driver has more important things to focus on other than the gauges. To address this inconvenient reality, AEM has developed a very clever solution with its Wideband Failsafe gauge. In addition to displaying both the air/fuel ratio and boost pressure, AEM’s Failsafe gauge can be programmed to cut engine revs, retard ignition timing, or reduce boost pressure if the air/fuel ratio falls outside a user-defined operating window. The gauge can be programmed with a laptop using AEM’s supplied software, which can also be used to access the gauge’s internal data logger.
Methanol Injection Kits from Snow Performance
Real street cars don’t have the luxury of running on race gas, but that shouldn’t spoil your fun. Methanol injection is one of the most proven methods in the book for increasing the threshold of detonation. Injecting a mixture of methanol and water directly into the supercharger discharge piping dramatically lowers inlet air temperature, which has a similar effect to increasing fuel octane. This allows running more boost and timing, which equates to huge increases in horsepower. While running meth-water injection once required rigging a hacked up DIY systems together, thanks to Snow Performance those days are over. The company offers methanol injection kits for just about every Ford gasoline and diesel application imaginable. These systems include a storage reservoir, water pump, injection nozzles, high-pressure hoses, and all necessary fittings. Stage 1 kits are actuated with a pressure switch, while Stage 2 and Stage 3 kits feature electronic methanol actuation controllers.
Gear Drives from ATF Speed
Racers tend to be a monkey-see-monkey-do kind of crowd, which is another way of saying that they only like spending their hard-earned money on race-proven parts. That’s precisely the case with ATF Speed’s supercharger gear-drive assemblies, which racers have relied upon to win multiple NMRA and NMCA class championships as well as set records. Beautifully carved from billet aluminum, the most noticeable and coolest feature is how ATF integrates its gear drive assembly into a motor plate. Available for small-block Fords running ProCharger or Vortech superchargers, the ATF gear drive features proprietary rubber damper drive inserts, and chromemoly gears in ratios up to 3.0:1. It also has provisions for easily mounting fuel pumps, alternators, and vacuum pumps.
Roots Blower Manifolds from Good Vibrations
Despite the advantages in adiabatic efficiency centrifugal superchargers offer, to many traditionalists the only real supercharger is a good ol’ Roots-style huffer sticking up through the hood. Due to the popularity of centrifugal blowers, the problem is that it’s awfully tough to find turnkey 6-71 or 8-71 kits for Ford engines, especially for big-blocks. Tracking down a blower intake manifold is half the battle of piecing together a Roots-style supercharger system, and fortunately, fans of the 429/460 big-block can now order one up from Good Vibrations Motorsports. Designed for factory-style Cobra Jet cylinder heads, the cast Good Vibrations manifold accepts a supercharger as large as an 8-71. Other features include a tented floor for improved fuel distribution, a factory-style water outlet, and provisions for a bust panel and port nozzles.
Elbows from Vibrant Performance
If you’re upgrading to a larger intercooler, there’s a good chance that it will require reconfiguring the supercharger discharge tubing. Whether your setup calls for larger tubing, re-routing the tubing or both, Vibrant Performance has you covered with a catalog full of 90- and 45-degree silicone elbows. They feature four-ply reinforced construction for durability, and have burst strength ratings of up to 100 psi. In setups that require increasing or decreasing the tubing diameter, Vibrant offers elbow reducers as well. With your choice of blue, red or black silicone, you can dial in just the right amount of bling as well.
Visit www.vibrantperformance.com; Vibrant Performance; 905-564-2808
Heat Exchangers from AFCO
In an air-to-water intercooler setup, water passing through intercooler core serves as the cooling medium for the air intake charge. While packing the water tank full of ice works great in a drag car, street cars need a separate heat exchanger to cool the water flowing through the intercooler core back down. Think of them as radiators for the intercooler system, so in essence an air-to-water intercooler actually functions as an air-to-water-to-air intercooler. As no surprise, Ford utilizes this same arrangement in its stock air-to-water intercooler systems for ’03-’04 Cobras, ’07- and up GT500s, and ’99-’04 Lightning pickups. While the stock heat exchangers in these cars are perfectly suitable for stock hp levels, they can get overworked very quickly once cranking up the boost. That’s not a problem anymore thanks to AFCO’s oversized heat exchangers. They offer up to a 350 percent increase in surface area, and are built from TIG-welded aluminum for lightweight and leak-free performance. Despite their larger size, AFCO’s heat exchangers are a direct bolt-in upgrade, and are available with optional electric fan kits to further enhance cooling. The AFCO upgrade also works well in some aftermarket applications like the Ford Racing/Whipple, Roush, and Kenne Bell systems as well as some centrifugal blower applications that use a street-type air-to-water cooler.
Visit www.AFCOracing.com; AFCO; 800-632-2320