Whippled Lightning
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From: VA
You guys make it sound like half of the KB's out there are locking up. We have a very tight group of Lightnings in the eastern VA area. 5 of us have KB's and none of us have had a blower problem. I know it's only 5 of us but for someone to come on this board and read this thread, they would think at least one out of every 5 blowers will lock up. I think you hear alot about the small percentage of failures and very little about high percentage of great running ones. I can't wait til we actually get more power adder options out there. It can only make our hobby better.
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Joined: May 2002
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From: The People's Republic of Los Angeles
Okay. After reading Jim's post, I would like to change my statement.
I said: ""There have been several reports of KB failures. I can't help but suspect that the case design is playing a part in them."
I should have said: "There have been several reports of KB failures. The cast case has a design flaw in that it cannot, as KB itself admits, handle the stress of relatively high, but reasonable and foreseeable, temperatures. Others have failed even with semi-closed airboxes that have been conclusively proven to supply near-ambient intake temperatures when the vehicle is moving."
I said: ""There have been several reports of KB failures. I can't help but suspect that the case design is playing a part in them."
I should have said: "There have been several reports of KB failures. The cast case has a design flaw in that it cannot, as KB itself admits, handle the stress of relatively high, but reasonable and foreseeable, temperatures. Others have failed even with semi-closed airboxes that have been conclusively proven to supply near-ambient intake temperatures when the vehicle is moving."
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From: jersey
Steve A. (nineseclightnin) 
Once again you have put forth less than anything vital or relatively interesting to a post here other than the bile falling out of your pie hole. Nobody here gives a ***** what you have to say since your posts are ALWAYS negative or you are putting someon down.
Every now and then you gotta thin the heard so why dont you take one for the team and go play in traffic or something!
- YOU SIR ARE A TOOL -
Once again you have put forth less than anything vital or relatively interesting to a post here other than the bile falling out of your pie hole. Nobody here gives a ***** what you have to say since your posts are ALWAYS negative or you are putting someon down.
Every now and then you gotta thin the heard so why dont you take one for the team and go play in traffic or something!
- YOU SIR ARE A TOOL -
Suspended
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 624
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From: Raleigh, NC
Funny how the third blower they ever made (Arthur's) hasn't failed, mine hasn't failed, I know 12 other people who own KB's and none of them failed. But, I have read on here how two or three people have had 3-4 failures each... Just some food for thought when arguing this. We are a close community so all failures of the KB's hit this board... I truely believe that their failure rate is the same as other blower company, but that is just my thoughts and beliefs... Mine may seize up tomorrow, but I think I own a great product and I think it was well worth my money.
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KB failure
Originally Posted by 35thPony
Funny how the third blower they ever made (Arthur's) hasn't failed, mine hasn't failed, I know 12 other people who own KB's and none of them failed. Mine may seize up tomorrow, but I think I own a great product and I think it was well worth my money.
I haven't made a post in a while but the KB does have issues, 2 out of 5 people i know have had a KB failure.
It either locks up or makes a sick noise that sounds like severe pinging or ticking like something is touching inside of the casting while spinning.
Not that i'm to happy with my MP either, which in FL is hitting 14#'s at WOT
in 90 degree heat,but atleast its reliable for now.
I would like a single turbo conversion,
and a 6 speed too
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Bahrain
Originally Posted by 8UR LS1
I haven't made a post in a while but the KB does have issues, 2 out of 5 people i know have had a KB failure.
It either locks up or makes a sick noise that sounds like severe pinging or ticking like something is touching inside of the casting while spinning.
Not that i'm to happy with my MP either, which in FL is hitting 14#'s at WOT
in 90 degree heat,but atleast its reliable for now.
I would like a single turbo conversion,
and a 6 speed too
It either locks up or makes a sick noise that sounds like severe pinging or ticking like something is touching inside of the casting while spinning.
Not that i'm to happy with my MP either, which in FL is hitting 14#'s at WOT
in 90 degree heat,but atleast its reliable for now.
I would like a single turbo conversion,
and a 6 speed too
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Joined: May 2003
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Originally Posted by nineseclightnin
For those of you genII owners that obviously dont know anything more than what you read on the internet or hear from your favorite tuner, let me shed some light on superchargers for you.
Paxton, Vortech and Procharger just to name a few fought these battles years ago and guess what? they are still in business selling plenty of product with an acceptable rate of failures in their units. Its called business and you factor in failure rates when you price your unit. If you think for one minute that whipple hasnt done the same thing with their new blower, your wrong.
You dont see this failure with the Eaton for one simple reason, its a mass produced blower for Ford that had to be approved by design and stress engineers to last atleast up the the 3yr 36k mile warranty and it is built so loose that you gotta spin the chit out of them to make alot of useable boost. Spin the KB at the same RPM and you will make a ton more power.
Aftermarket blowers are just that, aftermarket. For the most part Vortech, Paxton and Procharger have laid off eachother because they realize that there is enough business for all. KB has sold thousands of Lightning/Cobra blowers and whipple has sold what? 4?
You guys bicker like children off their meds, and its more entertaining when you just follow the leader or spout out information that you just heard somewhere as factual. Grow up, get a 351, put a cent or turbo on it and **** for $ucks sake.
Still sell caltracs Sal?
Steve A.
Paxton, Vortech and Procharger just to name a few fought these battles years ago and guess what? they are still in business selling plenty of product with an acceptable rate of failures in their units. Its called business and you factor in failure rates when you price your unit. If you think for one minute that whipple hasnt done the same thing with their new blower, your wrong.
You dont see this failure with the Eaton for one simple reason, its a mass produced blower for Ford that had to be approved by design and stress engineers to last atleast up the the 3yr 36k mile warranty and it is built so loose that you gotta spin the chit out of them to make alot of useable boost. Spin the KB at the same RPM and you will make a ton more power.
Aftermarket blowers are just that, aftermarket. For the most part Vortech, Paxton and Procharger have laid off eachother because they realize that there is enough business for all. KB has sold thousands of Lightning/Cobra blowers and whipple has sold what? 4?
You guys bicker like children off their meds, and its more entertaining when you just follow the leader or spout out information that you just heard somewhere as factual. Grow up, get a 351, put a cent or turbo on it and **** for $ucks sake.
Still sell caltracs Sal?
Steve A.
You call Jim @ JDM yet??? He's STILL waiting for you call....
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Delcambre, La
Originally Posted by 31Charlie
When he said "hot air kits" I take it he means the open filter cases that draw air from the engine bay, and not the enclosed ones that suck from the wheel and under the bumper?
31C
31C
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From: Greater Boston
hmmm
kb tells you no filter kits or you void your warranty.
magnum tells you to use a filter kit.
can't wait to see what the Whipple kit says.
If you ask me......something as simple as using a filter kit is all it takes to wreck a blower.....it's poorly designed. I don't care how much power it makes.
I wonder how much of a difference the intake temps are between say us guys up here in New England, or say the upper midwest.........and say guys down in texas or arizona.
I would think if i was running an open air cleaner during one of our hotter days.......85ish...........
the temp would be somewhat close to a guy down in the south with even a stock kit........where it's 95ish.
Wouldn't you say the stock plastic filter case , maf and boot retain some heat so even if it is not sucking heat right off the engine, it's still getting warm???
I'm sure someone has data logged this at some point?
magnum tells you to use a filter kit.
can't wait to see what the Whipple kit says.
If you ask me......something as simple as using a filter kit is all it takes to wreck a blower.....it's poorly designed. I don't care how much power it makes.
I wonder how much of a difference the intake temps are between say us guys up here in New England, or say the upper midwest.........and say guys down in texas or arizona.
I would think if i was running an open air cleaner during one of our hotter days.......85ish...........
the temp would be somewhat close to a guy down in the south with even a stock kit........where it's 95ish.
Wouldn't you say the stock plastic filter case , maf and boot retain some heat so even if it is not sucking heat right off the engine, it's still getting warm???
I'm sure someone has data logged this at some point?
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,027
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From: Webster, TX
Originally Posted by tallimeca
kb tells you no filter kits or you void your warranty.
magnum tells you to use a filter kit.
can't wait to see what the Whipple kit says.
If you ask me......something as simple as using a filter kit is all it takes to wreck a blower.....it's poorly designed. I don't care how much power it makes.
I wonder how much of a difference the intake temps are between say us guys up here in New England, or say the upper midwest.........and say guys down in texas or arizona.
I would think if i was running an open air cleaner during one of our hotter days.......85ish...........
the temp would be somewhat close to a guy down in the south with even a stock kit........where it's 95ish.
Wouldn't you say the stock plastic filter case , maf and boot retain some heat so even if it is not sucking heat right off the engine, it's still getting warm???
I'm sure someone has data logged this at some point?
magnum tells you to use a filter kit.
can't wait to see what the Whipple kit says.
If you ask me......something as simple as using a filter kit is all it takes to wreck a blower.....it's poorly designed. I don't care how much power it makes.
I wonder how much of a difference the intake temps are between say us guys up here in New England, or say the upper midwest.........and say guys down in texas or arizona.
I would think if i was running an open air cleaner during one of our hotter days.......85ish...........
the temp would be somewhat close to a guy down in the south with even a stock kit........where it's 95ish.
Wouldn't you say the stock plastic filter case , maf and boot retain some heat so even if it is not sucking heat right off the engine, it's still getting warm???
I'm sure someone has data logged this at some point?
Yeah, if I went into the desert where the ambient air tempature approached 120F, is it going to cause the KB blower to seize?
Come-on. Aluminum expands as kelvin increases, but it doesn't expand THAT much*, or at least I should say, the unit should have been engineered with the proper tolerences to accomodate for various operating conditions, if heat variances are indeed the root cause of failure. Air cooled aluminum and steel based engines, such as motorcycle or airplane engines have pretty tight tolerances and their operating temprature range can vary as much as almost 200F. My 1979 Honda CR250 Elsinore w/ aluminum cyl/air cooled has never seized up because I ran it on a extremely hot day.
How in the hell are KB applications going to be able to flow the CFM's required at high boost levels with the stock shrouded airbox? It would seem the company expects you to use it with their blower to retain the warranty.
*Aluminum CTE=approx 12.44E-6 in/in/deg f
Assume a 1.00" piece of aluminum is heated from 20F to 120F. The the 1.00" long piece at 20 deg, will be 1.00124 at 120 deg F.
Last edited by Master Of Pain; Jul 8, 2005 at 10:18 AM.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 384
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From: Orange, CA
Originally Posted by tallimeca
can't wait to see what the Whipple kit says.
Originally Posted by Whipple's Website
The upgrade system includes a new large mouth inlet casting, high flow cold air intake system and all the necessary parts for an easy installation.
