Electric Superchargers ???
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From: Selden NY
Electric Superchargers ???
Hi All,
I know we were all making fun of one on e-bay yesterday. I know one brother listed this link as the real deal last night.
http://www.electricsupercharger.com/.../Autoframe.htm
"BUT" this Lightning owner can't help but say, Dam that may look stupid and sound ridicules, BUT IT'S A GREAT IDEA. Why not force a tremendous amount of air down the throat at wide-open throttle. We all know the basics of an engine. More air = more fuel = more Horse Power. I'm not quite sure where the more fuel factor will come from, "or" if the electronics of our engine will compensate for it that quickly, but according to the basic's, and their testing and dyno and 1/4 et numbers, this sucker will give you, 1 lb of extra boost, 5-15 extra Hp, and a better ET. All that for $299.00 doesn't sound that bad to this L owner, and if I can do all that without the hassles and risks that go alone with large bottom pulleys, like more custom chip work, more dyno work, burning up plugs and detonation, ATTENTION ALL TUNNERS,
lets jump on this and make it better.
Am I totally off base here ???
Check the vid on the link, this sucker got some ***** and it's easy as hell to hook up.
I know we were all making fun of one on e-bay yesterday. I know one brother listed this link as the real deal last night.
http://www.electricsupercharger.com/.../Autoframe.htm
"BUT" this Lightning owner can't help but say, Dam that may look stupid and sound ridicules, BUT IT'S A GREAT IDEA. Why not force a tremendous amount of air down the throat at wide-open throttle. We all know the basics of an engine. More air = more fuel = more Horse Power. I'm not quite sure where the more fuel factor will come from, "or" if the electronics of our engine will compensate for it that quickly, but according to the basic's, and their testing and dyno and 1/4 et numbers, this sucker will give you, 1 lb of extra boost, 5-15 extra Hp, and a better ET. All that for $299.00 doesn't sound that bad to this L owner, and if I can do all that without the hassles and risks that go alone with large bottom pulleys, like more custom chip work, more dyno work, burning up plugs and detonation, ATTENTION ALL TUNNERS,
lets jump on this and make it better.
Am I totally off base here ???
Check the vid on the link, this sucker got some ***** and it's easy as hell to hook up.
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From: NJ
From: http://corner-carvers.com/forums/sho...c+supercharger
Only two applications I could see that charger being usefull for on a vehicle:
1) Put it on a hose that leads to the airbox/filter to help draw in cool air
2) Put it on a hose, then split it and lead it to each rotor as a cooling duct, but do you want it on all the time? or just when you the brake pedal is depressed (which wouldn't help cooling when your not breaking)
I'll show you why, and this is the last I want to hear of electric superchargers for a very long time. Compressing air takes power, and flowing air takes power. With a real blower making 12-15psi of boost at high rpm, you have a very considerable amount power being used to supply those conditions across an adverse pressure gradient.
For the purposes of this example, I'm going to use a very conservative number of 20hp to compress and flow the air because even a number that low shows just how stupid this idea really is.
20hp is approximately 15,000 watts. To get 15,000 watts of electrical power out of your 12V electric system, you would draw 1250 amps. Good ****ing luck with that.
The current draw would be massive, the motor required would be massive and incredibly heavy, and you would have to find some way to run dangerous levels of electricity under your hood.
In short, it takes A LOT more power to supply the necessary volume of airflow against an adverse pressure gradient than people think. Even a hairdryer on crack doesn't have a chance.
For the purposes of this example, I'm going to use a very conservative number of 20hp to compress and flow the air because even a number that low shows just how stupid this idea really is.
20hp is approximately 15,000 watts. To get 15,000 watts of electrical power out of your 12V electric system, you would draw 1250 amps. Good ****ing luck with that.
The current draw would be massive, the motor required would be massive and incredibly heavy, and you would have to find some way to run dangerous levels of electricity under your hood.
In short, it takes A LOT more power to supply the necessary volume of airflow against an adverse pressure gradient than people think. Even a hairdryer on crack doesn't have a chance.
1) Put it on a hose that leads to the airbox/filter to help draw in cool air
2) Put it on a hose, then split it and lead it to each rotor as a cooling duct, but do you want it on all the time? or just when you the brake pedal is depressed (which wouldn't help cooling when your not breaking)
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From: Selden NY
I I Captain, You make a good point.
All you had to say was YES Rob, YOUR OFF BASE
Sounds like a touchy subject with you, I must have missed something ???
Not another word about it.
Actually I want to thank you for the info, you put it into perspective. It does seem like it would draw serious power from our electrical system. Did you see the sucker lift off like a helicopter. It aint doing that on a AA Battery.
All you had to say was YES Rob, YOUR OFF BASE
Sounds like a touchy subject with you, I must have missed something ???
Not another word about it.
Actually I want to thank you for the info, you put it into perspective. It does seem like it would draw serious power from our electrical system. Did you see the sucker lift off like a helicopter. It aint doing that on a AA Battery.
Last edited by Rob_02Lightning; Aug 4, 2002 at 11:05 AM.
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From: NJ
Sounds like a touchy subject with you, I must have missed something ???
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From: Bellevue, WA
Product works...
This product will work....
Now for the caveats:
Notice on their site if your engine is >5.0L you need at least 2 fans. You're up to 100A/12V of current. If you think of it simply, a stock lightning is really equivilent to a 8.0L engine (in terms of air usage.
SO, you need three fans, 150A/12V to produce 1psi. Thats a HELL of a lot of current. and not much benefit (just throw an upper pulley on it...
Now for the caveats:
Notice on their site if your engine is >5.0L you need at least 2 fans. You're up to 100A/12V of current. If you think of it simply, a stock lightning is really equivilent to a 8.0L engine (in terms of air usage.
SO, you need three fans, 150A/12V to produce 1psi. Thats a HELL of a lot of current. and not much benefit (just throw an upper pulley on it...
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From: CORAL SPRINGS, FL. USA
Captain--just curious to know how you came up with 20 as the h.P. figure for the parasitic drag for an electric blower. I could see 10-20 h.p. max on a conventional blower, but an electric blower wouldn't need anywhere near that figure. (isn't that why we convert to electric fans and waterpumps??) The efficiency (as far as parasitic drag is concerned) on an electric motor is far less than that of a belt driven, high mass accessory, isn't it? I do believe these small dynamos do have their benefit with some engines, though they should fall short with a production v-8. I also agree that sticking one of these somewhere in front of your air box could prove beneficial. They do look neat!
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From: NJ
Originally posted by Mondo1
Captain--just curious to know how you came up with 20 as the h.P. figure for the parasitic drag for an electric blower.
Captain--just curious to know how you came up with 20 as the h.P. figure for the parasitic drag for an electric blower.
Actually I didn't come up with any of those figures. It was all done by Nick @ corner-carvers.com. Follow the link in my first post in this thread, it has more information.
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Originally posted by Mondo1
Captain--just curious to know how you came up with 20 as the h.P. figure for the parasitic drag for an electric blower. I could see 10-20 h.p. max on a conventional blower, but an electric blower wouldn't need anywhere near that figure. (isn't that why we convert to electric fans and waterpumps??) The efficiency (as far as parasitic drag is concerned) on an electric motor is far less than that of a belt driven, high mass accessory, isn't it? I do believe these small dynamos do have their benefit with some engines, though they should fall short with a production v-8. I also agree that sticking one of these somewhere in front of your air box could prove beneficial. They do look neat!
Captain--just curious to know how you came up with 20 as the h.P. figure for the parasitic drag for an electric blower. I could see 10-20 h.p. max on a conventional blower, but an electric blower wouldn't need anywhere near that figure. (isn't that why we convert to electric fans and waterpumps??) The efficiency (as far as parasitic drag is concerned) on an electric motor is far less than that of a belt driven, high mass accessory, isn't it? I do believe these small dynamos do have their benefit with some engines, though they should fall short with a production v-8. I also agree that sticking one of these somewhere in front of your air box could prove beneficial. They do look neat!
The reason a electric fan is more efficient for your radiator is that the load essentially stops after you get moving unlike a mech fan which needlessly uses power all the time because its direct coupled to engine RPM. Once you get moving air is blown through the radiator just by goin forward and the fan more or less freewheels or turns off all together. Also the main losses in a mech fan is the fan clutch, so as a system they are much less efficient than a electric setup. (However obviously the fan clutch is needed to "sorta" allow the freewheeling effect I mentioned. Fuel economey would really suffer with no clutch)
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From: Houston, TX
There is not way this can physically work... It is not compressing air to build boots just blowing it into the intak, further more there is not any pressure for it to work against... Just another scam. I have seen these things being sold to suckers on ebay for 100.00 or better... One born every min.