looking to put one or the other on my 4x4. what are the pros and cons of each? which would be best for my truck?

 

depends what you do with your 4x4. what size motor?

 

eventually 3" or 4" lift, high enough to cram 35's on it. 5.4 motor.

 

Well i'm partial to the Lightning swap. Roots style blower, OEM finish, can be done on a budget. The turbo would be my next choice if i had to do this again but do lots of research!!!! The procharger is a nice fit, finish easy true bolt-on but$$ and it has been debated weather or not its full potential is used by our trucks (4x4 heavy tugs). The roots or twinscrew blowers seem to come on hard with the torque at the lower rpms.. which is were i wanted it and i promise you won't be upset. I can white some these 35's from a slight roll..... The procharger comes on easy and climbs throughout the rpm range but really shines on the top end... which i don't visit while i'm pulling of cruzing. Ultimately its your choice and our opinions so get your facts and research together before you jump into anything. Contact Mike Dunn at Madenterprise.com and talk to him. He is a swell guy and can steer you in the right direction. If you just want opinions here's mine.
Lightning swap (great instant torque, tons of upgrades, OEM look)
Turbo (Love that whine, Much less loss, less parts(i think) and the new kid on the block(Crash))
Allen or Magnacharger (not sure about availability)
Procharger( great fit, finish, hp but $$$$ and not where i needed the punch)
Others i never considered include powerdyne and such but if you can find a deal on ANY blower assembly jump on it as anything is better than N/A!!! and you will always get help here! my $.02

edit: you might want to decide how much boost you want to run and then you can better decide which system suits you best. my opinion is to stay at about 10psi or lower for a reliable ride that will last on a N/A 5.4.
P.S. the lightning motors have lower compressio ratio that is why they can run more boost safely.

 

ive narrowed it down to either a kenne bell or one of crashs' turbo set ups. i want power as soon as i get on it.

 

Keep us updated no matter what you go with. Get Blown or go home!!!!!!!!!!!!

I assume the Lightning swap is out of the question? If so my vote is on the turbo!

 

I've got the Kenne Bell and love it! I'm runing 10# boost - plenty of power for my daily drive. I've not driven a turbo setup, but it sounds promising. They're right, the roots and twinscrews power comes on very quick. My 6000# 4x4 Supercrew best times at the track: 1.97 sec. 60', 9.11 1/8th mile, 14.2 1/4 mile. Racing is not what I bought the truck for, if that was the case I would have bought a used 2WD Sport short bed and installed a built engine and supercharged it! Good luck in your selection.

 

those tubros come on late, dont they? i was looking at a whipple. instant power and quieter than a kb. damn, so many decisions.

 

whipple is good but i don't know about availabilty. Running the right size Turbo will give instant response and torque**!

 

yeah, im gonna go with a turbo set up. just need to figure out whos gonna do it

 

I would go turbo, if price is not an issue. I had a 1988 Thunderbird Turbocoupe for a while, and it's pretty impressive for a 3700 lb. car to run high 15s with a 2.3 liter 4-cylinder, basically stock. When the turbo spools up and the boost comes on, it's an unreal feeling! I eventually hope to build me a modular motor turbo mustang. There is just something about the type of power the turbo produces. I just can't put it into words!

 

wwwwwwwwwwssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Turbochargers kick ***. My truck puts a smile on my face every time I hit 10psi

 

best of the best would be.....

Lightning swap that provides 4 or 5 different existing supercharger head unit options and will soon include a turbo option and the biggest and baddest dog on the block, the monster whipple 3.3 twinscrew, or

A twin turbo system (or a single turbo system that allowed for the upgrade to a second or twin turbo), or

A system you like and can afford.

 

Truest words spoken all day