I'm going to ask a question that's probably going to tick a lot of people off, and that's what I'm hoping for. In this way you can give me some logical replys telling me how I'm wrong. That way I'll feel more secure for when I decide to go ahead and order a supercharger for my own truck. Well here goes;

What makes eveyone think that you can just add a supercharger giving you an increase of 75+ horsepower with at least that much additional torque and not suffer any reprocussions. If it was that easy why didn't the Engineers at SVT just decide to do that with their Lightning. Obviously there had to be a reason for them to decide to beef up the stock block as well as put in a heavier duty Trans. Look, FoMoCo. is just like every other buisness. Dollars and cents is their bottom line. They wouldn't put any thing in that wasn't necessary. Their had to be a reason for them to invest the extra money. I'm just wondering if we all know something that they don't?
Well I hope to hear some justifiable explanations. Take it easy on me though.

 

Well, I'm certianly no expert, but I have some free time so here is my opinion:
Ford did what they did with the Lightning because they have to sell and warranty the vehicles. Sure they know what happends when you supercharge an engine. They design the Lightning to operate in a higher operating range.
I think that is the key word for us. Operating range.
Ford doesn't design our trucks to operate in a small operating range. People use these trucks for all sorts of things. They need to be able to hold up to what the owners need them for. We need to buy a truck that will be able to perform properly, without falling apart, the tasks we have for it. So we have a decent line up to choose from.
The superchargers we are adding have been designed and tested on stock vehicles so they will work within the operating range. Perhaps a supercharger will make the vehicle operate higher in the range, but generally not beyond it. There is a risk when installing this type of mod. If we don't choose the right supercharger for our application then we may exceede the operating range. We also need to be careful when modding the supercharger (pullies, ect.). It may be neccessary to upgrade certian componants.
You have a valid question. I think that all the supercharged people have thought the same thing. Bottom line is, supercharging has been around for some time. There have been many before us that have made mistakes for us to learn from. We will run into a few of our own too. Many of these F150's have been supercharged without any problems. I think that if you go with a reputable supercharger and know that the truck, in stock trim, has it's limits, then it is safe for the truck.
Bla, bla, bla.
Ok, I'm done!

 

Hi Wittom,
You certainly make a good point. I guess it's just that I'm a little nervous about doing such a drastic thing. A question for you thogh. I see from your your script that you decided on the Magnacharger. How do you you like it and what made you decide on that particular brand. I'm kind of torn between going with the Magnacharger and the ATI. Each seem to have their strong points. Some people told me that since I have a 4x4 Magnacharger would be best since it gives you more torque on the lower end where you need it. Others have said the ATI is very comparable and you wont see a difference in the lower end and you'll get a lot more power in the higher range. I'm not looking for a track truck just something with normal driveability but has the power when needed. Not really looking to go nuts with all kind of future mods to it either.

 

Ray Cee,
More important than my response, is a response from Crash!. He has far more experiance with superchargers on these trucks and these trucks in general. His experiances supercharging these trucks says a lot.

I chose the Magnacharger because I thought that it would be the most reliable. I was thinking I would go with the Procharger but I hadn't heard as much about ATI. Like I said earlier, I was concerned with what supercharging this 4.6 might do. The Magnacharger has the Eaton compressor and Magnason has been doing these kits for some time. I have since learned more about ATI, mostly from this site. In hind site, I think the Procharger would have been just as reliable.
I am quite pleased with the Magnacharger. It has increased the power out put of this truck conciderably. This turck is such a blast to drive but there is room for improvement. I hope to upgrade the pully (and plug wires and injectors ect.) soon. This stuff gets pretty expensive!
As far as choosing the supercharger for your needs, first of all, stick around here. Ask many questions, of everyone. There are many people here using many different makes. Also, look out for posts by Crash! ( you might also want to read some of the older threads) as his experiance has helped out many of us.
I too have heard that the Magnacharger works well on the 4X4's. If thats the one you go with , you wont be dissapointed!

Good luck and have fun!

 

Haha, thats a classic line

 

RayCee,

You are right. The more mods you add the harder it is on the powertrain. Look at my sig. to see what I have done. I push my truck harder than anyone. With my 97 and 00 combined I have blown 4 trannies, 3 differentials. bent 2 frames.

Could you emagine the damage I could do with a blower. I find it hard to believe that Crash with a stick and a blower hasen't left parts on the road..... Crash you must not be pushing it hard enough. As far as the engine internals go they will stand up to quite a bit before they self-distruct. Now if you add a blower and parts start falling off it is your own fault. Pick them up and replace them with beefier ones. Windsor 4.6 engines would be preferred over Romeo.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

The truth is these motors are not made for supercharging. Sure you can put one on like I did and may never see a problem. But if you constantly run the ***** out of it then it will only be a matter of time before it lets go. My 85000 mile motor is currently on its last leg because of the superchager setup that I have. I will however be installing a stroker kit this fall with all forged internals and a steel crank.

 

If you run the ***** out of any vehicle, supercharged or not, you will accelerate wear. This hold true for all machines.

I don't have the details to pass on to you but there was a Bently running 27.5psi that placed fourth in the 24 hour Lemans race. I will get more details when I have more time.

I agree that these motors are not "made" to be supercharged. If done properly they can run out thier entire life with a supercharger. The biggest problem is that when we bolt a supercharger on there we tend to drive more aggressively. We have to remember that there are limits that are easier to reach when supercharged.

 

Alright guys, I'm kind of getting mixed messages here. Is what your saying that as long as you dont constantly beat the hell out of the truck it will hold up? Or do you believe that by SC'ing your definetly increasing your chances of doing some major damage? I like the idea of the supercharger but don't feel like dropping another 30k in the next year or two for a new vehicle. Mine is a little over 4 years old with only 18,000 babied miles on it, so I was hoping that I'd get bored with it before it died.

Gorp, is yours on your last leg because of the Charger or because you like to get on it. Was your setup the basic package or did you juice the hell out of it.

JMC, 4 trannies, 3 diiferentials, and 2 bent frames? You don't need a supercharger, you need a TANK

 

RayCee,
I agree, it is kind of confusing. I think when you modify something you are increasing the risk of failure. Now the percentage of risk would be determined by driving habits. That doesn't mean that we bolt on a supercharger and never use it because something might break. Ford builds a pretty strong truck. I think it can handle a good bit of abuse.
Some people buy a vehicle and drive it. They never think twice about what is going on with all the different systems involved in propelling the vehicle. I think if we are going to modify a vehicle, then we better think about what it is doing. I've had vehicles that I didn't even open the hood on. I brought it in for service, and let them check it out. Now, being supercharged, I check under the hood regularly. I take a look at the undercarrage. I listen for any "new" unusual noise, and tune in to the "feel".
I think that modifying means making a commitment to our vehicle. We "need" to pay attention.
It's a tough decision to make. There are no guarantees. I realize that and keep it in mind every time I drive. If I break something I might kick myself for supercharging. I will have to fix it though. If I don't have the money at the time then the truck will sit untill I do. It's when things break when we know that thoes parts need to be stronger.
I expect to get at least another 30k trouble free miles with this truck. Then I think I will try to get a stronger motor in there so I can push it harder.
Take your time and weigh it all out. Are you willing to make that kind of commitment? I was. If my motor blows today it wouldn't be a complete loss. I've had the chance to experiance a supercharged engine. You know, I don't know if I would ever want to be N/A again!

Good luck!

 

Fact is that the majority of mods will increase the chances of something letting loose, regardless of the type of mod.

It's a chance we all take any time we start tweaking things. There is the initial cost and initial payoff of increased performance.

Even something such as a pulley set on a NA truck causes some greater chance of a tranny or other driveline failure. But then again so does a chip, an exhaust, an intake, etc. You don't see a lot of high mile blower engines, and there is a reason for it.