Originally posted by Oeneus:
Ok, so you are going to supercharge your engine and you plan on running around 5-8 psi. Sounds like a fun car . So lets say you build your system, set it at 8psi and you dyno 175 whp. Good for you. What if it is only at 165? 155? 145? Could happen.


Actually, 165 at the wheels would be quite decent if I've only got like 6 PSI. If it's only 145 I'll figure something might be wrong, or lame, and I'll have plenty of tinkering to keep me occupied. I probably won't go as high as 8 PSI.

Originally posted by Oeneus:
Then what? You need to run higher psi with a supercharger to reach your hp goals compared to a turbo.


I don't really have a goal of a specific horsepower level. I suspect that 175 is about the most I can shoot for, unless I do head work or other expensive things of that sort, which I doubt I will; the danger of ever reaching 200 is probably nonexistent.

My purpose is to test out an unconventional approach to forced induction. This approach does not involve the large power penalty of a belt-driven supercharger, so the gains per HP would be similar to a turbo.

Originally posted by Oeneus:
It could very well be possible with proper tuning. So how do you plan on tuning it? Standalone? Too expensive. Custom Superchip? If it works, awesome. You also need to beef up your fuel system a lot.


I am planning on a custom chip, because it's something I'd probably buy anyway even if I didn't do this project. And the other conversations here seem to indicate to me that the stock fuel system will work at this level.

Originally posted by Oeneus:
Let's say you make it to 175. You do all your maintenence ahead of schedule, you baby your tranny. Then one day your friend (wife, kid, co-worker, fellow CEG'er) borrows your car, puts in some 87 octane...
Or you are trying to impress some chick next to you at the light...
It's 120 in AZ and you need to fill up at "Joe's Discount Gazz" 100mi from the next station...
"8psi seems ok, let's try 9..."

That $800 you saved just went to replacing your blown motor. And you still have no intercooler.


Most of these situations are ones I feel comfortable being responsible for avoiding. And an intercooler might help these situations, but I bet even with an intercooler these situations would still be risky.

I do have to sometimes deal with remote 87-only gas stations... I've carried octane booser juice sometimes, but this doesn't do enough, maybe I need to stash a couple gallons of methanol or something.

Originally posted by Oeneus:
There is a difference between saving money and cutting corners. Saving money is good. Cutting corners is bad. If money is so tight, that you can't buy a intercooler, what happens when you blow the engine?


Actually, this engine has already blown once, stock. That's how I got into modding in the first place, in fact; I found CEG when looking for repair help, and got the infection. That particular failure shouldn't recur, the way we fixed it.

I know there's a risk, but it's something enough people successfully do that I don't think the risk is unacceptable. One has to be willing to take some risk to consider any FI project, right?

Originally posted by Oeneus:
I will build my first FI system when I can afford to build the system and buy a new motor. There is a reason that factory turbos have low compression AND intercoolers. And don't say "But it's not a turbo" because from the throttle body back, its all the same to your engine.

Or just build the darn thing and see who's right. Can you afford to take that chance?


Yes, I can.

Or maybe I'll monkey up some kinda simple air-to-air cooler that will do a partial job.