W.O.M.P. Supercharger Kit
Powerdyne BD-11a Supercharger w/ 1yr factory warranty
BEGi FMU
custom mounting brackets and pulley
mandrel bent aluminum piping
silicone hose w/ reducers
t-bolt clamps
high flow conical air filter
Bosch bypass (recirc) valve
slim-line fan
All associated nuts/bolts/connectors/wire ties/washers/etc.

Now some explanations.

#1. Why I chose a centrifugal blower over a roots blower.

I originally started this project with an Eaton M62 that I was going to mount above the exhaust manifold and just fabricate a discharge chute for the compressed air. This idea was doomed from the start. There are numerous reasons why I stayed away from the roots blower on this application. I'll just hit the highlights.

*excessive heat, cutting and splicing of critical engine harnesses, TB relocation, compressor location not ideal, not cosmetically pleasing, lack of ability to create higher boost pressures, sheer weight, etc. *

I knew a centrifugal blower would be a better design for this vehicle because of it's more compact design, ease of installation, greater power produced (more scalable), nicer appearance, etc. The roots blowers are INSANELY cheap....don't think I didn't try to make it work. In the end practicality won out over thriftiness.

#2. Why I chose the Powerdyne Supercharger for this kit.

Originally I didn't! This has been an evolving process and I've done my best to inform everyone along the way of obsticles I've faced and what I've done to overcome them. One of those obsticles was to make sure I could design something simple enough for a shade-tree mechanic with basic handtools to be able to install this in their driveway without modification. This means no taping of the oil pan, no welding, no cutting metal , etc. I knew that I wanted a "self-contained" blower. The only two self-contained blowers I have found are Powerdyne and ATI's Procharger. I LOVE the procharger. It is an amazing unit and very possibly the best supercharger on the market today. However, procharger doesn't feel that there is any money to be made supporting the Protege community and was unwilling to negotiate with me at all on pricing. Just their headunit cost me $2100. This is obviously pricing me out of my target price. I continued looking. A friend of mine who is a semi-pro drag racer turned me on to Powerdyne. He has a 5.0L mustang with a powerdyne blower and after talking with him about it and driving the car and hearing it (or not!) I was sold. The powerdyne blower has a few advantages over other superchargers. They are self-contained so there is no oil lines or coolant lines used. They are less expensive than a similar Procharger blower. They are internally belt-driven, not gear driven. They make NO NOISE. Even under full boost with no hood on you can't hear a tell-tale supercharger whine. Since a recirc valve is used very little discharge noise is heard and with a hood on the car none is heard. Because they aren't lubricated or gear driven they do not add excessive heat to the intake charge. Powerdyne shows 20-30* above ambient temp increases on their 6psi Mustang kit. This is AMAZING considering a turbo will add about 150* WITH intercooling. There are numerous reasons why this is a great blower for the car and I've touched on some of the better ones and I'm sure they will be discussed later on.

#3. How do you address engine control and fuel management?

I have gone through several options these past few weeks all the while knowing that one was better than the others. FMU's and voltage clamps are the standard fuel management for low-boosted application. The BEGi FMU is quite possibly the best FMU available today and is a RRFPR (raising rate fuel pressure regulator). This allows a gradual increase in fuel pressure as boost pressure is added. This is included in the base kit but I also offer standalone fuel management. Stand-alone fuel management is an extremely reliable way to control how your vehicle runs and guarantee performance gains and reliability un-matched by other devices that "trick" the car into doing something. I will be offering as an upgrade the HALTECH F10X stand alone fuel computer. This unit (including protege-specific harness and sensors) retails for $1100. Those unfamiliar with HALTECH it's a safe bet to say that they have one of the best engine management systems in the world. This new unit is WINDOWS TUNEABLE making it much easier to adjust later. I will provide your base maps and you will need to dyno-tune to correct for a few variables I have no control over. The F10X includes, ecu, protege-specific wiring harness, 2 power relays, air temp sensor, coolant temp sensor, MAP sensor, throttle position sensor, com cable (for laptop), windows software and a users guide. The F10X can do amazing things such as (but not limited to) Turbo timer (not needed but neat), Torque converter control (for your auto guys), rev/speed limiter control, thermofan, intercooler fan, shift light, VICS control (uh-huh), auxillary fuel pump, traction control, etc. I could spend hours going over the depth and range of this unit but I won't. Just know that THIS is how you want to control and tune any forced induction car. (www.haltech.com)

#4. What other mods will I need for this kit to work on my car?

This is often overlooked when adding a serious power-adder to a vehicle. The rest of the system must be able keep up with all of the extra air you're now cramming into the vehicle. I will be creating the intake, Haltech will handle the fuel, stock ignition is plenty good enough. That just leaves exhaust. Right now my car has the OBX 4-1 header on and I have noticed that it opens up the engine bay a lot which comes in handy when installing this blower. Also, it allows the engine to breather a lot better than the stock exhaust would. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU UPGRADE YOUR EXHAUST TO INCLUDE A HEADER OF SOME KIND AND A HIGH-FLOW CAT (if you need it). I suggest the OBX header from protegegarage.com for those who do not have a visual emissions inspection. This kit is designed to work with the OBX 4-1 header so I cannot guarantee fitment with any other piece. I do not have any emissions testing here and sadly cannot pre-tune the ecu so you can pass emissions. This will either have to be done by yourself or a compitent tuner.

Aside from exhaust everything needed to make this run well will be included in the kit. Of course you will need to run a minimum of 91 octane unless you feel your tuning skills are THAT good. Also, the stock fuel system has been proven to hold well over 250whp with tuning. At this time I dont think any upgrades are needed to the fuel system.

#5. What happened to the front mount intercooler idea?

Intercooling became an issue when I was working on using the Procharger blower. ATI sells their superchargers with a small front mount intercooler because their blowers have internal gears and gear oil that get hot and add heat to the intake charge. This in turn makes the system less efficient and an intercooler is REQUIRED to keep the temps at an acceptable level. With the Powerdyne this is not a concern. Powerdynes are internally belt driven so they produce no additonal heat or gear whine. Also since they aren't driven by hot exhaust gas they don't add 300* temps to their charge. Another great feature of the Powerdyne is in case of failure. Eventually the internal belt inside the blower will break. This is not a big problem at all. Should the belt break while you're driving the car YOUR CAR REVERTS BACK TO STOCK. It will idle and run like normal with the only sideaffect being no boost. Now, should you insert an intercooler into the mix then engine will actually have to suck harder to get air in it will cause some slight driveability issues. For those seeking high boost levels and maximum performance I will be offering water/alcohol injection. In my opinion it is far superior to typical intercoolers but each have their strengths and weaknesses. Just know this: There is no power level you can reach that I can't cool off for you!

#6. What additonal maintaince will be needed with a supercharger?

Better keep an eye on your tires! Honestly, none. You will want to make sure your vehicle is in tip-top shape at all times but you should be doing this anyway! Powerdyne blowers contain 4 bearing packs and a drive belt. Typically these last for about 55Kmiles. At that time Powerdyne suggests a rebuild of the blower. I can rebuild the headunit for you with upgraded bearings and a full Kevlar GATES belt for about $250. After the upgrade the belt shouldn't need replacing for about 75K miles and the bearings should never need replacing again. Compare $250 every 50K miles to the cost of additonal oil changes, synthetic oil, octane boosters, etc that a turbo requires and it's VERY reasonable.

#7. How much power will this supercharge make?

Early dyno testing is no longer accurate as several things have been changed in the overall design of the kit. Originally I claimed 170whp @ 7psi based on similar 4cyl supercharger kits. I totally shattered this on my very first pull with 160whp @ 4.5psi. 7psi on the old set-up would've pushed me well beyond 200whp. Now we jump ahead to the new larger BD-11A blower and BEGi FMU and I believe we'll easily acheive 170whp @ 4.5psi. 6psi should see 200whp very easily. This is double the stock horsepower level all while maintaining stock driveability as soon as you let off the gas.

#8. Why does this require me to remove my AC?"

There are several important reasons why the AC has to come out. It's easier to understand if you know the first major rule of supercharging...the blower pulley has to be in a direct line of sight from the crank pulley. As with a turbo charger you are forced to mount the blower in a specific location so it can be driven by the crank. With a turbo it has to mount to the head at the exhaust manifold. Sure it can be mounted in a different location and a sub-standard header used to feed it but you sacrifice doing that. The same is true for a supercharger. I could've made 6 different brackets and idler pulleys and gear drives to mount the blower on the drivers side and still retain the AC. This is a very poor way to deliver power to a supercharger. The more connections you have between the crank pulley and the blower pulley, the less efficient you are. Now, why the AC compressor? Well, this supercharger is designed to increase overall driveability. Removing the powersteering pump severly hurts driveability. I understand about heat...trust me. We have 99* days here with 90% humidity and no wind. I like AC but not as much as I like boost. In order for the blower to be able to receive air and still fit in that same plane with the crank pulley it has to be mounted up top on the passenger if the engine bay. The ps pump is very tiny and neatly tucks up under the blower right near the engine block. This does 2 things. 1. it takes up less space that is used for the charge air and 2. placing the smaller ps pump up close to the block in the lower spot provides more "belt wrap" on the blower pulley to prevent slipping. Another thing to keep in mind is the belt routing. The belts and pulleys all have to spin the correct way pump properly. you cant just throw another pulley inbetween two pulleys without reversing their direction....now you've got to add ANOTHER pulley to correct that. There is very little space as it is. If it's any consolation Powerdyne was working on a 1.6L honda civic supercharger kit. It required removal of the ac also. Vortech had a big recall on their 1.6L and 1.8L honda/acura superchargers because the AC would kick on and destroy the drive belt. Their ac has to go also. Believe me when I say I'm not being lazy and taking the easy way out. Compromises have to be made somewhere.

 

#9. Is this safe for use on my automatic transmission?

You're in luck. Testing is underway now to determine the limits of the stock transmission with the supercharger. However common sense and physics tells us that if you are an automatic owner looking for more power this is the only way to go. Horsepower doesn't break automatics. Torque does. While my kit puts a lot of horsepower it puts out realitivly low amounts of torque. What does this mean for you? More overall peak horsepower all while staying within the transmission "safe range". Obviously precautions will need to be made such as synthetic fluid and a small tranny cooler but this is a small price to pay when you're running side by side with that pesky Evo.

#10. What is the final pricing and when will this go on sale officially?

Pricing is still not 100% set in stone as I'm trying to negotiate the best pricing on each and every componant in the kit but we are shooting for a target price of $2600usd for the entry-level kit. www.Protegegarage.com will have complete pricing details and info as soon as it becomes known. Currently I'm building the first 4 kits for our sponsored cars who will be testing the product in all different climates, areas, drivetrains, etc. Once final results are in with tuning we'll put everything for sale.

 

Update[U]

Sponsored blowers are ordered and should've been delivered late last week. Nothing showed up. When I called to follow the order I was told they were still waiting on the case to arrive. I am expecting to have everything in my hand by this time next week and hoping to have Millers car mocked up with the new blower by next weekend. Here's me keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Some of the pieces for the first 4 kits are starting to show up at random times. Here's the FMU I'm using. The BEGi RRFMU. Argueably one of the best on the market. This is NOT some cheap-o $100 Vortech FMU.

Direct form Corky's website

"Save your ECU!
When you need extra fuel flow through your injectors, the BEGi family of fuel pressure regulators are an ideal alternative to expensive ECU modifications for normally aspirated and turbo or supercharged fuel injection applications. Whether you need to richen up the mixture to accommodate exhaust and intake modifications on your normally aspirated engine or you need extra fuel only under boost on your factory or aftermarket turbo or supercharger system, the BEGi family of fuel pressure regulators can deliver the additional fuel while saving your ECU and wiring harness from possibly warranty voiding damage.

The BEGi rising rate fuel pressure regulators (FPRs), also referred to as fuel management units, are designed specifically to provide additional fuel to EFI engines, whether normally aspirated (N/A) or pressure fed with turbos or superchargers. This is accomplished by using the manifold vacuum/pressure to drive the fuel pressure up as the boost rises, or with the N/A engines, as the vacuum goes toward atmospheric.

We introduced the rising rate fuel pressure regulator to the market over 20 years ago and we’ve been improving on that original design ever since. Why is the BEGi unit the best on the market? Billet manufacture, improved valve design, and fewer parts with the integrated accessory design. Further, we’ve increased the span of adjustment for broader rates of gain. Even the onset of gain is adjustable! No other regulator provides the onset adjustment. We also offer all regulators in a billet aluminum finish or a variety of anodized surface colors."

 

The filter, the fan, the fmu.

The Apexi filter is argueably the best filter money can buy. At almost $70 it better be!

The fan is a 10" reversable 12v fan that flows 600cfm which is more than the stock engine fan but not more than both engine+ac fans. This isn't a problem though since the ac is no longer in the car. The radiator stays MUCH cooler. My fan hardly ever kicks. Only when I'm ideling in traffic.

The FMU is BEGi as mentioned above. Probably the best FMU you can buy.



Nothing but the best for my stuff guys.

 

pics of the new BD-11A blowers and Boscho bypass systems.