Vortech Installation, the Good, the Bad & the Ugly....

[Wandering Scot]

No I can't, even though I was told that it would work with all superchargers by the vendor I bought it from.

Fortunately Mikey with BMC has sold me a Razor's Performance one that will.
I plan on powdercoating it prior to installation, I just haven't decided on whether to go with silver or red.

[808srt8]

Nice write-up!
I wish I did a write-up as you did for my ProCharger.

As for ProCharger customer assistance, they have been great.

All the parts come in bags sealed with individual check-off lists and signed by inspectors (each bag). Very well organized.

Procharger also had no issue with e-mailing me a tune. Actually that is how it is done to begin with.

I wen with the Razor's edge strut bar because I knew I would have issues with the air cleaner and wanted a more "functional" look and less import look.

Had razor's edge send me their's unpainted and sent it to my powdercoater where it was done in gun metal grey with a gloss coat. Looks sweet! Gotta love how light it is as well.

Just out of curiousity, what spark plugs does Vortech recommend and what gap?
Procharger recommended colder SRT4/5.7Hemi plugs witha tighter .035" gap.

Here's a pic of my bar..

[Slosh]

Off topic here, but did you have any trouble getting your front fascia to line up properly when you reinstalled it? Mine could use a bit of tweaking (it aligns pretty well; but just not perfect).

[Wandering Scot]

Originally Posted by 808srt8

Just out of curiousity, what spark plugs does Vortech recommend and what gap?
Procharger recommended colder SRT4/5.7Hemi plugs witha tighter .035" gap.

Here's a pic of my bar..

Vortech recommends the stock heat range, but with the gap closed to .032"


Slosh,
I had no issues getting it lined up, you just need to leave averything loose till you have it positioned and then tighen it down. You may have to apply a bit of pressure, (minimal) to get things to line up while you tighten the bolts / nuts.

[Speedy!]

Yikes, for the money spent I'd have expected much better customer service. That's something I strongly believe in. I'm sure a lot of work had been done by the time you ran into problems, but I'd have sure been tempted to yank it off and send it back and go with someone else's system.

Out of curiosity, how do you change the air filter now? Looks like it's behind the front fascia. Can you get to it from underneath?

When I saw the 20 or so bike stands in the back ground I figured you had something to do with motorcycle racing

[Wandering Scot]

Speedy,

Believe me, the thought crossed my mind on removing the SC system and going with another mfr. but at that point it was just about done.

My wife is toying with the idea of putting an SC on her Jeep SRT8, so we'll see who I may wind up going with.

The air filter sits in front of the l/h front fender well.
It's accessible by pulling the front wheel and pulling the fenderwell out of the way.
I may also be able to get to it by removing the splash pan, but that's a pain to remove.

[21SRT8]

Wow that really stinks!! I almost bough a vortch system a few months ago but ended up deciding not to. How do you like it as for performace/ driveabilty?

[fltinstructor]

Great write up!! I like seeing the first hand experiences of the people that install themselves. That's what I remember Hot Rodding was all about. A couple of buds (as in beer too) and a late night session with the car in the garage.

[Wandering Scot]

Originally Posted by 21SRT8

Wow that really stinks!! I almost bough a Vortech system a few months ago but ended up deciding not to. How do you like it as for performace/ driveabilty?

So far the performance is good.

I've only got 50 miles or so on her right now, so it's a bit too early to tell, but the stock canned tune is acceptable currently, and the car drives pretty well.

Don't get me wrong, the kit is good, unfortunately Vortech, the people from the company supporting the kit, leave a lot to be desired.

If I had to do it all again, I'd buy it from one of the reputable vendors on this forum that have experience with the kit and have them be the buffer between myself and Vortech.
Unfortunately I bought the kit through a buddy's shop who has no experience with it. Although I got a good deal, once the issues started I was on my own, and unfortunately Vortech was unwilling to step up to make it right in a timely fashion, even though it was ordered direct from Vortech .

The best advice I can give anyone considering this kit is to double check ALL of the components well in advance of installation, print out the Vortech manual in color, have a factory service manual, and have a back up resource like BMC to help out if you get in a bind.


If my experience is any indication, their tech department, at least the guy I spoke to, doesn't have much in-depth knowledge of the product.
You also won't get much help from Vortech with any sense of urgency if there is an issue.


BMC went out of their way to help me get a tune e-mailed to me, even though they did not sell me the kit, that speaks volumes about their dedication to customer service.

[SRT8U]

Glad to hear you got her installed, sorry to hear about the customer service issues, but looks like all is well now. I know you will love the kit.

When it comes time for the wife's and you want to go a different direction there is always the Techco S/C for the Jeep We are a Vortech/Techco S/C Hemi family Best of both worlds!

Feel free to call us if you have any questions or need anything else!