[plissken99]

I've seen threads that come close to what I want to know, but not exactly. I'm simple, so I'm asking exactly what I need to know so I can be completely clear on this subject. I have little to no under the hood knowledge. I have not been to a track. I just want info on the pros and cons of supercharging my R/T. I do not want to tear up the engine, I want this car to last decades. I have a really good mechanic who I discussed a SC with briefly, he told me if I do one, not to run more than 6 to 6.5lbs of boost, or I run the risk of blowing up the engine, as these cars have a weak "low end". Really is 6lbs even safe for a long term car?

Then I hear people on this forum mentioning the engine needs to be "built" before running more than 6-8lbs of boost. What exactly does "built" mean? And ballpark, what would it cost? And if it really means rebuilding the engine as I think it does, that seems scary to do to a car I'm still making payments on lol.

Finally is a SC really worth it? From the track times I've read here, it does maybe 1 second better than non supercharged Challengers on the quarter mile... seems kinda meek for a 6k+ upgrade(plus potentially "building" the engine). Whats the 0-60 like on a supercharged R/T?

I've already got a CAI and Corsa exhaust, perhaps I'd be happy with short headers and a tune.

 

[Boatman]

I've seen threads that come close to what I want to know, but not exactly. I'm simple, so I'm asking exactly what I need to know so I can be completely clear on this subject. I have little to no under the hood knowledge. I have not been to a track. I just want info on the pros and cons of supercharging my R/T. I do not want to tear up the engine, I want this car to last decades. I have a really good mechanic who I discussed a SC with briefly, he told me if I do one, not to run more than 6 to 6.5lbs of boost, or I run the risk of blowing up the engine, as these cars have a weak "low end". Really is 6lbs even safe for a long term car?

Then I hear people on this forum mentioning the engine needs to be "built" before running more than 6-8lbs of boost. What exactly does "built" mean? And ballpark, what would it cost? And if it really means rebuilding the engine as I think it does, that seems scary to do to a car I'm still making payments on lol.

Finally is a SC really worth it? From the track times I've read here, it does maybe 1 second better than non supercharged Challengers on the quarter mile... seems kinda meek for a 6k+ upgrade(plus potentially "building" the engine). Whats the 0-60 like on a supercharged R/T?

I've already got a CAI and Corsa exhaust, perhaps I'd be happy with short headers and a tune.

It'spistons that are the weak link. 6 psi will not hurt your engine, having the proper tune is key. I put a MagnaCharger on my car. The difference in performance is very noticable.
I am now doing a "built engine" by choice. That just means you are building a engine. It can be many different things. You can simply add a forged rotator, Crank, rods and pistons. Or put a bigger throw crank in and bore the engine to maximize the displacment.
You will be safe adding a SC. Before you do add one ask your self what you want to have long term.
I added the Maggie and thought I would be done, WRONG. I spent more $$ by first doing this and now Building a engine. No big deal to me really but if I had gone big at first it would have been cheaper.
A sc on your car will net out around 130-140 HP.
If you can do it finacially then go for it. It really is a kick in the ass. The power is great.

 

[Mark-KTM-200EXC]

With the modifications in my sig, I was around a 170-180 hp increase over stock. I would say the "average" R/T runs a 13.3-13.5 stock. I have run a 12.26 in a 6-speed already (strong head wind and traction limited) and hopefully run in the high 11's this year. If you can afford it you won't regret it. A low 12 or high 11 second car will hang with most of cars on the road. There will always be someone faster, no matter what you have.

 

[climberccm]

I've seen threads that come close to what I want to know, but not exactly. I'm simple, so I'm asking exactly what I need to know so I can be completely clear on this subject. I have little to no under the hood knowledge. I have not been to a track. I just want info on the pros and cons of supercharging my R/T. I do not want to tear up the engine, I want this car to last decades. I have a really good mechanic who I discussed a SC with briefly, he told me if I do one, not to run more than 6 to 6.5lbs of boost, or I run the risk of blowing up the engine, as these cars have a weak "low end". Really is 6lbs even safe for a long term car?

Then I hear people on this forum mentioning the engine needs to be "built" before running more than 6-8lbs of boost. What exactly does "built" mean? And ballpark, what would it cost? And if it really means rebuilding the engine as I think it does, that seems scary to do to a car I'm still making payments on lol.

Finally is a SC really worth it? From the track times I've read here, it does maybe 1 second better than non supercharged Challengers on the quarter mile... seems kinda meek for a 6k+ upgrade(plus potentially "building" the engine). Whats the 0-60 like on a supercharged R/T?

I've already got a CAI and Corsa exhaust, perhaps I'd be happy with short headers and a tune.

I run 6lbs of boost on a stock Magnum SRT8. The engine has 65000 miles on it with SC being on it for the last 22000. The engine is fine and still pulls like crazy. It is also a daily driver.

My Challenger is a naturally aspirated 426 built by PWR. FWIW, if I had to do the Challenger all over again, I would set up the car with the right pistons and other things to facilitate adding a blower later. The car as configured limits the amount of boost that can be applied without fuel system and other upgrades. I should have listened to Andy at PWR when he quizzed me hard about future upgrades.

What drove me to go NA were all the horror stories about SC engines blowing up. The truth however is that with a good tune, as other have mentioned, supercharging the car is very safe. The magnum is proof of that and I think you will be fine supercharging your car. Good luck with your decision!!:thumbsup:

 

[DCX Depot-Tim C]

When you decide to go forced induction, please contact me and I will show you some options.

Current Sale prices:
MD Speed/DCX Depot Vortech kits $5050!
MD Speed/DCX Depot Pro-Charger kits $5295!


Thanks and have fun!

Tim C

 

[PWR_Andy]

We get asked this question allot. I would say 50% of the motors we sell are going to guy who blew up from a poor forced induction tune. There are some guys who have 50,000 miles on their stock engines with superchargers on them. Its 100% all in the tune.

Get you a Supercharger
Get adequate fuel injectors
Install a BAP
Install aftermarket fuel rails with dual cross-overs
run 1 step colder plugs
limit timing to 15 degrees
Keep air/fuel at 11.5:1
Hire I good tuner

Do all of that above and you will have no problem with your stock engine.

We sell the Procharger kits and have had allot of success with them. In fact we have them on sale right now with free upgrades available.

http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/f18/pwr-pro-charger-kits-5296-complete-52123/

 

[Speedy!]

I love helping people with these kinds of questions because I was in your shoes a year ago.

Superchargers are VERY fun. It's not so much the increase in power, which is pretty substantial, but the increase in torque that you'll notice the most. The car will make more torque right off idle than your stock motor did at full tilt. This makes the car a lot of fun to drive on the street.

I had full intentions of supercharging my R/T when I drove it off the lot, but found quickly there are pitfalls if the tune isn't right. The motors don't last long AT ALL if the tuning is off, so make sure you get a good tune if you decide to go for it.

Having said all that, if I were in your shoes I'd apply the $7K for a blower toward paying off the car. It's not so much that you're making payments as it is debt, which I try to avoid. You typically won't get the money back from mods you make to the car, so I consider it fun tax and go into my mod purchase decisions knows that.

There is also slightly more maintenance involved with a blower, as it has it's own pump, coolant, etc in most cases that will need to be maintained. It's not a big deal since it's only like every 5 years you'll have to fool with it, but something to think about.

A built motor means the block is machined, new forged rods, forged pistons, and forged crank are balanced and installed and the motor is measured and blue printed to check all tolerances. The forged components are much stronger than stock pieces and as part of the build process you can chose components that are specifically designed for use in a supercharged application. I'd guess the forged short block would be $4500 - $5500 depending on what you get. Then you need to have it installed and tuned so add those costs in as well.

Good luck. Hot rodding is expensive but it sure is fun. When I'm 80 I can look back and laugh at the silly stuff I did, watch old videos and look at pictures of my the hot rod I had.

 

[lakersfan7272]

For 7K you can get a 426 shortblock, heads and cam. The install will be way harder if you do it yourself though. Any more expensive if you have someone else do it.

But you'll have a bullet proof motor making similar power to your stock motor with a supercharger on it.

 

[Speedy!]

For 7K you can get a 426 shortblock, heads and cam. The install will be way harder if you do it yourself though. Any more expensive if you have someone else do it.

But you'll have a bullet proof motor making similar power to your stock motor with a supercharger on it.

That's a good setup as well, but gotta consider emissions. That's a bummer for some of us, but big cam cars likely won't pass.

 

[lakersfan7272]

No reason a big stroker can't pass emissions

 

[Speedy!]

No reason a big stroker can't pass emissions

It's not the stroker, it's the cam and headers that normally go with em' that cause the problem. While we were at Arrington they had a R/T with an Arrington 440 in it. Somehow it ended up at a dealer for resale and had to pass emissions. They had to go back to SRT8 manis, smaller cam, etc and it took a lot of power away. Those big NA motors like to breath.

 

[lakersfan7272]

It's not the stroker, it's the cam and headers that normally go with em' that cause the problem. While we were at Arrington they had a R/T with an Arrington 440 in it. Somehow it ended up at a dealer for resale and had to pass emissions. They had to go back to SRT8 manis, smaller cam, etc and it took a lot of power away. Those big NA motors like to breath.

Exactly. Just be careful with the cam. LTs obviously are a no-go if you are worried about emissions.

 

[skialfs]

Exactly. Just be careful with the cam. LTs obviously are a no-go if you are worried about emissions.

This is a good point...

Great discussion btw, so is there any good reason to go with a 50 state emission legal 426 stroker vs. say a stock 6.1L with a SC? Based on emission restraints, what then are the better/most common choices for 5.7 and 6.1 cars? Not a simple answer I know...

 

[Speedy!]

This is a good point...

Great discussion btw, so is there any good reason to go with a 50 state emission legal 426 stroker vs. say a stock 6.1L with a SC? Based on emission restraints, what then are the better/most common choices for 5.7 and 6.1 cars? Not a simple answer I know...

I'd say you'll get more power out of the SC'd 6.1 vs. a 426 that passes emissions.

I don't have any 426 experience so Andy would have to chime in and tell us how much power you lose going with an emission friendly cam and SRT8 manifolds with cats on a 426.

 

[Daddy Kool]

Stock 5.7 in a 300c with LTs and hi flo mids squeeked by emissions here.

In fact my aluminium build has an eye to my emissions test due in November 2013.

 

[PWR_Andy]

emmissions friendly 426 vs supercharger. The supercharger made slightly more peak hp but less power everywhere else. In this case, the 426 will be faster and more reliable than a supercharged 6.1.

 

[plissken99]

Having said all that, if I were in your shoes I'd apply the $7K for a blower toward paying off the car. It's not so much that you're making payments as it is debt, which I try to avoid.

That is good advice, 7k will damn near pay half of what I owe against it. I plan to have this car for a long time. I think I'll go for the Predator and a custom tune and stop with the performance mods until it's paid off.

Now whats this about a 426? I asked about the possiblity of doing that a year ago, and no one thought an engine swap was worth it. And last I priced a crate 426 Hemi, it was 15k. And what kind of HP and torque does the 426 put out? The 426 of old was no more powerful than the 6.1 in the SRT if I'm not mistaken.

 

[PWR_Andy]

The answer to your question is in the post right above yours. 500rwhp or 600hp at the crank is easily achieved. Cost is about $8500 for a 426 longblock.

 

[TA340]

We get asked this question allot. I would say 50% of the motors we sell are going to guy who blew up from a poor forced induction tune. There are some guys who have 50,000 miles on their stock engines with superchargers on them. Its 100% all in the tune.

Get you a Supercharger
Get adequate fuel injectors
Install a BAP
Install aftermarket fuel rails with dual cross-overs
run 1 step colder plugs
limit timing to 15 degrees
Keep air/fuel at 11.5:1
Hire I good tuner

So now I have to ask this question. Who are these guys that are providing bad tunes for Supercharged applications? I bought my SC directly from KB because I figure they developed the system, had the most experience with the system and since they provide a warranty (not per say on the engine) they would have motivation to ensure a good reliable system. And of course I used their tune.

So when you are dealing with guys that have popped their motor, are they experimenting with tunes or are these tunes directly from the manufacture of the SC? :shrug03:

 

[Speedy!]

So now I have to ask this question. Who are these guys that are providing bad tunes for Supercharged applications? I bought my SC directly from KB because I figure they developed the system, had the most experience with the system and since they provide a warranty (not per say on the engine) they would have motivation to ensure a good reliable system. And of course I used their tune.

So when you are dealing with guys that have popped their motor, are they experimenting with tunes or are these tunes directly from the manufacture of the SC? :shrug03:

My guess is local performance shops that are used to tuning Ford or GM cars and think the HEMI is the same.