Lets go over the basics of supercharging...

[V]

OK, I want to try to learn and understand how one would go about supercharging just about any type of vehicle without the ability to purchase a complete kit with instructions and so forth. I think the easiest way for me to learn is for me to state what ive heard/seen and what I think about certain things i know or think...

Step one... Mounting the headunit...
Ok i assume You just get a mounting bracket that is compatible with your type of engine and the accessory drive setup, and allows clearance around the unit itself. IS there a recommended about of clearance? max suggest belt length, too short? etc.

Step two.. pulleys
for the headunit, i understand smaller pulley, turns faster, more boost. But for the crank pulley, is like a ATI balancer required, just recommended? what about pinning the crank? even with max say 7psi? And ive seen a solid tensioner that is adjustable is better than a self tensioning one, correct?

step 3... piping
that seems straight forward, run from filter to headunit to intercooler to throttle body.

step 4... oiling
i know prochargers are self contained but like a vortech isnt, where can you connect into to get an oil feed? what about the drain? do u always have to drill and tap the oil pan? Is it possible to make a stand alone supercharger oiling system using say a rear diff fluid recirculation pump and a small cooler?

step 5... sensors
i know a suitable MAP sensor would be required, do cars have a good enough one stock or need and upgrade, if so, to what one? Is usually a stock MAF sensor ok to keep or better going to a speed density tune and eliminating it? What about a blowoff valve, does one need one and where does it connect, before IC or after?

step 6... fuel
Larger injectors are a must i know, but is the fuel pump also always a must to swap out or can a stock version work? maybe with just a hotwire kit?

step 7... tuning
thats a given, a good and proper tune for the setup is important.


Ok, thats about what i know so far... Am i right on most, Anything i seem to be clueless on? Am I missing anything else?

[SteveR]

Step one... Mounting the headunit...

The head unit will generate heat so don't locate it next to wiring or anything that can easily melt. I'm sure you can find a mounting kit for whatever head unit you're looking for for your application. For belt length, I've seen people mount the head unit next to the wheel well in some cars and some tight against the motor. I think it's more about belt tension than length.


Step two.. pulleys

I've heard of problems with self tensioning pulleys with some setups and people running solid ones, but I think it was only on the Vortech setups. I wouldn't worry about reinforcing the crank with 7psi.

step 3... piping

One thing a lot of people screw up is that they forget the principle of forced induction when doing the piping. That is the head unit/turbo is compressing air to a certain psi in a certain volumetric area. The mistake is taking the output of the head unit/turbo an going from say a 3" tube then flanging it to say a 4 or 5" tube. By doing that the compressed air then has more room to move and decompresses. The piping acts like a wire. It is simply transferring a given 'signal' from one processing unit to another (wiring would be say head unit to amp, forced induction would be head unit to throttle body/intercooler). You wouldn't change gauge sizes on a wire in the middle of a run, so don't change piping sizes on a forced induction run unless it's called for (like a twin turbo dual feed into an intercooler with a single output).


step 4... oiling

You'd take a feed from the oil pan sump to feed the head unit. The return would feed into a bung on the front of the oil pan. A lot of aftermarket oil pans from say Canton, Moroso, and Milodon have the bungs welded in already. A stand alone oiling system is certainly doable. You'd have to experiment to find out exactly what the right volume for the tank would be. You'd want to run a temp sensor from the tank to a gauge and monitor it. Too little oil in the system and the heat generated from the head unit could cook the oil and fry the supercharger.


step 5... sensors

MAFs are sized to handle a certain amount of power/cfm. Figure out what approximate power you'll be making and find one that's big enough. I don't know a lot about tuning it out on an LS motor so I can't help there. For the BOV, a good place to mount it is on the main pipe going to the throttle body somewhere close by. The reason being that if you're at WOT and creating a lot of boost and then suddenly let off the throttle, all that compressed air in the intake charge has to be relieved immediately. When the blades on the TB close, the air has nowhere to go, so it's out the BOV or taking your intake manifold off lol


step 6... fuel

Fuel pump and injectors can flow a specific max amount of volume. Just as you'd have to match injectors for hp application, same goes for the fuel pump. There are charts online that show fuel pump lph ratings per hp application. If you think you'll be making X hp, then you'd get Y pump.

Here's a good site to do the fuel injector sizing math. Also note that your brake specific fuel consumption ratio is higher with a forced induction system so make sure to change that on the worksheet.

http://www.rceng.com/technical.aspx


step 7... tuning

Very important. You'll want to get a good wideband O2 and mount that in the car. If you have a shop tune the car for you it's a good safety measure to have them transfer the tune to you via a handheld tuner. That way if your battery dies or ECU loses the tune, you can upload it yourself off the handheld.