chidrock

Hey guys, was wondering if you could help me with the world of superchargers. I've been thinking of getting a Whipple HO s/c for a long time, and I'm looking at it more closely now. I just have some questions that I was wondering someone could help me out with. Don't be harsh - I've tried searching online for a while now, but I still haven't really found the exact answers that I'm looking for.

1. How does the car actually behave once the sc is installed? In other words, does the car behave like stock until you get to a certain RPM, and then the sc kicks in, or is it just there from the get go? I know this is a basic question, but no one I know is into cars and can answer this, and all I read online is that you step on the gas and a smile is hammered onto your face. Yes, the car will turn into a big monster and rip me a new one, but how?

This is a major concern for me because I live in NJ and do not have the room for a winter beater - the car will be in snow & rain. (I've had one or two white-knuckled trips home staying under 1,000 RPMs last year ) I'm actually pretty happy with how the car handles in the rain as it is, but I'm open to change. Are there any suspension upgrades in particular that might help out with this besides new tires? Any feasible year-round tires? (sorry - I'm not a big fan of changing tires by the season since I'd have no where to put them) I should be able to drop another $1000 or so if needed.

2. Playing safe - is there somewhere online that has tips for driving safely with the whipple? Yes, this is another noob question...I see lots of talk about getting gauges to keep your eye on stuff such as boost and air flow, but I'd like to know why. (ie what are okay readings and what are bad and how to deal with them)

I know the big dangers with a sc are a bad tune and driver error, so I want to try to minimize both. My goal is 400-425 hp; I know even with conservative tunes there's a chance of meltdown, but hopefully with a reputable shop and lower goals I can help with that. I'm also curious about putting a rev limiter in place to help as well. (I don't get into the high RPMs much as it is, but hey - you never know what could happen in the spur of the moment)

3. Mandatory upgrades to go with it? I've seen another post on this recently, but hopefully it doesn't hurt to ask again. Like I said before, I think I'd be okay for another $1,000 or so on logical mandatory upgrades when I get this going.

I have other questions, but these are the key ones that have been burning my brain that I really needed help with...

Diabolical!

1. The car will behave fairly stock as long as you stay out of the boost. There is a boost bypass valve built into the unit that does not allow boost unless you're really getting into the throttle, but if you punch the pedal, hold on. The boost comes on hard and fast at low RPMs when the pedal is dropped. As long as you aren't the type of person who floors it every time a light turns green, it's easy to have the car behave like stock. If you drive the car in the winter, it will behave like any other rear wheel drive vehicle in the winter (not very well). Where I live the winters are very mild, but if I lived in a snow/ice area, I'd park the car for the winter even if it was bone stock (or invest in a set of winter meats at the very least). Hate to break the bad news, but there is no year round tire that hooks up when you want it to and plays nice in the ice.

2. Your best bet is to stick with the FRPP tune. It's super safe and will get you past your power goals. As for the RPM limiter, the Whipple is safe with the rev limitations in the FRPP tune, but I'm a firm believer that the best RPM limiter is your right foot.

3. There are two supporting mods that I think every supercharged vehicle should have. A wideband air/fuel guage and a stronger clutch (if you have a manual). The wideband is the best guage for keeping an eye on the motor. Some people swear that you need a fuel pressure guage and boost guage as well, but if your air/fuel is within normal range, then your fuel pressure is as well, and the boost guage is just fun for knowing how much boost you're actually running, but it isn't necessary. In the interest of full disclosure, I run all three guages because I like the way they look. Another mod that helps a ton is lower control arms. The S197 GT has trouble hooking up even when bone stock, so the extra HP from the whipple only exacerbates the problem. LCAs will help you put the power to the ground.

chidrock

Thanks for your response. I wasn't sure how the boost was triggered - I didn't know if it would just kick in when you hit a certain RPMs or if you hit the throttle a certain way. Nothing I found online really explained that, and dyno sheets don't show you how it actually works. It's important to know how it kicks in because I don't want it to happen when I don't want it to - like if I'm in rush hour traffic or dealing with bad weather.

I drive aggressively, but I never really launch the car. I like to give it gas as it's rolling and get the kick in the pants as the car takes off. I'm guessing that the whipple will enhance this effect and will just make it happen sooner at lower RPMs. (I usually stay low on the RPMs for the most part) I was leaning towards upgrading the clutch, and I agree with you on the gauges - they do make it look better.

As for driving in the winter - yeah, I wish there were alternatives, but I try to make up for it by washing the car every week or two depending on what the roads are like, and I don't forget about the undercarriage.

07VistaChicago

beautiful car chidrock. Yeah the whipple is awesome, acts like stock when you want it to, staying out of the pedal. Then becomes a beast when you hammer it. I have a winter car so I don't worry about it and it will never see salt (we salt the roads here). Throw some blizzaks on the back for the winter. Unfortunately you will be in for more white knuckle driving.

LCAs are a must. I have the stock clutch and it is holding up for now... we shall see for how long.

outceltj

When it comes to winter driving and u dont have an old beater to drive. Its a good idea to throw a few bags of salt in the trunk for extra weight. More weight in the winter will have a positive effect on traction. Winter tires would be a plus with the weight.

chidrock

I keep big bags of dog food and cat litter in the trunk and just rotate them out as I need more at home. My area of NJ is pretty good at clearing the roads, and this has got me through the last couple of years okay. Last year we had a really bad storm where it hit on my way home and the trucks hadn't made it out. If I went over 1,000 RPMs the car started going sideways. As scary as it was, it felt nice to drive my RWD mustang past the mommyvans and SUVs that were stuck on the sides. (if it was that bad before I left work, I would've stayed there, but it got that bad within the last 15 minutes of my commute)

outceltj

Fyi i keep salt in the trunk just in case i get stuck in a parking lot. sprinkle that over your tires and around them and your unstuck. But dogfood would be a good idea