kenne bell vs saleen blower
07-31-2009, 04:59 PM
#21
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CA
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07-31-2009, 05:43 PM
#22
2nd Gear Member
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: utah
Posts: 305
Some quarter mile racers claim the KB suffers from heat soak quicker than the saleen or whipple, and I can see where that comes from. Some of it is the nature of the billet aluminum vs cast aluminum, billet is better at transferring heat, so the supercharger and manifold heat up from the engine faster, but also can dissipate it faster. The dissipation makes the outside of the supercharger hotter, so if you touch a KB and then touch a Saleen that just ran down the track, the KB will feel hotter.
The only thing I see that really affects things is the Saleen intercooler is above the supercharger, where the KB is below. If the intercooler is sandwiched between two parts that generate heat, it will heat up faster. The other thing of course is the material, which absorbs the heat faster.
On the other hand, the KB has a true cold air intake, and even with a good heat sheild, that can easily make a 30-40 degree difference on intake air. After my engine is warm, on a 90 degree day with the sun shining, my post-intercooler IAT is about 150-155. After a hard pull in that kind of heat, it might go up to 165 for a couple minutes, but it will settle down as soon as I am moving again. That is pretty reasonable for post-intercooler air temp.
The KB is limited to about 19 psi boost (the stage 1 or 2 2.6L - the 2.8 mammoth can do almost 30 psi). A forum member here had a Saleen that he recently sold. He had it in a built engine (bored and stroked to 302, blower cams, etc), and with the biggest overdrive pulley and the smalles supercharger pulley he could get, the blower was still maxed at about 12 psi. He was turning it too fast too, so it actually got less efficient as he went up in RPM, and started losing boost. He was shooting for 650 rwhp, and the best he could get was less than 500 with something like 640 lb-ft torque.. the supercharger was over maxed, and just couldn't make power on the top end. He is installing a Techco now.
At 10 psi or less, the Saleen is a great supercharger, but if you have any plans to go big later, I would do the KB. The only downside you have with the KB (in my opinion) is if you have difficulties, you will be hard pressed to find a shop that specializes. Shops like Brenspeed sell and install those Saleens all day, every day, and if you do the install yourself and run into difficulties, they will be able to help you a lot better than KB would.
Obviously, I went with the KB, but all things being equal, it would be a toss up if I were to do it again.
The only thing I see that really affects things is the Saleen intercooler is above the supercharger, where the KB is below. If the intercooler is sandwiched between two parts that generate heat, it will heat up faster. The other thing of course is the material, which absorbs the heat faster.
On the other hand, the KB has a true cold air intake, and even with a good heat sheild, that can easily make a 30-40 degree difference on intake air. After my engine is warm, on a 90 degree day with the sun shining, my post-intercooler IAT is about 150-155. After a hard pull in that kind of heat, it might go up to 165 for a couple minutes, but it will settle down as soon as I am moving again. That is pretty reasonable for post-intercooler air temp.
The KB is limited to about 19 psi boost (the stage 1 or 2 2.6L - the 2.8 mammoth can do almost 30 psi). A forum member here had a Saleen that he recently sold. He had it in a built engine (bored and stroked to 302, blower cams, etc), and with the biggest overdrive pulley and the smalles supercharger pulley he could get, the blower was still maxed at about 12 psi. He was turning it too fast too, so it actually got less efficient as he went up in RPM, and started losing boost. He was shooting for 650 rwhp, and the best he could get was less than 500 with something like 640 lb-ft torque.. the supercharger was over maxed, and just couldn't make power on the top end. He is installing a Techco now.
At 10 psi or less, the Saleen is a great supercharger, but if you have any plans to go big later, I would do the KB. The only downside you have with the KB (in my opinion) is if you have difficulties, you will be hard pressed to find a shop that specializes. Shops like Brenspeed sell and install those Saleens all day, every day, and if you do the install yourself and run into difficulties, they will be able to help you a lot better than KB would.
Obviously, I went with the KB, but all things being equal, it would be a toss up if I were to do it again.
what kind of power does the 2.6 L KB blower top out at??
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