stealth_GT

I could put the money that I will put into the delete plates/pulleys into lightweight drive shaft, being that it won't be replaced or discarded like the DP/UPDs later down the line.

the DPs are a cheap mod and I could do it myself was the main reason I wanted it lol.

dkersten

The reason the KB's are not seen as much is because Kenne Bell direct sells, rather than going through retailers, like all the other brands. They DO sell to retailers, but the discount is not very big, which means they are not as profitable for retailers.

The kit does take more hours to install, but quite honestly, there is only 3 steps that are challenging to someone not used to working on cars - all are because of awkward locations of bolts. There are a few more steps that take some time to figure out, but only because you start relying on the instructions to tell you the finest detail, then come to a step that is vague and requires you to think. One step caused problems, but an easy modification solved the problem, and all is good now. (the feed hose for the intercooler pump can't drop below the level of the pump, so I chopped 10 inches off the line and rerouted it higher around the radiator).

Everything you get is quality with this kit, but if you can't sit down and assemble a model car, don't even think about trying it, because it is truly like trying to put together a plastic model with no parts being labeled. You have to know what an M5-16 bolt is, and you have to have a full set of metric hex sockets.

I spent about 25-30 hours on the supercharger install (I did plugs and valve covers at the same time, so I actually had almost 35 hours total), but the hardest part was not being in shape, and bending over the engine for that amount of time. It took me three full days of working, and I haven't enjoyed myself that much in years..

There are about 550 steps total, and some steps are as easy as "push down on the tab", followed by the next step of "pull the plug out". The only thing I could have wished for was that the thick manual was in color.

KB has been doing superchargers for a long time, and was the first company to release a kit for the S197. That is not to say that other companies don't have nice products, but I spent a LOT of time researching, and for me the KB was the right choice. Whipple makes an excellent product as well, but it is more expensive than the KB for what amounts to the same thing.. This is due to the fact that you have to buy through a retailer, and everyone needs to make money. The upside to that is support can come from more than one place for resold products. The downside of course is it costs more than direct sold products.

KB's tech support is excellent, but they have one phone number and expect it to be busy a lot.. Chances are you won't need it if you do your homework and get the install right, but if you do, don't expect a team of engineers standing next to the phone to help you.

Riptide

dkersten a buddy of mine saw you driving around last week and said that blower sounds sweeeeeet. One of these days I'll have to stop in when I see you parked over at the softy's and see if I can con you into taking me for a quick ride.

cummins cowboy

does kenne bell in california offer installations at their headquarters??

Riptide

Provocative. Kenne Bell seems to indicate headers on the GT are a waste of time. Literally 0 gain. Hmmm..

dkersten

Thursday nights this whole summer at Hardees on 24th.. HUGE hangout for cars here in Billings. There were about 50 or 60 cars last week.. starts at about 6, people hang out til about 9 ish.. I will be there as often as I can..

It is fun opening the hood after the polished KB goes in.. The guys always say "Wow"under their breath, and the women go "OOO, Shiny".. it's funny because of about a dozen people I got the same exact reaction from all of them..


The info at the Kenne Bell web site is awesome. Some of it is controversial to other professionals, but their approach has always been from a scientific direction.. They take huge pride in their dyno, with over a quarter million invested in it. They never tune with AF reading at the tail pipe, always with a calibrated O2 sensor welded in at the collector (pre-cat). They have done thousands of dyno runs on the 3v, and have some very conclusive data. They keep things really simple, which tends to dispell what many people believe is gospel truth, and that stirs up some disbelief from some people.

Personally, I believe the data they present, and I trust in 99% of what they say regarding the 3v engine. I particularly like how they lay out the facts.. Specifically how they talk about their tune.. I believe it is good reading for anyone.

Riptide

Will definitely stop in there if I see your car parked there. Even though I may end up with a centri I have to say the whine of the TS - by far the best sound out of all the options for these cars. Very very cool.

That's some interesting info about KB I wasn't aware of. That document alone makes me really question whether dropping $1000+ on Kooks or ARH is worth the expense and the difficulty of the install. Might just be better off saving the money and putting it towards something else instead.

dkersten

Also, I will be at a show and shine up in the heights at Albertson's from 1-4 on Sunday (14th) with the local mustang club.. you should check it out.. lots of events this summer, including the International Mustang Meet.

Back on topic, the bottom line is, you can't get more power if there wasn't a restriction there to begin with. Headers can "tune" the exhaust a little and change the power curve slightly, but when you get into forced induction, it is no longer as graceful.. Since you are forcing more air than the engine would pull in naturally, the natural "flow" of air going out is going to be less relevant. That's the way I think of it anyway. It makes sense because after dozens of tests, KB never found a gain until after 700 hp with exhaust modifications. I think they saw some gains at 550 or 600 hp (can't remember now) with replacing the GT factory mufflers, but the rest was good enough and didn't make a difference. The same goes for any modification.. The factory Throttle Body is good enough to like 550 hp, so why change it on a stock NA setup? Same goes for the manifold.. Changing the air filter and opening up the amount of air makes a small difference, but when you put a CAI in, you change the tune, which is where most of the power difference is from anyway. The Stage 1 KB kit for California Emissions uses the factory MAF and housing with a MAFia and a K&N filter, and they still make the power they make with the 90mm MAF and cone filter.... This speaks volumes in my book..

Riptide

Mishri and I were at the last mustang club meeting over at the mex restaurant off the interstate. We're both probably going to join. I may or may not do the international mustang meet. Will definitely attend but probably won't enter. Man I wish we could drop by the show/shine this weekend but we'll be out of town at woodbine camping. I wanted to do the street legals this friday as well but it's not gonna happen. Just a bad weekend I guess. Thanks for the invite/info though.

If headers were less expensive and easier to install I'd probably do them even if they don't result in hp/tq gains. The stock ones look like hell and I like the sound you get out of a longtube setup. But after reading that it really has put me back up on the fence there.

KB also seems to say it's a bad thing to play with the rev limiter in that document. Not entirely sure what to think of that since just about all the aftermarket tuners do it and the guys who race their cars in S&S pretty much unanimously say you can get away with it. Even with FI.

ziperhead

Another good read is Greg Banish's book on Engine Management And Advanced Tuning. I read it several times . Once thing for sure , pick you tuner carefully