AquaFX Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 hi there, i dunno how many of you can help me on this topic but i hope someone can. I have a firebird 3.8L and i want to get a RK Supercharger for my car that's about 4grand. My question to you guys is, how much more horses will it give my car and is it safe? i mean is there a possibility that it will blow my engine? does anyone have one and how good is it? Thankx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vraa Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 I'm not sure on the power but here are some general guidelines I'd follow and some extra juice I really feel is needed right now for ya. First of all, do you "really" need this supercharger? $4000 is a LOT of money that can be better spent else where. All modifications to the engine that involve forced induction could blow your engine, be very careful! Oh man, that wasn't as detailed as I wanted. I'm going to get a sip and see if I can add on to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaFX Posted June 20, 2004 Author Share Posted June 20, 2004 hehe, i know it's a lot of money but i am a little crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdsams Veteran Posted June 20, 2004 Veteran Share Posted June 20, 2004 need to know a little more about your car first: How old is it? How many miles are on it? the reason i ask as the older your engine is the more likely your going to do more damage than good.... the cool thing is super chargers sound awsome when in high revs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 maybe if you arnt very experienced you should get a regular turbocharger first. they're less complex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Pimp Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 I wouldnt bother with a Turbo, you'll get lag if you dont setup it up well, plus you need a few other parts too. Why pay 4k for a supercharger, why not get a less powerful one and uprate your brakes or something like that. Maybe a reinforced Head gasket if you block isnt up to the job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDtoRA Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 first you need to find out the compression ratio of your engine. When adding a supercharger, either roots type or centrifugal type, the engine should not be more than 8.5:1 compression. I would assume in stock form your firebird would be around that ratio, since rksport is selling a direct bolt on kit. To maximize horsepower if you do add a supercharger or turbocharger, you need a larger exhaust system, i.e. exhaust headers and exhaust pipes. Becasue an engine is an air pump, the more aire you put in the more air needs to escape, hence the need for a larger exhaust system. As long as your engine tolerances are ok it is definitely safe to add on. Just make sure your engine has no leaks, the pistons and rings are in good shape (check your spark plugs to tell how your pistons and rings are doing), and the top end of your engine (take off the valve covers and give it a good look over) looks good then you'll be safe. on to the added horsepower part. Since 3.8 is small, you're not going to see a big of an improvement as you might like. As I said before, an engine is an air pump, so adding a supercharger to a larger cubic inch engine will of course give you more horsepower than adding one to a smaller cubic inch engine. Since your engine is around 235 cubic inches and you are adding a 6lb boost supercharger, you can expect to be adding about 60 rear wheel horsepower to your car. Remeber than rear wheel horsepower is less than fly wheel horsepower due to the loss related to the drive shaft and rear end. With a supercharger you will be getting an increase in HP and torque across the entire rpm range, whereas a turbo is only the high end, and nitrous is of of course only when the engine is at full throttle (so it can be anywhere along the rpm range you see the increase) A supercharger is the safest of the three to add. But in your situation it is not the best use of money. Spend your money on an exhaust system (headers and pipes), tuned computer chip, larger throttle body, air intake, and new suspension parts to make your car handle better. Hope I answered your questions. If you have others about this, just ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaFX Posted June 20, 2004 Author Share Posted June 20, 2004 thankx guys and my engine has 104 000 miles on it and it's a 1995 so kinda old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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