Bertie S. Brown:
Chris Beardsley
TorqStorm Superchargers’s product manager, Chris Beardsley, has dealt with thousands of incoming queries in the first decade of the firm’s history. Here are five of the most common:
1) Compression ratios and intercoolers
“The compression ratio for pump-gas engines is crucial,” says Chris Beardsley. “TorqStorm recommends ratios of 9.1 to 9.5:1.” Higher ratios usually require an intercooler.
“But if you are running less than 12psi of boost and under 10:1 compression ratio with aluminum cylinder heads, and a blow-through carburetor or venturi-style throttle body fuel injection,” insists Beardsley, “ you can still achieve significant power increases without an intercooler, even on pump gas. Blow-through carburetors do a very good job of controlling intake charge temperatures.”
2) What increases in power can I expect?
“Our single centrifugal supercharger, which supports 700+hp and generates boost of 6-8psi., increases engine power by about 40 percent over stock performance,” claims Beardsley. “Add a second unit, which collectively generate 12-15psi., and the engine’s power output potentially doubles.” Note that the fuel pump must support 21psi of fuel pressure and it relies on a return line to the tank.
Because the supercharger introduces additional air, additional fuel must also be added to maintain the correct mixture. This requirement is governed by the fuel pressure regulator.
3) Carburetors and regulators
The fuel delivered to a carburetor on a normally aspirated engine operates at 6 or 7psi. But the blow-through carburetor is designed to operate from 5psi to boosted pressures that can reach 18psi on a forced-induction engine. This task is achieved by the introduction of a boost-referenced fuel pressure regulator. Via a small-bore hose, the regulator is connected to a port on the intake manifold below the carburetor throttle plates. In this way it reads boost and increases the fuel pressure by 1psi for each additional 1psi of boost. Blow-through carburetors also possess more robust floats to deter crushing under pressure. In addition, their jetting is different and they operate with sealed throttle shafts to prevent leaking under pressure.
4) EFI, injectors, pumps and tuning
In all likelihood most supercharger kits, particularly EFI kits are installed by specialty shops that use a chassis dynamometer and a laptop computer to obtain the correct tune. Rob Walden of LWA, an Atlanta tuning firm that uses HP Tuners software, says, “Supercharger manufacturers do not provide any kind of tune, they just supply the software, the tuner kit, to enter the vehicle’s ECU to modify the tune. So most tuning would be conducted by someone with the expertise and a chassis dynamometer.”
5) What camshaft spec is best?
The lobe separation angle or LSA is the angle in camshaft degrees between the maximum lift points, or centerlines, of the intake and exhaust lobes.
Installing a camshaft designed specifically for a supercharged engine is best. But often the existing camshaft works surprisingly well, and those with lobe separation angles of between 112 to 116 degrees are ideal. Of course, when cruising and thus not building boost, nothing more than a normal camshaft is required.
However, to realize maximum power with narrow lobe separation angles there is a sound argument for installing a more suitable cam. Rob Walden says, “Your aim is to trap as much boost in the cylinder as possible. The success or failure in achieving this is affected by the camshaft’s lobe separation angles and valve overlap. Too much overlap and you’ll blow your boost out the exhaust.”
Generally, naturally aspirated engines run narrower lobe separation angles of around 106 to 108 whereas supercharged, turbo or nitrous engines operate with 112 to 114 and higher. On larger displacement units 116 to 118 degrees of separation are common.
On all late-model EFI vehicles, TorqStorm offers their superchargers as Tuner Kits only, which means they don’t include ECU or fuel management.
Rob Walden
“Often an EFI supercharger kit requires an upgraded fuel pump or a booster pump,” says Walden. Booster pumps increase their fuel delivery by increasing their voltage output—higher voltage spins the pump faster. Also they are boost-referenced, which means that as the boost increases so too does the fuel pump pressure—thus the pump’s volume keeps pace with the engine’s demand at a corresponding rate. Alternatively, should greater fuel delivery be required, a larger in-tank pump could suffice.
Fuel injector sizes are determined by the engine’s power output. They are calculated in pounds-per-hour of fuel dispersed. For example, 25lbs-per-hr is sufficient to support 350hp; 45lbs-per-hr is sufficient for 500hp and so on.
Lastly, hot air expands and cold air condenses—the colder the air the better the cylinder-filling to say nothing of its deterrent to detonation. Thus, adding an intercooler when costs permit is never wasteful.
And one more for good measure: Clearances
Clearance questions, particularly in the engine bay, around the alternator and above the carburetor seem to be the chief concerns.
Says Chris Beardsley: “We provide chassis drawings. With regard to alternator relocation on the small-block Ford and big-block Mopar—both A body and B body, we have mocked-up all those components and though the clearances appear to be close to the engine, they are adequate.” However, the most prominent clearance question involves the carburetor hat. The conventional carburetor hat measures 3.5in deep—although low-rise carburetor hats are still available that measure 2.400in.
Source
Attn: Chris Beardsley
TorqStorm Superchargers
Grand Rapids, Michigan
(616) 706-5580 (6am-4:30pm EST)
Sales@TorqStorm.com
www.TorqStorm.com
Attn: Rob Walden
Lamar Walden Automotive
Doraville, Georgia
(770) 449-0315 x301
lwarob@gmail.com
www.lwaengines.com
I’m curious as to the preference of the crankshaft stroke length. Does the supercharger function better with a longer or shorter stroke? I’m building an LS engine and can alter my CID either way. So what would the supercharger prefer in your opinion?
Al, pursue the longer stroke. You will increase your cubic inch displacement, your low-end torque, and your new supercharged engine will require fewer revs than the naturally aspirated unit. Naturally aspirated engines don’t have a compressor and, hence, rely on engine revs to draw the air into the cylinders. The longer stroke combined with the supercharger’s compressor will build torque before the naturally aspirated engine could flow the equivalent amount of air. This was Porsche’s secret at Le Mans for years: low-end torque meant improved driveability in traffic, increased corner exit speeds, and fewer revs to accomplish it.
Can I run a TorqStorm supercharger on my AMC with 11.3:1 compression ratio? My engine is a stock 401 with cast iron cylinder heads and a 950hp Ultra carburetor.
Hello Randall,
With 11.3:1 compression ratio and cast-iron heads, your AMC engine will struggle to run a supercharger and avoid detonation. You could use very high octane fuel to combat it, and a boost-retarding ignition controller could also help. Any attempt at running it successfully would depend on the balance between supercharger output, timing, octane, and detonation resistance. Still, considering your cylinder pressures and heat levels, the survival of the engine is questionable.
So if my big block Chevy is 10:5:1 or 10:1 with aluminum heads and a blow-through carb on pump gas, I shouldn’t really have much of an issue running the superchargers?
Hello Ken. There are a number of variables involved here: base power level, power level required, timing and airflow amount needed to achieve the required power level. Cam profiles also have an influence. If you want to email me about your project, we can break down the steps involved in building more power.
I purchased one of your superchargers three years ago but was diagnosed with cancer a couple of days later. Following multiple colon rectal surgeries, chemo, pinpoint radiation, etc., and with engine built, 351 stroked to 408, my granddaughter’s pet goats walked into the shop and ate all my TorqStorm schematics. Could you send me some fresh paperwork? I would be glad to pay for it. Thanks Terry
Hello Terry,
Can you send me an email and I can send you new instructions.
Hello Terry, I sincerely hope all is well with your health problems. Your 351 stroked to 408 sounds like a Ford Cleveland engine and that’s what I’m currently building. How did everything go with your stroker and the TorqStorm? It would seem to be quite a powerful combination after you get everything sorted out with the tune. Thanks.
Hi,
I have a TorqStorm on my Oldsmobile 8 liter. Can I set the boost or is it always fixed? Thanks