Survey: Who has a turbo / supercharger / stroker and why?

What do you have?

  • Turbo

    Votes: 3 10.7%
  • Turbo w/intercooler

    Votes: 5 17.9%
  • Supercharger

    Votes: 5 17.9%
  • Supercharger w/cooler

    Votes: 3 10.7%
  • Stroker (self built)

    Votes: 7 25.0%
  • Stroker (bought)

    Votes: 5 17.9%

  • Total voters
    28
How is life with a supercharger? I know they whine, but do they do it all the time, or just when you put your foot down? Is it like exhaust drone, fun at first but gets old after a few minutes?
 
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How is life with a supercharger? I know they whine, but do they do it all the time, or just when you put your foot down? Is it like exhaust drone, fun at first but gets old after a few minutes?
I wouldn't say all of them whine. The only noise the BT version made that I didn't like or even noticed was the straight cut gears in the drive rattling at idle. Sounds like you wrapped insulation around a coffee can, tossed in a few marbles and then shook it, non stop. There may be a faint whine but nothing loud like the straight cut gears in the old timing chain set ups.
 
@mrblaine, I think you might have an answer for these questions.

How do superchargers affect rock crawling / general off-roading? Lets say I want a fun Jeep to drive around on the street so I install a supercharger. How would this affect the performance of the Jeep if I take it out to Johnson Valley on the weekends? If it is 100 degrees out and I'm crawling through a canyon, will the Jeep have any heat problems that stem from the supercharger? Does having a manual or an automatic change how the supercharger would affect my rock crawling performance?

I've always toyed around with the idea of putting a supercharger on the Jeep once I need an engine rebuild, but I'm worried about how the supercharger might affect what I like to do off-road.
 
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@mrblaine, I think you might have an answer for these questions.

How do superchargers affect rock crawling / general off-roading? Lets say I want a fun Jeep to drive around on the street so I install a supercharger. How would this affect the performance of the Jeep if I take it out to Johnson Valley on the weekends? If it is 100 degrees out and I'm crawling through a canyon, will the Jeep have any heat problems that stem from the supercharger? Does having a manual or an automatic change how the supercharger would affect my rock crawling performance?

I've always toyed around with the idea of putting a supercharger on the Jeep once I need an engine rebuild, but I'm worried about how the supercharger might affect what I like to do off-road.
Other than the fact that no one with any degree of common sense jumps into those JV canyons when it is that hot, the drivability is transparent, flawless and seamless from boost to non boost and back. If you don't put your foot in it, there is no boost. If you do, there is boost as long as the throttle input is high. If you ease into the throttle like on a long flat road, you can get it all the way up to max rpm without it ever getting more than a few psi in boost. If you romp on it, you get the full boost ability of the charger instantly.

As for the heat, that has to be dealt with. More HP = more heat. I don't believe the 7th injector works that well to cool the charge air so an intercooled set up would work better in that regard. Ideal would be a liquid to air version.
 
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I wouldn't say all of them whine. The only noise the BT version made that I didn't like or even noticed was the straight cut gears in the drive rattling at idle. Sounds like you wrapped insulation around a coffee can, tossed in a few marbles and then shook it, non stop. There may be a faint whine but nothing loud like the straight cut gears in the old timing chain set ups.
Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. I've heard some SC that's just too much (looking at you hellcat). The marble sound, is it simular to the idle noise of a NV3550? (in terms of volume)
 
I've seen a few cooling threads that discourage electric fans. The Magnum Power kit having a dedicated belt to drive the supercharger requires the removal of the belt driven fan. Is the electric fan going to be a problem?
 
Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. I've heard some SC that's just too much (looking at you hellcat). The marble sound, is it simular to the idle noise of a NV3550? (in terms of volume)
You can hear it with the hood down outside the rig. With a soft top and doors on with the windows up I couldn't hear it. I asked about the rattle, when they told me it has straight cut gears, I knew exactly why it made the noise.
 
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I've seen a few cooling threads that discourage electric fans. The Magnum Power kit having a dedicated belt to drive the supercharger requires the removal of the belt driven fan. Is the electric fan going to be a problem?
Hopefully in the next month I will be able to answer your question.
According to Charles the owner of MP there were overheating issues with a Jeep in Louisiana. It was believed that the cooler being mounted behind the winch was the culprit. Moving the cooler under the Jeep with a dedicated fan solved the issue.
If it is something you’re truly interested in I would be happy to share what I’m doing.
Charles is a great guy and more than happy to chat with you as long as needed. I have had several conversations and text exchanges with him.
 
Like recently? Did I misread your post? Thought it said you were currently in the process of putting the Magnum Power supercharger on your current TJ?

A few months ago.

No, I'm not putting it on. I was going to put it on, but plans changed.
 
reviving old thread but seriously considering getting the boosted tech kit. @Chris do you still have faith in the BT system or am I throwing money to the wind with this kit? The Magnum kit is just too far away price wise.
 
reviving old thread but seriously considering getting the boosted tech kit. @Chris do you still have faith in the BT system or am I throwing money to the wind with this kit? The Magnum kit is just too far away price wise.

Absolutely not. The Boosted Tech unit itself is good, but the lack of customer support you will get from Mark is going to leave you wishing you hadn't got it.

He's overcharging tremendously. When I got it back in 2014 or something, I paid $2500, which is about what it's worth.

Now how much is it? It's not even fucking intercooled 😲

Save your money and get the Magnum Powers unit, trust me. It's a clean sheet design and superior in every way possible. Charles will also walk you through the install on the phone any day, he's an awesome guy.

I can't even begin to tell you how many people have personally told me that dealing with Mark and Boosted Tech is an absolute nightmare.
 
Save your money and get the Magnum Powers unit, trust me. It's a clean sheet design and superior in every way possible. Charles will also walk you through the install on the phone any day, he's an awesome guy.
I see that the OP is from Los Angeles, is the Magnum Powers C.A.R.B. approved?

Banks still lists a turbo kit for the '99 - 2002 TJ, but it says "For Race Applications Only", so it's probably not C.A.R.B. approved. https://www.bankspowerproducts.com/Banks-Power-24240-Sidewinder-Turbo-System-p/24240.htm
 
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I have been running the Boosted Technologies kit since June 2018 - going on 2 years. It has served me well. I am running a smaller pulley to get up to 9 psi of boost. That is about the most boost you can do with the stock head gasket. It has been very reliable. It has very good manners both on and off road. The throttle is NOT over sensitive for crawling, even with the 62mm throttle body that I am running. It does not make it feel like a big V8 by any means, but it really does restore the power and driveability for a Jeep that has a lift, more weight and large tires. It makes the Jeep fun to drive again. I can pull pretty good grades on the highway without losing speed or having to over rev the engine to get power. I have had no reliability issues with the kit. I have altered the tune to sharpen up the power. The stock tune supplied was a very conservative, "safe" tune that was quite rich for my Jeep in a warm climate, and I also added back in some of the ignition timing that they had pulled out. I did communicate with Mark several times during and after the install, and while I wouldn't call the service the best I ever had, it was not horrible either. I do run a boost gauge and an AFR gauge to keep an eye on things and keep my engine safe. My engine has about 110,000 miles on it. The kit was very complete.
 
What impacts to MPG are there with the different options? I am most interested in not even making driving fun with the 4.0, 37's, and 5.13's, i just want to be able to hold a hill at 1600RPM. Is turbo going to provide the best torque bump at that range? Also have very little engine bay room due to highlines.
 
I ordered everything for a stroker earlier this week. Way more complicated to install, but way simpler once done. I expect power similar to 6 psi on a stock motor and using 87 octane.