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
@Chris I should ask Mark if he'd honor the 2014 price !:cool:

Haha, IMHO, that's what it should still be priced at. That supercharger is just a rebuilt supercharger from a 90s Buick anyways. Not that it's bad, it's just not worth what they are asking nowadays IMHO.

The Split Second system with it is also 100% unnecessary and adds to the cost. Tuning can be done via HPTuners and larger injectors.
 
yeah for $2500 i'd probably have boughten it already. $3300 its at now, but damn do i want a supercharger. guess ill wait for the magnum
 
Had a buddy with a turbo kit on his SE 4-banger. It was fairly quick going up the 4-lane into Shaver Lake area (which is a 6-7% grade) and the turbo really helped bring the pep back into his Jeep on the highway.

The problem with it was with 35's, it was always running in boost mode except on the trail. Always running under boost meant a lot of heat under the hood too. It was tamed with fiberglass wrap on the exhaust system but when he got up into the big trees @ 6,500 ft. elevation, his engine bay was HOT. Especially in summer when San Joaquin valley temperatures were soaring in the 110-113* mark.

On the trail, the only time he really used any boost was in mud or sand where he needed the extra boost to create wheel torque at speed. Otherwise, the turbo wasn't even used off-road on technical trails at all. His Jeep drove kinda like it had the 4.0L in it after the turbo install but with a broader peak in the power band.

Judging by the performance on the 2.5L AMC 4, if it was on a 4.0L it would have really had a lot more power down the highway and the turbo wouldn't have had to run in boost mode all the time cruising down the interstate like the little 4 needed. The only increased maintenance difference he had was making sure that he let the turbo cool down so oil wouldn't coke and burn in the bearings and he religiously changed the oil every 3K regardless of driving habits or conditions to help protect against breakdown from heat. He also went to full synthetic oils like Royal Purple or Mobile-1.

He also ran some sort of octane boost or gas treatment in a bright orange or yellowish bottle with every tank of gas in lieu of 91 High-Test. He just ran 87 with the additive that cost $1.97 a bottle/tank in bulk pack. I will need to ask him what the name of the additive was but it was cheaper than running premium every tank and worked out well for him.

I think the turbo worked out pretty good for him. But again, this was on a 2.5L and I am "estimating" what it would have been like on a 4L 6-cylinder Jeep scaled up cubic inch wise......

RR
 
I will also add, he had no intercooler on the turbo which could have helped even more I suppose. His Jeep was a 5-speed manual, 5.13 gears & 35" tires. The turbo was some simple kit he and his other buddies pieced together with the exception of the exhaust manifold that was made by someone else. The turbo was a garden variety nothing special, no variable vane or adjustable waste gate, his waste was fixed to prevent over-boost and he did NOTHING special to the Jeep except the turbo, Banks Monster exhaust cat back system, gearing, tires and the transmission was an unexpected casualty, (AX-15 upgrade) after he grenaded the AX-5 that was in it within a year of the turbo install running in sand dunes and at Pismo beach.

RR
 
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What impacts to MPG are there with the different options?

A forced-air system, whether mechanical-driven supercharger or turbo-supercharger, crams more air into an engine. Add more fuel and you get more power, so you will probably get less MPG. How much less will depend on how often you push the engine into boost. I have a turbo and if I drive gently-to-moderate I don't see much difference. When I'm in giddy-up mode, it's definitely worse. I'll let someone with a mechanically-driven supercharger chime in on their experience.

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?

According to Bank's, the turbo produces more torque at 1,600 than the maximum a stock motor puts out. I have an '05 Rubicon 6-speed with stock 4.10 gears and 35's. I could only use overdrive on flat level ground. Now I don't have to downshift going up pretty much any hill. Forced induction really has made it more fun to drive. It's not a muscle car, but I no longer wish it had more power.

jeep_4L_intercooler_chart.jpg
 
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Yeah, I think any boosted system with a usable amount of boost will need premium. I think an old turbo PT Cruiser I had would run on regular, but they computer retarded the timing to where it didn't seem like it was a turbo any more.
My twin turbo truck runs 87 so I figured I’d ask. Leaning towards a supercharger if I don’t LS swap. I need more on ramp ability.
 
A forced-air system, whether mechanical-driven supercharger or turbo-supercharger, crams more air into an engine. Add more fuel and you get more power, so you will probably get less MPG. How much less will depend on how often you push the engine into boost. I have a turbo and if I drive gently-to-moderate I don't see much difference. When I'm in giddy-up mode, it's definitely worse. I'll let someone with a mechanically-driven supercharger chime in on their experience.



According to Bank's, the turbo produces more torque at 1,600 than the maximum a stock motor puts out. I have an '05 Rubicon 6-speed with stock 4.10 gears and 35's. I could only use overdrive on flat level ground. Now I don't have to downshift going up pretty much any hill. Forced induction really has made it more fun to drive. It's not a muscle car, but I no longer wish it had more power.

View attachment 139021
Wow that torque curve is pretty ideal. I would basically just be using the turbo in hills and that's a great bump at the right RPMs for a 42RLE.
 
Expecting to never need to downshift when going uphill @1600rpm seems crazy to me. That is low for going on a flat road. To expect an engine to keep under 2000rpm's in any driving conditions would be extremely hard on the engine unless you have some weight ratio of 10:1 or even more.
 
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Do they require premium for the turbo kit?

The higher octane is to prevent premature detonation. When it's cold outside and you're driving smoothly (keeping engine temps down) you may be fine with low octane. You can also get by with low octane if you open the blow off valve (such as on the M90 SC) (but then you won't go into boost).
 
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