That sounds like changing the standard serpentine belt, quick and easy! Why didn't Vortech build such a bracket for crying out loud. Are there any issues with stress on the timing chain cover/VTEC solenoid sandwich or any other mounting points with any of the popular SC kits in your experience?

 

Because they had a sucky engineering team at the time? Not sure lol

No there is no issues with the bracketry that's connected to the vtec unit and the one bolt that goes to the cylinder head - no timing cover mount. The other side is hung off the same bracket that holds the alternator on. Its well designed.

 

probably lol.

ah that sounds sweet. Clever by Comptech.
now the question is in the long run will the Vortech kit cause any damage to the mounting points in the engine? Any experiences with that? The belt change is a pain but a belt could usually last 3 years before slipping a lot then snapping so it can be acceptable in that case.

 

If memory serves I have not seen any particular issues to the bracketry actually failing on VT kits. Its true that a belt can last for some time, but that's totally dependent on the wear and tear you put it through and if you don't have any install issues with misalignments or improper belt tension which half the time comes up after install until you get sorted out. So in that case it could be pretty frustrating and much more time consuming initially. I bought a used Comptech kit years ago and went through a few belts initially, until I figured out my idle tensioner pulley wasn't in line with the other pulleys because some of the rubber grommets that are sandwiched between the mounting brackets were too far compressed. Just corky things like that you can run into, more so with used kits. Also if you are running a smaller blower pulley for high boost, it will require more belt tension to help keep slipping down, and you will naturally wear out belts fast this way too. But depending on the mileage per year, you may not have to replace the belt more then every couple years. Few variables so hard to say for sure. Obviously if you want to keep upping the boost you will have to go through this.

 

good points, thanks! The VT does seem solid and the way its mounted suggests that G forces are handled well. I don't have experience with Comptech but from what u said about used kits exhibiting some minor issues, its something to keep in mind. I wouldn't go smaller than a 4" pulley on either kit to be honest. 400whp max with ID1050X and a good piggyback tune? Stock gearbox and diff with upgraded diff mounts to handle that? The after cooler setup seems annoying with the water pump, reservoir and all those other bits on either kit? Your thoughts?

 

I thought of this too but couldn't pass up a good deal on a used vortech kit. I've seen somewhere someone selling a reinforced Vtec Bracket for the VT kit. I have a friend who has the bracket that comes with the kit and said he's had no issues with it. My kit didn't come with a heat exchanger and I decided to go with a FMIC. This is what i bought.

https://www.ultimate-racing.com/prod...-superchargers

I think if i were to do it again, I'd probably look into the comptech or SOS kit for sure.

 

 

Did you make less boost than you thought you would with the front mount kit? I'd love to do something similar but I'm worried about losing boost.

 

I'm also keen to know about this. I would also like to know if I left my after cooler out in exchange for a moderately sized FMIC setup with my 4.25 (or maybe 4") pulley, would I be able to run the blower safely off the stock injectors due to lower net boost than with the after cooler?

 

Yes in theory, but until you get everything hooked up and tested, you wont know what size pulley you can run for sure. Fair estimate is 2psi loss with a typical fmic compared to the aftercooler. But that may be dependent on how fast you are spinning the blower to begin with, since boost loss is likely not a linear curve. One pulley size down would be a safe starting place.