i have been checking out the comptech superchargers and reading up on them on the forums. the thing i'm worried about is reliability. first of all driving is how i make my money. i can't afford to have the car down for repairs. second of all, i don't even want to know how much it would cost to rebuild an F20. thirdly, the engine already runs an insanely high 11:1 compression ratio. forced induction on an engine with static compression that high seems to be begging for a rebuild.

how safe are these things? if i went with the comptech it would absolutely be with the aftercooler. i'd probably go with a colder heat range spark plug as well. how many people have blown up engines with these things? i know there's always gonna be some retard who leans it out with his pretty blue flashy light VAFC, but how many have been properly tuned but couldn't hold up? it gets pretty hot here in the summer, a lot of times it's in the upper 90's. too much boost in that could be dangerous.

 

I'd say.. If you can't afford to have the car down for repairs - don't upgrade.

 

that pretty much applies to any car. thanks, but that doesn't really help.

 

They are reasonably reliable but I have to second wavelet's opinion. If driving is how you make your money (although you don't specify whether you're a professional race driver or a pizza delivery guy) then mods like this are not advised.

THe Comptech kit stays on the reliable side by making sure fuel is pretty rich in VTEC. Unless you are pretty rich your fuel costs will probably kill you. You can tune it with injectors and an E-manage, but now you're getting into really dangerous territory.

 

i install cable modems and setup wireless networks. typically i'll drive around 100 miles a day.

i doubt i'd be on the boost all that much while working. i usually stay out of vtec range then anyway.

you said that it runs really rich after it switches to the hot cam lobes, but if i get it tuned it's dangerous? so i assume it's somewhere in the 10-11:1 A/F ratio when it should be more like 12.5:1. i don't see how having a car more properly tuned would result in a more dangerous engine situation. sure dumping in a ton of fuel can fight detonation, but if that's the safety net keeping the engine from going boom, then this doesn't sound like such a good idea.

 

Umm, no I didn't say that. I really hate being misquoted. Misunderstand me all you like, but don't misquote me.

I said it's tuned rich. This is a result of the boost reponsive FPR. So you are only rich when approaching WOT regardless of revs.

It's not dangerous to get it tuned, it's just a further complication. ANother thing to go wrong on what is essentially a work car.

I've had my S for 4 1/2 years. I've had it Supercharged for 1 year and I'd had a VAFC, an E-manage, and now an AEM EMS. I love it, but when I need a car for work I use the company car.

 

This is not the type of mod you bolt on and forget about, esp as a daily driver.

My advice? Don't go FI if this car is your only means of transportation.

 

I have the Vortech SC and it is my only means of transportation. Even though it is not as complicated as a turbo, little things can happen and some downtime is possible. I mean, my belt came off so I had to order a new belt, and took the morning to put it back on. I mean, what if you drive crazy aggressive and you blow your clutch? My clutch slips on hard shifts especially at high speeds ie redlining 4th and going into 5th. I do think this kit is reliable assuming your AF ratios are fine. If you were to get the kit, get a AF gauge just to be sure. Also, make sure you get one with an aftercooler (ie Vortech or the new Comptech) because cooling mods are really important. I say you should go for it if you:

Have it installed by someone who knows what they are doing to prevent any possible problem.

Have an AF gauge installed for peace of mind to prevent detonation

and don't mind getting lower gas mileage (I've been getting lower gas mileage for sure)

Any btw, don't let anyone tell you the SC doesn't make a big difference. This car is night and day different from before. It also drives very smoothly and works very well for me as a daily driver (I am young so the practicality isn't as important).

Good Luck

-Anthony

 

calm down, i figured i had misunderstood you, that's why i tried to sum up what you said. when you said "You can tune it with injectors and an E-manage, but now you're getting into really dangerous territory," that what made me think that you were equating a well tuned car to a time bomb.

those blinky light gauges are about as useful as sticking your nose into the tail pipe and trying to figure out the A/F ratio. narrow-band O2 sensors are not a good way to tune a car at all. if there were a way to read the knock sensor that would be a much better way to tune. that's how all the DSM guys do it. lean it out until you get a little bit of knock, and then put a little fuel back into it. knock threshold is much more indicative of how your engine is running.

i wouldn't want to do this install unless i could do it the right way, which looks like it would involve an AEM with plenty of dyno tune time in capable hands, and possibly the UEGO wideband sensor just to keep everything in check when you are driving around.

i do all my own work on my cars.


but anyway, it looks like the supercharger is going to be put on hold indefinitely. for how much it would cost to do it the right way (~$8k,) i could have an R6. so, um, it's not really much of a question haha. plus i need the car to be as reliable as possible. thanks for all the input guys, and thanks fltsfshr for the informative PM. this car will be FI someday, but not while i have to use it as my DD.

 

I'm sorry, but a AEM UEGO wideband AF gauge is not just a "blinky light".