SOS Supercharger Kit FAQ Sticky
08-31-2011, 07:04 PM
#1
Thread Starter
SOS Supercharger Kit FAQ Sticky
I have owned and installed CTSC and SOS kits plenty of times, that includes the N1000, N1220SL, and N1200. I want to have a sticky specifically for SOS kits, mainly to share knowledge of the kit. To the SOS gurus, please reply with things you would like added/taken out of this post. If you see a spelling/grammar error please inform me and I will fix that too!
This thread was made to educate people who have or are interested in purchasing a Science of Speed Supercharger kit for an S2000.
Science of Speed Supercharger Systems
Differences with blowers.
-SOS offers two different blowers with the kit. The Novi 1200 and the Novi 1220. They also offer a self lubricating option which does not use engine oil to lubricate the supercharger.
N1220:
-RPM limit: 53,000 RPM (Paxton advertised)
-limited to an "SOS advertised" 11.5psi on F20, 12psi on F22
N1200:
-RPM Limit 52,000 RPM (Paxton advertised)
-limited to an "SOS Advertised" 16psi on F20 and F22
Comments on blower selection:
-Ddsddcd informed me that you can order the Novi blowers with straight cut gears, which included HD bearings that can handle higher RPMs than the suggested limit, about 10% more (update 1/30/15)
-As SOS advertises, the N1220 is for 325whp to 375whp, and the N1200 can push you well into the mid 400whp range. Choose wisely, but with the N1200, you almost have an unlimited ceiling for power in the supercharged S2000 world. (AP1 stage 1 kits can only have a N1220 says SOS). FMU cannot give enough fuel for a N1200, so I was told from another member. I also learned that SOS initially offered the N1200 to people with an intake reducer to restrict air flow, but Ive personally only seen 1 kit like this.
-Do not bother with a self lubricated unit. Many people have had issues, including myself. My N1220SL actually destroyed itself and I had to buy a new N1200 oil feed from Paxton.
"Self Lube blower, the blower is not a piece of junk it is more of an issue of the usage. This supercharger was applied for those that wanted a bolt of choice and did not want to hassle with the oil return and supply. Now I would agree, for me this is nothing to even think about but I can see why some feel this way. What I have been old by the engineers is that there are (4) basic ways a supercharger fails:
(1) Vibration, the more vibration the superchargers is subjected to the faster the supercharger will fail.
(2) Compressor Surge – Running below the surge line, easily remedied with a BOV/Recirc valve that is properly sized
(3) Blunt Damage
(4) Heat
Unfortunately the S2000 exerts a lot of vibration on the blower despite the nice isolation bushing that they supply. So if you start racing the car you have both heat and vibration which increases the likely hood of failure. Long story short if you race the car or drive it hard all the time get the external lube. Another note is that the self lube units cannot be converted to external lube, Paxton tried to do this but it ended badly." ~MisMyS
Picture is of my (RAIN H8R) N1220SL that destroyed itself.
Novi 1500 discussions:
"Then there is the matter of the 1500, this head unit is a bit of a challenge. The head unit is so large that it is prone to surge which will destroy the head unit. If you are shooting for over 500WHP and not below then this may be a good option. You will need to get a larger BOV like the Vortech Mondo Valve of the ATI/Procharger ProFlow to help prevent surge. It would also be a good thing to go ahead and get the HD bearing option which is not available on the smaller units. That being said the Vortech version of the 1200 series is available with HD bearings. " ~MissMyS
Blower RPM chart:
-Many people do not realize this, or maybe they don't care, but running a 3.0 pulley on either blower with an F20 over spins the blower and can lead to failure. Please see the file below as to what pulley size nets what blower RPM. Simply change the blower size in the word document to the pulley size you are running or want to run and you will see what RPM the blower will be spinning at.
Insert boost table here for blower RPM limits (Can I post files that are not images to be mass downloaded?)
Blower PSI differences:
-Keep in mind elevation plays a key roll in PSI numbers you see. All gauges read differently and it is a common practice to read boost PSI with a fully mechanical gauge. Basically PSI isn't what is important, but blower RPM is what you should pay attention to. With the MAP sensor and boost gauge, you can datalog the PSI plot, if it flattens out it means you have a boost leak, or most likely your belt is slipping
Blower repairs:
-Paxton does repairs in house only. It is suggested to just call them, send in your blower, and take it from there.
-Might b a good tiem to upgrade the blower to straight cut gears with teh included HD bearings as mentioned above (Updated 1/30/15)
928 Motorsports:
-I deleted all information on the company called 928 Motorsports as the community and myself recommend to have Paxton do all upgrades and repairs on the blowers. (1/30/15)
Upgrading a N1220 to a N1200 through Paxton:
-This option is offered and is pretty inexpensive. I believe I was quoted just under $400 from Paxton. This includes a new compressor housing (Paxton calls them a volute), correct shim, and the impeller. The main difference is the vane of the impeller blade extends all the way to the compressor housing, where as the N1220 does not.
-Again, a good time to upgrade the bearings to straight cut and the HD Bearings from Paxton (updated 1/30/15)
Pulleys.
Science of Speed:
-SOS sells many different sized pulleys for the N1220/N1200 series. The pulley is the same for either blower.
-SOS has the up to date estimate of PSI levels obtained with pulleys sizes listed on the below web page.
-Science of Speed Pulleys
Reichard Racing Pulleys:
-This company sells pulleys for our blowers. I beleive they are 100% custom and you can get whatever size you need. (ie: 2.8, 2.6...anything!)
-They are advertised as high grip to reduce/eliminate belt slip
-Reichard Racing
Aftercooler/Heat exchanger.
Aftercooler:
-Highly recommended to get the after cooler on all models
-Early kits did not have a lip on the inlet and outlet of the aftercooler. I had issues of the aftercooler blowing off, even with T-Bolts. I had my fabricator weld lips on the inlet and outlet. Newer kits may have a lip, I am not sure of that though.
Heat exchanger:
-Highly recommended to get the Science of Speed upgraded heat exchanger
-Frozenboost.com sells larger heat exhcangers as well at a cheaper price but some fabrication work is required to mount it.
-helps reduce intake air temperatures and is practically a must when running small diameter pulleys
-Science of Speed upgraded front mount heat exchanger
Precautions when installing the aftercooler and heat exchanger:
-Water pump flows to aftercooler, aftercooler to heat exchanger, heat exchanger to pump.
-Use the ignition spade (labeled "switched" on the below picture) on the fuse panel by the drivers seat to power the water pump, be sure to use an inline fuse!
-Use water and water wetter in hot climate, in cold temperature areas or for store, use 50/50 antifreeze.
-Johnson control pumps are used by SOS, they have sold two different versions since releasing the kit. I had two different ones at once, I ended up keeping the higher flowing one and selling the other. Some people will say to high of a flowing pump doesnt give enough dwell time for heat transfer, but we are comparing apples to apples at that point I feel.
Blower to bracket assembly.
Blower to bracket bolts:
-In early kits, SOS instructed people to use thread locker on the bolts, DO NOT! They later revised this to anti seize. You will have to use heat to remove the bolts and will be considered lucky if you get the bolts out. (I was one of the lucky ones)
Belt/tensioner system.
Belts:
-The belts take a few miles to stretch out. Its recommended to install the kit, drive it a few miles (50 miles) and come back and re-tighten the belt. A good rule of thumb is that you shouldn't be able to twist the belt 90 degrees on the drivers side of the belt. You don't want to over tighten and and you obviously do not want to leave it loose.
Tensioner system:
-The tensioner system is a huge step over the COMPTECH kits.
Diverter/blow off valves.
Diverter port on blower:
-The valve hole is 25mm, some feel the stock Bosch diverter doesn't flow enough air and needs to be upgraded. The ultimate upgrade would be a large port BOV, such as the TiAL. This would require welding the fitting of the aftercooler.
Diverter valve recirculation:
-SOS instructs you to recirculate the diverter valve in the instructions, however many have found that not recirculating the diverter helps keep intake air temperature down.
Intake.
-Lately it has been popular to build a custom intake for blower inlet. One person claimed (on a dyno) that a custom intake netted him 44whp. Those numbers may not be for sure, but the reality is, lower intake air temps always net more power. The factory location of the intake filter is inches away from the header, and right behind the radiator. Re-routing the intake filter to the wheel well area on the passenger side is an exceptional location to suck in cooler air. I myself have data logged my custom intake and noticed a good return, plus the blower is much quieter. Doing this requires a slim fan, and a custom setup that includes silicone hoses/pipes and the SOS air filter that comes with the kit. My setup pictured below cost me just under $300 and I feel it was worth every penny.
Fueling:
Fuel pump hard wiring:
-Its a known issue that the factory wiring is not big enough. On F20C engines, at high RPM the voltage tapers off and your fuel pump flows less fuel resulting in less fuel. You will want to use a relay, 10 gauge wiring and an inline fuse to hard wire your fuel pump. Its pretty much a given you will have issues when you start laying down more power with smaller pulleys. If you have bigger injectors you may be able to avoid this, but Ive seen this issue arise. This is also needed when running the VERY large flow rate fuel pumps. Not just F20C engines suffer from too small of wire, all year S2000s suffer from this.
-SOS sells a complete wiring kit and it works very well, check it out here Science of Speed fuel pump wiring kit
Injectors sizes:
-When you get away from the "stock pulley" levels, you are better off jumping right to ID1000 or equivalent injectors for regular gas. ID1300s for e85 for sure if you want something close to 500whp.They can be had for about 450 or just under online. With injectors this size you will probably never have to upgrade again.
-You will need an aftermarket engine management kit to run aftermarket injectors
-SOS has a really nice chart of what you need for fuel components on either E85 or regular gas, check it out! Science of Speed EMS and fueling system flow chart
Fuel pumps:
-A genuine Walbro 255HD pump will do fine, or the Full Blown 340lhp pump. Larger Walbro 450 pumps have been released in recent years as well, choose wisely!
-Kits can be found online to replace the factory in tank pump
06+ Driveby wire cars:
-InlinePro sells a return fuel line kit that is recommened when you start running out of fuel with smaller pulleys. InlinePro return line kit
-SOS of course also sells one and it is cheaper SOS return style fuel system
Ignition.
Spark Plugs:
-NGKBKR(7/8/9)E series iridium plugs are the choice of everyone. Ask your tuner what you should run.
Engine Management:
Bolt on kits:
-Bolt on kits come with what you need to run the Supercharger
-06+ have FlashPro
-00-05 have an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump, Science of Speed FVM Controller. (both of which need to be removed when you install a small pulley and install larger injectors, and an engine management kit such as AEM EMS or Hondata K-Pro) BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR STAGE 1 KITS TO A TUNER IMMEDIATELY AFTER INSTALLATION. have them double check the correct AFR is set with the FMU.
Aftermarket engine management kits that are considered the best option:
AEM EMS and Hondata K-Pro
-Do your own reading on what you feel you want. There are many debates on what is better, it is best to talk to your tuner as to what you should use.
This thread was made to educate people who have or are interested in purchasing a Science of Speed Supercharger kit for an S2000.
Science of Speed Supercharger Systems
Differences with blowers.
-SOS offers two different blowers with the kit. The Novi 1200 and the Novi 1220. They also offer a self lubricating option which does not use engine oil to lubricate the supercharger.
N1220:
-RPM limit: 53,000 RPM (Paxton advertised)
-limited to an "SOS advertised" 11.5psi on F20, 12psi on F22
N1200:
-RPM Limit 52,000 RPM (Paxton advertised)
-limited to an "SOS Advertised" 16psi on F20 and F22
Comments on blower selection:
-Ddsddcd informed me that you can order the Novi blowers with straight cut gears, which included HD bearings that can handle higher RPMs than the suggested limit, about 10% more (update 1/30/15)
-As SOS advertises, the N1220 is for 325whp to 375whp, and the N1200 can push you well into the mid 400whp range. Choose wisely, but with the N1200, you almost have an unlimited ceiling for power in the supercharged S2000 world. (AP1 stage 1 kits can only have a N1220 says SOS). FMU cannot give enough fuel for a N1200, so I was told from another member. I also learned that SOS initially offered the N1200 to people with an intake reducer to restrict air flow, but Ive personally only seen 1 kit like this.
"Self Lube blower, the blower is not a piece of junk it is more of an issue of the usage. This supercharger was applied for those that wanted a bolt of choice and did not want to hassle with the oil return and supply. Now I would agree, for me this is nothing to even think about but I can see why some feel this way. What I have been old by the engineers is that there are (4) basic ways a supercharger fails:
(1) Vibration, the more vibration the superchargers is subjected to the faster the supercharger will fail.
(2) Compressor Surge – Running below the surge line, easily remedied with a BOV/Recirc valve that is properly sized
(3) Blunt Damage
(4) Heat
Unfortunately the S2000 exerts a lot of vibration on the blower despite the nice isolation bushing that they supply. So if you start racing the car you have both heat and vibration which increases the likely hood of failure. Long story short if you race the car or drive it hard all the time get the external lube. Another note is that the self lube units cannot be converted to external lube, Paxton tried to do this but it ended badly." ~MisMyS
Picture is of my (RAIN H8R) N1220SL that destroyed itself.
Novi 1500 discussions:
"Then there is the matter of the 1500, this head unit is a bit of a challenge. The head unit is so large that it is prone to surge which will destroy the head unit. If you are shooting for over 500WHP and not below then this may be a good option. You will need to get a larger BOV like the Vortech Mondo Valve of the ATI/Procharger ProFlow to help prevent surge. It would also be a good thing to go ahead and get the HD bearing option which is not available on the smaller units. That being said the Vortech version of the 1200 series is available with HD bearings. " ~MissMyS
Blower RPM chart:
-Many people do not realize this, or maybe they don't care, but running a 3.0 pulley on either blower with an F20 over spins the blower and can lead to failure. Please see the file below as to what pulley size nets what blower RPM. Simply change the blower size in the word document to the pulley size you are running or want to run and you will see what RPM the blower will be spinning at.
Insert boost table here for blower RPM limits (Can I post files that are not images to be mass downloaded?)
Blower PSI differences:
-Keep in mind elevation plays a key roll in PSI numbers you see. All gauges read differently and it is a common practice to read boost PSI with a fully mechanical gauge. Basically PSI isn't what is important, but blower RPM is what you should pay attention to. With the MAP sensor and boost gauge, you can datalog the PSI plot, if it flattens out it means you have a boost leak, or most likely your belt is slipping
Blower repairs:
-Paxton does repairs in house only. It is suggested to just call them, send in your blower, and take it from there.
-Might b a good tiem to upgrade the blower to straight cut gears with teh included HD bearings as mentioned above (Updated 1/30/15)
928 Motorsports:
-I deleted all information on the company called 928 Motorsports as the community and myself recommend to have Paxton do all upgrades and repairs on the blowers. (1/30/15)
Upgrading a N1220 to a N1200 through Paxton:
-This option is offered and is pretty inexpensive. I believe I was quoted just under $400 from Paxton. This includes a new compressor housing (Paxton calls them a volute), correct shim, and the impeller. The main difference is the vane of the impeller blade extends all the way to the compressor housing, where as the N1220 does not.
-Again, a good time to upgrade the bearings to straight cut and the HD Bearings from Paxton (updated 1/30/15)
Pulleys.
Science of Speed:
-SOS sells many different sized pulleys for the N1220/N1200 series. The pulley is the same for either blower.
-SOS has the up to date estimate of PSI levels obtained with pulleys sizes listed on the below web page.
-Science of Speed Pulleys
Reichard Racing Pulleys:
-This company sells pulleys for our blowers. I beleive they are 100% custom and you can get whatever size you need. (ie: 2.8, 2.6...anything!)
-They are advertised as high grip to reduce/eliminate belt slip
-Reichard Racing
Aftercooler/Heat exchanger.
Aftercooler:
-Highly recommended to get the after cooler on all models
-Early kits did not have a lip on the inlet and outlet of the aftercooler. I had issues of the aftercooler blowing off, even with T-Bolts. I had my fabricator weld lips on the inlet and outlet. Newer kits may have a lip, I am not sure of that though.
Heat exchanger:
-Highly recommended to get the Science of Speed upgraded heat exchanger
-Frozenboost.com sells larger heat exhcangers as well at a cheaper price but some fabrication work is required to mount it.
-helps reduce intake air temperatures and is practically a must when running small diameter pulleys
-Science of Speed upgraded front mount heat exchanger
Precautions when installing the aftercooler and heat exchanger:
-Water pump flows to aftercooler, aftercooler to heat exchanger, heat exchanger to pump.
-Use the ignition spade (labeled "switched" on the below picture) on the fuse panel by the drivers seat to power the water pump, be sure to use an inline fuse!
-Use water and water wetter in hot climate, in cold temperature areas or for store, use 50/50 antifreeze.
-Johnson control pumps are used by SOS, they have sold two different versions since releasing the kit. I had two different ones at once, I ended up keeping the higher flowing one and selling the other. Some people will say to high of a flowing pump doesnt give enough dwell time for heat transfer, but we are comparing apples to apples at that point I feel.
Blower to bracket assembly.
Blower to bracket bolts:
-In early kits, SOS instructed people to use thread locker on the bolts, DO NOT! They later revised this to anti seize. You will have to use heat to remove the bolts and will be considered lucky if you get the bolts out. (I was one of the lucky ones)
Belt/tensioner system.
Belts:
-The belts take a few miles to stretch out. Its recommended to install the kit, drive it a few miles (50 miles) and come back and re-tighten the belt. A good rule of thumb is that you shouldn't be able to twist the belt 90 degrees on the drivers side of the belt. You don't want to over tighten and and you obviously do not want to leave it loose.
Tensioner system:
-The tensioner system is a huge step over the COMPTECH kits.
Diverter/blow off valves.
Diverter port on blower:
-The valve hole is 25mm, some feel the stock Bosch diverter doesn't flow enough air and needs to be upgraded. The ultimate upgrade would be a large port BOV, such as the TiAL. This would require welding the fitting of the aftercooler.
Diverter valve recirculation:
-SOS instructs you to recirculate the diverter valve in the instructions, however many have found that not recirculating the diverter helps keep intake air temperature down.
Intake.
-Lately it has been popular to build a custom intake for blower inlet. One person claimed (on a dyno) that a custom intake netted him 44whp. Those numbers may not be for sure, but the reality is, lower intake air temps always net more power. The factory location of the intake filter is inches away from the header, and right behind the radiator. Re-routing the intake filter to the wheel well area on the passenger side is an exceptional location to suck in cooler air. I myself have data logged my custom intake and noticed a good return, plus the blower is much quieter. Doing this requires a slim fan, and a custom setup that includes silicone hoses/pipes and the SOS air filter that comes with the kit. My setup pictured below cost me just under $300 and I feel it was worth every penny.
Fueling:
Fuel pump hard wiring:
-Its a known issue that the factory wiring is not big enough. On F20C engines, at high RPM the voltage tapers off and your fuel pump flows less fuel resulting in less fuel. You will want to use a relay, 10 gauge wiring and an inline fuse to hard wire your fuel pump. Its pretty much a given you will have issues when you start laying down more power with smaller pulleys. If you have bigger injectors you may be able to avoid this, but Ive seen this issue arise. This is also needed when running the VERY large flow rate fuel pumps. Not just F20C engines suffer from too small of wire, all year S2000s suffer from this.
-SOS sells a complete wiring kit and it works very well, check it out here Science of Speed fuel pump wiring kit
Injectors sizes:
-When you get away from the "stock pulley" levels, you are better off jumping right to ID1000 or equivalent injectors for regular gas. ID1300s for e85 for sure if you want something close to 500whp.They can be had for about 450 or just under online. With injectors this size you will probably never have to upgrade again.
-You will need an aftermarket engine management kit to run aftermarket injectors
-SOS has a really nice chart of what you need for fuel components on either E85 or regular gas, check it out! Science of Speed EMS and fueling system flow chart
Fuel pumps:
-A genuine Walbro 255HD pump will do fine, or the Full Blown 340lhp pump. Larger Walbro 450 pumps have been released in recent years as well, choose wisely!
-Kits can be found online to replace the factory in tank pump
06+ Driveby wire cars:
-InlinePro sells a return fuel line kit that is recommened when you start running out of fuel with smaller pulleys. InlinePro return line kit
-SOS of course also sells one and it is cheaper SOS return style fuel system
Ignition.
Spark Plugs:
-NGKBKR(7/8/9)E series iridium plugs are the choice of everyone. Ask your tuner what you should run.
Engine Management:
Bolt on kits:
-Bolt on kits come with what you need to run the Supercharger
-06+ have FlashPro
-00-05 have an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump, Science of Speed FVM Controller. (both of which need to be removed when you install a small pulley and install larger injectors, and an engine management kit such as AEM EMS or Hondata K-Pro) BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR STAGE 1 KITS TO A TUNER IMMEDIATELY AFTER INSTALLATION. have them double check the correct AFR is set with the FMU.
Aftermarket engine management kits that are considered the best option:
AEM EMS and Hondata K-Pro
-Do your own reading on what you feel you want. There are many debates on what is better, it is best to talk to your tuner as to what you should use.
The following users liked this post:
manchild83 (03-29-2020)
08-31-2011, 07:33 PM
#2
Great thread 
I have a request however if I may, incorporating info on the Novi 1000 blower, as its still widely used (arguably still more popular then any of the other Novi blowers to date) and was technically available on the SOS kits for a period of time, if I remember correctly.
I have a request however if I may, incorporating info on the Novi 1000 blower, as its still widely used (arguably still more popular then any of the other Novi blowers to date) and was technically available on the SOS kits for a period of time, if I remember correctly.
08-31-2011, 07:36 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Honestly. As much as Id like to discuss the older N1000 kits. I would prefer to keep this strictly N1220/N1200 related. I feel this will be littered with obsolete information and things may get mixed in. I do not mean to hurt any feelings but I feel it is simpler this way. I still have love for the old CTSC setups though!
09-01-2011, 03:22 AM
#5
Registered User
You need to amend the first sentence under blower selection. It doesnt literally read how you want it to read and will confuse people who dont already know the differences between the blowers.
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09-01-2011, 04:40 AM
#7
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Melbourne
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Don't mean to hijack but has anyone run the 1220 with the 3.2inch pulley on a f20c? If so what psi are u netting? Curious because I'm currently running a 3.6inch pulley and the dyno logs 12 psi at 9k.
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09-01-2011, 05:25 AM
#8
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/produc..._1220_pulleys/
It should be 11.5psi
