Archive | Eaton

Eaton Goes Smaller To Get Bigger

Recently Eaton has been paving new roads with their forward thinking supercharger product development. They have been concentrating on a market that has the most need and demand for specialty blowers. They are developing superchargers for small displacement gas engines.

Eaton's TVS (Twin Vortices Series) Supercharger

Eaton is expecting big things from small engines using the TVS Supercharger – Their twin vortices, four lobe roots type positive displacement blower.

With this in mind they are challenging two very firm beliefs: One, is that superchargers are only for big horsepower and performance vehicles. Two, is that turbochargers are the best option for small
displacement stock engines.

Turbos are currently the choice of many large manufacturers who want to add power to their vehicles but Eaton has been able to prove that turbochargers may not be the best option. Eaton claims their current roots type positive displacement supercharger can not only improve engine performance but they also provide up to five percent in fuel savings, reduced emissions and are considered maintenance free – all without the annoying lag of a turbo.

Eaton’s real world examples on small vehicles include the 2011 Nissan Micra which is a supercharged 1.2 liter, 3 cylinder micro car sporting the twin four-lobe rotor Eaton TVS® blower. China’s Chery Automobile Co. jumped on board with some of their 2010 line. The Chery 1.6S Tiggo compact SUV with a 1.6 liter blown engine producing 148 horsepower @ 5500 RPM and 151 lb-ft of torque between 3500 – 4500 RPM, the compact 1.3S A3 which is supposed to perform like a 2.0 liter engine and the small sedan Riich 1.3S G3.

Eaton Supercharged 2011 Nissan Micra

The 2011 Nissan Micra – An Eaton TVS blown monster!

The extra power provided by Eaton’s superchargers works out to be an ideal fit for these small engine applications. It allows auto manufacturers to produce a smaller power plant which allows for a more compact vehicle while keeping the same horsepower with lower emissions and improved fuel efficiency.

Eaton is poised to take advantage of the global trend towards smaller and more efficient vehicles, especially in some of the largest automotive markets in the world. Now that they’ve built a relationship with Mazda and have a foothold in China, which is the largest car market in the world, they have their sights set on other manufacturers and countries.

Rumors indicate one of those markets is India. Eaton is already established there but reports say they are working on a deal with Tata Motors to produce a supercharged Tata Nano. Eaton’s insight and new partnerships has them going from a shrinking supercharger market to expecting sales to double by 2015.

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2000 Ford Crown Victoria LX Superchargers

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Question:

I have a 2000 Crown Victoria LX am I’m looking for a Supercharger set for it. Right now, I have not found anything and have no luck. If you have any information, please send it.

Answer:

The stock 4.6L V8 in the 2000 Crown Vic is a 2-valve SOHC (single overhead cam) which is the same as the 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis with 215 HP and 285 lb-ft. Crown Vics use the same 4.6L Ford Modular engine as many Ford products do. For example the Mustang. The 4.6L 2-valve SOHC were used in Mustangs from 1996 to 2004 and other cars using this engine were 1994 to 1997 Ford Thunderbirds and the 1994 to 1997 Mercury Cougar. So, if you can’t find a supercharger kit for the set up on your specific platform then you can look at the other cars for options.

Luckily there are already Crown Vics with superchargers. A popular option for them seems to be the Eaton M112 roots blower. There is a company called Tork Tech Inc. who produces an Eaton M112 based supercharger kit for the 4.6L Crown Vic. They have their kit set up on several Crown Vic’s but it’s not a simple as pie bolt on. Some changes need to be made such as moving the battery to the trunk or drivers side as well as moving the coolant overflow tank and washer fluid tank. In the grand scheme of things these aren’t major problems to overcome so it’s a really good option to look at.

The Tork Tech supercharger kit may be the easiest way to get it done but I can’t say if it’s the most cost effective. Rumor has it the price is a bit up there. As for other options I’ve also heard that Whipple may have something for the 4.6L so you could check with them. Finally, following is a video of a 2000 Crown Vic with a Vortech V-2 SQ S-Trim centrifugal supercharger which seems to be a custom install.

If anyone else knows of some superchargers or kits that’ll work on this platform please leave a comment.

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Eaton Supercharger Kits

Eaton Corporation Logo

Eaton Corporation Logo (™)

Eaton Corporation has roots back to 1911 when Joseph Eaton, Henning Taube and Viggo Torbensen founded Torbensen Gear and Axle Co. The company started off in New Jersey, USA producing seven hand built axles in their founding year.

Eaton went through many changes in the early part of its life including several name changes, a headquarters move to Cleveland, the sale and then repurchase of the company and several acquisitions of competing and complimentary businesses. Through the years Eaton continued acquisitions that took them far beyond the automotive industry. This expansion has lead Eaton Corporation to sales of $11.9 billion USD in 2009.

When it comes to superchargers and supercharger kits, Eaton has remained loyal to the Roots style blower. Since the 1980’s Eaton has produced over three million Roots superchargers for street and strip. What makes Eaton’s Roots superchargers stand out is their designs. One of Eaton’s designs, the Twin Vortices Series™ (VTS™) was able to improve fuel efficiency, increase power, reduce noise and vibration and provide a smoother and more efficient air flow. The kicker is they were able to do it all in a smaller and more simple package than many previous Roots-type supercharger kits.

Eaton TVS Roots-Type Supercharger

Eaton TVS Roots-Type Supercharger

Eaton continues to work on advancing their supercharger designs. They boast a team of over 50 experts who are dedicated to designing, engineering and testing new supercharger kits. Further, Eaton has their own ‘Proving Grounds’, a 600 acres on and off-road facility in Marshall Michigan where they thoroughly test products in a real world and racing environment.

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TRD Supercharger Kits and Performance Parts

Toyota Racing Development (TRD) Logo

TRD Logo (™)

Toyota Racing Development (TRD) is Toyota’s in-house performance development and tuning division for Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicle lines. At the time of writing there are two main divisions of TRD: Toyota Technocraft Co. Ltd or TRD Japan (established June of 1954) and TRD U.S.A. (established in 1979). TRD Japan was originally known as Toyota Sports Corner (TOSCO). In December of 2006 TRD officially expanded into Thailand with TRD Asia Co. Ltd. which was a new corporation made up with 80% shares owned by Toyota Technocraft Co., Ltd. and 20% by Toyota Tsusho Corporation. In August of 2007 Toyota Australia established TRD Australia which offered the first TRD production vehicles. Unfortunately the production was officially brought to a halt in March of 2009. Beyond superchargers TRD offers several optional and aftermarket performance parts including headers, mufflers, suspension parts, braking hardware and much more.

TRD Supercharger Kit for a 2003 Toyota Matrix

TRD Supercharger Kit for a 2003 Toyota Matrix

TRD has been in the business a long time and has an established reputation. Along with the quality that is expected of Toyota vehicles comes TRD’s outstanding professional racing results for both cars and trucks. They have a long list of participation coupled with impressive achievements. A complete list of achievements is beyond this article but to get an idea of just how deep their racing roots are we’ve included a list of series and racing leagues they have participated in:

– The Japanese division of TRD has raced in a variety of series including: All-Japan F3 Championship, ESSO Formula Toyota, Netz Cup (Vitz) and Super GT (JGTC).
– TRD U.S.A. has been raced in Baja 1000, Championship World Series (CART), Championship Off Road Racing (CORR), Grand-Am Cup Sports Touring, Indy Racing League, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and Toyota Atlantic Series.
– Toyota Team Europe which is now known as Toyota Forumla One Team has raced in 24 Hours of Le Mans, Forumla One World Championship Racing (F1) and World Rally Championship (WRC).

A couple of noteworthy achievements: TRD was the first to factory fit an Eaton TVS supercharger in a production car with the 2008 TRD Aurion. Also, in 2000 Toyota was able to grab a CART win with a TRD built engine. This was the first American built engine to win an Indy race in 20 years. Using that same design by 2002 they were able to take the Indy Series Championship.

Unfortunately, in 2015 Toyota discontinued support for the TRD Supercharger program. The majority of their offers were Roots type but they also had a centrifugal compressor for the Scion.

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