Archive | Supercharger News

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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Superchargers at the 2010 SEMA Show

The 2010 SEMA Show is going to showcase several supercharged vehicles and new supercharger kits. Held in Las Vegas the industry insiders show starts on November 2nd and runs to the 5th. Following is an idea of some of the great things we have to look forward to.

It’s Mustang Madness this year with the new 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0L’s hitting the streets. At the SEMA show they’ll be showing off these hot new cars and the supercharger kits that’ll push them. Ford is bringing in nine customized Mustangs four of which are supercharged. These bad boys and girls include:

Creations n’ Chrome

The bright pink GT convertible sporting a Vortech supercharger and built for the American Cancer Society to raise awareness about breast cancer.

Picture of Ford Mustang Creations n' Chrome (SEMA 2010)

2011 Ford Mustang GT Convertible: Creations n’ Chrome

 

Muscle Mustang and Fast Fords

The Mustang fan magazine shows off a blue GT that is beefed up with a Ford Racing supercharger kit.

Picture of Ford Mustang GT: Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords (2010 SEMA)

Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords entry in SEMA 2010

 

Raceskinz Mustang GT

This white GT is a custom two seater that has been modded with a ProCharger supercharger.

Picture of Raceskinz Mustang GT

Raceskinz Mustang GT

 

Tjin Edition Mustang

Conflicting reports on this grey Stang by Neil Tjin and one says it’s fitted with a Vortech supercharger kit.

Picture of the Tjin Edition Mustang

Tjin Edition GT

 

SEMA Cares 2011 Ford Mustang GT

Another Mustang that’ll be seen at the show is the WD-40/SEMA Cares 2011 GT. This great charity car pushes out over 600 HP with its Paxton NOVI 2200 supercharger kit and an Air-To-Air Intercooler. After the show this one of a kind Mustang will be auctioned off by Barrett-Jackson with proceeds going to children’s charities Victory Junction Gang camp and Childhelp.

Picture of the 2011 Mustang GT: WD-40/SEMA Cares Car

WD-40/SEMA Cares Mustang

 

STaSIS Audi R8 Spyder

Outside of the Mustangs there’s some really interesting vehicles heading to SEMA. One of them is the STaSIS Audi R8 Spyder roadster. The STaSIS R8 has a bolt on supercharger kit that adds 185 HP and 132 lb-ft of torque to the stock V10. The supercharged R8 V10 generates 710 HP and 523 lb-ft of torque with a 0-60 of 3.1 seconds.

Picture of STASIS Audi R8 Spyder

The Supercharged STaSIS Audi R8 Spyder

 

TRD Tacoma X-Runner RTR

For the racing and truck fans Toyota is taking their Tacoma X-Runner RTR (ready to race) pickup with a Tundra 5.7 V8 coupled with a Toyota Racing Development (TRD) supercharger kit (supposedly Eaton Roots type). The RTR has SAE certified power of 504 HP and 550 lb-ft of torque and does it on premium fuel.

Picture of Toyota Tacoma X-Runner RTR

The Toyota Tacoma X-Runner RTR

 

CGS Performance Chevrolet Camaro

The CGS Performance Products team is showcasing a stunning black and red 2011 Chevy Camaro that’s running close to 500 HP equipped with a Whipple twin screw blower.

CGS Performance's 2011 Chevy Camaro

CGS Performance’s Whipple Supercharged 2011 Chevy Camaro displayed at 2010 SEMA Show

 

Redline Motorsports 2011 HTR-850R Camaro

Update:
Howard Tanner’s of Redline Motorsports won the Mother’s Choice Award for Excellence in Automotive Design with a beautiful 2011 Camaro that started out as RS but was morphed into a monster. In just six weeks Howard took a 2011 427 LS7 engine and added ported LS9 heads, custom hydraulic roller camshaft, JE forged pistons, Callies forged crankshaft, a Kenne Bell 3.6L screw supercharger with the KB heat exchanger, TR6060 transmission and a slew of other aftermarket parts. When all was said and done this super Camaro boasts 840 rwhp and 825 lb-ft of torque with 15 psi boost on pump gas and 18 psi on race fuel and a track test of 10.12 at 143 mph in the quarter mile.

Redline Motorsports 2011 Camaro Picutre

Redline Motorsports – 2011 HTR-850R Camaro with 427 LS7 and a 3.6L Kenne Bell Supercharger

 

Active Autowerke Vorsteiner 2011 BMW M3 GTRS3 Widebody

Another SEMA show car will be the Active Autowerke Vorsteiner GTRS3 Widebody 2011 BMW M3 with an Active Autowerke Stage 2 E9X M3 supercharger kit. The E9X kit is powered by a HKS GTS8550 supercharger and is reported to push output to 650 HP and 440 lb-ft of torque.

 

Supercharger Vette ZR1 LS9 Engine

Finally, an exciting project planed by Chev. During the 2010 SEMA Show they will be assembling a Corvette ZR1 LS9 6.2L supercharged engine. This is a continuation of Chevrolet’s “Corvette Engine Build Experience” which one of their participants took to build a 638 HP supercharged small block for their new Corvette ZR1.

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New Technology: The Blade Supercharger

When you think Supercharger you usually associate it with big horsepower or performance engines. That may be the coolest and most fun aspect of a supercharged car but that’s not the only thing a supercharger is good for. With the obvious need to improve engine performance while lowering emissions the supercharger can go beyond our tuned horse power monster rides and make an impact outside of racing and street machines.

To combat rising fuel costs and the environmental impact of combustion engines a large portion of new cars are being produced with downsized and smaller engines. This has motivated several companies to research ways to combat these low torque and low horse power vehicles. One company who is making progress is the UK based Lontra.

Earlier this year Lontra working with Ricardo and Ford were awarded funding from the Technology Strategy Board to demonstrate their new supercharger system, The Blade Supercharger™. Lontra’s supercharger is an optimized and application specific version of Lontra’s The Blade Compressor™. This system is designed to meet the needs of heavily downsized gas and diesel power trains.

Picture of The Blade Supercharger™ Prototype

The Blade Supercharger™ Prototype

As described by Lontra’s Business Development Director, Simon Hombersley, The Blade Supercharger is “A small, rotary double-acting positive displacement compressor.” The Blade allows for real time variation of flow and internal compression ratio without having to change rotational speed. This provides precise matching of boost requirements for an engine through its cycle.

Lontra claims that with this design they can offer a supercharger with up to 20% efficiency gain over current systems. It is designed for high volumetric and thermal efficiency with high efficiency heat recovery. It works at a constant speed, is an oil free system and is small in size with low vibration and quiet operation.

A demonstration vehicle with a Ford engine is expected to be shown next year some time. The bottom line with the Lontra design is improved performance through the entire power band without turbo lag or as in some superchargers where there’s a noticeable difference of power from low to high RPM’s.

Although Lontra’s new supercharger is initially geared toward highly downsized engines it will be very exciting to see how the technology will be applied to big horse power and high performance vehicles. I am really looking forward to the first Lontra Supercharger Kits.

Here’s a video of The Blade Supercharger™ in action:

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