Engine Got supercharger installed....watch out!!!

Got supercharger installed....watch out!!!

Just got TRD Supercharger installed on my Corolla and damn.........I was trying to catch my breathe. I was literally shaking in my seat. That good. Best upgrade yet. NOthing compared to my friend's RSX or IS300. Take off was incredible!!!! Went almost 100mph in matter of seconds compared to what it was before. I was so excited about it that I tried to take on most vehicles next to me. They don't even know what hit them. Those of you in SO. Ca, Carson Toyota has a good deal for s/c install. $2640 for kit and $450 for labor, car rental is free. I paid $3090 for the whold darn thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got no cash now, but wayyyyy worth it. If you got the cash, this is a good investment. If you don't believe me, you'll just have to take my word for it. I assume turbo would be great too!!!

Re: Got supercharger installed....watch out!!!

Thats awesome, maybe if i tell Longo toyota that Carson is giving it at that price. They will give it to me the same.

I'm sure they would. Toyota dealerships are pretty competitive. I've negotiated with San Bernardino and Redlands Toyota and both went down in price because I told them that Carson was willing to do it for much lower. However, San Bernardino and Redlands didn't quite go as low as I though they would or tried to match the price exactly. I think Redlands Toyota wanted $400 more at the end than what Carson's offering me. San Bernardino wanted like $800 more, which was still way too high. They wanted to charge me $860 for Install!!!!! Can you believe that? What a rip off.

So i decided to go all the way out to Carson, CA to get it done even though I live way out here in the Inland Empire. If LOngo doesn't match the deal or come close, you always have Carson Toyota to look forward too. They're suppose to be the number 1 TRD retail/installation facility in the US. That's what they said according to their email to me. Steve Ganz was the guy I talked too and he also had a TRD performance advisor with him by the name of Pete Thomas. Both are knowledgable.

I opt out for the supercharger simply because I wanted to keep my warranty and that it was 100% safe for our cars. No add on's or other mods required. The TRD Supercharger comes with a CARB sticker and passes emissions here in California. So, I saved a lot of money in the long run.

blah, I'd still rather get a turbo for that kinda money, i'll bet i'd be able to outrun ya...

Yeah, I heard what a turbo system can do but you have to put in a lot of money into it so the car will run right. Especially with the heat issue and engine stress that a turbo will cause. The people at TRD said that the supercharger actually relieves the engine and runs cooler due to the way the TRD supercharger is designed. I read up and emailed a lot of our members at this web site who owns a supercharger and talked to a lot of TRD advisors as well as visited countless web sites regarding the TRD supercharger. After comparing TRD to what turbo enthusiast said, I chose the supercharger simply because it ran more efficient. I'm sure there are turbo kits out there that can produce much more horsepower compared to what a TRD s/c has to offer, but, I'm only willing to spend $3,000. There's always something out there that can produce more horsepower. Just a matter of how much you are willing to spend

I saw most of your post and I'm also keeping up with your update on your custom turbo kit. Man that's a lot of money spent already, but I'm sure you'll outrun me. I like what you've done though and I can't wait to see how it looks.

I'm pretty satisfied with the boost I'm getting. Its fast and I love the quick acceleration, drool. I love watching the tach as it starts to redline. But I don't want to mess with the engine too much. I'll just ride it out and maybe get me another car down the road. I heard that you can modify the boost on the supercharger to give out greater psi. I'll worry about that later. I'm just enjoying cruising around in my car for now. I mainly did it for the warranty too. This is my first brand new car so I might as well take full advantage of the warranty and all the goodies that comes with it (TRD).

Check out this post: Supercharger vs. Turbochargers

http://www.turbocalculator.com/turbocharger-supercharger.html

It looks like turbo can produce way more horsepower than superchragers (after it spools up and wide open throttle). =turbo lag

Superchargers get immediate response as soon as you step on the gas.

Turbos can produce the highest power level and much higher boost unlike a supercharger.

Looks like turbo are better suited for top end speed after the initial lag. If I were to go against Crovax, I would have the initial lead, but later on, he'll probably catch up to me. Unless I get a big enough lead, then I have a good chance on beating him. hehe I better know how to race.

yeah, the turbo i'm sure is killin my engine...the blower will make it last for a long time...cant argue with you there just different priorities

well, about that turbo lag thing... i make full boost at 2k, and make about 20-30 more hp than you...but you have a manual...hrmmm, i think if we went 1/8 mile, you may win, but 1/4 i would probably win go to the dragstrip and we'll find out

Thanks for the info, tom. It sounds like smooth sailing going with the supercharger. I was hoping to get a turbo kit, but I agreed with what you said about the engine stress from the turbo. The life of the tranny won't last as long as with the s/c, and I plan on keeping my car for a long time. Plus, the TRD s/c has been proven that it works efficiently.. and is reliable. It's also about a grand less when all is complete.

I wish there was someone who bought a turbo kit, either the TSI or Stafford, reporting no problems, but I guess everyone is waiting for someone to buy it first before they do.

Did you install a TRD CAI with it? Keep us updated with any changes. Thanks again.

no, its not a grand less...i spent so much money because i bought a buncha stuff i didnt need, you could build a turbo setup and have it installed for the same money ur gonna spend on the blower...the car wont last as long, but i can tell you you'll hand any superchagred rolla their ass.

I should have been more specific about the turbo being about a grand more. I was referring to buying a kit, plus all the essentials...and not making your own.
No doubt a turbo'd corolla would dust a supercharged one, but I wouldn't mess around with fellow corolla owners, but rather them Hondas. :wink:

good call man I love all things toyota, and hate all thigns honda :twisted:

A supercharged corolla can be good competition for a turbocharged corolla too. It'll be close. I can see advantages and disadvantages. I just love to smoke them Hondas though. Although some of the more extreme racers here have some pretty fast Civics. They don't know I got a supercharger underneath the hood.

and the supercharged community continues to grow there were only three then two of us for a while now damn like 6 I think not including AESC. Thats awesome just keep it up and share what your doing

we should do a superchered corolla roll call

I know the turbo can outperform the S/C but if I had a choice I'd get the S/C. I like keeping the warranty and knowing my car's engine isn't getting beat up every time I press the gas. I hope to keep my car for a while and still be able to sell it at a decent price.

If TRD made a turbo kit, though, that would be awesome. They probably won't, though, since I don't think our engines were really designed to handle that much boost within their pretty strict tolerances.

By the way, did you need to switch to premium gas with the supercharger?

...all TRD superchargers (and FI in general) require premium gas.

ok, somone expalin how the SC is easier in the engine than a turbo (warrenty asside).

assuming equil boost is chosen, whats the diffrence?

cylinder (sp) pressure is the wear issue, and a given pressure (boost PSI) through the same oponing (the intake valves) how are turbos any better or worse?

now crank the boost, and i see the obvious possibility of extra wear or dammage, but inherantly i dont think one technoogy is safer than the other.

oh and the TRD superchargr voids your toyota waranty just as fast as a turbo will, its just that you get a TRD waranty in its place. those of us that bought the toyota extended waranty loose that extra either way if we choose to go FI.

I got mine installed at Carson Toyota for the same price as well. Real nice people. It's been running for 3 weeks now and no problems. If anyone needs to know, contact Pete Thomas in service, or Steve Ganz in the parts dept.

I can give you some run downs on both turbos and superchargers if you are still having trouble deciding what to get.

Both superchargers and turbos have distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Superchargers are much easier to install and tune, making them more practical for a novice mechanic such as myself.

Lag:
This is perhaps the biggest advantage that the supercharger enjoys over the tubo. During this lag time, the turbocharger is creating little to no boost, which means little to no power gains during this time. Smaller turbos spool up quicker, which eliminates some of this lag, like Crovax T-25.

Turbochargers utilize a wastegate, which allows the use of a smaller turbocharger to reduce lag while preventing it from spinning too quickly at high engine speeds. A Supercharger, on the other hand, is connected directly to the crank, so there is no "lag". Superchargers are able to produce boost at a very low rpm.

The turbocharger is generally more economical to operate as it as it is driven by energy in the exhaust gasses, where a supercharger draws power from the crank, which can be used to turn the wheels.

The turbocharger's impeller is also powered only under boost conditions, so there is less drag while the impeller is not spinning. The turbocharger, however, is not free of inefficiency as it does create additional exhaust backpressure and exhaust flow interruption.

Because the supercharger eliminates the need to deal with the exhaust gas interruption created by inserting a turbocharger turbine into the exhaust flow, the supercharger creates no additional exhaust backpressure. The amount of power that is lost by a turbo's turbine reduces it's overall efficiency.

Because a turbocharger first spools up before the boost is delivered to the engine, there is a surge of power that is delivered immediately when the wastegate opens (around 3000 rpm). This surge can be damaging to the engine and drivetrain, but the power is incredible.

Superchargers are substantially easier to install than a turbo because they have far fewer components and simpler devices. Turbos are complex and require manifold and exhaust modifications, intercoolers, extra oil lines, etc. - most of which is not needed with most superchargers.

you basically hit the nail on the head there Tom (fine name BTW, my name is Tom too ) Only a few things though...the wastegate is used to limit the boost. The wastegate on my turbo has a threading on it, and i can screw it in and gain more boost pressure, or losen it up to lower the boost. Right now, i have the turbo spooling up to 6.5 psi before the wastegate opens, thus allowing the exhaust gas to bypass the turbine, and limit boost pressure. The boost doesnt come on all at one time though...it comes on gradually. If i floor it at a stand still... i'll be making 3 psi by 2000rpm and full boost by 2500 or so. The power is linear, not just a surge...the surge comes if you have a manual, whenever you shift, because you shift, the engine is spinning at 4000 or so, once you grab the gear and hit the gas, the boost comes on instantly because of ur engine speed. Of course if you have an auto, you just keep ur foot planted and the turbo never has to slow down.

While the turbo does create backpressure in the exhaust system...that loss of power doesnt compair to the loss of power that a belt driven supercharger gives, thats why a 7.5 psi non-intercooled turbo setup will outperform a 7.5 psi supercharged setup.

There's absoultly no question a supercharger is more reliable, the reason for this are there's less seals and gaskets in a blower, and it doesnt turn the engine bay of your car into an oven like a turbo. You really need to start thinking about cooling and insulating things under the engine bay with a turbo.

Basically you can get either for about the same price, its all about what your proirites are...if you plan on keeping the car for 200k miles, then the supercharger is probably the best bet, but if you're gonna do some serious engine work down the line, and wanna make serious power, then definitly go turbo.

Simply put, turbochargers are capable of maintaining efficiency at higher boost pressures (since boost is not directly linked to cranskshaft). In a turbocharger, boost pressures of 1 bar or less (22psi or less) are extremely common. Whereas a supercharger is belt driven by the crankshaft and therefore has a direct relationship to the actual rpms (10 psi or less). Superchargers, in short, are more efficient in lower "boost" levels (i.e. more torque vs more hp) situations.

Tom,

Congrats on the SC. Do you know if your dealer swapped out the spark plugs for a colder set with a smaller gap?

V2

Actually, they left the spark plugs as stock (didn't even take it out). Can you believe that? THey say that it will not pose any problems. You know what? I still got a lot of boost, damn. I love it. But the next time I get it done, I will change the gap (.8mm).

There are stickers the dealer put in your engine bay that tells whoever maintains the vehicle to set spark plug gap to this specs, and belt tension-size, a diagram of the belt layout, and for those of you who are worried about SMOG, there is a sticker that has the CARB Exectutive Order # on it that says 50 state emissions legal, TRD.

The kit comes with a cooler thermostate too (160 degrees), to replace the stock (180 degrees). The dealer got carried away and put "Premium gas only" all over my dashboard, gas cap, hood, and door panel. They don't show up that much because they are small, but "I get it already!"

Best of all, I love the sound it makes. Especially at higher RPM, you can hear the whislting and the servos winding up. That's what it sounds like to me. Even at idle, it sounds good.

shit... you better change your spark plug ASAP... Supercharger requires cold plugs such as IK20 or higher (i use IK22).. the stock one we have is IK16 which is a hot plug.. not good for boost setup..

i remember Black03rolla's engine died cuz one of his spark plug got too hot and broke down which damage his piston... you can ask him for more deal

HOly crap, thanks for info. What's up with the dealer telling me that it wasn't necessary? The worst that can happen is that it was their fault for not doing it in the first place and if there was engine damage due to that, they have to fix it.

I haven't changed the spark plugs for the Corolla engine before, let alone take off the engine cover. Is it deep in the heads or can is it easily accessible without using an extension?

lol~~ have you look at the manual that comes with the TRD supercharger?? if not.. here is a picture i just took.. read it.. (very big picture)

http://www.vvti.net/DSC02508.JPG

well.. even though they will fix the engine for free.. but it will take them atleast a month to do the job... which mean you won't be able use your car for atleast a month if your engine died...

It says "recommended" not necessary, and I do have that paperwork + its on a sticker underneath the hood of the car too so you don't have to rub it in my face, damn. The guy that installed my supercharger did tons of installs. (Actually, he's one of three technicians that does the supercharger install) They rarely replace or modify the spark plugs on the other Corollas and Tundras. None came back with any problems even at 75,000 miles. I guess they know what they are talking about.

lol~~ it's up to you.. but like i said before.. it already happend on one of the member's car.. to me.. it's better to spend $40 and save all the trouble.. then have your engine kill and live without your car for a month..

btw... are you going to race with your supercharger?? if so... i "highly recommend" you to change it..

I don't plan on racing majority of the time. Sure is fun as hell to drive it though. I pretty much just cruise normally unless I see some riced up car that want some competition. I'm not afraid to show them what I got. I'll still look into the spark plugs though....

lol... same here... i burn soo many riced up cars.. it feel soooo fun... haha.. lol.. they got beat by a Corolla... lol