Interesting ProCharger Article

[fastTa]

ProCharger can't mention who exactly they are referring to because of legal reasons, but I can. Vortech was sued by ProCharger a few years back and they were invloved in the lawsuit for quite some time. ProCharger came out the victor obviously and Vortech has apparently "updated" their claims of HP level increases.

The article was released in February but it is just interesting to know that ProChargers competitors would stoop so low just to try and keep up.

http://www.procharger.com/competitorhp/summary.shtml

[KnightFire]

Kinda hard to hide that fact, especially when you view the other page to that story


http://www.procharger.com/competitor...hpdetail.shtml


KnightFire

[fastTa]

Kinda hard to hide that fact, especially when you view the other page to that story


http://www.procharger.com/competitor...hpdetail.shtml


KnightFire

Yep, can you imagine what Vortech customers must feel like now!

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

Yep, can you imagine what Vortech customers must feel like now!

Waaaahhh Waaahhhhh Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! sob sob sob, sniff sniff...

Actually, I don't have a problem with the blower, but I too, think the Vortech guys are pussies ever since John Lingenfelter raced them with an open Borla on his NA 383 F-Body and they complained about the Borla being unrestricted. John shut them up when he said "Maybe next time I'll put a blower on my car."

I think if you started examining horsepower claims, just about every maker of aftermarket products would be sued. Heck, people are even bitching about lawnmower engines making a half a horse less than they say on the label...

I can tell you that the first time I tried out my car after just putting the blower, headers and 1.6 rrs on it, it got sideways on the on ramp in second gear and I knew the blower was workin! I also knew the stock GSCs weren't going to handle it so I got 315 BFG DRs on there and they can't handle the power either, although a lot of that is due to the later mods like heads & cam that are on there now. If I had it to do over again, I might have bought a Procharger, but I'm not going to worry about it because of that article...I think ATIs are better specifically on Camaros because they lend themselves better to intercooler pipes due to them not having the hidden headlights of the Firebird which gets in the way and because of the front grille. Also, I don't like the intercoolers which are mounted on the bottom of the car because that is less efficient. The Vortech water cooled intercooler is more efficient than air/air, but it is ugly as hell and the pump is weak, and at the track you have to fill it with ice water or something similar to get it working right.

As it is, my combo gives me more power than the rest of it can handle. Personally, the only blowers that I think are a waste are the real low output ones, and even one of those would put a smile on a guy's face when he floors it.

[fastTa]

Waaaahhh Waaahhhhh Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! sob sob sob, sniff sniff...

Actually, I don't have a problem with the blower, but I too, think the Vortech guys are pussies ever since John Lingenfelter raced them with an open Borla on his NA 383 F-Body and they complained about the Borla being unrestricted. John shut them up when he said "Maybe next time I'll put a blower on my car."

I think if you started examining horsepower claims, just about every maker of aftermarket products would be sued. Heck, people are even bitching about lawnmower engines making a half a horse less than they say on the label...

I can tell you that the first time I tried out my car after just putting the blower, headers and 1.6 rrs on it, it got sideways on the on ramp in second gear and I knew the blower was workin! I also knew the stock GSCs weren't going to handle it so I got 315 BFG DRs on there and they can't handle the power either, although a lot of that is due to the later mods like heads & cam that are on there now. If I had it to do over again, I might have bought a Procharger, but I'm not going to worry about it because of that article...I think ATIs are better specifically on Camaros because they lend themselves better to intercooler pipes due to them not having the hidden headlights of the Firebird which gets in the way and because of the front grille. Also, I don't like the intercoolers which are mounted on the bottom of the car because that is less efficient. The Vortech water cooled intercooler is more efficient than air/air, but it is ugly as hell and the pump is weak, and at the track you have to fill it with ice water or something similar to get it working right.

As it is, my combo gives me more power than the rest of it can handle. Personally, the only blowers that I think are a waste are the real low output ones, and even one of those would put a smile on a guy's face when he floors it.

Long live John Lingenfelter. I definitely agree that Vortech did have some quality headunits and some pretty decent air-water intercoolers, but it was just the stuff like the Lingenfelter race agianst them that just tainted their reputation. It was also the fact that they were to pussy to ever go head to head at the track with ProCharger.

We piston-heads, like yourself and I, know that a race part manufacturer's reputation is everything.

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

The Vortech head units are made by Carroll Supercharger. I think the units, properly plumbed and non-intercooled, add about 150 hp to a lt1. I also think a lot of people can't tune them and run around super rich with the goofy FMU instead of bigger injectors which is what they really need. The FMUs are designed to keep the car cool & rich, but they are inconsistent for tuning. So, I think the kit, as it comes from Vortech, has some shortcomings, but like a lot of things, can be set up to be better than one that is just slapped on.

[fastTa]

Yeah, even the ProCharger FMU is not perfect. In fact most speed shops and/or supercharger dealers will ditch the FMU normally included with the popular kits. The needle valves with the ProCharger FMU kits are way too finicky and usually cause erratic fuel pressure under boost. If I bought a ProCharger unit, I would definitely piece together my own "boost intelligent" fuel system.

People today, especially the younger kids, just want to order a "kit" and bolt it on then go burn up their tires. That's cool.....and to each their own.....but I am just a fan of setting everything up right and making those custom little tweaks that separates the men from the boys!