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December 2, 2003
Whipple supercharger review...
So I have had my North Face Avalanche for 30,000 miles (over two years). About a year and 15,000 miles longer than most of my vehicles. The problem is that I love it. There is no other truck as versatile. It hauls Harleys, surfboards, a family of five, and construction materials for a remodel. So instead of getting something new, I decided to upgrade it. Basically more power.
Friday I picked it up from my pal Steve Huff who slapped on the Whipple Supercharger for me. The company claims 90 hp bolt on! The supercharger fits in-line to the fuel system. You get a new air flow system, a new air box (more air flow), two new injectors, new plugs, a new pulley, some new hoses, and a new computer in-line with the factory computer. The supercharger basically mixes the air and gas better and shoves the cylinder full of an optimal mixture so you get a bigger bang. Normal fuel injection systems fill up about 60% of the engine cylinder volume with normal air pressure and the downstroke of the piston pulling in the air/fuel mixture. The supercharger crams in the mixture, filling 100% of the volume with the perfect mixture. The computer controls when the thing is on and when it is off. Basically when you stomp your foot on the gas, it kicks in and pulls like a banchie until you reach the motor's rev limiter. When you are just driving around normally, you don't get any boost and the thing only takes 2HP for the pulley. There is no change to the hood or the exhaust or anything visable on the truck. The only thing you may notice is the whine of the supercharger when you stomp on it. A very satisfying feeling actually.
Now I had the Porsche Turbo for a couple years and the accelleration was amazing. Snap your neck fast. I knew that wouldn't happen with a truck that weighs three times as much. Certainly the handling would still be like and SUV. When I first hit the gas I was totally blown away. My Avalanche launched off the line like the Turbo. Nearly as much force snapping my neck back. I haven't put it on a dyno to see how many HP have been added, but plenty. And because it is automatic, it just keeps pulling all the way up. The computer shuts down the engine around 100mph. There is an upgrade I can get to bypass that, but don't think I will do it just yet.
In summary, I LOVE IT! My favorite part is the little sticker they give you for your dashboard:
DO NOT MAINTAIN WIDE OPEN THROTTLE WHEN FUEL LEVEL IS BELOW 1/4 OF A TANK. YOU MAY DAMAGE THE FUEL PUMP.
Gotta love it.
Posted by Martin at December 2, 2003 12:08 PM
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Comments
I have a 01' Chevy truck with the 5.3L. Is there any other upgrades that should be done after the SC install. Like fuel pump, intercooler or anything. I would be afraid the rest of the motor might not be able to handle the increase in HP/Torque. I was also wondering about the Tranny and rear end, how they would hold up. I've been wanting to get one so bad but it's my only vehicle and don't want it laid up you know. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Posted by: Sean at March 20, 2004 6:30 PM
My friend who installed it has had a Whipple on his for 100,000 miles and had no issues. Whipple in particular has gone the extra mile with their computer to not break anything else on the stock system. When I installed, I opened up the front end a bit with a much larger airbox. The only thing I should probably do is open up the back end with a new exhaust. The rest of the engine, tranny, etc. are built to take the torque. I asked about the fuel pump and he said it was fine. If you want to be double sure, you can install a higher flow one, but in reality you are not running full open that much. The first month I was stomping on it 10 times a day just because it was so fun, but now I don't so much. The only time you MAY be stressing your pump is if you are running floored over a long period of time. Believe me you won't be doing that much unless you are in the desert with LOTS of open space. I say go for it!
Posted by: Martin at March 23, 2004 9:25 AM
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