eric n

So the plan is to move forward with the whipple in the very near future. But, with summer heat I'm some concerned that power might be really drop off terribly. So, I ask you who get blown regularly.... What has your experience been? When it get's really hot, is it like driving NA? Is the power increase still evident, but not as strong? Last week it got up to 113 degrees and we haven't seen anything under 100 for a bit.

don_w

Oh yea, there is a drop off, but not nearly as radical as feeling like it's NA. I figure we're losing about 1/10 - 2/10 in the 1/8-mi. On the street, it's not that noticable... since I can't run it at WOT for more than a few seconds anyway. Also, running the A/C will sap a little more, too.

Fords4Ever

Just got a Motor Trend or Car and Driver (not sure which) in the mail and they tested a bunch of cars at the VIR track.

They said the GT500 got slower by 3-4 seconds per lap as the day got hotter. They didn't mention it as a reason but I immediately thought of the Supercharger.

tom281

Well for the record since you asked, I get blown regularly and my experiences are always good........

OK regarding my Vortech, heat soak sucks on days like today when its 95 outside, BUT I am not intercooled (yet) so it is def worse for me than an intercooled kit.

eric n

Tom, GOOD FOR YOU, I'm HAPPILY married also!

firemanken

i have a non intercooled vortech on order. do you guys recommend taking it easy on hot days? i never had a supercharged car before

don_w

Well that depends. Mine pulls timing if the IAT gets too high. And I also watch the water temp gauge religiously on really warm days.

But, I still go to the track and flog the snot out of it.

tom281

That's the same kit I have, as offered by Brenspeed. My car does seem to lose power on hotter days, however its not something that I miss dramatically. I think the intercooler will help, but none the less heat soak is heat soak and you're gonna have it no matter what system you buy.

As long as the tune is safe and spot-on, just use common sense on really hot days.

SlwSVT

You definately lose power in the hot summer months. In my opinion probably a solid 25-30rwhp through out the entire rev band. But, when the cold air move's in, it sure is **** fun when you pick up the 25-30rwhp you lost and add even more power on those nice cold, dense air days. Probably closer to 45-50rwhp.

RobK

3-4 seconds per lap is A LOT of time. I'd be more inclined to think it was an issue with the tires going away. It's been a couple of years since I drove VIR, but I remember it being pretty tough on tires (I ran R1s at the time). The GT500 is also super front heavy which would lead to accellerated degradation of the front tires. You'll definitely lose some power as a result of the higher ambient temps, but not 3-4 seconds worth. If you're going to do forced induction, always intercool.

G.T

Well i have an intercooled whipple pushing 10PSI down in Dubai, and we're peaking around 115-120F on a bad day (+50-75% humidity on worse days!)
when i monitor the IAT (before the blower), i see it starting around 120F, and gradually raising as the coolant temp rises and the engine compartment gets heatsoaked.
the worst i've recorded was 165F IAT temp, and that's before being compressed (heated some more) then intercooled down a bit, while the PCM was pulling timing like crazy..

i'll be relocating my IAT sensor to the discharge side of the blower in a couple days to get a more accurate readings to the PCM.

but as it stands, at the worst it still won't feel NA.. but it will be pretty sluggish.
needless to say, i don't drive it when it's that hot outside.. just doesn't feel right for either of us