Poweradders
Superchargers
Probably the most known poweradder for the mustang engine, superchargers are a wonderful way of achieving HP. Instead of me writing a 10 page FAQ on what superchargers actually do, I feel these links can explain it much better than I can:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question122.htm
http://www.fordvschevy.com/tech/tbsc/tbsc.html
http://www.hboss.net/4runner/a30jun02.htm
http://www.superchargersonline.com/content.asp?ID=15
http://www.sporttruck.com/techarticles/1436/
Roots Style Superchargers
Roots style superchargers are what you see on the new 2003 and 2004 Cobras, along with the brand new Ford GT supercar. These superchargers replace the intake manifold and generate peak boost at low RPMs. It works by having two counter-rotational lobes spin, trapping air between them and forcing it through the compressor. Roots and twin screw blowers are the most efficient superchargers available because of simplicity. The problem with these though is that they generate massive amounts of heat and heat is an enemy of HP. Also, because they seem to peak out so quick, without an aid to help cool the boost down, the boost will just be flat at the upper RPMs with no noticeable difference in gain between 3000 RPMs and 5000 RPMs. 3.55 and 3.73 gears are normally used in conjunction with these because they peak out so quick.
Twin-Screw Style Superchargers
Twin-screw superchargers are a new design. They look and act identical to the roots style superchargers but instead of just compressing the air inside the intake manifold and pushing it through to a compressor, these blowers ARE the compressor and compress the air both in the intake manifold area as well as the blower case itself. The twin-screw rotors never touch each other, which helps reduce some parasitic loss as well as keeping the supercharger a little cooler. Kenne Bell makes the best twin-screw for the 4.6L mustang, however, unless you own a 2003/3004 Cobra, I do not recommend these because there is no intercooler for the 4V guys out there. The 2V guys’ twin-screws come with intercoolers though, which makes them great blowers for both the street and strip.
Centrifugal Style Superchargers
Centrifugal blowers are the most common after market blowers out there for our cars. Essentially they are a turbocharger that is run by a belt. These make peak boost much later in the powerband, usually at around 5000 RPMs. However, centrifugal blowers don’t have nearly the heat issues that the roots or twin-screw blowers have. They also make more HP in the end. Since they peak out so late, many people run steeper gears such as 4.10s with them. Vortech, Paxton and Procharger are the most common after market blowers out there for the 4.6L mustang. Vortech and Paxton require tapping the oil pan. This means that whenever you change your oil, you give the supercharger new oil. Procharger supechargers are self-contained units so you don’t have to tap into your oil pan. The problem is, changing the oil can be a little tricky and you can only use Procharger’s oil. Also, they are known to have some oil leaking problems, however Procharger says they have solved this problem. Either one will be a great addition to your car. Choose what YOU feel is right for you – maximum HP or quick boost for fun on the street.
For installation instructions, go here: http://www.corral.net/Tech/Poweradders/v2sq/v2sq
Turbochargers
Written by MySlow2002GT
The amount of fuel you can burn is limited by the amount of oxygen in the combustion chamber. In order to burn more fuel, and create more power, we need to deliver more oxygen to the cylinders.
In order to get more air into the chamber a turbo or supercharger pressurizes the cylinder. A turbo does this by using the vehicles exhaust gases to spin a turbine and force air in. A supercharger is driven by a belt to help stuff more air into the available space. Both of these items can force large amounts of air into the engine.
When air is compressed by the supercharger or turbo it heats up. This limits the amount of additional oxygen that is present and reduces the potential for power gains. By installing an intercooler the air can be cooled, making it more oxygen rich.
Turbo-How
It Works
The turbocharger is bolted to the exhaust manifold of the engine. The exhaust from the cylinders
spins the turbine, which works like
a gas turbine engine.
The turbine is connected by a shaft to the compressor,
which is located between the air filter and the intake manifold. The compressor
pressurizes the air going into the pistons.
|
How It Works
The exhaust from the cylinders passes through the turbine blades, causing the turbine to spin. The more exhaust that goes through the blades, the faster they spin. |
On the other end of the shaft that the turbine is attached to, the compressor pumps air into the cylinders. The compressor is a type of centrifugal pump -- it draws air in at the center of its blades and flings it outward as it spins.
In order to handle speeds of up to 150,000 rpm, the turbine shaft has to be supported very carefully. Most bearings would explode at speeds like this, so most turbochargers use a fluid bearing. This type of bearing supports the shaft on a thin layer of oil that is constantly pumped around the shaft. This serves two purposes: It cools the shaft and some of the other turbocharger parts, and it allows the shaft to spin without much friction.
Code’s Info
Turbo kits are the most controversial item in the Mustang world. No one can make enough of them to keep up with the demand so they usually go out of business. There have been issues with just about every single kit on the market today. If you want a turbo kit, get it custom made by someone or do it yourself.
Nitrous Oxide
Installation How-To: http://www.stangnet.com/Tech-Articles/Install-A-Nitrous-Express-System.html
Dry Systems
For a dry system, you have a nozzle mounted approximately 6 inches in front of the throttle body. The nozzle injects only nitrous which is fed from the bottle, wherever it may be mounted. The additional fuel is provided through the fuel injectors requiring the computer to be essentially 'tricked' into thinking it has additional air coming in through the manifold (which essentially it does, but not in the way that it believes). The computer in turn tells the injectors to shoot more fuel into the cylinders. The injectors and fuel are under a load during nitrous injection, so it's a good idea to make sure your fuel pump and injectors can handle it. This will depend on what modifications are already done to your car besides the nitrous.
Pros: Does not have fuel flowing through the manifold so there is no worry of a puddling effect and a nitrous backfire in turn.
Cons: Relies on tricking the computer for its fuel supply. Anything that requires tricking the computer for such a vital element as fuel is not an intelligent way to approach anything, much less NITROUS INJECTION. Because the fuel is added through the injectors and the injectors all inject essentially the same amount of fuel and the nitrous is flowing through the manifold that does not apply equal air to all cylinders, the balance of air/fuel is going to be off. It'll be lean on some cylinders and rich on others.
Wet Systems
Wet systems are similar to dry systems. The only thing that is really different is the way the fuel is added to compensate for the nitrous. A wet system has a dual injection nozzle. It injects fuel along with nitrous into the air stream (6 inches in front of the throttle body), and the fuel is carried along with the nitrous into the engine compartment. This requires the dual injection nozzle to be connected to the fuel system. The fuel side of the injection nozzle is connected to a fuel solenoid, which is connected directly to the fuel rails, and the fuel solenoid opens at the same time the nitrous solenoid opens, which is when the system is armed and all conditions are met. You still must make sure you have a strong enough fuel pump to handle the fuel requirements of the nitrous injection.
Pros: Functions independently of the computer. The computer otherwise will not even know anything is going on during nitrous injection because of the way the fuel is supplied. Because the fuel and nitrous are added in together, the nitrous/fuel ratio will be the same, or at least very close to the same on each cylinder because the fuel and nitrous are flowing TOGETHER in the manifold.
Cons: Having fuel flowing through the manifold is not the safest thing in the world. Theoretically if you have enough air intake velocity (injection above 3,000RPM), you should not have to worry about a backfire, but that is not a sure science. If fuel puddles it can create a nitrous backfire that can damage the motor and/or intake system.
Direct Port Systems
Direct Port systems are very different from the dry and wet EFI systems. A direct port system has a nitrous injector and a fuel injector on EVERY cylinder. When the system is armed and fired both the fuel and nitrous injector do their thing. This method is safer because it bypasses the manifold entirely and does not rely on tricking the computer for its fuel supply.
Pros: Efficient. Safe. Powerful. By far the most advanced nitrous system on the market.
Cons: Expensive. By far the most expensive nitrous system on the market.
More Nitrous Info
Written by MySlow2002GT
Nitrous oxide is a non-flammable compound of nitrogen and oxygen. At room temperature, nitrous oxide is a gas, but it is easily liquefied and stored under pressure. Technically, each molecule of nitrous oxide is comprised of two atoms of nitrogen bonded to one atom of oxygen. At temperatures above 565-575º F., nitrous oxide breaks down into separate nitrogen and oxygen molecules. When injected in a vaporous state to the intake air of an internal combustion engine, the resultant heat of compression (on the compression stroke of the engine) breaks down the nitrous oxide compound into inert nitrogen and free oxygen available to support the combustion of extra fuel. This means more fuel can be burned than air alone would support. Burning more fuel releases more heat, which creates more expansion of the working fluid (mostly nitrogen) in the cylinder for more pressure on the piston. The result is more power.
Air/fuel in nitrous
The chemically correct nitrous to gasoline ratio is 9.649:1, but that is too lean to run safely. The chemically correct air to gasoline ratio is 14.7:1, but at wide open throttle, we cannot run that lean without going lean. The problem is that every bit of oxygen does not find and mix with every bit of gasoline. Same goes for nitrous, you need a richer mixture to better the chances of the nitrous mixing with fuel. If a nitrous engine runs lean, it can destroy the engine in a matter of seconds. There must be enough fuel for the nitrous to react with, if there isn't, temperatures rise rapidly. The oxygen that couldn't react with fuel will oxidize any parts that get hot enough, and the next thing in line to burn is aluminum, so don't run lean.
Even MORE Nitrous Info
Alright,
I know it’s long, but if you’re a nitrous noob read it, it’s a little write up
I wrote few months ago. It explains
what u need in addition to a standard nitrous kit to be safe; it will help you
understand your system. If you don't know how it works, you shouldn't be using
it.
You
need the GenX2 and a Window switch.
this
is what's included in the GenX2:
Fuel Pressure safety switch - If your fuel pressure
drops below a certain point (its factory set for 35psi) it cuts the ground to
the system therefore deactivating it, preventing the car from leaning out and
going BOOM..
Purge
solenoid - (not included in GenX package, only GenX2) - allows you to clean any
impurities out of the line. The white cloud of smoke coming out of a car with
nitrous is when he hits the purge. By doing so you can control your bottle
pressure and clean out the lines so you have "fresh nitrous" in
there, and allowing you to get the full "hit";
Blow down tube - This is required by almost
every track for them to let you use nitrous in a car. It's a tube that goes on
the bottle and out of the car (u have to drill a hole in your trunk or use a
preexisting one). This is in case for some reason the pressure in your bottle
gets too high, instead of the bottle exploding and making the car go BOOM, it
just lets all the nitrous out of the bottle through the blow down tube and out
of the car.
Code’s
Info (correction)
The
blow down tube is only needed when running nitrous in the cabin. There is a rupture disk valve on the bottle
when you first get it that explodes in case the bottle pressure is too high.
Nitrous pressure gauge - This mounts to the bottle
and allows you to know the pressure in you bottle. This is very important. You
want the pressure to be around 850-950 psi or so for optimal performance.
Automated bottle heater - This is how you get the
pressure in your bottle up - by warming it up. The NX bottle heater comes with
something called a pressure transducer. What this does is that it only allows
the bottle to reach a certain pressure then it turns itself off. When the pressure starts dropping again it
turns itself back on. This helps you maintain usable bottle pressure.
Window Switch - This item is not included
in either of the GenX packages, but is one of the most important safety devices
in a nitrous system. What it does is it
limits what RPMs your system will be activated. Ideal is between 3000 RPMs and 6000 RPMs (or 3000 and 6700 RPMs
for a Cobra). If you spray any lower
you take the risk of the nitrous/fuel combo not being "sucked" in by
the intake fast enough and some of it will puddle in your intake manifold and
make it go BOOM. 6000 RPMs, or even
5800 would be good for a stock motor.
This is so you don't over-rev your motor and make it go BOOM. Once you are more experienced with nitrous,
you can bump it up a little, according to what tune you have in your car, and
with the supporting modifications done to it.
WOT switch - The WOT switch is the main
system activation switch. This comes
with the standard EFI kit. Just because
you have all the other stuff does not mean you don't have to use the WOT switch
also. This only allows the system to
activate at Wide Open Throttle (WOT).
For the same reasons behind you only wanting to spray at 3000 RPMs, if
you’re not at WOT the car might not be "sucking" in the fuel/nitrous
fast enough and then….”BOOM!”