3onTree said:
Very useful advice, just the detail I wanted to consider. 15k is a serious chunk of change, after tax! I will try and get a ride in a Walky car with the WP230. Interesting what you say about the 2.3 Eaton and other superchargers on the market. I will look into other kit too. You seem to know your stuff SilverVH what would you fit to 2011 SSV for an owner who wants the power without unnecessary fuel use and noise - Eaton 1.9?
Theres a few options for you, keeping into consideration there is a budget of 15k.
A lot of people like Walkinshaw for the fact it is a known and trusted name, which is fair enough. You pay a premium for that name and the service that comes with it, which is to be expected. It isn't necessaraly the "wrong choice". You go for what you are happy with, what best suits your intended purpose and future aspirations (if any).
This is the best advice I can give on superchargers and is what I tell everyone when they are deciding on what displacement to go:
"Use the smallest supercharger you can that will provide your targeted boost amount. It will use less HP to drive it and will be more responsive. Your average HP and torque will be greater than a larger blower in your usable rev range."
The main difference between all the different manufacturers of the Eaton supercharger kit is their inlet manifold design. Everything else across the board is pretty much equal or has a negligible difference in comparison. The Harrop inlet manifold design is probably the most efficient and effective mainly due to the w2a core design/thickness. Companies like PWR and CAPA use Magnuson as their supplier so are essientially the same product. The only thing you have to be wary of is there was a bad batch of Magnuson kits that had the supercharger case rear oil seal weeping.
For simplicity sakes, I won't go into alternative manufacturers and their offerings, for example Vortech, Kenne Bell, Procharger, Whipple etc.
Personally if I owned your car and was looking at supercharging I would consider 2 options. Firstly I would speak to Walkinshaw regarding their warranty offering and what it covered followed by Holden and their stance on warranty if Walkinshaw was to perform a supercharger installation. The last thing I would want after spending 45k on a car would be voiding the warranty with 2 years remaining and having niggling issues non-related to the supercharger installation not being covered by warranty within that timeframe.
The second option would be to price up a TVS1900 Eaton setup with an upgraded (smaller) pulley and obtain a quote from a reputable and trusted workshop to fit and tune (which there are several in Melbourne). I would also price up a camshaft to suit the supercharger setup, lifters, L98 valley plate etc. and if manual, an upgraded clutch which should total the 15k budget. (or possibly exceed!)
If the vehicle was out of Holden warranty then I wouldn't even consider option 1 and go straight for option 2. Option 2 should give you close to 400rwkw with a suitable exhaust and intake pipe setup.
The biggest problem with either is once you get used to the power, you will be forever wanting more.
If you want any recommendations of workshops to speak to and help advise you on a decision just let me know. Half the problem in dealing with workshops is a lot just want to take money whilst not always recommending what is right for the customer. This is another problem as to why it is daunting for a lot of people to deal with workshops and would rather go with a well known and endorsed brand.
