JK07

I have one basic question are our JK engines reliable and strong enough to take super chargers? I wanted to put a SC for long time but not sure what the results would be after some heavy long miles.

highoctane

I don't see why not. I don't know if the pistons/rods/crank are forged or hypereutectic or cast but as long as the tune is good and the rpms are kept within a safe range it can and should hold together. And don't go crazy on the boost. 5 to 7psi would have a healthy increase in torque and power. My '95 Mustang GT had a 12lb Vortech YS-trim supercharger on it and it held up for 41k supercharged miles with alot of track passes on it, on a bone stock engine. I even installed the kit at 70k or so miles so it had a long life.

SaharaBlackNo1

RIPP has done extensive testing I believe at 6-8lbs of boost and hasn't had any issues.

Hesco also has quite a few miles on their JKs.

Avenger is very slow to come to market, but I'm sure the kit will be good, and it would seem they are working out all the bugs. Rumor has it they blew up a few 3.8s in testing.

Absolute Offroad did a RIPP install back in October and said they were running 12-16lbs of boost, but never heard any more about that. Not sure if that's good or bad. lol That's twice the boost of the regular kit, so I'd imagine that much boost might impact engine life, but I bet it was fun to play with.

I think if you wanted to do a supercharger right this very second your only two options would be Hesco or RIPP and RIPP is a sponsor here and have always been very good about answering questions regarding their superchargers, even if the questions weren't exactly positive ones.

chuck45

We want more useable power out of our 3.8's. To me that means power lower in the rpm range than we are seeing on the dyno charts for RIPP and Hesco. It seems to me that this is an issue they could address but at this point in time they have chosen not too. I realize part of the reason is the nature of the type of blower they use. A screw type blower puts out more power in the range we want it; for me that is mid teens to 3000 rpm. That's off road rpm and freeway rpm.

I don't want to sound like a shill for Avenger. I've never met the owner but have spoken to him quite a bit on the phone. He tells me that early on they had programming issues with the AF ratio that caused problems. These problms were solved when they went to a UniChip piggy back solution (a relatively expensive solution as the UC by itself is 600). By using the water to air intercooler (instead of air to air) they are able to achieve an constant intake temp and good stable AF mixtures.

I know a 4x4 shop owner who has just purchased an Avenger and he's going to let me drive it as soon as it's installed. If that doesn't work out the owner of Avenger has agreed to let me drive his blown Unlimited JK. Hopefully RIPP and Hesco will be at EJS and are willing to let me drive their units. If they want a shot at my money they will.

I'm not knocking RIPP or Hesco at all. Maybe for the Mitsu street cars RIPP usually works on their style of blower is better. I think for our use a screw type SC is probably the best solution. So before I dropped any dollars I'd check out the Avenger. I told the owner that he should get involved in online forums. But you know how it is - it can be hard to teach an old dog new tricks - or to convince him he needs to learn new tricks.

SaharaBlackNo1

I think just about everyone agrees that the SC kicking in at 3000k or so RPM seems impractical.

That being said, where do you want the power and for what uses?

I was on the RIPP bandwagon and hopped off when I saw a few people on this board ditching them and going Hemi. I recently was able to acquire a RIPP kit from someone doing just that, for about half of a new one. I figured that considering what other used kits went for on ebay I could get pretty much every dime I spent on it back, plus labor. So I'd just be out time if I didn't like it.
When I was sure the deal was done, I emailed RIPP and told them about it, as a sponsor of this board I didn't want to get it, hate it and blindside them with a harsh review. Basically, I was told they were confident I'd be happy with it and to write what I thought regardless. They also offered to take a look at the black box, map sensor and wiring harness to make sure I've got the latest updates, etc, for free. So regardless of if I end up liking the kit or not, I sure can't complain about the customer service. lol

Anyone in the DC area will be more than welcome to help test drive it when it's done, and to compare it to their own. Once installed, I plan to have it dyno'd with the kit and then remove the belt and have it dyno'd without it.

Input from forum members as to what I should look for, write about, etc would be welcome. I know how my JK drives now, how it responds, etc having had 37s and 5.13s for quite a while now. So I should be able to give a fairly unbiased review.

The main thing I plan on looking for is driveability. Meaning, can I drive it just like I do now and not throw the red lightning bolt, have it go into limp mode, etc. That's always been my main concern. I don't want to invest time and money and come out with a JK that performs worse than before I put the SC on.

One thing I won't be doing is comparing it to a hemi. lol There's one particular forum member who loves his and feels it's as good as a hemi with better gas mileage. I've got a fairly stout 350 in my 73 camaro and I'm pretty confident it won't feel like a v8. I won't require it to be something it's not though. All I want is for it to wake up the 3.8 and give it a bit more "oomph". I plan(ned) on a hemi swap for this spring/summer, but it's contingent upon the sale of some land in Mclean and well you can guess how well that deals going now. lol So, all I will ask of the supercharger is that it be reliable, and give the JK some power which its sorely lacking.

Hopefully, within a few weeks I'll be able to report in on my findings about the supercharger and off topic here about the Brembos as well. Anyone who in the past asked me about the Brembos, I kept your PMs and will let you know what i find out when it's in the shop.

XBroncoman

chuck45 do you have any pics of the avenger W/ Hood.... I like the screw type also with the lower end useable power.... Still have a problem with the hood.. If not I may have to have Jack send some pics of his.......Ripp seems to have a nice product if it would come on a little sooner. Like you though I want to drive it down in moab before I drop my bucks on it... Is jack (Avenger ) going to be there?????

chuck45

The closest I can come is the pics in the installation manual - which is very good by the way - from his website. Go to avengersuperchargers dot com and click on download instructions. The last few pages are cutting the hood and then installing the scoop. I understand some people glass them in for appearance.

Jack tells me he will be at EJS. He'll be in the main arena indoors.

Amway Man

XBroncoman - I work in CO springs where Avenger is at, I'll try to stop by there in the next week or two and snap a pic of the hood of one of their installs. I'll post it in here when I get that done.

SaharaBlackNo1

I believe the Avenger kit comes with the cowl you can bolt or weld to your hood. Here is a link to the Truck Master Designs Hood. The scoop provided in the kit I believe is the same as this hood, you just wouldn't get the side vents.
h**p://www.4x4rockshop.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=14660

RIPPMODS

Our Supercharger spools up and starts delivering power @ 2200 rpm's but doesn't die out top end, like others. It works great on rocks, deep mud, and steep hill climbs, the power is predictable, and the throttle control is perfectly matched with the 3.8
We have super charged JK's on the sand dunes on Dubai, and the wet rocks and woods of the north east. Our customers are thrilled with the performance.
Also our Electronics are all developed in house. We do not depend on other companies electronics to fight with the JK for proper tune for drivability, We perfected our electronics, engine management and components around the JK.
.. cya at EJS