obaa996
Enthusiast
So it's winter time mod season, or nearly enough so... With approval from the household finance committee (and the sale of a few items; buy my parts!), I'm going to be putting on a supercharger this winter.
Arrow rebuilt my motor last year (~9k miles ago), so it should be fresh and ready to go. I have a minor concern that there might be cast pistons in there (I think I read in some previous post that Arrow was no longer using forged pistons); I plan to check this with Arrow as soon as I can determine their contact info. My motor is pretty much stock except for a set of ****** headers and Roe cats (I'm running some Dynomax bullet mufflers). I may do a set of rockers at some point down the road, and I also have a nitrous setup sitting on the bench (also pending the piston issue). Other than boost changes, I'm not planning any other engine mods.
I'm aware of kits from Roe Racing and DC Performance; are there any others? It seems that the power output for both kits are similar, and so is the pricing. Both also claim to be DIY-friendly. The Roe has been out for about a year, but I think the DC kit has been out for the GenII for some time as well. It's a very close toss up for me....
Now, the Roe fits my mental conception of what a supercharger should look like; I grew up with images of a 6-71 sticking out of a hole in the hood. It also looks to be easily reversible (the DC kit requires drilling the oil pan, etc.) and pretty self-contained. I'm kind of partial to it. But in speaking with my local Viper guru, it seems he's had a bit better luck with the DC kits. It seems there's some issue with tuning the Vec2 (some issue about the Vec2 "forgetting" its programming), and I have spoken with/witnessed a Gen2 with some running issues that only gets resolved by unplugging the computer semi-regularly (i.e I've watched the backfiring, and know that the owner carries around enough tools to unplug/reset the computer each time it goes wonky on a run). Is this a common issue with the Roe, or is it a Gen2 specific issue, or???? I don't know...
I don't know that the DC kit has similar issues, but my guru tells me that he's got a few very strong running DC-equipped Gen2's going. I like that the intercooler is all thought out (no worries about running out of water/****), and that there is full replacement fuel system rather than the voltage booster approach. It's basically a toss-up, so I'm looking for reasons to lean over one side of the fence or the other.
I'm also curious about the actual "do-it-yourself"-ness of the kits. I was able to get install instructions for both kits, and other than installing the crank-pinning kit (is this something that one can easily screw up by drilling the hole crooked or something? (I believe a drill bit stop collar would prevent drilling too deep into the crank). Is it possible reasonably torque the bolt to 250lb. ft. without special tools?), they both look straightforward. Although I have the ability to cut/splice wiring, cutting the engine harness makes me cringe as well. Ideally, I'd like to put the kit in myself, and have it dyno-tuned/dialled in by the shop, but I don't know shops are really amenable to that sort of thing (i.e. if we didn't install it, we're not touching it), plus my guru quoted me a pretty fair price. I just like the brag factor of saying I put it in myself.
Any opinions or first-hand experience would be greatly appreciated!
Arrow rebuilt my motor last year (~9k miles ago), so it should be fresh and ready to go. I have a minor concern that there might be cast pistons in there (I think I read in some previous post that Arrow was no longer using forged pistons); I plan to check this with Arrow as soon as I can determine their contact info. My motor is pretty much stock except for a set of ****** headers and Roe cats (I'm running some Dynomax bullet mufflers). I may do a set of rockers at some point down the road, and I also have a nitrous setup sitting on the bench (also pending the piston issue). Other than boost changes, I'm not planning any other engine mods.
I'm aware of kits from Roe Racing and DC Performance; are there any others? It seems that the power output for both kits are similar, and so is the pricing. Both also claim to be DIY-friendly. The Roe has been out for about a year, but I think the DC kit has been out for the GenII for some time as well. It's a very close toss up for me....
Now, the Roe fits my mental conception of what a supercharger should look like; I grew up with images of a 6-71 sticking out of a hole in the hood. It also looks to be easily reversible (the DC kit requires drilling the oil pan, etc.) and pretty self-contained. I'm kind of partial to it. But in speaking with my local Viper guru, it seems he's had a bit better luck with the DC kits. It seems there's some issue with tuning the Vec2 (some issue about the Vec2 "forgetting" its programming), and I have spoken with/witnessed a Gen2 with some running issues that only gets resolved by unplugging the computer semi-regularly (i.e I've watched the backfiring, and know that the owner carries around enough tools to unplug/reset the computer each time it goes wonky on a run). Is this a common issue with the Roe, or is it a Gen2 specific issue, or???? I don't know...
I don't know that the DC kit has similar issues, but my guru tells me that he's got a few very strong running DC-equipped Gen2's going. I like that the intercooler is all thought out (no worries about running out of water/****), and that there is full replacement fuel system rather than the voltage booster approach. It's basically a toss-up, so I'm looking for reasons to lean over one side of the fence or the other.
I'm also curious about the actual "do-it-yourself"-ness of the kits. I was able to get install instructions for both kits, and other than installing the crank-pinning kit (is this something that one can easily screw up by drilling the hole crooked or something? (I believe a drill bit stop collar would prevent drilling too deep into the crank). Is it possible reasonably torque the bolt to 250lb. ft. without special tools?), they both look straightforward. Although I have the ability to cut/splice wiring, cutting the engine harness makes me cringe as well. Ideally, I'd like to put the kit in myself, and have it dyno-tuned/dialled in by the shop, but I don't know shops are really amenable to that sort of thing (i.e. if we didn't install it, we're not touching it), plus my guru quoted me a pretty fair price. I just like the brag factor of saying I put it in myself.
Any opinions or first-hand experience would be greatly appreciated!
Talk about really confusing a guy when he thought he was down to two choices. After messing around with techs that don't know all of the systems completely, I now have my Sean Roe setup car down at DC Motorsports this week getting him to fine tune in the Water/**** kit. I know all of these tuners have great reputations and their products speak for themselves, but I think it boils down to who can service your car properly, if it needs custom tuning, and how far away is that person. I'm having to pay $800 just for the round trip trailer ride to DC Motorsports, and he is only 375 miles away. So now that most of the systems have been on the market for over a year or so, and definitely all put more air through your engine, go with the one your local tech definitely knows how to tune. If he knows both then go with the one you think looks better on your car, unless you are out for the one that puts out the most horsepower, then looks should not be important. I am definitely more of a poser, so I like the looks of the polished Sean Roe setup.
Rick
