neat

My dad has decided to supercharge his 04 EC 8.1 litre 6 speed truck. He is totally internet phobic and get's all his information via telephone from prominent tuners (Doug Rippie, LPE, etc...) Everyone he talks to tries to tell him their kit is the "best." Obviously every tuner in the country can not have the "best" kit out there. Anyway, lemme know what you guys think. Here is the deal:

Reliability is number 1. He is 55 years old, and doesn't want to spend ANY time under the hood.

12k-16k is the budget for a complete install, and preferably a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty.

The truck all ready has headers and exhaust cutouts.

He lives near Canada in Montana, so tuner location is semi relative. Doug Rippie is in Minnestoa, which is doable. He is also considering a tuner in Davenport, Alberta.

Living in the sticks also re-enforces the reliability theme. If the truck goes down, there is literally no one within 500 miles qualified to work on it.

What, if any, drivetrain componets should he worry about? I am under the impression that the ZF 6 speed is plenty stout, clutch is good to go, as is the 4.10 loaded rear-end. Am I wrong?

He is sort of stuck in the 60's and would prefer a roots typer supercharger vs a cetrifugal. Basically, he wants the fuel to travel through the impellers like an older carbed blower set-up would. He doesn't like the idea of adding the extra fuel fuel via larger fuel injecotrs. I don't think that's a possibility.

Anyway, being a somewhat reasonable guy, he has pretty much given up on the roots system and decided on an intercooled Vortech kit.

Phwew, sorry for the length, but I appreciate any info you guys could give me.

WaitinToDrag

12-16K!? that is gonne be one heck of a setup!!! i'll let the more experienced guys chime in with thier advice though. good luck

neat

12-16k doesn't go nearly as far as you think when dealing with a tuner. I am vastly more fmailiar with LS1 car applications, but if the prices are anything like the F-body and corvette prices, the supercharger kit alone can cost 7k+. Add to that a $200/hour install, plus a custom computer tune, plus the exteneded warranty and you'll eat 12k up pretty quick.

tbyrne

iTrader: (15)

There are two systems that I know of for the 8.1. One is made by Whipple. This can be purchased with or without an intercooler. I run this on my 8.1 Suburban with very good results. The truck is very responsive and reliable. The other company is Kenne Bell. I haven't done anything with their superchargers but have heard that they have a good system for the 8.1. They don't use a piggy back fuel system like Whipple does. They go with larger injectors and a custom program to provide additional fuel to the motor. The Whipple can be ordered without a fuel system so you can set it up this week.

Paxton has a cetrifugal supercharger for the 2001 and '03 8.1 motors but they don't have programming for those years yet.

Hope this helps,
Tom



2002 8.1 Silverado HD - Full Throttle lift, 37" tires, 4.56 gears, Comp Cam, TOG headers, Volant induction plus more! Heads, cam and intake manifold upgrade coming soon!
2002 8.1 Suburban -Intercooled Whipple supercharger, 22" wheels/tires + more - 407hp/558 ft-lb torque at the rear wheels - 13.93 @ 95.79 MPH

www.tbyrnemotorsports.com

greentahoe

iTrader: (2)

The 8.1 is a torquey low revving motor. You dont want a centrifugal charger that doesnt start making boost until 3500 and up. He is better off with an intercooled twin screw if he chose the 8.1 in the first place. Id get the whipple with intercooler and get rid of the crap computer and get some 43lb injectors and then have a need for a tuner. That thing with be a tire frying monster!!

zippy

centrifugal is going to come on sooner with an 8.1. when a supercharger comes on with a manual trans vehicle isn't as important, but that's just when it begins to make boost. once the supercharger has filled the tube and intake, they have the ability to make boost at much lower rpm, just with some lag.

neat

Cool, thanks for the info.

I'll do some research into those 2 options.

Black Blown 02

I agree with Greentahoe. I think the best setup for the 8.1 is the intercooled whipple with bigger injectors and a dyno tune.

styleandspeed

Whipple will probably be his best bet. I have heard that kenne bell has very poor customer service from more than one person.