I am considering a Magnacharger and want to know what else goes hand in hand with a S/C install. I will get lower gears but what else needs to be done to handle the SC so things aren't prone to break under use. I have heard of blower cams, etc. what else?

I will have A & A do the install when the time comes but curious about opinions from the forum guru's so I will have an idea without taking up Andy's time until I am ready. TIA

 

What are your power requirements? What are your performance expectations? Driving habits? Future considerations? Budget? Have these been discussed with Andy?

Forum opinions are important... guidance from your installer/tuner is CRITICAL!

Maybe a cam/springs/headers ... talk to Andy.

Bill

 

My performance expectations are: I want it to haul azz! I like the Maggie for the low end grunt. As explained above I will seek guidance from a Professional before spending a dime. I just wanted to know how others here have set up their cars with a Magnacharger. After all isn't that what the forum is all about.

I've got an A4 with 3.15's which will be swapped out for sure. Not sure about a TC or cam. I am looking for the experiences of others here not Professional advice. That is why I am here.

 

and I'd add a smaller pulley and alcohol injection too. Depending on the milage of your car, I'd consider a clutch for a 6 speed, or a higher stall torque converter for an auto. Also, you will need some sticky tires, or all of your time and money will just go up in smoke...

 

I was in a same situation when I got my MAG. My goal was to get to 500rwhp. I could have gone with other superchargers but didn't like the plain look. I decided to go with MAG. After spending hours and hours of talking to great people on this website and different tuners, I decided to with the MAG. Please see the list of Items I had to get to the 500rwhp target. It was wayyyyyyyy more then just a simple MAG install as its advertised everywhere...($6999 polished MAG for instant 150hp gains)

Polished MAG.....(looks awesome ...about $7700 installed)
Motor city carbon fiber hood...($1500 +pait and install $650) you have bunch of options with picking the hood.
LG long tube headers with high flow cats (installed for about $2400)
Blower cam installed with Comp springs and double roller timing ($1700)
Guages and shift light installed (about $700)
Clutch .......stock would do fine for a while but after a while you would need one ....I just got Aussi clutch....$950+installation.
Borla Exhaust.......$550 installed

When I started the project I never thought I would end up spending 15k + to just get a MAG. I love my MAG and love the way my car runs and looks. Also, Chris and Doug at ECS did an awesoe job getting everything done. (I even passed my emmission last week ) But now since I want more HP, my options are very very limited. Only thing I can pretty much do now is to get a ALKY kit and thats it. I would have to spend over 18k more to get into 6-700rwhp range. I would need a 383 stroker motor with new heads and list of other needed items. So, you have to keep in mind on what you want in future. I never thought that I would want more then what I have but when you have friends with crazy Supra and vipers all around you, 200 more hp wont hurt I hope I didn't give you too much information, and hope that this helps. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide.

Omar

 

You will love the down low torque.

Here's my advice...
Unless you're in a crazy hot climate stick with the non-intercooled and run alky injection. Do a search about the topic and you'll see that's the general consensus even from some tuners.

With alky 500+ rwhp should not be that hard even without a lot of other mods. This is provided that you are running straight methanol in the alky injection kit as this will add that power AND cool the intake air to get you over the top.

If 500rwhp is your target I suggest starting at non I/C mag, alky injection running straight meth, and longtube headers.

After that, if it doesn't get you there, cam it and go with a smaller pulley.

In all instances, if you want to be able to use first and second, get drag radials. There's just no other way.

And for durability, you'll need a hi-po clutch.

Godo Luck

 

Since you're in the "considering" stage just make sure around 500 is all you'll ever want. Any more than that means you'll do mods which give little gain versus same on different setups. Last thing you want to do is do things twice which is what I and the good majority have done..


As far as what compliments a Mag, you have it.. an excellent installer/tuner.

 

IMO do the mag with all the bolt ons and you will be around 500rwhp, add a little no2 and you will be at 650rwhp after that you will have to scrap the mag and go KB, but I think that you will find that the KB will not look as good as the mag does.

changing the gears may not be a good idea with the mag if you have 3.15's that may be perfect with the additional TQ provided down low, most cars with 3.42's have traction issues in 1'st and 2'nd with the mag and I think that you may be faster with the 3.15's due to fewer shifts. and may also keep you from breaking parts as much. I would have a diffrent openion with the ATI or a TT setup but with all the low end grunt of the mag it is a diffrent ball game.

all of this is JIMO.

have fun

More Than Zero

 

I love my Maggie and have had Andy do most of my work all but the Install of the S/C. He will defiantly not steer in the wrong direction.

If you are looking at getting over 500hp with an auto it’s going to be pretty hard with the Maggie but it can be done.

Well I hope you enjoy your new found power no matter what direction you turn with Andy and his team helping you out you will not be disappointed because they are true customer oriented and will do what ever you ask but they will make sure you understand what you are getting first.

Personal if I would have meet Andy before I installed my Maggie I would have went with his kit… it puts down great HP/TQ for half the price but I am still happy with what I got. It is defiantly a kick in the pants on the street. The Whine of the s/c is sweet at WOT and makes for a great conversation when you pop the hood at any car show or gas station special if you get it polished.

My mods are as followed:

I/C Magnuson with smaller pulley 3.1 (8lbs)- Polished, K&N Dual Air Intake System - Polished, Pod for Autometer Boost and Fuel Pressure gauges, Kenny bell boost-a-pump, 160 thermostat, LS1 Dyno Tune by Andy/Charlie (A&A Corvettes), 3:42 gears, Z06 Exhaust, Kooks Long tube Headers, High flow cats and ECS Alky Injection.

Latest Dyno Number at the rear wheel is 475rwhp/470rwtq with a nice conservative tune and that was after a few runs and the car was pretty much heat soaked.

The only thing I have not done is a cam I guess that would get me to 500hp mark but I am not a big numbers fan you still have to know how to drive because the car is a spin machine with all the low end tq and I am running nitto drag radials.

 

Thanks a lot guys, that's exactly the kind of info I was after. I really appreciate all the input. I'm not reaching for the magic 500 I just want to get into the 400+ range. I'm in Cali and don't want to deal with the smog ****'s so I want to be completely smog legal. So a H/C setup is not an option for me, neither is LT Headers. I know a lot of guys do it anyway but I don't want to go that way. I figure a Maggie is the way to go for me. Thanks again!

 

I hate to jump into your thread, but I have also been looking into a mag. Shooting for 450-500 rwhp. I have heard a lot of good things about the Mag, but what about the cons. What kind of trouble have you guys had with the Maggie? Belts slipping? Knock? Etc. What has went wrong that kept you from driving the car? I have done enough modding to know that anytime you start adding power you introduce the possibility of problems and usually sacrifice realibility. I just dont want to have a 450 rwhp car that I am not comfortable taking on a 3 hour road trip.
Thanks guys.

 

Not sure if this will help ya because I never was interested in mega HP when I went with the Mag. Bone stock with except. of the Mag. ,exhaust and blackwing and it put down 420 RWH & 437 RWT. Now, it's not a daily driver but I have had ZERO (0) issues and just love it. Going on two years. For me, I'm tickled with the results. One of the main reasons I wanted the Mag. was the reliability aspect of it. Did not want issues, just wanted to turn the key and go. Almost all the responses I received when I was doing my homework were very positive regarding the reliability of the Mag. Granted you can get more HP out of an ATI or Vortech, but I guess it boils down to where do you want to end up. I think with the Mag your going to be maxing out around 475ish HP and still maintaining your reliability. I'm not an expert at this but this is the impression I get from all my surfing on the forum.

 

Hmmmm... one has to wonder.... if 500 RWHP "should not be that hard even without a lot of other mods", then why would one spend all that money on ARE 347 Forged, Cartek Stg II H/C, 2.8 Pulley, Breathless LTubes, Racetronix/MSD BAP, Vortx Intke/Portd MAF, 80mm TBdy, 3"cats/Borla XR1 center, Z06 Cat Bk to only gain an additional 12 RWHP... just wondering....

 

Along with other issues in this post, KB doesn't make a S/C for the vette... yet..

 

 

Yes, this kind of feedback is what I am after. I basically am looking for the same thing you were, bolt on power without having to do a lot of others things that may sacrifice daily drivability and reliability. 420 RWH is plenty for me, I don't want so much that things start to break. I want to be able to take it to the track from time to time and run some good times and have some good legal fun without throwing belts and breaking things.

 

Since you really want to remain stock and smog legal, then the mag is perfect for you. Be sure to get the polished one cause I'm sure if I got that one I'd still have it. You should definitely do springs and consider an LS6 or a mild blower cam (don't remember if your a z06). It'll keep you legal and let you spin her a bit quicker up top.


One thing about alky.. after I had run it a while, without it the car felt sluggish.. JMO..

 

No prob...blew the stock motor on an exceptionally cold Feb day in 2004 because of a lean condition. So forcing me into a me into a new motor was when I went with the smaller pulley along with the forging the motor. I wasn't overly convinced I need to go forged but got a deal on a new one from a guy on long island for $2200 so I could not pass it up and the price difference over a used stock shortblock was minimal so that's how I went forged.

At this time, because I expected a much greater hp gain from the pulley and potentially lean conditions, I added the Racetronix and BAP. I even had 55# injectors to add some head room because I saw my injector duty cycles were at about 90% on the 42# ones. Didn't need them.

Before blowing the motor, with all the other items listed, but with the stock mag pulley I was at 501rwhp and 445 rwtq with 3.42 gear. With the smaller pulley, but losing about 15-20 rwhp by going with 3.73's, I only gained 11 rwhp but 52 rwtq. I was loving that tq jump. In the less than stellar hp gain you have to consider it overcame the loss (due to friction) of 15-20 by switching the gears and then added 11 more. Also of note the IAT's were getting near 200 degrees so I was losing some gain becasue of heat.

All the other stuff because I'm a man of excess. I wanted every little thing possible that could aid airflow through the motor so I never walk away wondering what if I added a TBody, larger MAF, etc.

My reasons for "you can get there with few other mods" is that with my numbers (even on the stock shortblock and stock mag pulley) I have yet to install the alky kit in which I plan to run straight meth. While I'm doing it to keep the IAT's down, the very nice side affect of meth is it's power properties and other similar installations have seen between 35 and 60 rwhp gains. So possibly with just the Mag and longtubes you only need to get to 440-465rwhp and add alky to get to the 500.

While I know it's not a straightline calc like that it is realistic that the tbody, intake, MAF ends and other small stuff is only netting a few ponies. Like I mentioned, it may take that blower cam to get there.

 

what other issues, and how would you like me to take this?

KB has a prototype being completed as we speak, and I do not think that KB is the type of company that spends that type of money without intentions of recouping there costs. But that was a really helpfull post by the way!

More Than Zero

 

You might want to consider methanol injection with the mag.

I swapped out the stock 3.42's for 3.73's. Think I liked the 3.42's better.

Once you hit 500 rwhp a clutch will be in your future ... Be Sure of it.