Blue Flame-less Joe

WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS. HOW STREETABLE IS IT?

BigLew

I love mine. Pros; great low end and bullet proof, cons different hood sucks and not very much you can do for the ever increasing need for HP/TQ. It is very streetable until the big peddle on the right is mashed hard. You can put it on yourself and get a good tune and then just drive it. :D :D

STAGED

Although I don't have a Magnacharged C5, I rode in 2 C5s with Magnachargers.

Pros:
1.) Quiet in normal driving
2.) Labor is less involved than almost any set of mods for equiv. hp gain except nitrous
3.) High kit quality and main component is proven
4.) Rivals 427cid NA torque below 2000 rpm, 383cid NA level of torque in mid-range
5.) For mostly street drivers, eliminates need to go with BIG step up in high diff'l ratio and/or stall. Friend reports 29.x mpg at 70-75 mph driving on his 6-speed slightly lower CR setup.
6.) Sounds nasty from outside/ahead when the gas pedal hits the floorboard
7.) As with most F.I., refinement and high engine output can be achieved simultaneously
8.) Cheapest/one of cheapest C5 power adder after nitrous (non-intercooled deals are great even with the need to purchase/paint/install new hood).
9.) Draw-thru throttle-body and MAF design means no irritating pipes blowing off when throttle is suddenly released at high rpm
10.) IC coming which will expand the tuning window greatly along with allow owners to max out the blower with smaller upper pulleys and really wake up performance. 3665 lb. curb weight Cobras trap 117-120 mph maxing out their blowers on pump gas. So 3200 to 3400 lb. + more aerodynamic C5s with Magnachargers hold a lot of promise based on that.
11.) Low price of non-intercooled version and no serious need to spend lots of dough to uprate diff'l ratio or stall leaves plenty of $ for classy nitrous install. Nitrous+non-intercooled Magnacharger+bigger cam/strong valvespring+race gas will make a nasty dragstrip combo for relatively little $$$ spent (automatic high mileage C5 with this combo ran 10.6 @ 130 mph). Then off nitrous on pump gas, one can enjoy big block low rpm torque, stockish refinement/quietness, high fuel economy from stock or near stock gear/stall, and satisfying levels of top-end pull.
12.) Wow styling factor, esp. when polished. The best underhood styling enhancement.
13.) SteveL2 showed results can be had with relatively few supporting mods: mild diff'l gear upgrade, mild drag tire choice, blower cam, stock base C5 exhaust right down to cats and manifolds on a non-Z06 (read: heavier) C5. That car trapped 120.5 mph in near 80 deg. F air.

Cons:
1.) Front end visibility, varies with hood design
2.) Lack of intercooler makes it tough to make the most out of the blower (e.g., going down to 2.8" upper pulley from 3.5")
3.) Lack of intercooler gives high CR Z06s a narrow tuning window
4.) Not competitive with high boost turbos or mechanical centrifugal S/Cs at the dragstrip
5.) Minimal cost/benefit ratio for 427+ cid applications
6.) As with any F.I., tuning is most critical. Also engine condition is most critical, you can't have oil seeping past control rings that kills fuel octane and makes tuning detonation away impossible.


[Modified by STAGED, 11:13 PM 12/4/2003]

runamuk

I've had mine for a little over a year now and have put almost 9000 miles on it, it's a great supercharger for everyday driving as well as track use, I'm waiting for the retrofit to come out for the intercooler because I'm pretty sure this will greatly change the output of this supercharger :cheers:

Lambchop

I've put one summer on my Magnacharger, and I've loved it!

The torque is awesome! Since most people spend 99% of their time on the street verses the dragstrip, the low-end torque is where you get the most out of your money.

I can pass traffic without leaving overdrive.

I do have only one complaint. Every once in a while, I through a trouble code that has to do with emissions. All I have to do is simply clear it at the next stop. Usually, this only happens when I get on the highway and the engine is below normal running temp.

suuperfrk

Has anyone here dynoed their Magnacharger LS1? Has anyone ran nitrous also?

Lambchop

392 RWHP

SteveL2

In addition to the preceding:

pros:
(1) fairly easy to return to stock, as if you ever would
(2) nice gawk factor if you open your hood



(3) a whole lot of fun for daily driving w/o going 100+ mph, especially if you have a 6-speed
(4) so far reliability of entire setup seems good
(5) available drivetrain limited warranty, if you go thru LPE or its Texas affiliate, 21st Century Muscle Cars

cons
(1) stock size tires are a joke; I'm getting ready to buy a 3rd new set in less than a year of supercharger ownership
(2) heat sensitive, but I don't know if that's any different than other FI setups, and I guess :confused: that will get better when the intercooled version comes out soon
(3) other FI owners will whine that you should've bought their setup :nopity


I'm sure there's more, but it's the end of a long day. If you're ever in the Dallas area, look me up and I'll take you for a ride. That'll answer most questions by itself.

SteveL2

Oops, forgot to address this. Other than a very slight whistle, if you keep your foot out of it, you'll have no idea it's even there. It does not affect street driving manners whatsoever. Put your foot in it at low gear, however, and you'll toast tires while garnering lots of stares due to the wounded-animal shriek coming from under your hood. :seeya

SleepieAce

I do not have it, but after reading all about the different setups I would have to say the biggest pro for the Magnacharger is that it's bulletproof. I've never heard of problems with blowing pistons etc. with it. Biggest con is the incompatibility with large cube engines, but if you're looking to remain mostly stock and want an s/c that gives decent performance and a great wow factor I'd say go for it. You won't regret it. :cheers:

STAGED

This is because 6 psi non-intercooled charge is much less mass air content than 7-8 psi intercooled charge. So if the motor is pinging, 8 psi of intercooled charge means a much bigger sledghammer of cylinder pressures. On the flip side, for 6 psi nonintercooled it's harder to tune out detonation. But when comparing non-detonating/properly tuned circumstance in the Magnacharger vs. non-detonating/properly tuned circumstance in a higher boost intercooled S/C, the Magnacharged motor will see less peak stresses.


[Modified by STAGED, 11:37 AM 12/5/2003]

99C5ragtop

Had mine since June...Cartek did the install and tuning along with long tubes, 3 inch cats, Borla XR1, Vortex, Larger MAF, BBK TBody, Stage II Head and Cam. Car dynoe'd at 501rwhp/445rwtq with the stock 3.42 rear. Just switched to 3.73's so those numbers would be a very small amount lower. Pic is in link in sig.

I would have to say that at first the most impressive thing was that the car is as streetable as stock until you get into it (other than the note from the XR1). After that charm wore off and I became accustomed to dirving it I would say that it is just simply a sick machine. Power is on demand.

The scream at WOT is nothing short of incredible. I swear people have pulled off the road when I get into it because they have no idea what the hell is coming. It's funny to watch.

At Englishtown on street tires I ran a 12.4 which sucks for the power I'm making. However trap speed was 122.1 and 60' time was 2.4....I just could not hook....I am leaving about one full second at the line which translates into about double that at the end.

On potential con, if not con a factor:
With the cold weather here in Jersey I was messing with an Integra acting like an idiot the other day and broke traction when I punched it in fourth gear only at 85mph. You must always pay attention when driving it. I cannot even see boost in these temps because I just break traction. Coilover I recently installed I think made it worse.

Another con:
No intercooler.....yet! On hot days I won't lay into it if my coolant temp is above 198. If you keep the coolant temp on the DIC on all the time it's really not a problem to monitor.

Always keep your eye on eBay for tires.....I have gone through one set, just about done another, and have two more sets of rear tires in storage. If you get them at a steal who cares?

Overall it is a proven, reliable, and streetable application. Any time you go high power you eat tires so that's not only a function of the mag......intercooler will be out soon but even that may not be all it's cracked up to be.....it won't fill big cubic inches very well, at least nothing over 383...and my hand to God you could not give me a new Ferrari for my Vette with the Mag...it's just really that worth it.

Call me crazy...you won't be the first.
Good Luck!

NO CHNCE

Had mine installed in May at LPE along with some other goodies. 444RWHP. Car is great!!! Drives just like normal until you mash it and then women and children hide from the sound. It screams!!! I love it. Wish I had more money for an LPE Twin Turbo next time. You will love it.

W!ngnut

It's pretty much been said above...bottom line...LOVE my Magnacharger...for a hot street setup. If it was JUST for drag racing I would have gone another route. Changing hood/matching paint...a bit of a pain. :jester

Semper FI :flag


[Modified by W!ngnut, 8:35 AM 12/5/2003]

Blue Lightening

Agree with all of the above, a few months ago while I was checking out at Pep Boys, the cashier asked me what I had under the hood. I said "just a little supercharger"...he said "It isn't a Lingenfelter is it"...I said "yes"

The kid said "I got to see this". He shut down the register to go out to look at my car and everyone behind me had to get in another line. It ended up being a one corvette car show and it took me over a half of an hour to get out of there.

I'm very pleased with the performance. Sticking in the 390 rear was another good move, but it didn't help the traction issue. Next project is the tubs, HRE's and 345's

YELLOHHH

http://www.yellohh.com
Video 2
:steering:

STAGED

No poopie. I was following my Magnacharged C5 buddy home and when he let Mr. Hyde out of the house, cars separated apart like the Red Sea did for Moses. Now name a mod that'll do that and create an on-the spot Corvette show in one without waking the neighbors at midnight. :reddevil + :blueangel: mod in one.

vetterdstr

:lol: good one!! :D

VR :cheers:

1%r

No cons just pros, best bolt on I've ever done on all my rides :yesnod:

Black_Magic

I installed mine in April 2003 and only regret is I didn't do it sooner. Lots of PROS as mentioned above by others. CON is HOOD, it took me 3 to finally get one that fit correctly. (I now have 2 hoods for sale :) :) )

Here is some information on my install etc ===>> Click Here



[Modified by Black_Magic, 7:45 AM 12/6/2003]