New install E-Force LS2
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,753
Likes: 210
From: North Western Connecticut
New install E-Force LS2
E-Force install.
I hesitate to post this info with all the monster motors now being built and discussed here. With the monster builds now exceeding 700, 800hp and more these numbers seem rather small and superfluous but it is, what it is.
I had no firm numbers in mind before starting but hoped for somewhere around 500 rwhp! I didn't want something that might/could grenade in 5 or 10k miles. Yea, it could happen anyway but the odds are a lot more in my favor with lower boost numbers. Anyone that believes they are adding tons of HP while retaining the original life GM planned for these engines is whistling past the graveyard. Not going to happen......
Now for the results....
ECS installed a 1593 E-Force charger kit and a new Dewitt radiator in my 06, MN6 over the past 2 days. Car has 16,000 miles and is bone stock except for Corsa sport exhaust. My goals were to add some HP but keep the drivability as CLOSE TO STOCK as possible. That was very CRITICAL to me! I also DID NOT want to open internals due to cost and potentially other issues.
My personal goals so far have been achieved 100% and I'm completely satisfied with the entire install. That's the only thing that really counts to me......
The fit and finish of these E-Force units is outstanding. Some excellent engineering was done and you can see it in all the components. Not sure WHY they went with aluminum wings (injector covers) because they are heavy and would seem to hold even more heat under there. You don't need them on and I'll problem run without them most of the time. The plastic ones GM used are light and do not retain heat.... perhaps an after market item from some enterprising vendor in the future? Over all those it's very impressive and looks like a factory unit. This is exactly what I wanted.
Mine is the lower HP kit that DOES NOT require a fuel pump change and uses the 3.875 pulley. ECS elected to go with my stock fuel pump based on information from Edelbrock and their own experience. No BAP was used but it wasn't a money issue as they had the go ahead if necessary based on tuning. It's a straight forward to upgrade if I decide I want the additional 50 hp. I would ONLY do it a Z06 pump change which is expensive and very time consuming to install. Not something I'm going to undertake. If the stock pump dies there is no fuel hence there shouldn't be any disasters! Car simply won't run...
Edlebrock claims 550 at the crank. The Dynapack (a little stingy according to Doug) yielded 493 rwhp on a warm day after a bunch of pulls. The IAT's were getting elevated so I'm pretty confident we're over 500 rwhp on a cooler day! I'm not a huge numbers person and simply wanted good street power. I'm guessing 500 rwhp equates to somewhere north of 550 at the crank which is right inline with Edlebrock's claim. To be honest it's more than enough for my purposes on the street. I'm not looking to start replacing driveline components either! The interesting part is those number were achieved with 4 lbs of boost at the low end to 7 lbs at red line. Can't see a lot of danger in those boost numbers.
East Coast DID NOT use the canned tune provided by Edlebrock. Never even opened the hand held unit that's supplied with the kit. Doug started from scratch and after a long day had it running great. I might add the car STARTED the FIRST TIME with just the stock tune. It would not idle under 1500 but Doug quickly corrected that and started tuning.
It took longer to get the tune finished then I thought ( almost 6 hours) but Doug wanted it right. This was ECS first install of the E-Force so it was a bit of learning curve. They have tuned a preinstalled E-Force but this was their first full install. It took a full day + to do the physical install. The mechanic (Mike) is a fantastic installer.... extremely professional and knowledgeable about installing super chargers. All things considered I'm extremely pleased I decided to let them do the entire install even though I have a pretty nice shop. Could have saved a fair piece of change but I didn't want to deal with problems if something went wrong. My learning curve would have been a lot longer than a day.... lol Then I would have had to have it tuned anyway!
I was on the road around 7:00 pm yesterday and heading home. It's a 200 miles home so it was nice test of the unit. The drivability was excellent. It's almost exactly like stock but you can feel a slight difference idling in traffic. Hard to describe.. not quite a surge when you back off at low rpm, but close. I got stuck in a massive traffic jam.... over and hour to go 6 miles! GRRRRRR.... Anyway the AC was on full without any problem heat issues. The new rad never allowed coolant temps over 190! Try that with a stock rad... never happen!!! I highly recommend the Dewitt rad if you are installing the E-Force and have any concerns about coolant temps.
IAT's are certainly elevated by this unit. I have a AeroForce gauge that I can check dozens of parameters and one I've been closely monitoring for 2 months is ITA's. The E-Force unit raised the IAT's significantly from stock.. around 30 degs on average. Not a big deal in cooler temps but on the 90 deg days you're going to experience some degrading in performance without a doubt. Lots of ideas on how to reduce the temps but I'll let the experts worry about it.
MPG went down around 1.5 mpg but I also was playing around with the car too. I haven't swapped out my old GY stock runcraps yet so traction in 1st, 2nd and half of 3rd is almost none existent when you stomp on it. It instantly overpowers the T/C... and then look out. If someone was inexperienced handling lots of power they could have an unhappy ending real easy. Hopefully the increased rubber size will help reduce that problem. I WOULD NOT let ANYONE drive it right now that doesn't have a lot of seat time in high performance cars..... The power is there when you want it.....
The unit itself is "extremely" quiet. You'd have to know it was under there to even notice it. Nothing like the noise you here from most SC units. No whine at all... NADA!! If you are looking for lots of SC noise this is not the unit to get! When you stomp it there is a very nasty growl and then sit back and enjoy the rush. I'm very pleased with the overall feel of the power band.... lots of fun to drive!
It's way to early to make definitive judgments about the E-Force except to say it's everything and more than I expected. It's not an inexpensive unit nor install for that matter but sometimes you get what you pay for. I have a factory looking unit that provides all the power I want for now. Drives like stock and is quiet under the hood. All things considered I'd give it thumbs up but time will tell regarding reliability, etc. I only put about 4k miles a year on so with luck it should last me awhile. There are other OP's that will be using them on a DD which will tell the real story regarding the reliability of these unit.
There are lots of systems that make more power for the money! No doubt about it... If you are looking for MAX power at higher rpms this would not be my first choice. If you are looking for a very nice unit that looks factory, supplies reasonable power this is one to consider. The boost is low enough that major problems should be at least minimized. I'm really into or past stock numbers for a Z06 which is what I was looking for. Is it as fast or faster in straight line as Z06? Well stay tuned and I'll let you know in the near future since my buddy owns a 08 Z... lol...
Bottom line it was a GREAT and fun experience at ECS! They are super people to work with (other than Chris) ... just kidding!
I can highly recommend them for anything you want done.
Well I've already written to much and said to little so I think I'll think I'll go drive my E-Force car again...........
I hesitate to post this info with all the monster motors now being built and discussed here. With the monster builds now exceeding 700, 800hp and more these numbers seem rather small and superfluous but it is, what it is.
I had no firm numbers in mind before starting but hoped for somewhere around 500 rwhp! I didn't want something that might/could grenade in 5 or 10k miles. Yea, it could happen anyway but the odds are a lot more in my favor with lower boost numbers. Anyone that believes they are adding tons of HP while retaining the original life GM planned for these engines is whistling past the graveyard. Not going to happen......
Now for the results....
ECS installed a 1593 E-Force charger kit and a new Dewitt radiator in my 06, MN6 over the past 2 days. Car has 16,000 miles and is bone stock except for Corsa sport exhaust. My goals were to add some HP but keep the drivability as CLOSE TO STOCK as possible. That was very CRITICAL to me! I also DID NOT want to open internals due to cost and potentially other issues.
My personal goals so far have been achieved 100% and I'm completely satisfied with the entire install. That's the only thing that really counts to me......
The fit and finish of these E-Force units is outstanding. Some excellent engineering was done and you can see it in all the components. Not sure WHY they went with aluminum wings (injector covers) because they are heavy and would seem to hold even more heat under there. You don't need them on and I'll problem run without them most of the time. The plastic ones GM used are light and do not retain heat.... perhaps an after market item from some enterprising vendor in the future? Over all those it's very impressive and looks like a factory unit. This is exactly what I wanted.
Mine is the lower HP kit that DOES NOT require a fuel pump change and uses the 3.875 pulley. ECS elected to go with my stock fuel pump based on information from Edelbrock and their own experience. No BAP was used but it wasn't a money issue as they had the go ahead if necessary based on tuning. It's a straight forward to upgrade if I decide I want the additional 50 hp. I would ONLY do it a Z06 pump change which is expensive and very time consuming to install. Not something I'm going to undertake. If the stock pump dies there is no fuel hence there shouldn't be any disasters! Car simply won't run...
Edlebrock claims 550 at the crank. The Dynapack (a little stingy according to Doug) yielded 493 rwhp on a warm day after a bunch of pulls. The IAT's were getting elevated so I'm pretty confident we're over 500 rwhp on a cooler day! I'm not a huge numbers person and simply wanted good street power. I'm guessing 500 rwhp equates to somewhere north of 550 at the crank which is right inline with Edlebrock's claim. To be honest it's more than enough for my purposes on the street. I'm not looking to start replacing driveline components either! The interesting part is those number were achieved with 4 lbs of boost at the low end to 7 lbs at red line. Can't see a lot of danger in those boost numbers.
East Coast DID NOT use the canned tune provided by Edlebrock. Never even opened the hand held unit that's supplied with the kit. Doug started from scratch and after a long day had it running great. I might add the car STARTED the FIRST TIME with just the stock tune. It would not idle under 1500 but Doug quickly corrected that and started tuning.
It took longer to get the tune finished then I thought ( almost 6 hours) but Doug wanted it right. This was ECS first install of the E-Force so it was a bit of learning curve. They have tuned a preinstalled E-Force but this was their first full install. It took a full day + to do the physical install. The mechanic (Mike) is a fantastic installer.... extremely professional and knowledgeable about installing super chargers. All things considered I'm extremely pleased I decided to let them do the entire install even though I have a pretty nice shop. Could have saved a fair piece of change but I didn't want to deal with problems if something went wrong. My learning curve would have been a lot longer than a day.... lol Then I would have had to have it tuned anyway!
I was on the road around 7:00 pm yesterday and heading home. It's a 200 miles home so it was nice test of the unit. The drivability was excellent. It's almost exactly like stock but you can feel a slight difference idling in traffic. Hard to describe.. not quite a surge when you back off at low rpm, but close. I got stuck in a massive traffic jam.... over and hour to go 6 miles! GRRRRRR.... Anyway the AC was on full without any problem heat issues. The new rad never allowed coolant temps over 190! Try that with a stock rad... never happen!!! I highly recommend the Dewitt rad if you are installing the E-Force and have any concerns about coolant temps.
IAT's are certainly elevated by this unit. I have a AeroForce gauge that I can check dozens of parameters and one I've been closely monitoring for 2 months is ITA's. The E-Force unit raised the IAT's significantly from stock.. around 30 degs on average. Not a big deal in cooler temps but on the 90 deg days you're going to experience some degrading in performance without a doubt. Lots of ideas on how to reduce the temps but I'll let the experts worry about it.
MPG went down around 1.5 mpg but I also was playing around with the car too. I haven't swapped out my old GY stock runcraps yet so traction in 1st, 2nd and half of 3rd is almost none existent when you stomp on it. It instantly overpowers the T/C... and then look out. If someone was inexperienced handling lots of power they could have an unhappy ending real easy. Hopefully the increased rubber size will help reduce that problem. I WOULD NOT let ANYONE drive it right now that doesn't have a lot of seat time in high performance cars..... The power is there when you want it.....
The unit itself is "extremely" quiet. You'd have to know it was under there to even notice it. Nothing like the noise you here from most SC units. No whine at all... NADA!! If you are looking for lots of SC noise this is not the unit to get! When you stomp it there is a very nasty growl and then sit back and enjoy the rush. I'm very pleased with the overall feel of the power band.... lots of fun to drive!
It's way to early to make definitive judgments about the E-Force except to say it's everything and more than I expected. It's not an inexpensive unit nor install for that matter but sometimes you get what you pay for. I have a factory looking unit that provides all the power I want for now. Drives like stock and is quiet under the hood. All things considered I'd give it thumbs up but time will tell regarding reliability, etc. I only put about 4k miles a year on so with luck it should last me awhile. There are other OP's that will be using them on a DD which will tell the real story regarding the reliability of these unit.
There are lots of systems that make more power for the money! No doubt about it... If you are looking for MAX power at higher rpms this would not be my first choice. If you are looking for a very nice unit that looks factory, supplies reasonable power this is one to consider. The boost is low enough that major problems should be at least minimized. I'm really into or past stock numbers for a Z06 which is what I was looking for. Is it as fast or faster in straight line as Z06? Well stay tuned and I'll let you know in the near future since my buddy owns a 08 Z... lol...
Bottom line it was a GREAT and fun experience at ECS! They are super people to work with (other than Chris) ... just kidding!
I can highly recommend them for anything you want done.
Well I've already written to much and said to little so I think I'll think I'll go drive my E-Force car again...........
Last edited by cthusker; Sep 18, 2010 at 09:53 AM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,575
Likes: 118
From: Conroe Texas
Congratulations! Great writeup 
I don't know why the engine covers are in aluminum, but most who've seen the car in person have an increased perception of build quality once they learn the engine covers are cast and not plastic. I know I felt the same way - the Edelbrock chose to go with real materials instead of that plastic junk.
You are right though, they are heavier.
I don't know why the engine covers are in aluminum, but most who've seen the car in person have an increased perception of build quality once they learn the engine covers are cast and not plastic. I know I felt the same way - the Edelbrock chose to go with real materials instead of that plastic junk.
You are right though, they are heavier.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,602
Likes: 3
From: Cincinnati OH
Awesome - glad to hear it worked out so nicely.
Just Remember: Fuel pumps don't just "stop working" so the engine shuts off - they DO tend to lose pumping power while under full voltage so you see pressure drops; eventually leaning out to where you get misses, bucking/surging and stalling out... potentially damaging the motor under boost.
Doesn't happen often, but it DOES happen. Moral of the story is don't assume.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,753
Likes: 210
From: North Western Connecticut
Awesome - glad to hear it worked out so nicely.
Just Remember: Fuel pumps don't just "stop working" so the engine shuts off - they DO tend to lose pumping power while under full voltage so you see pressure drops; eventually leaning out to where you get misses, bucking/surging and stalling out... potentially damaging the motor under boost.
Doesn't happen often, but it DOES happen. Moral of the story is don't assume.
RPM
MPH
Intake Air Temperature (post Intercooler)
Ambient Air Temperature (pre Intercooler)
Engine Coolant Temperature
Exhaust Gas Temperature (PCM Calculated)
Transmission Temp. (auto trans)
Manifold Pressure (vacuum/boost) displayed in PSI
Fuel Temperature
Battery Voltage
Battery Temp
Injector Pulse Width in msec.
Injector Duty Cycle (%)
Air Flow Rate into engine
Long Term Fuel Trim
Short Term Fuel Trim
O2 Sensor Voltage
Barometric Pressure
Ignition Advance
Base Spark
PCM Spark Adjust
Fuel Status (open/closed loop)
Wastegate Solenoid Duty Cycle (%)
Knock Retard
Knock Sensor Raw Voltage
Throttle Position Percentage
Throttle Position Sensor Raw Volts
Calculated Net Horsepower
Engine Load
Transmission Slip
Current Transmission Gear
Torque Delivered to Transmission
Torque Converter lockup status
Brake pressure
Brake Booster Travel
Steering Angle
Non-driven Wheel Speed
Lateral G's
Yaw
Fuel economy (instantaneous and average)
P-ratio - pressure ratio MAP/Barometer
2 user configurable analog inputs**
** 0-5v inputs can be configured to read the outputs from MAP sensors, Air/Fuel ratio kits, pressure or temperature sensors, etc. Raw voltage can be displayed or a conversion can be entered to read proper units.
Users will find that ability to log RPM vs other parameters at high speed such as ignition advance, boost, or knock retard invaluable with regards to tuning.
MPH
Intake Air Temperature (post Intercooler)
Ambient Air Temperature (pre Intercooler)
Engine Coolant Temperature
Exhaust Gas Temperature (PCM Calculated)
Transmission Temp. (auto trans)
Manifold Pressure (vacuum/boost) displayed in PSI
Fuel Temperature
Battery Voltage
Battery Temp
Injector Pulse Width in msec.
Injector Duty Cycle (%)
Air Flow Rate into engine
Long Term Fuel Trim
Short Term Fuel Trim
O2 Sensor Voltage
Barometric Pressure
Ignition Advance
Base Spark
PCM Spark Adjust
Fuel Status (open/closed loop)
Wastegate Solenoid Duty Cycle (%)
Knock Retard
Knock Sensor Raw Voltage
Throttle Position Percentage
Throttle Position Sensor Raw Volts
Calculated Net Horsepower
Engine Load
Transmission Slip
Current Transmission Gear
Torque Delivered to Transmission
Torque Converter lockup status
Brake pressure
Brake Booster Travel
Steering Angle
Non-driven Wheel Speed
Lateral G's
Yaw
Fuel economy (instantaneous and average)
P-ratio - pressure ratio MAP/Barometer
2 user configurable analog inputs**
** 0-5v inputs can be configured to read the outputs from MAP sensors, Air/Fuel ratio kits, pressure or temperature sensors, etc. Raw voltage can be displayed or a conversion can be entered to read proper units.
Users will find that ability to log RPM vs other parameters at high speed such as ignition advance, boost, or knock retard invaluable with regards to tuning.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,502
Likes: 82
- Congrats...you'll love it!I suspect the fuel rail covers are aluminum because Edelbrock has the in-house ability to produce them. They cast their own parts/pieces at Edelbrock…to include the head unit/housing.
IATs. They are going to be different. Your stock IAT sensor was in the MAF sensor well forward of anything heat related. The Edelbrock E-Force moves your IAT measurement to a combination Temp and Manifold Absolute Pressure (TMAP) sensor which is located on the back of the supercharger and measures temps after the air has been through the rotors and through the intercooler. The table that tells the car when to begin pulling timing for IATs is completely reworked to accommodate the different data points.
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From: Providing the most proven supercharger kits for your C5/6/7 609-752-0321
Nice write up Craig, and it was a pleasure meeting you.
.
.
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ECS Supercharger Kits / Mantic Clutches
www.EastCoastSupercharging.com
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Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 16,066
Likes: 4,148
From: Bergen county NJ
thanks for the great writeup and its good to know the guys at ECS are so great to work with.
In the modding process thats half the battle. Well known shop with lots of experience just looking to meet and exceed the customers expectations.
I agree with you on not wanting the "most hp " but rather a civilized and reliable bump to 550hp!!! (which is awesome)
Keep us updated and at some time in the future...maybe I could drive up to conn. and you can take me for a ride in your supercharged vette...and fill me in on the details of how much your enjoying it...
Nothing like a seamless increase in hp with no degradation of OEM like reliability and drivability..
Thats a package worth considering..
Thanks again for the insight..
In the modding process thats half the battle. Well known shop with lots of experience just looking to meet and exceed the customers expectations.
I agree with you on not wanting the "most hp " but rather a civilized and reliable bump to 550hp!!! (which is awesome)
Keep us updated and at some time in the future...maybe I could drive up to conn. and you can take me for a ride in your supercharged vette...and fill me in on the details of how much your enjoying it...
Nothing like a seamless increase in hp with no degradation of OEM like reliability and drivability..
Thats a package worth considering..
Thanks again for the insight..
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,575
Likes: 118
From: Conroe Texas
I'm quite aware of the history of corvette, body panel composition, etc. 
My point was that I remember when about the only plastic under the hood of a car (other than fiberglass body panels) was a windshield washer bottle, or radiator overlow tank.
The plethora of plastic engine covers, composite intake manifolds, etc. is no doubt a smart move for weight savings. However much like the rubbery-plasticy interior components of my 07, it feels like we're losing something, even though we are gaining tremendous improvements in engineering.
My point was that I remember when about the only plastic under the hood of a car (other than fiberglass body panels) was a windshield washer bottle, or radiator overlow tank.
The plethora of plastic engine covers, composite intake manifolds, etc. is no doubt a smart move for weight savings. However much like the rubbery-plasticy interior components of my 07, it feels like we're losing something, even though we are gaining tremendous improvements in engineering.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,753
Likes: 210
From: North Western Connecticut
Can't wait to get the larger tires and wheels on this thing. I'm happy with everything which I figure is always good when you are spending this kind of money on mods...
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From: Providing the most proven supercharger kits for your C5/6/7 609-752-0321