Plenum pressure?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 310
Likes: 41
From: Chicagoland
Plenum pressure?
If your boost gauge indicates 10 psi at full boost under full load does that mean 10psi is all there ever is in the plenum?
I say yes.
I want to mount a small clear window, a view port of sorts on an Edelbrock supercharger plenum cover or lid.
A friend suggests that will not work bcuz the pressure in the plenum would be too great to contain.
I have plexiglas from .250" to 1.0" thick.
In my humble opinion, the only pressure (or vacuum) we see in the intake tract is what is indicated on the vac/boost gauge.
Thank You
I say yes.
I want to mount a small clear window, a view port of sorts on an Edelbrock supercharger plenum cover or lid.
A friend suggests that will not work bcuz the pressure in the plenum would be too great to contain.
I have plexiglas from .250" to 1.0" thick.
In my humble opinion, the only pressure (or vacuum) we see in the intake tract is what is indicated on the vac/boost gauge.
Thank You
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 13,262
Likes: 3,150
From: SW Florida
2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Gotta ask ... what do you plan on seeing when you look through this little plastic window you want to install ?
Is the plan to cut a hole in the top of your aluminum supercharger lid and then glue this plastic 'window' in there ?
Not trying to belittle you or anything like that, but this seems to me to be a mod where you are just going to ruin a perfectly good supercharger lid ... bad idea in my opinion
Is the plan to cut a hole in the top of your aluminum supercharger lid and then glue this plastic 'window' in there ?
Not trying to belittle you or anything like that, but this seems to me to be a mod where you are just going to ruin a perfectly good supercharger lid ... bad idea in my opinion
Drifting
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 1,525
Likes: 391
From: Martinez CA
I agree - plus there's absolutely nothing to see...and it will either a) leak, or worse yet b) fail
ETA; Unless you want to see the supercharger rotors?
ETA; Unless you want to see the supercharger rotors?
Gotta ask ... what do you plan on seeing when you look through this little plastic window you want to install ?
Is the plan to cut a hole in the top of your aluminum supercharger lid and then glue this plastic 'window' in there ?
Not trying to belittle you or anything like that, but this seems to me to be a mod where you are just going to ruin a perfectly good supercharger lid ... bad idea in my opinion
Is the plan to cut a hole in the top of your aluminum supercharger lid and then glue this plastic 'window' in there ?
Not trying to belittle you or anything like that, but this seems to me to be a mod where you are just going to ruin a perfectly good supercharger lid ... bad idea in my opinion
Last edited by Chiselchst; Mar 12, 2020 at 08:53 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 4,626
Likes: 1,816
From: Erlanger, Kentucky
If your boost gauge indicates 10 psi at full boost under full load does that mean 10psi is all there ever is in the plenum?
I say yes.
I want to mount a small clear window, a view port of sorts on an Edelbrock supercharger plenum cover or lid.
A friend suggests that will not work bcuz the pressure in the plenum would be too great to contain.
I have plexiglas from .250" to 1.0" thick.
In my humble opinion, the only pressure (or vacuum) we see in the intake tract is what is indicated on the vac/boost gauge.
Thank You
I say yes.
I want to mount a small clear window, a view port of sorts on an Edelbrock supercharger plenum cover or lid.
A friend suggests that will not work bcuz the pressure in the plenum would be too great to contain.
I have plexiglas from .250" to 1.0" thick.
In my humble opinion, the only pressure (or vacuum) we see in the intake tract is what is indicated on the vac/boost gauge.
Thank You
But if you really want to do that, it would be better to replace the entire lid rather than cut a window.
One thing to remember also is that while 10 psi, is not a large amount of boost, the total amount of force applied to the lid is significant.
Remember it is 10 pounds per square inch. The E-force lid is about a square foot maybe a little more. So 10 psi by say 150 square inches for 1500 pounds pressing on the lid. Can plexi withstand that and can it take heat?
And another major problem is thermal expansion. Just looked it up and plexi has a thermal expansion coefficient 4 times that of aluminum.
Just not a good idea.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 374
Likes: 63
even ignoring the pressure issue the heat will be a big issue
That lid is going to expand and contract. The glue will melt and what ever plastic you find will more then likely warp from the temp of the lid/engine bay temp. I do not believe plexiglass needs a very high temp to be soft enough to move around with very little pressure and in this case sag in the middle.
Trying to think back to a plastics processing class i took not too long ago i also believe that although resistant to having physical property changes via heat cycles that in this use it would still be heat cycled so often that it would eventually probably have issues. I wouldnt be surprised if eventually it cracked and fell into the blower or something like that.
That lid is going to expand and contract. The glue will melt and what ever plastic you find will more then likely warp from the temp of the lid/engine bay temp. I do not believe plexiglass needs a very high temp to be soft enough to move around with very little pressure and in this case sag in the middle.
Trying to think back to a plastics processing class i took not too long ago i also believe that although resistant to having physical property changes via heat cycles that in this use it would still be heat cycled so often that it would eventually probably have issues. I wouldnt be surprised if eventually it cracked and fell into the blower or something like that.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,844
Likes: 144
From: Northern Ireland
If your boost gauge indicates 10 psi at full boost under full load does that mean 10psi is all there ever is in the plenum?
I say yes.
I want to mount a small clear window, a view port of sorts on an Edelbrock supercharger plenum cover or lid.
A friend suggests that will not work bcuz the pressure in the plenum would be too great to contain.
I have plexiglas from .250" to 1.0" thick.
In my humble opinion, the only pressure (or vacuum) we see in the intake tract is what is indicated on the vac/boost gauge.
Thank You
I say yes.
I want to mount a small clear window, a view port of sorts on an Edelbrock supercharger plenum cover or lid.
A friend suggests that will not work bcuz the pressure in the plenum would be too great to contain.
I have plexiglas from .250" to 1.0" thick.
In my humble opinion, the only pressure (or vacuum) we see in the intake tract is what is indicated on the vac/boost gauge.
Thank You
But securing any window, the heat, removing structural rigidity etc of the blower would all be concerns
Although how much of the lid is contoured around the rotors etc ? Is a flat window/lid even any option at all ?
Last edited by stevieturbo; Mar 28, 2020 at 06:48 AM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,376
Likes: 1,118
I assumed from the get go that this fella was just yanking our chains?
Because, obviously, other than watching the rotors turn when you’re standing alongside the car with the hood up and engine idling, this kooky idea serves no utility or entertainment purpose, and promises a lot of trouble in return.
BTW: The lid on an Edelbrock E-force is only going to see boost once the bypass closes.
Now he has thinking that maybe I would like to install a couple of fiber optic cameras through the lid of my blower, aimed at the spray bar, just to see how the nitrous is flowing during a run...
Because, obviously, other than watching the rotors turn when you’re standing alongside the car with the hood up and engine idling, this kooky idea serves no utility or entertainment purpose, and promises a lot of trouble in return.
BTW: The lid on an Edelbrock E-force is only going to see boost once the bypass closes.
Now he has thinking that maybe I would like to install a couple of fiber optic cameras through the lid of my blower, aimed at the spray bar, just to see how the nitrous is flowing during a run...
Last edited by CI GS; Mar 28, 2020 at 10:23 AM.