Any thoughts about the AEV Supercharger kit?

jeeeep said:
Eddie, what's the weight difference between Hemi and LS? Do you know if the LS can use all off the shelf parts - radiator etc... what ever is needed to make it work in a JK. I assume Evo is doing the transplant?
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It's pretty significant. A HEMI is really big and heavy - an LS is very small and weighs about the same as a stock 3.8L motor. Motech has a home builder kit that has everything you need including a new heavy duty radiator. Outside of that, yeah, everything else is pretty much off the shelf parts. The kit is about $6k and you can find a used 5.3L for cheap. Going 6.2L will cost you more to do but, for most people, it really isn't needed.

Metalmasher said:
I've been down this road and believe me it's long and expensive! I went as far as purchasing my own fuel mapping programs trying to locate some usable power, but a supercharger is for drag racing not rock crawling in my opinion! There is no replacement for displacement so I sold my supercharger and v6 and went with LS 3! Very happy now!
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Did you go with the Motech kit? Man, I can't wait to get ours in :crazyeyes:
 
cozdude said:
the one nice thing about a supercharger over a turbo is that it is instant power. no turbo lag involved. so it might help on the trails a little when you are stuck on a rock and need to slide over it.
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Its not instant power at all. It's linear. It is nothing like a turbo, and never will be. A turbo is a much more efficient setup for a JK, except no one has made a quality setup for a JK yet. A blower doesn't make peak power until the motor makes peak power. A turbo can fully spool at a very low RPM and give you all the power you need WHEN you need it. Like Eddie said, peak performance is good for paper racing, but nor for real world applications. A turbo will always beat a blower, always. As for lag, if you use the appropriate turbo, you will have none. I can turn the 3.6L into a 600hp monster, but it will be useless. It will take 4500rpms to spool and deliver power in one giant lump...something completely useless to a Jeeper. I can also turn the same 3.6L into a 400hp machine, but have that power available INSTANTLY....albeit sacrificing 200 top end hp. When it comes to FI, you need to build what is most useful, not most impressive on paper. My s2000 is turboed. Sure there are guys that have a LOT more power than me, but few can keep up with me on a road course...I simply have more usable power. This is why most manufacturers are going with turbos. Free power (no parasitic loss), excellent fuel economy, and excellent torque throughout the rev range.

If you want to see a turbo JK in action, look up the Rattletrap videos. You will see how effortlessly it climbs rocks with minimal throttle input. The steady flow of torque allows the driver to simply "walk" up obstacles rather than lunge over them.
 
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blower

a few observations from my jeep.
I installed a RIPP I bought used for $2500 shipped into my 2011 4 door rubicon automatic.
Then I had to spend about another $500 on injectors, a 2010 PCM and a tuner so I have an honest $3000 into it.
I installed it myself in a short day. It's been installed about 6 months and 15000 miles
I have 5:13 gears and 35's. on the road it's infinately better. The power off idle causes the front end to raise and you get pushed into the seat. I don't usually redline it but I did race a new scion on a freeway onramp from a stoplight and I ate him up with 2 people and my camping gear in the jeep.
The jeep now gets an HONEST 18.5 MPG average though I have to run premium. I did the cost comparison between premium and extra MPG and I figure I will save the $3000 I paid for the supercharger in about 65000 miles (only another 50k to go!) I was averaging between 14 and 14.5 before the supercharger.
Off road I don't feel it in the rocks. I would imagine that if you did not have the rubi 4-1 t-case and 5:13 gears you would be on the gas a lot more and the boost would be more erratic off road.. though it really is pretty smooth. In the sand or snow or mud or normal desert bombing it's a blast. I had to truss the front axle immediately because it really does accelerate hard in 4 high now.
one other neat thing.. I have a york compressoer installed and the supercharger with an intercooler... it all fits, but thats one big belt ( I carry a spare)
 
Elusive said:
a few observations from my jeep.
I installed a RIPP I bought used for $2500 shipped into my 2011 4 door rubicon automatic.
Then I had to spend about another $500 on injectors, a 2010 PCM and a tuner so I have an honest $3000 into it.
I installed it myself in a short day. It's been installed about 6 months and 15000 miles
I have 5:13 gears and 35's. on the road it's infinately better. The power off idle causes the front end to raise and you get pushed into the seat. I don't usually redline it but I did race a new scion on a freeway onramp from a stoplight and I ate him up with 2 people and my camping gear in the jeep.
The jeep now gets an HONEST 18.5 MPG average though I have to run premium. I did the cost comparison between premium and extra MPG and I figure I will save the $3000 I paid for the supercharger in about 65000 miles (only another 50k to go!) I was averaging between 14 and 14.5 before the supercharger.
Off road I don't feel it in the rocks. I would imagine that if you did not have the rubi 4-1 t-case and 5:13 gears you would be on the gas a lot more and the boost would be more erratic off road.. though it really is pretty smooth. In the sand or snow or mud or normal desert bombing it's a blast. I had to truss the front axle immediately because it really does accelerate hard in 4 high now.
one other neat thing.. I have a york compressoer installed and the supercharger with an intercooler... it all fits, but thats one big belt ( I carry a spare)
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Like I said, everyone who has one will swear by them and clearly, you're no exception to the rule. I do have a hard time believing that you not only get more power but also get 18.5 MPG while running 35's with 5.13's but hey, that's just me. You should come wheeling with us sometime as I'd love to see just how well your Jeep really performs on the rocks.
 
wayoflife said:
Like I said, everyone who has one will swear by them and clearly, you're no exception to the rule. I do have a hard time believing that you not only get more power but also get 18.5 MPG while running 35's with 5.13's but hey, that's just me. You should come wheeling with us sometime as I'd love to see just how well your Jeep really performs on the rocks.
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He said "off road I don't feel it on the rocks"
 
Elusive said:
a few observations from my jeep.
I installed a RIPP I bought used for $2500 shipped into my 2011 4 door rubicon automatic.
Then I had to spend about another $500 on injectors, a 2010 PCM and a tuner so I have an honest $3000 into it.
I installed it myself in a short day. It's been installed about 6 months and 15000 miles
I have 5:13 gears and 35's. on the road it's infinately better. The power off idle causes the front end to raise and you get pushed into the seat. I don't usually redline it but I did race a new scion on a freeway onramp from a stoplight and I ate him up with 2 people and my camping gear in the jeep.
The jeep now gets an HONEST 18.5 MPG average though I have to run premium. I did the cost comparison between premium and extra MPG and I figure I will save the $3000 I paid for the supercharger in about 65000 miles (only another 50k to go!) I was averaging between 14 and 14.5 before the supercharger.
Off road I don't feel it in the rocks. I would imagine that if you did not have the rubi 4-1 t-case and 5:13 gears you would be on the gas a lot more and the boost would be more erratic off road.. though it really is pretty smooth. In the sand or snow or mud or normal desert bombing it's a blast. I had to truss the front axle immediately because it really does accelerate hard in 4 high now.
one other neat thing.. I have a york compressoer installed and the supercharger with an intercooler... it all fits, but thats one big belt ( I carry a spare)
Click to expand...

I'm just going to say that that didn't happen with my supercharger and I ran it for 3 years ! ?
 
I'm just going off what he said. On the rocks? No it didn't work.

So his verdict seems to be do not buy it for off road performance. Just highway
 
wayoflife said:
But what does that mean? It doesn't work? :idontknow:
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Exactly. He doesn't build enough boost to make a difference (the unfortunate sideffect of a supercharger.) The power is linear, so there is minimal gain down low. The only instance where it would be a great help offroad, is like the in Heartland video, when you guys were running up that really long LONG hill, he would have a serious advantage. Something like carnage canyon will not utilize a supercharger. As for gas mileage, I believe it. FI (provided you can control your right foot) will add mpg. My s2000 went from 23hwy to 35hwy after I turbocharged it (not the same, but some of the principles still apply.)
 
I get the supercharger thing for a street only vehicle, but for offroad it's a waste of money. Offroading is slow speeds with lots of warm/hot air circulating in and around a vehicle, superchargers need lots of airflow, the colder the better. It doesn't matter the type, centrifugal or roots style blowers, their overall design is inherently made for linear, consistent, throttle input.
 
I don't feel the extra power in the rocks because I rarely hit the gas in the rocks. when I do It doesnt surge is what I meant. If your jeep only drives off road, then yes, a 4 cylinder is fine.
I can drive 80 mph down the freeway up hills without downshifting (at 3000 rpm).
my 2011 has 45000 miles on it now, so clearly the vast majority of my driving has been on the road, but the jeep sees a lot of trails. I sold my dedicated rock crawler when I bought the new rubi so I no longer trailer the jeep or crawl trails harder than my 35's will take me.
but if you guys think the 3.8 is OK on the street, great. I miss the old 4.0 in my TJ
 
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