[DeTomaso] supercharger questions

jderyke at aol.com jderyke at aol.com
Mon Jan 4 14:38:03 EST 2010


Ken, another factor not mentioned is, all supercharger systems add lots of 
weight and most of it is very high mounted, badly affecting a sportscar's 
handling. One extreme example is Wilkinson's '80s Magnecharger system which 
according to my scales adds a measured 82 lbs to the TOP of the engine without 
the jackshaft drives, while puffing only 7 psi into the chambers. Sure, 
Paxtons or turbos are lighter and the project is worth doing sometimes, but 
blowing air in is not the only way to get decent fuel/air distribution and 
resulting engine smoothness. An extra 200 bhp can easily come from calling Donny 
Byars and having a 502 swapped into your Pantera over the weekend. 
With their recommended alloy heads, intake & water pump, engine weight 
increases by only 20 lbs and I suggest the optional higher ZF ring & pinion for 
a truely smooth carbureted engine thats only turning maybe 2000 rpms at 90 
mph in 5th... Fuel mileage goes up as well as the Doughnut-Derelict respect, 
too. FWIW- J DeRyke



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