FAQ's

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Our kits come with the pre-assembly required to make them a DIY bolt on fit, no welding is required, the kits can be fitted with the engine in place and should take no more than 3-4 hours. The key components of the kit will have been fitted to our test engine and adjusted for alignment so that you can just bolt them on. We supply a step by step, illustrated, instruction guide with every kit. It's advised that you do need at least an intermediate mechanical skill base. 

As for the tuning, we can fit the jets that are most likely to suit your engine but the final tuning will require a visit to a rolling road and some professional help.

This really does depend on your individual engine type but to give you some idea of expected gains on a standard 1600 twin port engine (Standard crank / cam ignition etc) a stock engine will produce between 40 to 45 hp. 

With the addition of the Ultimate supercharger kit you should produce between 90 to 105 hp with a torque curve between 160 to 175 nm, this is dependent on carburettor jetting and timing and any other mods you may have made from a stock condition. 

With the addition of the Sleeper supercharger kit you should see around 85-90 hp. The Sleeper kit works best on engines from 1300 up to 1776cc.

In simple terms the superchargers function is to pump more air by compressing it into your engine, the faster it spins the more air and fuel that is forced into the engine which results in a bigger explosion and that means more power. More Air – More Fuel – Bigger Bang - More Power

Note: This additional performance can be quite significant therefore you may need to consider uprating your clutch kit to avoid slipping. this is something that you will need to assess your self but its worth being aware of it, we do recommend changing it regardless and we recommend the Kennedy Stage 1 clutch kits as an upgrade particularly for bus's due to the extra weight. 

The kits are designed to fit twin port engines with standard inlet manifolds, they will work on single port engines but will need single to twin port inlet manifold adaptors fitting (not included in the kit).

The items you will need that we do not supply in a standard kit are the following (but we have made these as optional extras if you would like us to supply them in your kit):

• Electric fuel pump 
• Engine crank case breather

If you have not already done so it is highly advised that you upgrade your brakes, running a supercharger on a vehicle with drum brakes is not advised, you will be significantly increasing the engines power output therefore you need to equally match this by upgrading your stopping power.

A side draft carburettor is a device integral to the functioning of almost all internal combustion engines constructed prior to the 1980s. ... It is the task of a side draft carburettor to combine air with fuel in the correct ratio prior to its entry into the engine's combustion cylinders.

The Weber DCOE dual-throat sidedraft is considered by many to be the definition of a performance carburettor. The range of venturi (choke) sizes and the ease of changing jets make it the carburettor of choice for many performance upgrades. The 40DCOE size can be tuned to work with a wide range of engines, from 1500cc to 2000cc. Multiple carburettors can be used to feed engines up to 3 litres (150-300cc cylinder volume per throat) 

Every engine behaves differently and therefore the carburettors and timing will require tuning, some may only need minor adjustments, others may need more extensive adjustments and tuning.

Bogging is caused by a lack of fuel and there are components in the carburettor that may need to be replaced at your own cost.

Pump rod lengths can differ, they are not one standard size, the length of the pump rod dictates how much fuel is delivered in the pump shot .

Pump rod springs strengths can change the rate which the fuel is delivered, a softer spring will deliver fuel moderately where as a heavier spring will deliver a much more aggressive / faster shot of fuel, it will be the same volume as the softer spring but over a shorter period of time.

Spill jet which is fitted in the base of the fuel bowl bleeds some of the pump shot back into the fuel bowl, replacing this with a size 0 (zero) ensure all of the pump shot is used.

The standard size pump jet 40 can be replaced with larger jets, smaller jets will deliver a longer pump shot over a certain period of time where as a larger pump jet 45 will deliver a faster pump shot but over a shorter period of time.

Considering the above these are areas which you may have to consider when setting up and tuning the kit for final road / track use.

Although we do our best to dial the kit in based on your engine size before sending the kit it is not always the same result as you may see on your engine.

The Supercharger comes complete with a pulley that we have calculated to be the best fit for your engine size. On engines upto 1641cc we set the pulley ratio to deliver approx 8psi boost. On larger engines the boost pressure will be slightly lower. Changing the size of this pulley changes the drive ratio and hence boost pressure - the smaller the pulley, the faster the pulley spins, the more boost the supercharger will produce. If you are building an engine and want to set your own boost pressure then just let us know and we will advise whether we can meet your requirments.

- The Sleeper kit fits the engine bay of a Beetle, Karmann Ghia and bus and should not need any modifications

- The Ultimate  kit :

• fits in a standard T1 Split-screen engine compartment but it is a tight fit and may need some slight modification to the "roof" of the engine compartment
• fits in a standard T2 Bay engine compartment without any modifications
• in split screens and bays an access hatch may be required in the "roof" of the engine compartment to allow the carb jets to be accessed without removing the carb.
• May require deck lid raisers or a decklid scoop to fit into a Karmann Ghia, depends on year.
• will require deck lid stand-offs to fit under a Beetle decklid

The Cyclone kit is designed for open engine bays - the carb "stack" sits 40mm in front of the fan housing

We recommend that you service your supercharger kit every 6000 miles or annually. 

The supercharger has it's own oil reservoir - to change the oil you will need to remove the supercharger.

Our service kits include all of the items that you will need to carry out the oil change and replace all of the kit parts that are subject to wear and tear.

- We only sell genuine Weber 40DCOE and 40IDF carburettors, all of our carburettors are new and unused

- The S/Shorty carb in the Sleeper kit is not a genuine Harley Davidson unit

- Our serpentine pulley kits are genuine new and unused MST items

- The AMR500 superchargers are refurbished smooth back AMR500 units, we have put a lot of time into finding a supplier who can supply us with the right quality products (there are some poor ones out there!). Every unit is quality checked by us to make sure we are happy to cover it with our 6 month warranty. 

It is strongly advised you seek professional help during this set up, every engine behaves differently so there’s no absolute number to set it. The static timing spec of 7.5 to 10 degrees might be right for some 009 distributors, but not for all due to the variation in their settings.

Set the initial maximum advance with a timing light, warm up the engine and set the engine speed to 3000+ rpm, rotate the distributer to 24 degrees at 3000 rpm first, and let the idle timing fall to its natural position.

Note: Maximum advance is much more important than idle advance. For the aircooled VW engine and 009 distributor, the maximum advance needs to be anywhere between 18 and 24 degrees at 3000+ rpm (This is applicable to all our kit types). The 009 distributor is usually set at 3000+ rpm because it produces its maximum advance at about 2600rpm. Setting the maximum advance timing at 3000+ rpm ensures that it's "all in." If the engine pings at 24 degrees, then use 23 degrees. If it pings at 23 degrees go to 22 degrees and so on. If set at less than 18 degrees the engine will be under advanced at high rpms. 

Run the vehicle at high speed and lower speed acceleration runs. If it runs fine, you've got it right. If it pings a bit, or has a flat spot on acceleration, try backing off the maximum advance to say another ½ to 1 degree, and try again but always use a higher octane fuel. 

Try to keep the max advance in the 18-24 degree range. This will slightly reduce any stumbling on acceleration and help to avoid detonation. (See below the effects of detonation and why its your number 1 enemy).

This video https://youtu.be/loA_MyJH19U  may also help if you you want to limit the advance and lock the timing for boost, this is a good demonstration, but you can accomplish this by removing the small plug and bending the two limit stops and gluing the plug back or spot welding the limit stops in the closed position.

Advancing timing by up to 10°  can increase the spark plug tip temperature by up to 70°-100° C. There are also things you can look for to give you an indication if the engine is running too lean or rich and that’s by reading the colour of the spark plugs. 

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• We recommend using NGK BP6HS, you may not believe it but the right plugs can make a big difference.
• Black and sooty, the you’re running to rich, the timing will be retarded or you have low compression, however running a little rich does allow the engine to run cooler.
• Oil Fouled, this indicates worn rings or pistons leaking valves or over filled oil. 
• Brown and or a light grey, this is the normal condition you want by ensuring you have the correct fuel & air mixture and the correct timing. 

When you take the car out for its first run, listen carefully at the engine through the gears, if you hear the engine pinking (Valve Rattle), then you need to correct the timing.

When you have returned from a test drive and you hear a pop after the engine has been turned off then you need to advance the timing, this can be caused by excess unburnt fuel.

Our kits are designed to fit all T1/T2 twin port air-cooled engines up to 2180cc, they will work on single port air cooled engines but will need a single to twin port inlet manifold conversion kit to be fitted (we do not supply these conversion kits)

For best results use the 123 Bluetooth + programmable distributors. These are relatively new and they are fantastic, some of our customers are using them and report that they are a perfect addition for a turbo’d or supercharged engine as you can control and change the setting from your phone and has the added security of an immobilizer. https://123ignition.com/

Bosch 009 distributor with a good quality ignition module fitted and with the advance mechanism locked. The bracket which supports the supercharger was designed around this type of distributor, other types may fit.

We cant stress this enough but your ignition timing is critical to avoid detonation, getting it wrong or guessing can cost you your engine so take time to get it right and seek professional help.

Pre-ignition is combustion inside the cylinder BEFORE the spark plug fires. It’s caused by poor timing and is similar to detonation but different. Pre-ignition can happen when something ignites the Air/Fuel Mixture during the compression stroke, it generates too much pressure inside the cylinder and too soon, the piston is now being forced to compress already heated and rapidly expanding gases and will cause significant damage without warning, the effect will be instant engine failure, a hole melted through the top of the piston or melted, splattered spark plugs.

What causes Pre-ignition 

It is caused by something in the cylinder igniting the air & fuel mixture.

•            Glowing hot or melted spark plugs

•            Glowing hot exhaust valve

•            Burning carbon embers

As air & fuel is compressed it becomes more difficult to ignite, when the piston is near BDC and at the beginning of the compression stroke, anything hot enough could set it off. That’s where a red-hot component in the chamber can cause pre-ignition.

Detonation is combustion of air and fuel inside the cylinder but this time AFTER the spark plug fires. It is like pre-ignition. Detonation is also called an "Engine Knock" or "Pinging" because of the type of sound it creates.

During the normal ignition process the spark plug fires just before the piston reaches TDC. The flame travels across the combustion chamber igniting the air & fuel mixture. This causes an increase in cylinder pressure and forces the piston down on the power stroke. When detonation occurs some of the air & fuel ignites prematurely and before the normal combustion process. This causes a brief, but intense spike in cylinder pressure, it’s like hitting the top of the piston with a 10-pound hammer every time is reaches or is approaching TDC and again can cause instant failure.

What causes Detonation?

•            Knocking or pinging sounds

•            Broken piston rings and or spark plugs

•            Damage to the piston and or valves

Main contributors and prevention

1 Over-Advanced Ignition Timing - Get it right, seek professional help

If ignition timing is too far advanced, the spark plug can fire too soon, this causes the flame to end early then fuel that remains can detonate. 

Over-advanced ignition timing can cause cylinder pressures to rise too rapidly and eventually lead to detonation. When running superchargers you need to limit your distributor advance. You should be aiming between 24 & 26 degrees max. so retard the timing a couple of degrees or try re-calibrating the distributor advance curve to keep detonation under control.

2 Lean Air/Fuel Mixture - Get it right, seek professional help

A rich Air/Fuel Mixture runs cooler than a lean mixture. A lean mixture (too much air) can get too hot and detonate so check your air/fuel mixture and adjust accordingly, remember if you don’t have the right equipment seek a professional and seek one who knows there way round a carburettor and induction forced engines.

3 Too Much Compression - Set it correctly

High compression causes heat. If the air/fuel mixture is compressed too much, it can detonate so keep compression low. For a naturally aspirated engine you may have had an engine built with higher compression and that’s fine for more power but adding a supercharger into that recipe isn’t a good idea. Remember a supercharger is an air pump and compressing air that gets hot, its forced into your engine so with an engine already running higher compression the risk is much greater.

A static or stock compression is typically the recommended limit for naturally aspirated engines however for forced induction, a lower static ratio may be required depending on the amount of boost you want to add. A High compression ratio can create detonation even with low octane fuel.

4 Engine Overheating and cooling - Keep it cool

Too much heat can cause the air/fuel in the chamber to detonate.

Most engines these days are water cooled, for these Air-cooled engines we need to keep them cool so ensure your cooling fan and system is general is in good order, removing the aluminium heat exchanger pipes that allow cool air to exit the fan is Baaaaddd…. Block those up to keep the cooling air being forced down onto the engine, not out into the engine bay. If you can add oil coolers, if you can add additional air from outside then it’s a bonus, dooooo oooooh it. If you don’t have temp gauges to help you see what’s going on… get one fitted.

If your engine is overheating, it is more likely to suffer spark knock. That’s why you should make sure your cooling system is in good order and not leaking excess cool air. Make sure your fan is properly installed and is the correct size, also check for any missing fan shroud components, basically anything that can prevent your cooling system from operating efficiently needs to be addressed.

5 Low Octane Fuel - Use higher octane fuel

Octane rating is a measure of "knock resistance". Switching to higher grade fuel can help a knocking engine and help keep the temperature low.

Most engines are just fine on standard fuel but engines with high compression or forced induction (blowers or turbos) will most likely need to run on higher octane. Vehicles where the engine sees increased load or stress, such as towing or heavy fully ladened buses etc, may require additional octane fuel. Anything that causes higher combustion temperatures and pressure or causes the engine to run hotter than normal can lead to detonation.

Most engines can handle some minor detonation. But…… if the detonation risk is not fixed, it will damage the engine. Just one major detonation event could cause significant and serious engine damage. 

6 Manage Your Boost. Controlling the amount of boost in a forced induction engine is critical. Too much boost can lead to detonation, so you’ll need to either modify your boost, you can do this by increasing or decreasing the superchargers pulley size or build your engine to handle more boost. 

7 Carbon deposits - Service and Clean it

Deposits are a common cause of detonation in high-mileage engines. Carbon deposits can build up over time in the combustion chamber and on top of pistons until the compression of the engine is altered. Carbon deposits can create an insulating effect that slows heat transfer from the combustion chamber to the cylinder head. If deposits build up and compression goes up enough, then your detonation risk will be higher. Like the lean fuel ratio we spoke of earlier, carbon deposits could be a sign of another issue elsewhere, worn valve guides, cylinder wear, broken piston rings, or worn oil. To check this, you may have to remove the heads but remove any carbon deposits chemically or with a wire brush etc.

8 Read Your Spark Plugs. You can tell a lot about your engine’s performance by reading your plugs. if your spark plugs appear damaged / pitted / yellow  etc they may be too hot for this set up, try spark plugs with a cooler heat range to avoid the risk of detonation.