VXR8 SC or no SC.....

[maverick964_uk]

well, just put my VXR8 in for service last week at Picador's. Graham let me use his Wortec supercharged VXR8 for the day. 600 horses!!.

I wanted to drive one to see what it was like. Was it.....too quick, noisy; what about everyday usage, fuel consumption etc....etc... ???.

Well, normal driving is fine and no one would know any different. Startup seemed a little tentative. I thought it wasnt going to start but then it fired. Maybe its the supercharger that adds extra workload on to startup??. Not sure.

The power was amazing and the wine of the SC was superb. Maybe a bit noisy on a few ocassions

The only downside was fuel consumption. I'm not sure what I got but 30 quid didnt last long!!

Any others got thoughts about the SC conversions, whether its on the R8, monaro's or other HSV models....

[S600VXR]

Well a non S/C one wont do 200... ahhem kph officer...

[ads_green]

the supercharger is one of the reasons I went for the vxr8. I don't have one on mine yet and don't plan to for a while. the idea is that once 400 bhp starts to feel averge then for not very much I can have 600 and get what is in effect a whole new car

[LathamJohnP]

It's a personal thing, but having experienced the sound on my old Mini Cooper S, I really hate the idea of supercharger whine on a big engine.

Reason being, if you've got 1.6 litres, supercharger whine says "ooh, this little thing has some power now!", but if you've got 6 litres, having a supercharger just says "my car is so lardy and my specific output so weedy I had to bolt on a blower".

Purely emotional response, but I prefer the unadulterated roar of a N/A V8.

I think some blowers are noisier than others though.

John

[ads_green]

The whine definately depends on the pulley ratio and supercharger type.
I've not had a play of a vxr8 one yet - I've heard one at Green's from the outside but would need to see what it was like once everything was warmed up from inside.

[greens vauxhall]

I get 22ish mpg as an average on mine, drops when overly spirited though, but no less than the std car when I ran one.

[V8HSV]

Vortech superchargers don't whine at all, the noise they make is similar to having the heater fan on inside (dispelling unwanted boost), when throttle applied no noise at all from SC, well that is my perception for what it is worth.

www.vortechsuperchargers.com/category_browser.php?level=1&ln=SUPERCHARGERS

Edited by V8HSV on Wednesday 21st November 08:41

[Boosted LS1]

I think Stevie T has a vortec and you can hear that when he's staging at Santa Pod loud enough unless it's belt whine.

[V8HSV]

My post referred to the noise inside the cabin, have no experience from the outside due to driving

[Boosted LS1]

V8HSV said:

My post referred to the noise inside the cabin, have no experience from the outside due to driving

Okey dokey.

[V8HSV]

Boosted LS1 said:

V8HSV said:

My post referred to the noise inside the cabin, have no experience from the outside due to driving

Okey dokey.

My apologies, my post sounded rude on reflection

[ringram]

Im pretty sure Stevie runs about 3x the boost of most guys on here too. So he will be driving his charger harder/faster.

[Picador]

Simply can't find the words to express how pleased I am with the Wortec blower (Wortec 'Harrop' in the V type blower not a Vortec, significantly different kit) we've recently fitted to my demo car, but I'll try:-

I personally love the whine from the blower, in traffic or gentle driving you don't know its there, in fact the car drives, at light throttle, as it did before fitment- easy light and responsive. When you give it some she screems, but then so do I quite often.

The power, especially on a cold morning is just unbelievable, I have always driven quick cars, I've rallied, I am really passionate about sporty motors and have always got used to the available power, It simply ain't going to happen with this car.

The car has not missed a beat, totally reliable, no noises, no flat spots, no problems with drivability, same clutch, just great.

Fuel consumption has gone up on average about 2.5 MPG around town and on longer runs, I now get around 27.5 on a run and about 18 around town with loads of cold starts, how cool's that!

You really need to drive the car to appreciate it. I could crap on and on come and give a go.

Edited by Picador on Wednesday 21st November 11:24

[greens vauxhall]

I would have to echo Grahams comment, I have driven many weird and wonderful cars, but genuinely cant see me ever getting used to the power. My previous Monaro 600 gave me the same sensation for the little time that I drove it. If it were as much power as the car could ever make I would be happy, the fact that it is a very basic change, std cats, headers, internals etc, scares me to think what could be!

[Boosted LS1]

V8HSV said:

Boosted LS1 said:

V8HSV said:

My post referred to the noise inside the cabin, have no experience from the outside due to driving

Okey dokey.

My apologies, my post sounded rude on reflection

It did not!

[Boosted LS1]

ringram said:

Im pretty sure Stevie runs about 3x the boost of most guys on here too. So he will be driving his charger harder/faster.

Yes, he probably is. It makes a pretty cool whine though.

[anonymous-user]

Best thing I ever did was to fit a Magnacharger to my CV8. It transforms the car from pretty average performance to Millennium Falcon. The gearing isn't even an issue and you can overtake anything without thinking about it or dropping a gear. The standard car feels pedestrian by comparison and it makes massive pops and bangs on the overrun.

Worth noting that not all SC are the same. As I understand it, centrifugal SC like Vortec make lots of power further up the rev range but offer little low down torque. Positive displacment SC like the Harrop and the Magnacharger offer loads of torque from very little revs.

For example, mine produces 585 lbs/ft from 2000rpm up to 5000rpm where the top end power takes over. It's this that gives you the flexibility on the road.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 21st November 12:49

[maverick964_uk]

is it possible to electronically change the PSI ?

[Magic919]

In theory you could have variable gearing to the S/C.

[anonymous-user]

Magic919 said:

In theory you could have variable gearing to the S/C.

And why would you want to do that??