wmjosjr

Can anyone shed any light on the A&A Supercharger (Vortech) Performance, Reliability,Noise, cost and how it holds up compared to other?
I have a 2004 Z06 LS-6 Stock.
Thank you

zeevette

Most guys can't compare to others, because they've only had the one.... Anyway, I've got one from a couple of years ago, and although I had installation issues, but would not hesitate to order the same system again. I have the self-contained oil reservior, and it's low maintenence, and quiet. But then I've got a pretty noisy exhaust. I know that ECS makes a great system, and potentially will make more boost with the stock head unit. I could do the same with a radiator change, and straight shot air-bridge. They cost about the same. I suggest with either system, get LT headers and mid X-pipe, and let that puppy breathe.

WSIRFan

I have an 01Z with the A&A V2 kit and a dual disc clutch. I bought the car a year ago with the supercharger and clutch.
The supercharger works very well and is quiet. The only clue is bypass valve release on shift. The mounting is much sturdier than a Vortech V1 I had on a BMW. The acceleration is addictive. If you plan to track it, it will need a big radiator and oil cooler. Mine still overheated after several laps, so I installed the ACP extractor hood and it seems happy now, even on 90+ degree days.

wmjosjr

Thanks for your feedback zeevette and WSIRFAN. What were your horsepower gains, and what did you start out with before the install of the Supercharger?
Thanks

WSIRFan

The car was stock before the supercharger was added, so whatever the basic 385hp Z dynos at. After the supercharger it's 531whp, which should equate to about 630 at the crank. It did 168.9mph in the Mojave Mile. I'm in California, so headers were not an option.

zeevette

I've gone through all the steps, and before the SC I had a H/C/ported FAST setup with EWP, UD pulley, and about any performance tweak, and did 483/432RWHP Dynojet, and a little bit fat. But enough about me. Now, adding the V3, but subtracting the intake and reducing the cam size, it does 588/480 on a Mustang, and tuned very safe by Tom Wong. Oh yeah, I put on the stock WP, and of course, I had to get a new pulley in stock size.

wmjosjr

Sorry for the misspelling of your username.

skydiven4fun

I also went the normally aspirated route first, but it did not take long to want more so I added the AA v3SI and of course during the install ended up doing numerous other mods as well, I love it, but it can get pretty costly depending on what direction you choose, a lot of owners choose to simply install a supercharger kit and leave it alone and most are very happy with the results, I would definitely make me a goal and stick to it, in the long run you will save money. If you can find someone with a blown car get them to give you a ride in it for sure, it's very addictive, the cool thing about going with just a blower is that the power will always be there by just stepping on the gas and the rest of the time your car will drove just like stock pretty much.

YELLO C5

I'm in need of at least a short block and I like my cars quiet. I was leaning towards a stroker but I'm tempted to just build a forged stock displacement and go supercharged. Besides clutch is there anything else that really needs to be done for reliability? I do run on the road course and I see improved oil and water cooling is recommended.

c4cruiser

When I bought my '02 6-speed coupe back in 2006, the Vortec supercharger (S2 level) was already there. The install was on a stock motor. The injectors were changed to 42lb and a SuperChips tune was part of the supercharger package. A water-cooled Intercooler is included. Good fuel pressure is very important so consider A-pillar gauges for fuel pressure and boost/vacuum)

Dyno figures for my car showed about 450HP and 400 ft-lbs torque at the wheels with 7psi boost. That should be around 510HP or so at the flywheel. The exhaust is a Corsa Indy Pace Car with their X-pipe. The intake is a Breathless unit.

What's nice about this package is that the "S" series blower units are quiet with just a little whine once the blower gets to operating temps. Also, I found that gas mileage is a bit better than stock; I have seen 32MPG at 80MPH in 6th gear with cruise control on. And that was from my own calculation, not the DIC display.

The Vortec install is not extremely complicated, but it does require relocation of the alternator to make room for the blower. Things are pretty tight once everything in installed.

Of course, you can expect further power gains with stuff like longtubes and other mods, but just the lower boost like my install provides lots of power that will get the car out of shape quickly (1st to 2nd at 5000RMP will get the car sideways ) yet it's still easily driveable around town.

WSIRFan is right about heat when pushing the car. If you do want to do track days, definitely go with a bigger radiator, oil cooler, and venting the engine compartment.

skydiven4fun

A clutch you will find is a very good investment, most don't have stock clutches very long after the install, mine never made it off of the dyno , but if you are fairly easy on the car and have a good clutch now you may be lucky enough to get by for a while but definitely plan on one, I replaced my radiator because it was easy at the time, I also replaced all hoses and water pump, since I already had done a cam I had upgraded valve springs, oil pump, ect.
For some reason when I look at the factory radiator I find it hard to believe that it will do the job, it's kind of puny, but lots of folks keep it and do ok, I guess it depends on where you live as well, it gets really hot here in the south.