Positives & Negatives On Kraftwerks Supercharger vs Jackson Racing Kits

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by themajesticone

Thanks for the information Neal - which only affirms my JR choice lol.

In the context of a belt breaking on the JR kit, however unlikely it may be, and I have an extra belt on hand but am on the side of the road....is re-applying the belt an easy process? I assume you should have necessary tools on hand at all times in the trunk, but I am wondering in a worst case scenario what can and what would have to be done? Perhaps @CSG Mike can add to that too? I am just curious how it would play out if the worst happened in a belt breaking related scenario.

Thank you.

You'd need to remove three nuts. Two 12mm, and one 14mm. You'll also need to be able to move the belt tensioner.

Those two sockets and ratchet(s) are all you need.

Assuming everything is cold, I can do this in under 5 minutes. If it's hot, I'd recommend you wait for things to cool down unless you have well insulated gloves.

[FirestormFRS]

You don't see JR kits for sale or I haven't in the user for sale area. I'm not sure what kinda HP numbers they make with the CARB tune someone chime in with that info. Closer to factory is the way I would describe it. They spent an asston of time perfecting the kit and from what I've read it was time well spent.

The KW kit is cheaper and seems to have sold more. KW customer service has been well above expectation in my experience. I don't have the miles others have on their kits but I haven't read of any major issues on professionally installed kits. Correct me if I'm wrong someone. I was able to install my kit in <5hrs. The instructions are fine if you take the time to read over them and understand them completely before jumping in and ripping stuff out. I've written a lot of instruction sheets in my years of automotive manufacturing so it made sense to me, so take that with a grain of salt.

Honestly I don't think you can go wrong with either kit. I would highly recommend the oil cooler that both offer if you plan on driving hard though.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

You'd need to remove three nuts. Two 12mm, and one 14mm. You'll also need to be able to move the belt tensioner.

Those two sockets and ratchet(s) are all you need.

Assuming everything is cold, I can do this in under 5 minutes. If it's hot, I'd recommend you wait for things to cool down unless you have well insulated gloves.

IIRC it's a 14mm wrench to move the belt tensioner. But with the compressor there, can you even get a wrench on the tensioner?

[ScionFR-S]

Thanks guys ! Great info ! If going with the JR. what do you also recommend changing or upgrading as a means of precaution for something not breaking? And also im content with hitting 270hp so JR seems to be a good choice

[The Racers Line]

Originally Posted by CSG David

Just to let you in on a little secret...

Belt removal, pulley replacement, and belt installed takes less than 15 minutes.

Beat me to it! But yes, it's very easy to replace the belt.

In fact, it is just as simple to detension it as it is stock. I had a customer who had one of his idler pulleys start to throw a little bearing grease. JR sent him a new pulley(free under warranty) and I went to his house with only a 14mm wrench and was able to replace it in his driveway in about 5 mins.

[ATL BRZ]

Originally Posted by ScionFR-S

Just as the title says any info is appreciated... I'm daily driving not tracking the car so I'm not looking to go above 300hp with a big blower. I'm asking more about the longevity of the kit and which one would be more suited to last a long time without prematurely blowing the engine. Obviously shit happens but wondering which is my best bet from your experience

In before gmsii arrives

I don't own either but I'd choose JR over KW. Here's why.

-JR is simpler and more reliable, period. Several KW owners have experienced belt failures due to the overly complex dual belt system and cogged sc belt.

-JR is going to be easier to change the air filter and it has already been proven that intake air temps with the JR kit are lower than stock so the "cold air intake" in KW's kit is not a perk in my opinion. Both kits use intercoolers.

-JR allows and includes an option for a fully plug and play thermostatic engine oil cooler kit with a bigger, more efficient core than KW's offering. KW only offer one proprietary skunk2 adapter that's not thermostatic, which owners in cold climates should be aware of. Traditional Mocal sandwich plates don't fit with the giant KW mounting bracket. If you want a thermostatic oil cooler with KW's kit, you're on your own to figure it out.

-JR is CARB legal with a rock solid reliable tune thats track tested in the desert over several thousand miles, KW is still not CARB legal and hasn't been approved in over a year since they announced they were seeking approval. KW has been making excuses for the delays and meanwhile JR has had CARB approval about month after releasing their kit.

Originally Posted by campy

I believe you can upgrade the blower on the KW kit, so if you think you'll want more power later on, you should consider a turbo kit

^FTFY^

-JR offers a pulley upgrade for the C30 which puts power figures with pump gas over 300whp. If your power goals are north of 350whp and you're considering or have a KW C38 kit, you could have met those goals more efficiently and with more torque by going with one of many turbo kit offerings. Personally I don't see the point in running a C38 on the FA20 as it's simply too big for the engine to use efficiently. A turbo just makes more sense to me at that power level because again you'll have more usable torque and area under the curve.

To me the C30 is perfect for these cars and owners looking for ~50% more power reliably and without all the extra heat from a turbo. Track-ability is second to none with Rotrex superchargers since they run cooler and more efficiently than everything else available.

Jackson Racing just does it better through a more simple design and more quality control through lots of testing PRIOR to releasing their products. Both of the aforementioned points are directly correlated to their kits reliability which is second to none. It shows trough their post-release track record and lack of issues discussed in the JR owners thread compared to KW's.

/FlameSuitOn

[LucidMomentum]

Originally Posted by ATL BRZ

.

-JR is CARB legal with a rock solid reliable tune thats track tested in the desert over several thousand miles, KW is still not CARB legal and hasn't been approved in over a year since they announced they were seeking approval. KW has been making excuses for the delays and meanwhile JR has had CARB approval about month after releasing their kit.

-JR offers a pulley upgrade for the C30 which puts power figures with pump gas over 300whp. If your power goals are north of 350whp and you're considering or have a KW C38 kit, you could have met those goals more efficiently and with more torque by going with one of many turbo kit offerings. Personally I don't see the point in running a C38 on the FA20 as it's simply too big for the engine to use efficiently. A turbo just makes more sense to me at that power level because again you'll have more usable torque and area under the curve.

/FlameSuitOn

Where can I look into the pulley upgrade? In the JRSC thread people were telling me that I'd be looking at 260 whp on pump gas, since I'm limited to 91 Octane in my town. If I could hit that magic 300, I'd be ecstatic.

Or does that make it non-CARB legal at that point?

[otterpop]

Originally Posted by Freeman

Not blowing the engine will primarily come down to the tune.

If whp is the primary goal why go supercharger over a turbo? Reliable turbo set ups do exist.... I think.

If I was a track junkie the JR kit would be the one to go for. The C30 with E85 should hit your whp goal. If car shows and bragging about peak numbers are your thing then go KW or top mounted turbo.

While CSG would look biased saying these things, being a KW owner I dont know if I would. Everything has it's pros and cons. The JR on the surface seems reliable(i honestly havent checked and I'm not going to), but its dog shit ugly to me. The KW kit looks much better and can be easily upgraded to the big C38 blower but has quality issues. I.e. the directions leave a bit to be desired. They're constantly making revisions and have come a long way since the release. That said I haven't had any issues at all with my supercharger.

Make sure to take a drive in a car powered by a rotrex before you buy. The top end is great but I wouldn't buy a centrifugal supercharger for the street again. My car is my toy car and I primarily use it to get groceries and cruise around the lakes up here, so I dont spend any time in the fun part of the powerband :-( a centrifugal was a waste for me, should have gone turbo.

THIS is why I am going turbo. After all the research I did and stuff, I mainly cruise around the lower RPMS but a turbo will hit maximum power and boost sooner so that is why I I opted for a turbo kit myself.

[fasteddy]

Originally Posted by LucidMomentum

Where can I look into the pulley upgrade? In the JRSC thread people were telling me that I'd be looking at 260 whp on pump gas, since I'm limited to 91 Octane in my town. If I could hit that magic 300, I'd be ecstatic.

Or does that make it non-CARB legal at that point?

If you get the pulley upgrade you need a tune other than the Carb. I don't think you can get any other tune from Jackson. Any change from stock components will require a custom tune.

Lots of good info in this thread. I purchased and will be installing the JRSC this weekend. I based my decision on the amount of good reviews/comments by tuners and owners. I have read very positive comments from Delicious Tuning and Moto Mike on this kit, that means a lot to me.

The lack of problems with the JRSC seems self evident if you do enough searches.

Just my .02

Pat

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Calum

IIRC it's a 14mm wrench to move the belt tensioner. But with the compressor there, can you even get a wrench on the tensioner?

Yup... that's how you get it on to begin with.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by LucidMomentum

Where can I look into the pulley upgrade? In the JRSC thread people were telling me that I'd be looking at 260 whp on pump gas, since I'm limited to 91 Octane in my town. If I could hit that magic 300, I'd be ecstatic.

Or does that make it non-CARB legal at that point?

It's neither CARB legal nor 91 octane compatible. If you want more power, you need more octane, or E85.

[Freeman]

Originally Posted by otterpop

THIS is why I am going turbo. After all the research I did and stuff, I mainly cruise around the lower RPMS but a turbo will hit maximum power and boost sooner so that is why I I opted for a turbo kit myself.

Yup the torque rush of a turbo is childish to me. But it makes cruising around not as boring.

[LucidMomentum]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

It's neither CARB legal nor 91 octane compatible. If you want more power, you need more octane, or E85.

Fine, I'll behave myself and be content with ONLY 100 whp more...

[sprintamx]

Another happy JRSC / Moto-East customer here. The setup is slick, the drivability is excellent and the experience is really non-intrusive, until you hit about 4500 rpm--then hold on! The JR setup is everything that has been described: solid design, great execution, user-friendly, and all initial feedback has been that it is very reliable. I've had no issues with my package (including the oil cooler). I also had to overcome an aversion to its looks since I wanted something that looked OE--which would be Vortech package IMO. But, since my hood is up only long enough to check fluids or to show off the JR kit and Moto-East's flex fuel, I decided I could live with the JR function-first, looks-second first impressions. No regrets.


My $0.02 is that if you want (or think you'll want) a strong low-rev kick-in-the pants experience as your primary goal, then you really should think about going turbo (or Sprintex). In my case I specifically wanted to build a track-oriented setup. So, in that sense, the JRSC was a no-brainer when compared to other options. Yes, there are many good turbo packages for the track and they usually offer more power (if you really need/want that in a 2700 lbs. car), but you will need to take extra $$$ steps for heat management and managing the power if you go big: fueling, oiling, internals, transmission and axles. The forum is full of threads on those subjects.


If you're honestly looking at whp power levels from 250 - 350 (with e85 and fueling mods) then it's hard to beat the relative ease of a SC setup. You just need to decide what sort of grin-factor you want. This car is a handling dream, and I chose to preserve that aspect vs. higher power levels.