Crawford S3L-I + Supercharger
 

Hi all:

I just purchased my 2013 CBS BRZ Limited 6-speed on March 31st and took delivery April 3rd. I'm already making changes.

I love the idea of supercharging these cars instead of turboing. With that being said, I thought it may be interesting to purchase a Crawford built shortblock with reduced compression ratio (10:1) to allow for more reliable and higher boost levels (over stock 12:1) using a supercharger kit instead of a turbocharger kit.

The question I have is: Assuming the ability to run higher levels of boost is now possible, and potentially higher engine rpm limits as well, which supercharger system will yield more favorable results and for what applications?

I'm not sure if there is a right or wrong answer here, but it would be nice to hear the community's opinions on this. Vendors are welcome to chime in as well.

Moderators, if this should be in the Forced Induction Forum, feel free to move it over.

This is just my opinion, but lowering the compression is a waste if you have access to E85/98. I think the redesigned vortech and hks are pretty close in terms of performance.

Before you buy a built short block, how much hp do you plan on making and what blower/pulley do you plan on running to get there?

The revised vortech kit on pump gas with a good tune is making over 250whp with the 9psi pulley, and on e85 will probably be at or above 300whp with a more aggressive tune.

It seems that the stock block is happy up to about 300whp on pump gas, and who knows on e85. Full blown hit over 600whp on a 100% internally stock engine on e85.

Lowering the compression ratio means you'll need to add more boost to make the same power, more boost = more heat so you might not actually get any benefits in the long run unless you have big power goals. I don't know if anyone is making (or even planning on making) a supercharger kit for bigger power. Blowers can only flow so much air, and at some point you'll need a bigger one to make the power you want.