Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - Drift-Office : Phantom Supercharger

Ref : http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39719

As I sat down to pen my thoughts two weeks ago about the “ESC Project” as we call it, it became apparent to me that this wasn't going to be one of those regular 'reports' that I would make. Let me first preface the post by saying that most of you here know me as an advocate for FI, turbo specifically. Truth be told, that couldn't be further from actuality. Thus when a fellow member approached us to get his car with the “Phantom” ESC calibrated, I was more than curious to say the very least.

To start with, let's give a little insight to the guy behind it all – Rob. He's been a motorsport enthusiast from an extremely early age, an Aeronautical Engineer @ Pratt & Whitney (you know, the guys that make ENGINES for airplanes) and quite the entrepreneur. The Phantom product is as he says, one of his “personal engineering project(s)” and in my limited online discussions with him, has proven to be certainly nothing short of informative.

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Ref : http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...postcount=1858

There. I've posted it. Here are the results that all you all want to see. A WOT (Wide Open Throttle) calibration using 92 Octane Chevron fuel. If all you need to see is in the dyno sheet, then that's all you'll need to know; time to move on and not bother to read the rest of this. For those that are still interested, let's make this proclamation right now :

“It's not for everybody.”

So how does it work? Indeed, the best way to describe this would be as a “limited NOS” system. You get the practical effect of a typical NOS shot, but without the costly refills. After the constant speed compressor (read : SC) is installed, you arm it via a switch. Conveniently located with the switch is a meter that shows you it's duty cycle. The duty cycle reflects the discharge energy available and takes a few seconds to replenish after being depleted.

You drive around as you would a NA car until you deem it go time. You gun it @ WOT and almost instantly, without any lag, comes an impressive 150 foot-pounds (and more) of torque at the wheels. This carries on throughout your entire rev range until 500 RPMs short of your redline, @ 7000 RPM. Coming from a stock setup, this would seem like a GODSEND to mere mortals. Wait a few seconds and your dump pack recharges, ready for another round of awesome. Repeat as necessary.
Most of you would think this improbable, but I'm here to state that it is true and actual. I mean, how can an electric blower of sorts attain such results? We've all seen those videos of NOS induced leaf blowers blowing into car intakes that generate gobs of power right? So why not this?

>>> Insert Phantom ESC Pics <<<
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Benefits? From the pics above, everyone should notice one key difference between the Phantom and the likes of say, a typical SC product – there's no belt driving the SC unit. This means that the system is non-parasitical in nature. The engine isn't taxed by any pulleys or belts holding it back. Unlike some 300 crank HP SC units that require up to 45+ HP to drive it, there's nothing to restrict (and I use this loosely in this context) “boost” in this case with the ESC.

Installation is a snap, and I reckon it wouldn't take more than an hour to complete, even if you're all thumbs.

Worried about fuel consumption? Fear not – fuel burn is as close as it can be to a stock OEM calibration. Only when you're WOT and committed will your consumption go up.

This product should be awesome for AUTO-X applications. When going around tight turns, gunning this @ WOT would pull you out of the corner, giving you great accelerative G and that's what you'd look for; bottom end torque and power to boot. All of which guaranteed to make you laugh out in a girlish-giggle.

So you're probably thinking that I'm gushing and we should all go out and get ourselves one now right? Well, not quite. Read on.

FI without cooling. You guys have heard me (and others) go on about that. Insert meme here : “One does not simply put on a non-intercooled FI system without consequence.” Nuff' said. The good news here (sorta) is that while the Phantom is an actual FI product, it doesn't generate merely as much boost and subsequently, heat as a typical SC unit would – but understand that prolonged sessions of usage would result in decreased performance and generate adverse IATs. Why not just slap some on some sort of intercooler then you say? Well, since the unit isn't generating much boost, one has to be concerned about the pressure drop the system will see when you introduce a FMIC. And unlike a NOS setup, you don't get the cooling effects of usage either.

Additionally, when the system is not in use and is switched off, the SC unit in itself becomes a restriction. I could post up the technical relevance here but let's face it, the short answer is that it's there but it's not bad since the SC unit freewheels when in stasis. While we're at it, you'll need to get a tune to realize the gains. Don't expect to put this on and run this with any NA calibration either.

Here comes the big one. The system usage is designed around a single pull and upon throttle switch activation, not in a volley of consecutive back to back ones. Anyone catch my WOT mentions? There's nothing sinister about any of the previous references, only that it's just that – Wide Open Throttle. Notice that I didn't say it would be great for DRAG and or DRIFT applications? That's because this system will not activate in partial throttle, at all. This is where the Phantom ESC differs, and slight adjustment in driving styles are needed.

Think about this real quick – you're in the burnout box ready to rumble. You launch, floor it, hit rev limit and grab second. At which point in time, the recharge isn't going to be full when you go wide open in that gear. Additionally, with each successive gear change, the rate of 'recharge' that the batteries provide will be diminished and your IATs build up, producing less than optimal results. It's still better than stock, all things said. Same issues apply with drifting.

But why would it work better in Auto-X? Because you're not going to be constantly in WOT. Incidentally, how many of us (normal folk) drive @ WOT all day long? Not many I reckon. Even when going to overtake, I don't think there's a necessity to do that. But I digress.

Do I think it a toy? No. A novelty? Perhaps. The latter really depends on how well this product matures thru it's development cycle. It will see a few revisions no doubt, and there's LOTS of potential here! Let's not forget the innovation either! The bottom line is understand and respect what it was designed to do, and only then will you appreciate the Phantom ESC for what it is. :)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_ltL_pbHPY"]YouTube[/ame]

Cheers!

Bob @ Drift-Office, LLC