Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post - Innovate (Sprintex) Supercharger Owners Topic

Troy Dutton · 03-20-2019, 06:05 PM

I recently installed a Sprintex 210 supercharger with intercooler on my 2013 FR-S, and if you are thinking of installing a Sprintex supercharger on your vehicle then here are some things you should know.

THE GOOD
1. Vastly improved car performance: Significantly more torque and power, lower RPMs are more useful due to the increased torque, and no lag like a turbo.
2. Supercharger fits nice, and looks good.
3. Sounds great when it winds up.

THE BAD (Worst issues first)
1. I had a major vacuum leak at the bypass valve shaft. Unlike some supercharger manufacturers, Sprintex does not have a seal on this shaft. My engine repeatedly threw DTC code P0171 (System Too Lean). Most often the code threw at idle, plus my idle speed would randomly drop or speed up. To find the leak I had to pay $100 for a smoke test, which Sprintex refused to compensate me for. To solve the issue I machined a spring loaded bushing to hold a Viton o-ring against the manifold inlet. The bushing had to be spring loaded, because the shaft moves in/out as the butterfly valve rotates. I will share my machining print if anyone is interested. Now my idle is very smooth and steady at 700 rpm.
2. Sprintex assembly quality control is poor. My unit arrived with a very loose hose barb fitting, and a loose cap screw on the supercharger to manifold adapter plate, and with an over-sized hole for the bypass valve shaft.
3. The three hose barbs are plastic and should be metal.
4. My unit was shipped in just a cardboard box, which split during shipping, damaging the intercooler radiator. Sprintex replaced the radiator, but the units should be double boxed or wood crated for shipping.
5. They want you to reuse the OEM bolts to mount the intercooler radiator; however, the 2.5 mm thick bracket reduces the thread engagement by 2-1/2 threads, which doesn't provide much thread engagement, especially since the mounting posts are aluminum. I used longer bolts.
6. The provided brake booster hose is way too short for the left hand drive, manual transmission FR-S. I substituted the old hose between the brake booster and Sprintex's check valve, which made the hose assembly just long enough to reach.
7. The instructions say to remount the horn in the original location, but this is blocked by the intercooler radiator. I drilled a new hole beside the radiator, and used a self-threading bolt to mount the horn. I will send a picture of the new location to anyone who is interested.

Otherwise, the assembly instructions are pretty good, and the component quality is pretty good.

03-20-2019, 06:05 PM	#8294
Troy Dutton Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Drives: 2013 FR-S with Sprintex 210 superch Location: Friendswood, Texas Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Issues with Sprintex 210 supercharger I recently installed a Sprintex 210 supercharger with intercooler on my 2013 FR-S, and if you are thinking of installing a Sprintex supercharger on your vehicle then here are some things you should know. THE GOOD 1. Vastly improved car performance: Significantly more torque and power, lower RPMs are more useful due to the increased torque, and no lag like a turbo. 2. Supercharger fits nice, and looks good. 3. Sounds great when it winds up. THE BAD (Worst issues first) 1. I had a major vacuum leak at the bypass valve shaft. Unlike some supercharger manufacturers, Sprintex does not have a seal on this shaft. My engine repeatedly threw DTC code P0171 (System Too Lean). Most often the code threw at idle, plus my idle speed would randomly drop or speed up. To find the leak I had to pay $100 for a smoke test, which Sprintex refused to compensate me for. To solve the issue I machined a spring loaded bushing to hold a Viton o-ring against the manifold inlet. The bushing had to be spring loaded, because the shaft moves in/out as the butterfly valve rotates. I will share my machining print if anyone is interested. Now my idle is very smooth and steady at 700 rpm. 2. Sprintex assembly quality control is poor. My unit arrived with a very loose hose barb fitting, and a loose cap screw on the supercharger to manifold adapter plate, and with an over-sized hole for the bypass valve shaft. 3. The three hose barbs are plastic and should be metal. 4. My unit was shipped in just a cardboard box, which split during shipping, damaging the intercooler radiator. Sprintex replaced the radiator, but the units should be double boxed or wood crated for shipping. 5. They want you to reuse the OEM bolts to mount the intercooler radiator; however, the 2.5 mm thick bracket reduces the thread engagement by 2-1/2 threads, which doesn't provide much thread engagement, especially since the mounting posts are aluminum. I used longer bolts. 6. The provided brake booster hose is way too short for the left hand drive, manual transmission FR-S. I substituted the old hose between the brake booster and Sprintex's check valve, which made the hose assembly just long enough to reach. 7. The instructions say to remount the horn in the original location, but this is blocked by the intercooler radiator. I drilled a new hole beside the radiator, and used a self-threading bolt to mount the horn. I will send a picture of the new location to anyone who is interested. Otherwise, the assembly instructions are pretty good, and the component quality is pretty good.