Questions and Discussion on Vortech Supercharging Systems

[DJCarbine]

Cold started in 11* weather. No problems.
Its been between 11 and 20 degrees here lately, no problems at all.

[nelsmar]

So to anyone who listened to @FA20Club.com about belt sizing... I would second think that... I just talked to Vortech as apparently my blower is leaking. Toni told me multiple times he tested the smaller pulleys on the stock belt and it was just fine, I showed concerned but listened to him. It lasted roughly 20 minutes in Arizona heat.

I just now talked to service and he asked if the belt broke and went between the pulley and blower. I told him yup, the first one that snapped had done this (all other belts snapped clean or went the opposite direction). He said that if the belt was wedged between the pulley and the blower it can push pieces of belt into the blower and it is not covered under warranty. Its almost $400.00 to pay out of pocket. I would strongly recommend not running that OEM belt size on a smaller pulley. I wouldn't run the blue belt either, it could end up costing you an arm & leg in rebuild fees!

[DJCarbine]

Originally Posted by nelsmar

So to anyone who listened to @FA20Club.com about belt sizing... I would second think that... I just talked to Vortech as apparently my blower is leaking. Toni told me multiple times he tested the smaller pulleys on the stock belt and it was just fine, I showed concerned but listened to him. It lasted roughly 20 minutes in Arizona heat.

I just now talked to service and he asked if the belt broke and went between the pulley and blower. I told him yup, the first one that snapped had done this (all other belts snapped clean or went the opposite direction). He said that if the belt was wedged between the pulley and the blower it can push pieces of belt into the blower and it is not covered under warranty. Its almost $400.00 to pay out of pocket. I would strongly recommend not running that OEM belt size on a smaller pulley. I wouldn't run the blue belt either, it could end up costing you an arm & leg in rebuild fees!

Yeah, I used a smaller belt with their 12psi kit. The gates racing belt included is the same size as supplied by vortech for the stock pulley size.

Just curious, how many PSI did you read at the manifold @ redline?

I get 11.5-11.8, if you were getting lower it might point to the belt slipping due to being too large which caused failure.

What size belt are you running now?

There are several DIYs on replacing vortech seals with part numbers on the net, many people tackle the job themselves who are out of warranty

[nelsmar]

Originally Posted by DJCarbine

Yeah, I used a smaller belt with their 12psi kit. The gates racing belt included is the same size as supplied by vortech for the stock pulley size.

Just curious, how many PSI did you read at the manifold @ redline?

I get 11.5-11.8, if you were getting lower it might point to the belt slipping due to being too large which caused failure.

What size belt are you running now?

There are several DIYs on replacing vortech seals with part numbers on the net, many people tackle the job themselves who are out of warranty

12psi kit is... I assume the 2.87"? I hate how people keep saying "psi kit" because psi drastically depends on your vehicle, and your atmospheric conditions.

I dont own a running vehicle at this time. And there is no belt on my car as of current. When I was running I was running a 962 belt with a 3.125" pulley. I was reading 11.5PSI even @ 7,100-7,200RPM (according to the dyno). I quoted my self below for my boost plot.

When I originally dyno'd I did hit around that from time to time but it was less consistent and depended on how much load I had. Higher gears would see more consistent boost.

Also note this is not reading boost from the omni 3 bar I had, this is reading from the actual dyno which I trust more as my map scaling was off.

Originally Posted by nelsmar

I tapped 360whp on the dyno today with a 3.125 pulley and e80 fuel. . Plot shows hood open vs hood closed.



Stock exhaust. No snorkel. 3.125 pulley. Fa20club flex fuel and tune. Dw65
Pump 540cc injectors. Berk test pipe.

[DJCarbine]

Originally Posted by nelsmar

12psi kit is... I assume the 2.87"? I hate how people keep saying "psi kit" because psi drastically depends on your vehicle, and your atmospheric conditions.

I dont own a running vehicle at this time. And there is no belt on my car as of current. When I was running I was running a 962 belt with a 3.125" pulley. I was reading 11.5PSI even @ 7,100-7,200RPM (according to the dyno). I quoted my self below for my boost plot.

When I originally dyno'd I did hit around that from time to time but it was less consistent and depended on how much load I had. Higher gears would see more consistent boost.

Also note this is not reading boost from the omni 3 bar I had, this is reading from the actual dyno which I trust more as my map scaling was off.

I only called it the "12 PSI kit" because FA20club doesn't specify the pulley size and many others refer to it as such

But yes, their "12 PSI kit" comes with a "stock" vortech length belt and a 3.125" pulley.

If anyone has the fa20club "12 PSI kit" you want a 962 belt with your 3.125" pulley.

My analog boost gauge shows 11-12psi and the ECUTEK readings from my omnipower 3 bar MAP sensor shows around the same @ ~600ft above sealevel

[nelsmar]

Originally Posted by DJCarbine

I only called it the "12 PSI kit" because FA20club doesn't specify the pulley size and many others refer to it as such

But yes, their "12 PSI kit" comes with a "stock" vortech length belt and a 3.125" pulley.

If anyone has the fa20club "12 PSI kit" you want a 962 belt with your 3.125" pulley.

My analog boost gauge shows 11-12psi and the ECUTEK readings from my omnipower 3 bar MAP sensor shows around the same @ ~600ft above sealevel

Which belt are you currently running? I also had a slightly under-sized passenger side idler. .1" - .2" undersized, but this does not have remotely close to the same wrap as the blower pulley so it shouldn't offset as aggressively. I have ordered a new one from subaru but as my engine is non-running at this time it wont be on for a while.

Did you verify if you did in fact have a 3.125?

[DJCarbine]

Originally Posted by nelsmar

Which belt are you currently running? I also had a slightly under-sized passenger side idler. .1" - .2" undersized, but this does not have remotely close to the same wrap as the blower pulley so it shouldn't offset as aggressively. I have ordered a new one from subaru but as my engine is non-running at this time it wont be on for a while.

Did you verify if you did in fact have a 3.125?

First thing I did when I got the kit was verify with a set of calipers... I was always interested in the size of the pulley as the seller doesn't give the info

I am running a Gates K060962 Multi V-Groove belt, thousand miles so far no issues and the tensioner position is very close/exactly where it was with the standard pulley/K060975 belt supplied by vortech

[pheoxs]

@nelsmar What happened to the FR-S? Just down for upgrades or what?

Edit: Found it on the last page, that sucks to hear man

[nelsmar]

Originally Posted by pheoxs

@nelsmar What happened to the FR-S? Just down for upgrades or what?

Edit: Found it on the last page, that sucks to hear man

Don't be afraid of this kit though. I'm fairly confident it had to do with other issues. Especially if you use lower boost it takes a lot of work to damage this engine on pump gas.

[King Tut]

Originally Posted by nelsmar

Don't be afraid of this kit though. I'm fairly confident it had to do with other issues. Especially if you use lower boost it takes a lot of work to damage this engine on pump gas.

[Frs32907]

This is for guys running the stock complete kit. How do you like the power added?

[pheoxs]

Originally Posted by nelsmar

Don't be afraid of this kit though. I'm fairly confident it had to do with other issues. Especially if you use lower boost it takes a lot of work to damage this engine on pump gas.

Wait did you take out just the supercharger or the engine as well?

[nelsmar]

Originally Posted by pheoxs

Wait did you take out just the supercharger or the engine as well?

The supercharger is in the trunk. And part of the engine is in the bay. Other parts are in the street and other misc places. Ordered a new short block from subaru last week and some new pistons. I'll be rebuilding the car in the next few weeks. And to what you are wondering... Yes my motor is no longer function able or salvageable.

[nelsmar]

Originally Posted by Frs32907

This is for guys running the stock complete kit. How do you like the power added?

Once the tune got "better", I absolutely loved it. Especially on e85. The slight boost increase was more than this car needed for my build desires. However I knew what to expect with a linear power curve and wasn't trying to get mass torque. If I were to do it all over again I would use a 3.33" pulley to compensate for my elevation and flex fuel as our 91 octane is garbage here.