Most Reliable Centrifugal SC?

[Anderzz]

In my quest for boost I've come to the conclusion that the Edelbrock kit appears to be the head and shoulders leader in terms of an OEM-quality SC.

That said, I have a pretty strong preference for a centrifugal kit and am wondering of those options, what comes closest to the Edelbrock's build quality?

[weederr33]

Probably Jackson Racing from all the praise it gets

[bfrank1972]

They all have their pluses and minuses, 'they' being:

Vortech
Jackson
Kraftwerks

I wouldn't worry so much about build quality as I would

A) learning the niggles with whatever kit you pick, especially if you're installing it yourself
B) getting a GOOD TUNE for whatever kit you pick

[Luftwaffel]

Asking what the most reliable FI solution is, is like asking what cliff over 50 feet high I can jump off to most reliably fuck myself up.

Seriously though, JRSC, Vortech, HKS are all good setups. Kraftwerks' belt fuckery gets a hard pass from me.

[JDMChris]

The Jackson Racing kit is going to be the best on the market. Price, Quality, reliability and power, it can't be beat.

[johan]

JRSC or HKS.

Not a fan of the install process/fitment on Vortech, and Kraftwerks' tensioning system/belt setup is an absolute non-starter from a reliability standpoint.

[bfrank1972]

Yeah here we go lol - Kraftwerks certainly requires more attention to belt tension as it's a manual tensioner, significantly more fussy, but in their defense the design allows for you to KEEP DRIVING if the belt breaks, vs being totally stranded, All superchargers, JR, HKS, Vortech, Innovate, Edelbrock, etc. have a degree of risk when it comes to belts breaking. The KW system just requires you to be more attentive during install, as well as periodic checks of the belt tension to keep it running. Lots of people have had trouble, but lots of people also run it with no problems. It's never simple, and most people that comment on KW have never laid hands on one. Anyways back to normally scheduled programming!

[johan]

Originally Posted by bfrank1972

Yeah here we go lol - Kraftwerks certainly requires more attention to belt tension as it's a manual tensioner, significantly more fussy, but in their defense the design allows for you to KEEP DRIVING if the belt breaks, vs being totally stranded, All superchargers, JR, HKS, Vortech, Innovate, Edelbrock, etc. have a degree of risk when it comes to belts breaking. The KW system just requires you to be more attentive during install, as well as periodic checks of the belt tension to keep it running. Lots of people have had trouble, but lots of people also run it with no problems. It's never simple, and most people that comment on KW have never laid hands on one. Anyways back to normally scheduled programming!

Yes - this is always the case - far more people don't have issues with these types of things than people that do.

But I just want to clarify, I have owned and worked on a large number of KW kits in the past, supported another community extensively with a large KW install base for many years, and have worked with their engineers in the past. Their tensioning system, that they use on pretty much every kit they design, is prone to failure/issues.

I'm not trying to stir the pot, just trying to be helpful to the OP. If you're trying to answer the question "Most Reliable Centrifugal SC" - by definition - we need to point out the pitfalls as we see them. Don't take it personally.

[bfrank1972]

Nope not personal at all, thanks for the well thought out contribution.

Belt system is definitely is the weak point of the system, just think they take a horrible rap without attention to some of the positives of the kit. By definition, 'fussy' is probably not the choice for someone looking for the most reliable kit

[Luftwaffel]

Originally Posted by bfrank1972

Yeah here we go lol - Kraftwerks certainly requires more attention to belt tension as it's a manual tensioner, significantly more fussy, but in their defense the design allows for you to KEEP DRIVING if the belt breaks, vs being totally stranded, All superchargers, JR, HKS, Vortech, Innovate, Edelbrock, etc. have a degree of risk when it comes to belts breaking. The KW system just requires you to be more attentive during install, as well as periodic checks of the belt tension to keep it running. Lots of people have had trouble, but lots of people also run it with no problems. It's never simple, and most people that comment on KW have never laid hands on one. Anyways back to normally scheduled programming!

That's kind of the thing though, lots more people have had belt issues with it compared to other setups. Sure, any belt can break, but a smart person keeps a spare belt and a wrench on hand for the tensioner pulley to make this all a non-issue.

[bfrank1972]

Originally Posted by Luftwaffel

That's kind of the thing though, lots more people have had belt issues with it compared to other setups. Sure, any belt can break, but a smart person keeps a spare belt and a wrench on hand for the tensioner pulley to make this all a non-issue.

Good point - I guess it also comes down to daily-driverness of the thing, if I need to get to work and it snaps at least I can limp in rather than showing up 2 hours late That was an important consideration to me, that swayed me despite the other issues with a KW kit. That and, admittedly, I cheaped out and jumped on a great deal for the KW kit

[wbradley]

Happy with my HKS, and Jackson also seems good from all the feedback.

The only major difference in the actual supercharger is that Jackson is a Rotrex supplied unit whereas HKS has made their own units in-house for several years. The design is almost identical except HKS has one extra feature; one roller in the blower is spring loaded and arranged in a way that the unit can partially disengage at low revs to reduce parasitic losses.

HKS pricing is good IMHO except every 2-3 years depending on mileage you need to replace the traction fluid at ~$269/ bottle vs $99 for Jackson. So HKS costs roughly $100 more/year to use.

[Anderzz]

There's an HKS pro dealer 1.5 hours away. I'm beginning to think based on people's commentary that the value of having that nearby might, by itself, make my decision for me. It ensures a good tune, strong support, reliable help trouble shooting, etc.

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[vgi]

HKS - needs a bumper cut out if I'm not mistaken, potential safety issue and/or higher repair bill if you rear end someone.
Vortech - did several revisions I think, so should be pretty reliable. If I'm not mistaken, the manual mentions something about using it in low temp however people in Chicago run it just fine in winter time.
KW - did address the initial belt issues with larger diameter pulleys. The manual tensioner is hated but fine as long as it's set properly using phone and gates sound frequency app.
JR is easy to install and maintain (eg swapping air filter, as it's under the hood. that though is also a slight negative as it sucks hotter air in. I would not pay attention to that as many people track their cars with JR).

KW is probably least expensive option and can be found on holidays sale new for 3.5K with free shipping. I think the other options are at least $500 more. If willing to pay more JR is a good choice IMO.

Btw, on KW - most belt broken owner posts are from early adopters and people who did not get revised pulleys and belt; or brain dead people who still can't set the tension properly. Most opinions you'll read are from dealers and cheerleaders of other kits or people who have read the broken belt reviews and keep re-posting them every time they see KW mentioned.