Called Vortech and the tech told me that the Vortech is built for stock standards. If you have aftermarket items such as headers, exahaust, etc., it will relieve back pressure and create less boost. Which I believe is right. However, he aslo said that the Vortech would in turn make the engine create less overall hp/torque.

Take it for what its worth...

 

I have read these forums for a year now, and I'm positive I've heard Vortech and Stillen owners complain that when they added headers, test pipes, or aftermarket exhaust, that their performance suffered.

On this topic, someone once said that the back pressure was necessary to affect the way the gasses exit the combustion chamber.....doesn't make sense to me....I'm still struggling to understand the physics behind all of this.

I do know that on cars/trucks that I've owned, whenever the exhaused leaked badly (hole in headers/piping/muffler) the vehicle ran poorer.

Perhaps reducing the exhaust system back pressure affects the air/fuel readings and the ecu tries to adjust ??

 

I think this is definately a tuning issue. Superchargers don't need backpressure to build boost.

I think any force induced car will gain power with the correct aftermarket exhaust parts (headers, test pipes etc..) AFTER it is properly tuned.

 

I think people with S/C'd cars lose power when they add header and test pipe is because they lose boost when there's too little back pressure. With a turbo, it will automatically keep the boost at whatever the wastegate is set at. But with a s/c, you have to get a smaller pulley to compensate for the loss of boost pressure. But I think a person have header and test pipe compared to a person with stock exhaust at the same psi of boost (not same size pulley), the one with header and test pipe will make more power.

 

in all my years of running cars and building them, i have never heard of a supercharger needing back pressure - it is non exsitant - who or where are you guys getting this whole back pressure thing? superchargers make boost from a pulley being turned by a belt - not from back pressure-

 

Boost from a S/C is created from the belts and pullies. I have a Vortech S/C running at 9lbs with Stillen Headers, race pipes, and Stillen Dual Exhaust and still putting down 400+RWHP

 

yeah all the 380whp or high setups have had headers