1. What is the relationship between Eaton, Magnuson Products, Inc. and Magna Charger, Inc.?

Eaton Supercharger Division is the largest manufacturer of automotive superchargers in the world. They manufacture superchargers for original equipment applications for several models of Mercedes Benz, General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Aston Martin, and Jaguar with others in the works. Magnuson Products, Inc. handles service and the aftermarket for Eaton Supercharger Division and provides superchargers to a number of companies that design and manufacture the installation system for specific applications. Magnuson Products, Inc. provides more superchargers for aftermarket applications than any other supercharger manufacturer in the world. Magna Charger, Inc. is the complete supercharger system division of Magnuson Products, Inc.

2. Is an Eaton based Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger system reliable?

The reliability of the Eaton supercharger was the first criteria, which was addressed during early design development of the supercharger. Dedicated engineers with backgrounds in compressors, gearing, tribology and metallurgy, as well as thermal and structural analysis enabled Eaton to find solutions to many reliability concerns. In addition, strict customer durability test criteria have been achieved. Successful completion of numerous 500+ hour durability tests established a firm grasp on achieving a reliable product. In addition, numerous vehicles have successfully completed 100,000 mile OEM (original equipment manufacturer), vehicle durability tests. Ongoing improvements in bearing and seal designs also aided in a product which meets or exceeds all OEM durability criteria.

3. Will a Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger system shorten the life of my engine or drivetrain?

This is a very subjective question, as the manner in which an automobile is driven directly affects engine life. Assuming a properly tuned system, proper oil change and engine maintenance, and similar driving, supercharging generally will not shorten the life of an engine. Superchargers can be used with automatic or manual transmissions and will not increase transmission wear under normal driving. In most cases an upgrade in transmission management is available with the supercharger package.

4. What is detonation, or pinging?

Detonation (or pinging or engine knock) occurs simply when fuel pre-ignites before the piston reaches top dead center. This means that a powerful explosion is trying to expand a cylinder chamber that is shrinking in size, attempting to reverse the direction of the piston and the engine. When detonation occurs, the internal pneumatic forces can actually exceed 10x the normal forces acting upon a properly operating high performance engine. Detonation is generally caused by excessive heat, excessive boost pressure, improper ignition timing, inadequate fuel octane, too lean of an air/fuel ratio, or a combination of these. Of the previous, excessive boost and/or too lean of an air/fuel mixture is usually the culprit. Today's premium pump gas has a compression tolerance of around 13:1 to 14:1, and today’s high compression engines start with around a 10:1 compression ratio, This limits boost potential unless changes and/or compromises are made in other areas of engine management. In addition, as an engine is modified to generate more power, additional heat is produced that must be managed for performance and durability.

5. Will my engine ping when I add a supercharger?

Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger systems are engineered to provide sufficient fuel and spark calibration, so you should not have engine ping. In addition, your engine has an anti-knock device to retard the timing if any ping is detected. With all of this, should you hear your engine ping it is likely that something is wrong and you should not drive the vehicle hard until the problem is corrected.

6. Are Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger systems noisy?

What any individual considers to be an acceptable noise level is very difficult to establish. During typical driving conditions, the engine is under boost around 5% of the time, which means the remaining 95% of the time the engine is under vacuum, allowing for better fuel economy and a quieter ride. In addition, the helix-angled rotors, along with specially designed inlet and outlet port geometry, also reduce pressure variations resulting in a smooth discharge flow and a lower level of noise during operation. The bottom line is that you will be able to hear the supercharger, but most people consider the noise level not to be excessive.


7. How does a Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger compare with a turbocharger?

All forced induction devices increase air pressure and density in the intake manifold by pumping more air than the engine would use without it. This concentrated charge of air results in a more powerful combustion stroke in the engine's cylinders, resulting in improved performance over naturally aspirated vehicles. A supercharger is connected directly to the crankshaft by a belt; unlike a turbocharger, which is driven by exhaust gases. A Magna Charger, Inc./Eaton supercharger is a hybrid roots design and a positive displacement pump. It provides improved horsepower and torque at all engine rpm's. The positive connection yields instant response, in contrast to turbochargers, which must overcome inertia and spin up to speed as the flow of exhaust gas increases. The supercharger is a way to get around "turbo lag". Some people have mistakenly stated that superchargers rob horsepower and turbochargers give you “free power”. A turbo drive system is a restriction in the exhaust, and the engine has to dedicate horsepower to force the exhaust out. A Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger uses less than 1/3 of one horsepower at 60 mph cruising.

8. How does a Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger compare with a centrifugal supercharger?

A centrifugal supercharger is essentially a belt driven turbocharger. Centrifugal superchargers systems frequently have less horsepower and torque than the naturally aspirated version of the same engine at lower rpm’s. There is a narrow rpm band where a centrifugal superchargers perform well but this makes them “peaky”. The peak horsepower from this narrow band is what centrifugal manufacturers advertise but most experienced people say that the true measure of a supercharger is performance at all engine rpm’s. Magna Charger, Inc.’s roots hybrid positive displacement superchargers deliver additional horsepower and torque right off idle and maintain horsepower and torque gains through all engine speeds. With the standard integrated bypass system Magna Charger, Inc.'s are less parasitic than centrifugal.

9. I've heard roots superchargers are not efficient, how is the Magna Charger, Inc. different?

 

Traditional roots blower design is old engineering, and admittedly is not very efficient, but engines designs from that era were not very efficient either. As engines have improved over the years so has roots supercharger design. The Magna Charger, Inc./Eaton supercharger is a hybrid-roots blower pump, with substantial design improvements. The rotors have a unique involute lobe shape and are engineered to a specific L : D ratio. Each rotor has been twisted 60 degrees to form a helix. The two counter rotating rotors have three lobes, which intermesh during operation. These twisted rotors, along with specially designed inlet and outlet port geometry, seal timing, and axial air flow help to reduce pressure variations resulting in a smooth discharge of air and a low level of noise during operation. This arrangement significantly improves efficiency over traditional roots superchargers and reaches a volumetric efficiency near 98%. Magna Charger, Inc. applications have an adiabatic efficiency that stays above the 50% mark over the full operating range of the engine, from 2000 to 6000 rpm.

10. Can I get a smaller pulley for more boost?

We spend a lot of time in engineering seeking the best overall performance, without breaking parts. Of course a smaller pulley can be used to spin the supercharger faster for more boost, but this will not necessarily make more power. In many cases we have seen more boost and less power. The key is getting the right combination of components and the right calibration. It is very much in our best interest to not leave anything on the table. In addition, use of a smaller supercharger pulley will make the vehicle no longer emissions legal and will void the Magna Charger, Inc. warranty.

11. Can I use a different chip or tuner with my supercharger system?

We do not recommend the use of any recalibration device that modifies fuel delivery or the spark tables other than that which is supplied with the supercharger system. There are two reasons: One is that changing the calibration would compromise the vehicles emissions, making it no longer legal. Another reason is that making changes may cause severe engine damage. Use of a different recalibration device will void the Magna Charger, Inc. warranty.

12. Can I use other aftermarket parts with a supercharger system?

All of our engineering and testing is completed on stock engines. We do not test with other aftermarket parts and as such are not able to give informed opinions. It is certainly possible that a cat-back exhaust system or other aftermarket parts may improve the performance of a Magna Charger, Inc. equipped vehicle, but without testing we do not know. Note: Other aftermarket parts may require re-calibration.

13. What kind of fuel should be used for a supercharged vehicle?

We recommend 92 octane PREMIUM FUEL. All of our calibration is done with 92 octane, however, we test our systems on 87 octane to look for compatibility.

14. What kind of air filter should I use with my supercharger?

We recommend utilizing the best air filter you can get. It is important to keep a good, clean air filter in place all of the time. We strongly recommend not using any air filter with a filter element exposed to the heat of the engine compartment.

15. How much boost should I expect?

Each engine is different, and we have engineered our supercharger systems to deliver the maximum amount of boost a given engine and powertrain can utilize without damage and maintain an optimum air/fuel ratio for maximum horsepower per lb of boost. Most of our non-intercooled systems will run about 4.5-5.5 lbs of boost with intercooled systems running slightly higher.

16. Can I use a colder thermostat?

We do not recommend a thermostat change. Thermostats control the temperature an engine operates at and effect how well the fuel is atomized. We have seen cases where colder thermostats have caused detonation.

17. How will this affect my fuel economy?

Fuel economy is not compromised when utilizing the Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger system equipped with our standard bypass system. EPA (environmental protection agency) figures support this claim. A typical domestic vehicle equipped with an Eaton supercharger shows no fuel economy penalty for highway driving, and only a one-mile per gallon penalty for city driving. People who tow a trailer generally see better fuel economy because the vehicle will stay in a higher gear longer and the engine will run more efficiently. A Magna Charger, Inc. supercharger system gives you big block horsepower and torque with a small block engine so you can net significantly better fuel economy if you purchase a supercharged small block instead of a big block.

18. Can I use alternative fuels?

Supercharging is compatible with all types of fuels including flexible fuels, i.e. CNG (compressed natural gas), propane, etc.

19. Why a Bypass Valve?

The best kept secret in forced induction is the little known bypass valve. This small valve, when properly installed between the supercharger and the air throttle body, allows the supercharger to become extremely efficient in terms of economy and parasitic power loss. Our M90 supercharger uses less than 1/3 of 1 HP at 60 MPH cruising. The bypass is operated by a vacuum actuator control unit that is normally closed. When vacuum is high (idle-cruising) the actuator opens the bypass valve, equalizing the vacuum pressure throughout the system. When boost is required (accelerating) the vacuum is decreased and the bypass valve instantly closes, causing pressure to increase into the cylinders. This equalized vacuum condition virtually eliminates the normal parasitic power loss of a forced induction system.

Gary, the effort is not to anger you. I understand your apparent affinity towards a particular type of supercharger. When you compare autorotors to screws to twisted lobes, you're only comparing the method in which the pump works, the generation or style and its inherent efficiency & most of all reliability - that's really all.

This info should help others. Keep the peace - get blown.

NOSty Mahn.

 

My earlier message was written in frustration... sorry to have pi$$ed you off so much. Just trying to clarify the art of getting heavily blown....

 

It's ok, you didn't pi$$ me off. I was trying to make sure the correct information is posted for others to see. The twin screw has been evolving right along with the roots. After rereading your first post and your last I see you stated the 98% was for VE not for adiabatic which in your last post which you cut and pasted from the maguson site I'm guessing, you correctly stated that it's over 50%. The 98% VE is nothing impressive. The important part is the adiabatic efficency. That controls how much power can be made more than most other factors on a compressor. A true twin screw maintains above 60% and even hits the 70's at peak. A good turbo will hit mid to high 80's. That's where a twin screw simply outshines the Roots.

I don't love the Twin Screw above all else. I think the Eaton line up of roots is buy far the best balance cost, relability and power, however the twinscrew is far better if you only care about power.

What I was stating is that the Roots (Eaton) and Twin screw are not the same thing and that the twin screw (whipple) was not use by Stillen was due to the Cost of the unit and I stand behind my first post. Of course nobody will ever read all this crap due to it's length but oh well.
Gary