Halfway to super.

[ChipBeck]

Gentlemen,

 

On Sunday I returned to Arizona from a weeklong Shelby orgy in Las Vegas. Carroll Shelby hosted the third annual Ford GT rally at his facilities there and it was an amazing week. Over 150 Ford GTs showed up. On Monday I started the supercharger install on my Shelby GT. It should be finished by Friday and I can't wait to drive it. Here's a few photos. I have a question for fellow GT/SC owners. In the catalog photos at least, I'm not real wild about the three gauge pod that goes on the center of the dash. At this point I've decided to leave it off. Is it important to have that? Do those members who have installed it like the way it looks on your car? Thanks for the information.

 

Chip

 

[ChipBeck]

2

 

[ShelbyPilot]

I have the instrument cluster. I do like the way it looks. Is it really needed. I don't know. I like the fact that the oil pressure gauge shows actual pressure as opposed to the stock IUP gauge that basically is on or off. The fuel pressure gauge can be entertaining and useful. If I was to do anything I would replace the boost gauge with either a +/- boost gauge or an oil temperature gauge. For the most part the needle in the boost gauge just sits on the peg. It only shows boost with a lot of throttle. At those times, my attention is down the road or track.

 

There are other options out there that might suit your needs better.

[HORSBYT]

 

LOVE the blue valve covers! That was going to be my next mod! I was really wanting red (which only Steeda offers) but I want to go with FRPP because then the dealer said they would put them on and warrant them..... So, either I convince FRPP to do a set in red or go with the blue which look GREAT!!!! Oh and i'm sure you're SC will be a kick! Enjoy!

[zdle]

Gentlemen,

 

On Sunday I returned to Arizona from a weeklong Shelby orgy in Las Vegas. Carroll Shelby hosted the third annual Ford GT rally at his facilities there and it was an amazing week. Over 150 Ford GTs showed up. On Monday I started the supercharger install on my Shelby GT. It should be finished by Friday and I can't wait to drive it. Here's a few photos. I have a question for fellow GT/SC owners. In the catalog photos at least, I'm not real wild about the three gauge pod that goes on the center of the dash. At this point I've decided to leave it off. Is it important to have that? Do those members who have installed it like the way it looks on your car? Thanks for the information.

 

Chip

 

 

 

So Chip ,,,,,,,,,Didi they like your Heath/Beck Scoop Replacement ? I still have to call the number you gave me ...........Zale

[Son of GT]

I like mine; alot. Adds that vintage look from the 66' GT350's IMO. I also think that it makes the interior look more technicial.

 

[ShelbyGT/SC]

I agree with most comments above. I contemplated whether to get it but am glad I did. I think the interior look so much badder (new word) and meaner with it.

I definite feel it is necessary to know that your fuel and oil pressures are drastically increasing when you step on the gas. And it is cool to watch the boost move too but as Chris said that's not too often or you are looking forward anyway. One other point is that as you know with your Ford GT you will likely be asked often how much boost you get so you will want to be able to answer that.

[clark17357]

I have the pod on mine and put it there for the sake of going back to the 60's. Pure function and fit would lead to a pillar mounted set of gauges. The information in the gauges is very useful.

Jim

[ChipBeck]

Gentlemen,

 

We are making progress. We finished installing the supercharger yesterday and fired it up. The car ran great but we have run into the inevitable snag. There is a water leak of some sort coming from the crossover pipe that spans the top of the alternator. Perhaps a gasket. Hopefully we will figure that out later today. I can't wait to drive the damn thing!!! I feel like a kid on Christmas eve. This is no time for delay!!!!! This is impeding my progress toward automotive gratification!!!

 

On a more positive note, I got a call yesterday from Santa Margarita Ford and my new White/Blue Stripe GT500 should arrive near the end of this month. One more Ford in the garage!

 

Chip

 

[ChipBeck]

[avidShelby]

Chip,

 

Do you plan on replacing the strut tower brace over the Whipple? If so, are you buying an existing brace or fabricating one?

[SWEDEMAN]

 

Impressive.

[ChipBeck]

Chip,

 

Do you plan on replacing the strut tower brace over the Whipple? If so, are you buying an existing brace or fabricating one?

 

AvidShelby,

 

No existing strut tower brace will work. I will have to fabricate one. I had imagined that the problem would be the clearance between the top of the supercharger and the bottom of the hood. Now that my supercharger is installed I see that is not the case. The top of the air intake tube between the air cleaner and the throttle body is higher than the top of the supercharger itself. The hood bracing directly above that intake tube combined with the curvature of the hood makes that the problem area. The only thing that will fit without cutting the hood bracing, which I will not do, is a machined part. My open hood scoop gives me a ton of room above the supercharger but does not help above that intake tube.

 

On another note, after driving the car for a while, heat pours off of that supercharger and flows right out of my open hood scoop when the car is parked. Better airflow around that supercharger is a good thing as performance degrades significantly when a supercharger gets hot (at least that's the case on Whipple equipped Ford GT's).

 

The car is a complete monster now and it feels measurably quicker than the stock GT500s I have driven. I will have a GT500 in my garage in a couple weeks and after breaking it in I will perform a thorough comparison.

 

My thoughts on the Ford Racing Whipple 500 hp supercharging kit. It is very complete and the instructions are quite thorough. The parts all appear to be very high-quality. The final results and level of performance meet or possibly exceed my expectations by a bit. I did have two quality issues. An improper, two small, rubber o-ring failed in the cast aluminum waterpipe that spans the top of the alternator causing a large water leak the first time the vehicle was fired up. Fixing it required removing the supercharger pulley so that that cast aluminum waterpipe could be removed without pulling the entire supercharger off. I sourced a proper sized O-ring from a local parts supply house and reassembled everything. It was then leakfree. My second quality problem involved the fuel sending unit in the heavy-duty fuel pump supplied with the kit. Part of that sending unit attached to the fuel float was broken and the corresponding part on the original fuel pump was different and could not be used as a substitute. I will have to source that part on Monday, remove the heavy-duty fuel pump from the gas tank to fix it, and then reassemble everything. I am driving the car this weekend without an operable gas gauge.

 

On a more positive note, the tune supplied to me by Ford Racing is amazingly perfect. Air fuel ratios are spot on from idle all the way to redline. There is not even a hint of detonation with our lousy 91 octane Arizona/California gas. And the car put out about 10 hp more than a recently tested stock GT500. On the road the car is now blisteringly fast. Over 300 foot pounds of torque are available at only 1800 rpm!

 

This car is quite a sleeper and I know it will surprise a lot of stoplight challengers on the street. It is not a genuine GT/SC as I did my supercharger installation here in Scottsdale. Shelby wanted me to remove my Ford Racing shorty headers and reinstall the stock exhaust manifold's before they would mount my supercharger. Not wanting to do that, I installed the supercharger here. I will not be installing GT/SC stripes on the car and I intend to keep the factory Bullitt wheels to maintain the cars stock stealthy appearance.

 

My pumped up Shelby GT is still not as quick or fast as my Ford GT or Cobra, but it certainly wouldn't be humiliated by those cars either. I can't imagine there are too many cars on the road that will out accelerate a properly tuned 500 hp Whipple equipped Shelby GT.

 

Chip

 

[ChipBeck]

[ChipBeck]

[ChipBeck]

[69dejavue]

Chip I am just curious. First you obviously know far more about superchargers than I do. Why did you pick the whipple over the paxton. I know the whipple produces more hp/torque at a lower rpm. It seems the only advantage, from what I read, of the paxton is the Shelby heritage. Your thoughts?

 

Also, tell us about the exhaust sound with the SC and shorty headers.

 

Are you running straight pipes or do you still have the mufflers.

 

Also, do you have any concerns about 500 HP and cast pistons, rods? What boost are you running?

 

Thank you

 

PS= It looks like you have the best GARAGE on the site short of Jay Leno!

[ChipBeck]

Chip I am just curious. First you obviously know far more about superchargers than I do. Why did you pick the whipple over the paxton. I know the whipple produces more hp/torque at a lower rpm. It seems the only advantage, from what I read, of the paxton is the Shelby heritage. Your thoughts?

 

Also, tell us about the exhaust sound with the SC and shorty headers.

 

Are you running straight pipes or do you still have the mufflers.

 

Also, do you have any concerns about 500 HP and cast pistons, rods? What boost are you running?

 

Thank you

 

PS= It looks like you have the best GARAGE on the site short of Jay Leno!

 

69dejavue,

 

I had a chance to drive Shelby GTs with both the Paxton supercharger and the Whipple supercharger before making my decision. The Whipple supercharger produced noticeably more horsepower (30 to 40) at redline than the Paxton, but the difference at low RPMs was much greater. The 500 HP Whipple on the 4.6L 3 valve motor puts out over 300 foot pounds of torque at 1800 rpm. The Paxton equipped GT had a slight lag in throttle response similar to a turbo. The Whipple gave immediate throttle response and made the car feel like it had a 500 c.i. big block. Two things I really liked about the Paxton were, 1. The Ford Racing strut tower brace does not need to be removed (a big plus) and, 2. 40 years of Shelby/Paxton heritage along with that cool Shelby nameplate and serial number attached to the top of the Paxton (an even bigger plus!!). I was not real wild about the unconventional appearance of the Paxton or of the choices in finish. With the polished finish the Paxton's components dominate the engine compartment and I didn't like the bling (JMO). Without the polished finish the Paxton's components look extremely rough and unsightly. The Whipple offered a black wrinkle finish that goes nicely with my blue wrinkle finish valve covers.

 

The only thing I did not like about the Whipple is that it requires removal of the Ford Racing strut tower brace. The Whipple kit, supplied components, and tuner are all highly developed. The tune supplied to me by Ford Racing for my car has air/fuel ratios that are spot on at all RPMs and my car put out 10 hp more on my shops dyno than a recently tested GT500.

 

For me, the superior performance and appearance of the Whipple trumped the heritage and ability to keep the strut tower brace of the Paxton. Others may choose differently. I would encourage members to drive cars equipped with both systems before making a decision.

 

My car still has the mufflers that came on it. The Ford Racing shorty headers did not change the exhaust note very much. It was just slightly louder. The supercharger did not change my exhaust note at all. Inside the car however, when you step on the gas, the Whipple emits a muscular supercharger whine like a jet engine accompanied by a furious rush forward.

 

The 500HP Whipple installation has been jointly developed by Whipple and Ford Racing. I have never heard of anybody having a problem with engine components breaking as a result of using it. The GT500s forged internals are capable of handling power levels approaching 1000 HP as some of our members can attest. A well known Ford GT owner pushed his twin turbo GT to 1400 HP before it came apart in a most spectacular fashion. The 4.6L three valve motor would not survive at those stratospheric power levels, but it has shown itself to be more than strong enough to safely and reliably handle 500 HP.

 

The 500 HP Whipple has transformed my Shelby GT from a fast, enjoyable sports car into a supercar capable of annihilating (and surprising) almost anything on the road. I cannot put into words how much fun this car is to drive now. You need to experience it to appreciate it.

 

Chip

[69dejavue]

69dejavue,

 

I had a chance to drive Shelby GTs with both the Paxton supercharger and the Whipple supercharger before making my decision. The Whipple supercharger produced noticeably more horsepower (30 to 40) at redline than the Paxton, but the difference at low RPMs was much greater. The 500 HP Whipple on the 4.6L 3 valve motor puts out over 300 foot pounds of torque at 1800 rpm. The Paxton equipped GT had a slight lag in throttle response similar to a turbo. The Whipple gave immediate throttle response and made the car feel like it had a 500 c.i. big block. Two things I really liked about the Paxton were, 1. The Ford Racing strut tower brace does not need to be removed (a big plus) and, 2. 40 years of Shelby/Paxton heritage along with that cool Shelby nameplate and serial number attached to the top of the Paxton (an even bigger plus!!). I was not real wild about the unconventional appearance of the Paxton or of the choices in finish. With the polished finish the Paxton's components dominate the engine compartment and I didn't like the bling (JMO). Without the polished finish the Paxton's components look extremely rough and unsightly. The Whipple offered a black wrinkle finish that goes nicely with my blue wrinkle finish valve covers.

 

The only thing I did not like about the Whipple is that it requires removal of the Ford Racing strut tower brace. The Whipple kit, supplied components, and tuner are all highly developed. The tune supplied to me by Ford Racing for my car has air/fuel ratios that are spot on at all RPMs and my car put out 10 hp more on my shops dyno than a recently tested GT500.

 

For me, the superior performance and appearance of the Whipple trumped the heritage and ability to keep the strut tower brace of the Paxton. Others may choose differently. I would encourage members to drive cars equipped with both systems before making a decision.

 

My car still has the mufflers that came on it. The Ford Racing shorty headers did not change the exhaust note very much. It was just slightly louder. The supercharger did not change my exhaust note at all. Inside the car however, when you step on the gas, the Whipple emits a muscular supercharger whine like a jet engine accompanied by a furious rush forward.

 

The 500HP Whipple installation has been jointly developed by Whipple and Ford Racing. I have never heard of anybody having a problem with engine components breaking as a result of using it. The GT500s forged internals are capable of handling power levels approaching 1000 HP as some of our members can attest. A well known Ford GT owner pushed his twin turbo GT to 1400 HP before it came apart in a most spectacular fashion. The 4.6L three valve motor would not survive at those stratospheric power levels, but it has shown itself to be more than strong enough to safely and reliably handle 500 HP.

 

The 500 HP Whipple has transformed my Shelby GT from a fast, enjoyable sports car into a supercar capable of annihilating (and surprising) almost anything on the road. I cannot put into words how much fun this car is to drive now. You need to experience it to appreciate it.

 

Chip

 

I intend to add the SC but I must admit I am anal about the Shelby heritage of the Paxton. You said you drove both. Tell me about the performance of the Paxton besides the lag.

 

What boost are you running on the Whipple?

 

You mentioned the lag but what is the top end of the Paxton compared to the Whipple? Are there any advantages to the Paxton besides retaining the strut brace?

 

Thank you, it sounds tremendous!!

[SWEDEMAN]

AvidShelby,

 

No existing strut tower brace will work. I will have to fabricate one. I had imagined that the problem would be the clearance between the top of the supercharger and the bottom of the hood. Now that my supercharger is installed I see that is not the case. The top of the air intake tube between the air cleaner and the throttle body is higher than the top of the supercharger itself. The hood bracing directly above that intake tube combined with the curvature of the hood makes that the problem area. The only thing that will fit without cutting the hood bracing, which I will not do, is a machined part. My open hood scoop gives me a ton of room above the supercharger but does not help above that intake tube.

 

On another note, after driving the car for a while, heat pours off of that supercharger and flows right out of my open hood scoop when the car is parked. Better airflow around that supercharger is a good thing as performance degrades significantly when a supercharger gets hot (at least that's the case on Whipple equipped Ford GT's).

 

The car is a complete monster now and it feels measurably quicker than the stock GT500s I have driven. I will have a GT500 in my garage in a couple weeks and after breaking it in I will perform a thorough comparison.

 

My thoughts on the Ford Racing Whipple 500 hp supercharging kit. It is very complete and the instructions are quite thorough. The parts all appear to be very high-quality. The final results and level of performance meet or possibly exceed my expectations by a bit. I did have two quality issues. An improper, two small, rubber o-ring failed in the cast aluminum waterpipe that spans the top of the alternator causing a large water leak the first time the vehicle was fired up. Fixing it required removing the supercharger pulley so that that cast aluminum waterpipe could be removed without pulling the entire supercharger off. I sourced a proper sized O-ring from a local parts supply house and reassembled everything. It was then leakfree. My second quality problem involved the fuel sending unit in the heavy-duty fuel pump supplied with the kit. Part of that sending unit attached to the fuel float was broken and the corresponding part on the original fuel pump was different and could not be used as a substitute. I will have to source that part on Monday, remove the heavy-duty fuel pump from the gas tank to fix it, and then reassemble everything. I am driving the car this weekend without an operable gas gauge.

 

On a more positive note, the tune supplied to me by Ford Racing is amazingly perfect. Air fuel ratios are spot on from idle all the way to redline. There is not even a hint of detonation with our lousy 91 octane Arizona/California gas. And the car put out about 10 hp more than a recently tested stock GT500. On the road the car is now blisteringly fast. Over 300 foot pounds of torque are available at only 1800 rpm!

 

This car is quite a sleeper and I know it will surprise a lot of stoplight challengers on the street. It is not a genuine GT/SC as I did my supercharger installation here in Scottsdale. Shelby wanted me to remove my Ford Racing shorty headers and reinstall the stock exhaust manifold's before they would mount my supercharger. Not wanting to do that, I installed the supercharger here. I will not be installing GT/SC stripes on the car and I intend to keep the factory Bullitt wheels to maintain the cars stock stealthy appearance.

 

My pumped up Shelby GT is still not as quick or fast as my Ford GT or Cobra, but it certainly wouldn't be humiliated by those cars either. I can't imagine there are too many cars on the road that will out accelerate a properly tuned 500 hp Whipple equipped Shelby GT.

 

Chip

 

 

Great read.

[Dunedindon#5481]

Chip,

As usual you are a gentleman and a scholar. You have a way with words that is very impressive and informative no matter what your subject.

 

Your install is very well done and it was a pleasure to watch it happen with your excellent posts this past week.

 

I too went the same way with the Whipple after driving both the Paxton and Whipple SCd cars. I liked the performance, off the get go, of the Whipple. It was a very difficult decision for exactly the reasons you stated, number one being the heritage, but also I was hesitant to give up my warranty. Still, I decided that the looks and performance of the HP Whipple were what I wanted on my SGT. I am very happy with that decision and have had a you know what eating grin on my face since the first time I fired it up. There is nothing like the sound of that blower under load. It far exceeded my expectations and it is now one of the most powerful cars on the road. Of course not many of us have a stable of super cars like yours. Very impressive. I can't wait to hear your comparisons between your SGT and new GT500.

 

Since I'm not drag or road racing mine I am not too concerned about blowing up my motor. If it does happen well that's the risk you take making major mods to any motor. It's just fun to have that extra scoot in the boot when your leaving a light or taking a friend for a little beach cruise. For me, it took my SGT to the next level of enjoyment and man does it feel good when you pop the hood on this bad boy and see the eyes of whoever is looking light up.

 

Thanks again for sharing and for being one of the people that make this forum fun and informative.

 

Don

[ChipBeck]

I intend to add the SC but I must admit I am anal about the Shelby heritage of the Paxton. You said you drove both. Tell me about the performance of the Paxton besides the lag.

 

What boost are you running on the Whipple?

 

You mentioned the lag but what is the top end of the Paxton compared to the Whipple? Are there any advantages to the Paxton besides retaining the strut brace?

 

Thank you, it sounds tremendous!!

 

69,

 

I am running 11 pounds of boost which is what the Whipple HO 500 HP standard pully provides. It is my understanding that the tune sent to me by Ford racing has slightly less aggressive ignition timing than the tune that would be sent to somebody who lives in an area where 93 octane premium fuel is available. A 93 octane tune would provide slightly more power than my 91 octane tune. My slightly better than expected crank horsepower figure of 502 HP and peak torque of 475 TQ may be because of my Ford Racing shorty headers. Then again, all Dynos are different and if one was to take his car to five different Dyno shops he would get five different horsepower numbers. The dynos primary utility is showing horsepower differences before and after modifications as well as allowing air/fuel ratios, ignition timing, detonation, etc. to be observed in a controlled setting.

 

The only way to accurately measure the top end of the Paxton compared to the Whipple would be to run them side by side. We happen to have here in the Phoenix area another Team Shelby member who has a car identical to mine, five speed and all, with the Paxton supercharger. I will try and hook up with him sometime in the next few weeks. My previous drives in the cars were not back to back, but even with a time lag of a couple months between driving one system and the other, it was immediately apparent to me that the Whipple is slightly stronger at high RPMs, with an even bigger gap at low RPMs, along with the Whipple's faster throttle response. By driving them one right after the other as well as running them side by side I should be able to provide you with direct observations.

 

As far as other advantages of the Paxton supercharger, I'm sure there are some but my experience is very limited. Beyond those items I've already mentioned I think it gets down to a question of personal preference, kind of like blondes versus brunettes.

 

Let me mention one other item as I've heard on multiple occasions concerns about 500 HP being extracted from our 4.6 L engines. In forums such as these, members put forth their theories, speculation, extrapolation, and hypotheses. This is all well and good, and in the absence of hard data based on actual experience, hypotheses may be all one has to rely upon. Where hard data exists however, theories and speculation that contradict that hard data are worse than worthless, they are counterproductive. (Please don't take that comment as a condemnation of anybody's post, I'm just encouraging members to use hard data where it exists) No matter how good a recipe might sound, the proof is in the pudding. There are several hundred if not over a thousand Whipple charged 4.6 L engines that have amassed hundreds of thousands of miles out on the roads. While I'm sure some members have modified them by installing very small pulleys raising their boost levels until they damage their engines, I'm not aware of one single instance where the 500 HP Whipple, installed as supplied with the Ford provided tune, has resulted in damage to the engine. My conversations with high level engineers at Ford SVT confirm that observation. That's should be of great comfort. All the best.

 

Chip

[69dejavue]

Chip, thank you for the information. I am sure there are those that exceed the envelope with pulleys and timing that eventually blow an engine. I hope to obtain the SC within 2 years (when the car is paid off) and will keep a conservative tune. It amazes me that these engines can come anywhere near 500 HP with cast pistons and rods.

[Burr]

Chip, can you tell us more of what you did to the hood scoop and where the parts etc came from?

[ChipBeck]

Chip, can you tell us more of what you did to the hood scoop and where the parts etc came from?

 

Burr,

 

I have several pages of data including countless photographs detailing my findings and my method of constructing a hood scoop that will last for decades. Use the "search" feature on this website to find "absolute hood scoop final fix" and read all of my posts. Everything you want to know about the Shelby GT hood scoop and what I believe is required to fix it will be found there. My scoop was built from scratch by aviation technicians at Phoenix Composites in Mesa, Arizona. Most but not all of my data and specifications have been incorporated into the hood scoop now being provided by Shelby Automobiles as a warranty replacement (I don't know if they used my data, but if they didn't, they did come to most of the same conclusions I came to). I don't know what materials Shelby is now using but I do know that they have abandoned the bumper cover material they previously used and have gone to a rigid shell type construction without internal supports. Shelby still utilizes a scoop with a flat top surface which I see as a potential problem. My scoop as you can see from the photo has a very slight dome top that is stronger and follows the curvature of the hood which is more aesthetically pleasing. Shelby attaches their scoop using pop rivets and once installed it cannot be removed without the potential for damage. My scoop is attached with rivet nuts and can be removed in minutes using an Allen wrench. Finally, Shelby's new hood scoop is a genuine Shelby part, which will be supplied and installed at no charge by your local Ford dealer under your new car warranty. My hood scoop is a superior part, but is not covered under your warranty. Please read the final fix thread, I believe you'll find it worth your while.

 

Chip

[sleepless]

Absolute hood scoop final fix thread: http://www.teamshelby.com/forums/index.php...scoop+final+fix

[CudaFly]

Chip,

 

Congratulations on the install and the end results on the tune, looks great, runs great, what more could you ask for. Nice write-ups also.

 

Maybe I'll be seeing you on the track someday so we can put the whole Whipple/Paxton debate to bed once and for all!

[RACERX009]

Gentlemen,

 

On Sunday I returned to Arizona from a weeklong Shelby orgy in Las Vegas. Carroll Shelby hosted the third annual Ford GT rally at his facilities there and it was an amazing week. Over 150 Ford GTs showed up. On Monday I started the supercharger install on my Shelby GT. It should be finished by Friday and I can't wait to drive it. Here's a few photos. I have a question for fellow GT/SC owners. In the catalog photos at least, I'm not real wild about the three gauge pod that goes on the center of the dash. At this point I've decided to leave it off. Is it important to have that? Do those members who have installed it like the way it looks on your car? Thanks for the information.

 

Chip

 

hey what about gauges on the pillar on your left

[avidShelby]

Chip,

 

Thanks for the informative response. I look forward to your fabrication and write-up of the "Beck Brace."

 

avid

[ChipBeck]

Chip,

Congratulations on the install and the end results on the tune, looks great, runs great, what more could you ask for. Nice write-ups also.

Maybe I'll be seeing you on the track someday so we can put the whole Whipple/Paxton debate to bed once and for all!

 

Cuda,

 

I can't tell you how impressed I am with your ability to put a Shelby GT within striking distance of an 11 second quarter mile. The package you put together of rear end ratio, locker, supercharger, tuning, etc. combined with the skill to take advantage of all those mods has resulted in eye opening ET's. Road and Track magazine has some pretty competent drivers yet during their magazine test of the new GT500 they recorded a quarter mile time of 12.8 seconds. Their quarter-mile time for the Ford GT was 12.2 seconds. You are running faster than a showroom stock Ford GT in a much heavier four seat car with a 4.6 L V-8!! That's incredible!

 

What I had in mind was something more in line with the scientific method, eliminating as many variables as possible (including driver ability) so as to test one specific component, the supercharger. Using identical unmodified (other than the supercharger) 2007 Shelby GTs with identical rear axle ratios, I would conduct the following test at 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 RPMs. Drive the cars side-by-side at each tested RPM level in whatever gear would provide a speed of approximately 20 mph. The drivers, when given a signal via walkie-talkie from a chase car would floor the cars and run them to redline. Differences in horsepower and any lag in producing it will become apparent. One fly in this ointment is my car having been equipped with the Ford Racing shorty headers which are not easy to swap out for stock exhaust manifolds. If I can find somebody with the Kenny Bell on a stock Shelby GT so we had all three that would be even better.

 

Do we have any members in the Phoenix area who have installed the Kenny Bell supercharger on their Shelby GT? It would be best if their supercharger and tune (for 91 octane) was installed as supplied by the manufacturer. It would make for a fun Saturday morning and when we're finished, I'll buy the beer.

 

Chip