Those With Luhn Superchargers, What Do You Think?
 

I'm interested in going to forced Induction on my GTO. I am already running the Holley HP on E40 and am not sure if getting a single custom turbo setup made is worth it vs just doing the Luhn supercharger. I'm 100% street and just need a bump to get the big guy moving around town. I'm not doing an intercooler and don't have the AC in the car so it's a little more straight forwards.

I'm not sure how I'm going to get a down pipe past my passenger firewall with my fuel lines and current brake vacuum canister so I'm leaning towards a Supercharger.

Any issues after getting some miles on it?

Install time needed?

Real cost of the complete kit?

Anything else you'd add in please do.

Thanks

ANY forced induction set up will cost MONEY when starting from scratch (if done correctly). Buying used would be cheaper, there is more money involved with a boosted set up other then the supercharger and pulleys....although its probably easier and less expensive the a turbo setup.

GTO George

Talk to Richard Guido (from Canada) about the Luhn Supercharger system on the street.

He ran one on his 65 GTO for several years. He could give you a lot of good advice.
I would give you one piece of advice, Buy a C&S Boost Carb from Roger (thru Luhn).
It will be very close in the tune-up for a street car right out of the box.

Tom V.

You could install a Vortech Supercharger system or a Procharger system on a Engine in a weekend. To do a Turbocharger system could be a much longer process.

A Lot of the Parts for the Pontiac system are also the same parts for a Chevrolet system or a Ford System, (Aeromotive Fuel Pump, Tanks, Inc Tank, Holley Carb, Fuel Pressure Regulator, By-pass Valve, etc.

Mark at Luhn performance does a great job on the Pontiac Brackets, and putting all of the parts together as a system. Richard Guido mentioned in a previous post has a lot of experience working with Mark. Centrifugal systems typically can make up to 1000 hp for a reasonable cost. Far more HP than you need on the street.

Mark's 865 HP 455 engine was a very basic engine set-up. It made that 863 hp at only 5300 rpm too. A YSi supercharger could have easily made over 1000 hp. But you don't need 1000 hp on the street.

Tom V.

I used Luhn's supercharger kit for over 10 years with good success. I am not sure on the cost nowadays, but his stuff is well engineered. I would let him spec everything out and buy it from him.

Price wise it will depend on what you want. Prices depend on if you get it used or brand new.

Carb: $1200-2k
Fuel pump: $300-$750
Regulator w/fittings: $200-$300
Blower: $2500-5k
Luhn's brackets: I don't know. He will probably sell the brackets/ blower together.
BOV's: $250-$400
Lines/fittings: $500-1k
Hat: $400-$500
Incidental chit I can't think of that will come up: 1k-$3k.

Thanks for all the comments everyone, luckily I already have the Holley HP with 80 pound injectors running E40, Magnafuel pump, -10 lines and Fuelab boost referenced regulator.

Mark sells a complete kit with the blow off and hat for around $7500 so I guess I'm looking at an install, tune and I should be good to go.

I was mainly concerned with how the engines and the kit was holding up over time but after reading other threads it sounds like just the superchargers themselves are the big longevity concern As long as the power isn't through the roof on the stock block.

I'm only looking for about 8PSI and nothing more than around 700 pounds of torque at the rear wheel so this should be pretty practical and safe with a good tune.

Years ago Luhn did a simple dyno test with a "T-Trim Supercharger running at 13 psi of boost. He made 863 hp at 5300 rpm and the torque number was even higher at 4800 rpm. Not sure he can make 700 lbs/ft of torque at 8 psi but 8 psi or 13 psi at 5300 rpm you are going to have a bunch of torque with a real street type supercharger.

Luhn has a long history (as bad69bird) posted when it comes to centrifugal superchargers.

Tom V.

What would 13lbs of turbo boost produce in terms of hp for the same combo?

Over 900 HP. The T-Trim Supercharger (accordijng to Vortech's Supercharger Dyno Stand, Engines take about 1 horsepowert for every 10 hp produced.
See image of Vortech 1200 HP Testing on the Test Stand.

So 863 HP rounded off is about 85 horsepower to drive the supercharger.

With a turbo and the same boost (inter-cooled like the posted dyno numbers from before) would make about 950 HP at 13 psi of boost pressure. Luhn has the ability to make 1000 HP kits all day long with a Pontiac Engine.

He has designs for Turbo Manifolds and he already has the Holley EFI stuff figured out.

Tom V.