Joe Blow Supercharger Kits

Looks like a cool set up, just wondering how well it actually works...

Anyone installed one of these... curious how well it works, what engine are you running it on, what kind of HP you are getting, reliability etc?

Click Here.

I've installed a few. 😀 😉

I currently have over 10,000kms on the kit in my bus - it's still running one of my earlier prototypes. It pulls 83 hp at about 7psi and revs to about 5250 on the stock cam. My engine is a bone stock 1600 with 1.25:1 ratio rockers and a vintage speed exhaust. Admittedly not the best choice in exhaust but a little better breathing than stock. Gains would be a little higher with a decent merged system. Still, it's not a bad improvement out of a 1600 when you consider a stock Type 4 2 litre is only 70 hp.

More power is obviously simply a case of increasing boost by running a smaller blower pulley but the kit in its stock form at 7psi is designed to be reliable and not require any wizardry with the engine setup. To go higher it is advisable to fit boost referenced ignition control to retard the ignition under boost. By doing this you can safely increase boost up to 10-12 psi whilst still retaining reliability. This is not possible with the stock dizzy setup - a recurved 009.

Service intervals are more frequent, but this is the same for all performance engines - drive them hard and you should be looking to adjust valves and change oil more often. Drive it like an old lady and there's no real difference with a stock engine it just feels like it has a much more sensitive throttle.

I recommend going full flow and fitting an external cooler and filter - that's a no-brainer really - and if you run a heavy bus you would probably benefit from a heavy duty clutch - in a bug I recon you would just get away with stock - unless you are into launching it all of the time in which case a stage 1 / 2 is recommended. Fitting a decent breather system is an absolute must.

Before and after dyno printouts are somewhere on the site. The power gains are very noticeable - instant low down torque which allows you to accelerate from low speeds even in high gears, or drop it down a cog and floor it and hear the whine of the supercharger in your ears as things really pick up. Top speed is extended too.

If you're ever over here in sunny RADelaide I can take you for a spin in the bus. Also just recently shipped one to Melburg too, so you might even get to take a ride in one a little closer to home.

Happy to answer any questions you might have so feel free to fire away.

Regards

Mick.

83 HP is damn healthy

If / when I go back air cooled i will look into one of these

Bizarre wrote:83 HP is damn healthy

If / when I go back air cooled i will look into one of these

Barry, when did you abandon air-cooled?

Anything involving a draw-through carby system you're going to be pretty limited. Any more than about 7psi like mentioned, you really want intercooling of some sort. With a draw-through system, that means water/alky injection (not fantastic) or nitrous (illegal on a street car).

I've just recently thrown in the idea of that supercharger on a street car. I wanted 10psi+, EFI and an intercooler. I've watched another local guy do it. Fitting all that under a stock bootlid is a nightmare.

If on the other hand, you were to use the stock carb and blowthrough like lots of the guys in the US are doing, you could use some sort of water-air intercooler (very efficient). It might not all fit under the bonnet, but the engine would be much safer above 7psi.

I can still remember draw-through rotaries with no intercooler and 25+ boost, they even seemed to idle strangely.
I've ridden a 25psi draw-through Kwak Z1 through traffic lights, and it was smoother than my NA flatslide bike.

It may not be technically or theoretically ideal, but it's all in the tuning I spose. Not to say EFI won't be better or worse, but carb/boost works OK.

I'd love a kit on mine, but over here it simply won't happen.

Well of course you can do it. The question is, "how long will it all hold together?"

And really, comparing a light crotch rocket to a heavy street car or bus is apples and oranges. If it was a drag car, you could strip it out, run it on alcohol and not even both with a fan or shroud, but in the real world... werl. I've got mates who've run big boost on stockers without an intercooler. It never ended well.