FAQ's

Should I have my trans rebuilt, upgraded or modified for the additional power? Where necessary, we electronically re-calibrate and improve the shift firmness and torque management. Today, many of the OEM transmissions are "electronically detuned" for soft shifts by retarding the spark and/or reducing the fuel supply at the shifts. We re-calibrate the transmission. Quite often, modifying the mechanics of your transmission is expensive and unnecessary - and often is in direct conflict with the OEM electronic calibration. Be very careful when mixing mechanical and electronic calibrations.

Do I need to change fuel pumps with a Kenne Bell kit? Changing a fuel pump is expensive and somewhat dangerous. The gas tank must be drained and removed from the vehicle before the pump is removed. We prefer the Kenne Bell BOOST-A-PUMP™ which simply connects to the existing fuel pump wire. It's easy to install and easily adjusted to a precise fuel flow - and it will never overheat or boil the fuel. The Boost A Pump alone supplies more than enough fuel for 600-700HP on single pumps and 900HP on dual factory pumps. Sec "Fuel Pump Tech".

Does the Kenne Bell BOOST-A-PUMP™ heat the fuel like larger intank or inline pumps? No. It's activated with a pressure switch and called upon to increase the fuel supply only under boost conditions. Larger "fixed" pumps run at the increased fuel capacity 100% of the time and heat the fuel as it re-circulates or dumps the excess fuel back to the tank. That's one of the reasons Ford has switched to "returnless" fuel systems. Remember that fuel begins to boil at 95°.

Can I change the pulley and increase boost? Yes, but we do not recommend it unless switching to a higher octane fuel or octane booster. Most of our kits are 8 psi or higher with the supercharger being capable of 2-3 times the kit rated boost. However, there are many other considerations such as fuel octane, mass air meter limitations, fuel supply, ignition, spark plug heat range, transmission reliability, inlet and exhaust restrictions, heat etc. etc. If we could have safely run the boost any higher with 91 octane, we would have done it. Typically, 94 octane or a can of Torco Octane Booster will allow you to run 4 psi more boost. Beyond that requires re-calibrating along with inlet component upgrades, 100 octane fuel etc. Then there are the Mustang, Shelby, Dodge and Corvette enthusiasts. These owners are willing to go to great lengths to make more horsepower. They lower compression ratio, install larger injectors, mass air meter, filter, canister, throttle body, heads, manifolds, headers, exhaust, fuel systems etc. There are dozens of manufacturers who supply these parts - none of which are necessarily designed to perform in harmony with the other modifications. Subsequently, there are countless tuning problems. They race their vehicles at boost levels of 8-26 psi and 1000RWHP. Kenne Bell sells bolt on street legal supercharger kits that are engineered specifically for these vehicles. The supercharger is always there for you - ready to boost your horsepower. You must decide just how you want to use your vehicle, how extensively it will be modified, and on the best combination of parts. Always remember that it is not the supercharger kit, or your vehicle itself that will create problems for you. It is the "other" parts you bolt to it or the "other" modifications and that you should carefully consider. For example, a typical call to Kenne Bell . . . Customer: I bought one of your new superchargers and now it's not running right. It backfires, cuts out, dies, pings, surges, belches out black smoke and makes this awful noise. Kenne Bell: We don't sell supercharger kits that do what you describe. It must be something else you added, modified, tweaked or redesigned. Customer: Well, the supercharger did work great for 3 years but it must have "gone bad" when I changed the mass air meter, throttle body, intake manifolds, heads, headers, cam, chip, gears, wires, ignition, cat, exhaust, injectors and fuel pump. Kenne Bell: Whoa! If the supercharger was working O.K. before you changed all those parts, it must have something to do with those parts or the installation. Customer: Oh no - can't be. They were all good parts installed by a professional and he said it can't be anything he did or sold me so it must be your supercharger kit. Kenne Bell: We've got to find you a competent mechanic and tuner.

Must I remove my underdrive pulleys? Most Kenne Bell kits use a single belt. An extra crank pulley and belt are not necessary as the supercharger requires relatively little HP to drive. Some of our kits actually drive the supercharger off the alternator. If the crank pulley was previously changed, it may have to be changed back to stock. Some kits require an "underdrive" pulley to lower the boost whereas competition kits use "overdrive" pulleys to increase boost.

After installing the supercharger kit on my truck or SUV, what modifications should I do next to further increase performance? It depends entirely whether or not the parts and modifications you plan on will actually improve performance - and if it's cost effective. Check out our literature for test data. Just because some part - such as headers - has a reputation for making power doesn't guarantee it will work for you or your vehicle.

What do I need to do before installing the supercharger kit? Nothing. Everything is included in the kit. We do recommend installing a fresh set of 1 heat range cooler spark plugs.

What bolt ons do I change next? With the supercharger inhaling and discharging 40-50% more air from your engine, we'd recommend you always start on the inlet side and reduce the restrictions. Better exhaust and inlet systems don't "make" horsepower - they merely reduce air flow restrictions. Bolt ons: Upgrade the inlet canister, mass air meter and throttle body.

When is a supercharger the best choice for performance? It depends on how much performance you desire and your budget. Let's start at the top. If you're looking for 50-250% more power and torque everywhere (2000-6000), don't even think about adding heads, cam, exhaust, meter, throttle body, chip etc. You'll spend far more and NEVER equal the 50-250% the supercharger will deliver. And don't forget the superior driveability the supercharger kit offers i.e. no cam lope, loss of low and mid range torque, reduced fuel economy, failure to meet emissions etc. If your budget can't afford a supercharger, we'd recommend these products: 1. Chip or Module, 2. Exhaust (where they work), 3. Cool Air Kit (no underhood exposed filters). Remember, 10HP is only 1 car length in the 1/4 mile (.1 sec/1 mph), so it's a little difficult to feel anything less.

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