Vortech vs Maggie

[vinyljunkie]

Know the product before you post. Im not gonna say which one. Ive seen and drove both products. (recently)

Sorry its a bit long for the ones that dont want to click on the link.

Here read this before you buy any SC.

Roots Superchargers

There are three types of superchargers: Roots, twin-screw and centrifugal. The main difference is how they move air to the intake manifold of the engine. Roots and twin-screw superchargers use different types of meshing lobes, and a centrifugal supercharger uses an impeller, which draws air in. Although all of these designs provide a boost, they differ considerably in their efficiency. Each type of supercharger is available in different sizes, depending on whether you just want to give your car a boost or compete in a race.

The Roots supercharger is the oldest design. Philander and Francis Roots patented the design in 1860 as a machine that would help ventilate mine shafts. In 1900, Gottleib Daimler included a Roots supercharger in a car engine.

As the meshing lobes spin, air trapped in the pockets between the lobes is carried between the fill side and the discharge side. Large quantities of air move into the intake manifold and "stack up" to create positive pressure. For this reason, Roots superchargers are really nothing more than air blowers, and the term "blower" is still often used to describe all superchargers.

Roots superchargers are usually large and sit on top of the engine. They are popular in muscle cars and hot rods because they stick out of the hood of the car. However, they are the least efficient supercharger for two reasons: They add more weight to the vehicle and they move air in discrete bursts instead of in a smooth and continuous flow.


Twin-screw Superchargers

A twin-screw supercharger operates by pulling air through a pair of meshing lobes that resemble a set of worm gears. Like the Roots supercharger, the air inside a twin-screw supercharger is trapped in pockets created by the rotor lobes. But a twin-screw supercharger compresses the air inside the rotor housing. That's because the rotors have a conical taper, which means the air pockets decrease in size as air moves from the fill side to the discharge side. As the air pockets shrink, the air is squeezed into a smaller space.

This makes twin-screw superchargers more efficient, but they cost more because the screw-type rotors require more precision in the manufacturing process. Some types of twin-screw superchargers sit above the engine like the Roots supercharger. They also make a lot of noise. The compressed air exiting the discharge outlet creates a whine or whistle that must be subdued with noise suppression techniques.

Centrifugal Superchargers

A centrifugal supercharger powers an impeller -- a device similar to a rotor -- at very high speeds to quickly draw air into a small compressor housing. Impeller speeds can reach 50,000 to 60,000 RPM. As the air is drawn in at the hub of the impeller, centrifugal force causes it to radiate outward. The air leaves the impeller at high speed, but low pressure. A diffuser -- a set of stationary vanes that surround the impeller -- converts the high-speed, low-pressure air to low-speed, high-pressure air. Air molecules slow down when they hit the vanes, which reduces the velocity of the airflow and increases pressure

Centrifugal superchargers are the most efficient and the most common of all forced induction systems. They are small, lightweight and attach to the front of the engine instead of the top. They also make a distinctive whine as the engine revs up -- a quality that may turn heads out on the street.

Any of these superchargers can be added to a vehicle as an after-market enhancement. Several companies offer kits that come with all of the parts necessary to install a supercharger as a do-it-yourself project. In the world of funny cars and fuel racers, such customization is an integral part of the sport. Several auto manufacturers also include superchargers in their production models.

Here is the review from Edmunds.com about Vortech:

Quote:
It's an unforgettable grinding whine. Sort of like a puma's growl before it pounces, but more menacing, higher pitched and just evil. And it comes when this 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS by Vortech Engineering starts up and its 6.2-liter V8 settles into an idle. Nothing sounds quite like a Vortech centrifugal supercharger.

In this case it's the same V-3 Si-Trim blower from Vortech Engineering that had been bolted into the Speedfactory supercharged Dodge Challenger SRT8 that we drove last January. Some people would want to pull out their molars if they had to listen to the persistent scream of a centrifugal supercharger. Others would record the sound and put it on their iPod. Either way, it's a distinctive, intimidating sound, so different from a turbocharger or even a Roots-type supercharger. Bolt a Vortech supercharger up to any car's engine, and the well-educated world knows what's under the hood even before it's opened.

So we have the Vortech supercharger here, and it's working with the 6.2-liter V8 of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS. We're expecting the sort of performance that flattens eyeballs, cracks open skulls and inspires Alan Jackson songs. This combination should work even better because this particular Camaro is equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission.

No Shift, Sherlock
Vortech Engineering has been in the supercharger business for a long time, and it knows that the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS will be sold with a lot more six-speed automatics than six-speed manuals — something like four automatics to every manual, in fact.

But the automatic Camaro SS carries GM's L99 V8, which is rated at 400 horsepower at 5,900 rpm, while the manual Camaro SS gets GM's LS3 V8, which is rated at 426 hp at 5,900 rpm. Meanwhile, the L99 also produces a bit less torque than the LS3 V8, 410 pound-feet of torque at 4,300 rpm compared to 420 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm. Compression ratio is the big difference, as the L99 runs at 10.4:1, while the LS3 squeezes tighter at 10.7:1. Also the L99 engine runs GM's Active Fuel Management, which deactivates cylinders under light throttle loads to improve fuel economy.

The L99's slightly lower compression ratio and slightly lower torque peak both work to the advantage of the Vortech installation, however. First, the slightly lower compression ratio makes the engine more compatible with forced induction because there's less risk of detonation. Second, a centrifugal blower is more effective at higher rpm than a Roots-type blower (as used in Hennessey Performance Engineering's HPE550 Camaro), so its characteristic blower heave past about 4,000 rpm works well with a torque curve that's meatier at the bottom end.

And as far as GM's cylinder deactivation system is concerned, we didn't detect any problems.

Blow by Blow
A compact centrifugal supercharger is easier to package than a big Roots-type blower, so the Vortech Engineering installation is a neat piece of complicated packaging. The V-3 supercharger sits on the left side of the engine bay and is bolted to the engine by two plates of billet aluminum. It sucks air through a custom roto-molded cold-air induction system, then sends the compressed air charge through a 3-inch mandrel-bend aluminum tube to an air-to-air intercooler that sits just below the front bumper. From there, the compressed air has a straight shot back up to the throttle body and into the cylinders.

Driving the blower is a 10-rib belt that runs down to a pulley on the crank. An automatic tensioner keeps the belt taut and a new crank damper smoothes out any vibration from the bigger bangs in the cylinders.

To feed the engine the greater volume of fuel it needs, Vortech replaces the injectors with high-flow units and then reflashes the memory in the Camaro's engine control computer to deal with the onslaught. A Vortech bypass valve is plumbed in to keep boost levels down at 8.5 psi. The result is 603 hp at 5,900 rpm and 518 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm.

Besides the supercharger system itself, the only changes to this 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS have been the addition of a mellow-sounding Corsa cat-back exhaust system ($1,599.99, not including $200 installation) and a pair of 275/40R20 Nitto Extreme Drag NT55R tires ($584). Vortech didn't touch the suspension and the car even wears the same wheels Chevy bolted to it on the assembly line in Oshawa, Ontario.

But it's not the drive belt, pipes or programming that matter. It's the speed.

Blast to Last
With the shift lever in Drive and a drag strip technique that consists of planting the accelerator and getting a death grip on the steering wheel, this vicious beast blasts from zero to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds (3.8 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). The quarter-mile simply vanishes in 12.33 seconds at 115.4 mph.

The obvious comparison here is to the Chevrolet Camaro HPE550 by Hennessey Performance Engineering, another supercharged monster. That machine, running a six-speed manual transmission, was a bit quicker over the quarter-mile, doing the deed in 12.1 seconds at 120.1 mph. But it is behind the Vortech automatic in the 0-60 contest, since it takes 4.3 seconds (4.0 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) to accomplish the feat.

For the record, the Vortech Camaro is much quicker than a stock Camaro SS. It's a full seven-tenths of a second quicker to 60 mph than our previous SS test car, which came equipped with a manual transmission. (In fact, the Vortech Camaro is the first Camaro SS we've driven with the automatic transmission.)

But the numbers only tell part of the story. The Hennessey-built Camaro is an absolutely vicious brute. It's the sort of machine that sends children scurrying for cover and can punish a driver for a moment's inattention. On the other hand, the Vortech machine is equally quick and yet laid-back at the same time — it's more manageable and easygoing.

This Camaro's automatic transmission is an important part of the equation. Vortech has done an outstanding job of matching the engine with the transmission. Left in Drive and with part throttle used, the engine will rev to somewhere just north of three grand and shift — no real boost effect is felt. Left in Drive and with the throttle floored, the engine will hit the boost at about 4,000 rpm and scream to 6,000 rpm before shifting with a satisfying whump. And if that's not enough, the transmission can be shifted to a manual operation mode that lets you choose your gear with trigger switches on the backside of the steering wheel spokes. Overall, there's some deterioration in throttle application linearity (when the blower hits, it hits hard), but around town this Camaro will putter along like a Cushman scooter.

Smokin'
To some peculiar minds, the essence of any supercharger installation is the ability of the car to generate massive blue-gray clouds of tire smoke in a burnout. Surprisingly enough, it takes some very specific techniques to get the Vortech Camaro to generate a haze of burning rubber.

Turn off the stability control, hold down the brake pedal and hit the accelerator pedal, and the engine will rise to 2,000 rpm and just spin steadily while the brake pedal seems to press back against your foot as if the car is trying to break free. This is, after all, an engine computer programmed by GM to avoid warranty problems.

So to generate the smoke, it takes a light touch on the brake — just enough to lock the front wheels — and a light, progressive touch on the throttle. Done right, the engine will climb into the meat of its power band and generate enough smoke to make even burnout connoisseurs shudder in giddy ecstasy.

But for most of us, burnouts are just a stunt — a fun way to burn off some tire tread. A burnout probably isn't enough of a reason to send $6,960.50 to Vortech Engineering, Inc. for its supercharger kit for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS and then set aside about $1,500 for the installation. The better reason is that Vortech hardware makes an already quick car into the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS Supercharged by Vortech Engineering, which is a serious challenger to Vipers and Ferraris.

And while it sounds nasty, it runs sweet.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.

Hope that helped.
Heres the link.

http://camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38022

[axis]

Originally Posted by chappy48

Depends on your definition of better. It's a much weaker torque curve down low and therefore might be a little easier on the drive train. And the driveability of the Maggie is like stock...so don't know what you mean by that.

I understand it can be driven like stock, if you're mindful not to get into the throttle too much at lower RPM's. Having that much insta tq can sometimes be difficult to keep out of though. This is what I mean by better driveablity. Maybe I should have said, more forgiving.

Originally Posted by Jontall

It depends on what you're doing with the car. For a street car (very limited track), the Magnacharger is hard to beat and their support is fantastic. If the car is going to see the track regularly, then buy the Procharger.

Why would you hamper yourself with one type of driving when the VT and PC would nicely fill both rolls and for around the same price? I TOTALLY understand why people went with the maggie. It was the first to hit the market, offered great gains, easy install, and looks nice. I think the "first to the market" was the biggest reason they are ahead in the install count. Now that most everyone is done with their research and developement, I think the newer offerings will become more commonplace, especially since they are all priced about the same. We need to have this same thread, but include ALL the FI options, 6 months to a year from now.

[Brian@Vortech]

Of course Magnacharger makes a good product for the Camaros, we would never try to state otherwise. However, you'll never find a better Supercharging System for the Gen. 5 Camaro than the Vortech.

POWER - How does 625hp on a completely stock LS3 sound? Need more? The V-3 Si-Trim Supercharger included with the standard Vortech System will support up to 775hp. Still not enough? The optional V-7 YSi-Trim Supercharger will support up to 1,200hp. Everything in the kit is already optimized for you to upgrade the boost and the power just as soon as you are ready. The ducting is optimized for big power, the standard intercooler included with every system is sufficiently sized for over 1,000 hp right out of the box. The dedicated 10-Rib Supercharger Drive System will easily support as much power as your heart desires, with provisions for a manual tensioner, multiple tensioner mounting points, and even an optional 50mm cog drive for when too much is still just not quite enough.

RELIABILITY - We have superchargers with over 300,000 miles on them that have never needed any service of any kind, and are still out there making great boost and showing the other guys how it's done. The reliability of a Vortech is what has allowed us to become who we are in this industry. Ask the guys who bought A-Trims and B-Trims back in the early 90's and are still beating down the competition with them today. Ask the 5 or 6 customers per week I speak to over the phone who have over 100,000 miles on their S-Trims and want to raise their boost level or upgrade to a larger compressor. If you want reliability, you won't find a better choice than Vortech.

MAINTENANCE - How about 10 minutes every 7,500 miles? Simply jack up the front of your car, open the valve on the oil drain line, drain it into an empty soda bottle or similar container, close the valve back up, and refill the compressor with oil from the top with one of the pre-measured refill bottles included with your supercharging system. There is even a dipstick to check the oil level.

DRIVEABILITY - Smooth, seamless acceleration that will never stop pulling. The Vortech Supercharger will provide you with usable power across the entire power band, and put a permanent grin on your face every time you put your right foot down.

If anyone has any further questions about the Vortech System or any of its components, feel free to pm me or contact me directly.

[Gary B]

Well said Brian!!

[SPANKT U]

Originally Posted by Brian@Vortech

Of course Magnacharger makes a good product for the Camaros, we would never try to state otherwise. However, you'll never find a better Supercharging System for the Gen. 5 Camaro than the Vortech.

POWER - How does 625hp on a completely stock LS3 sound? Need more? The V-3 Si-Trim Supercharger included with the standard Vortech System will support up to 775hp. Still not enough? The optional V-7 YSi-Trim Supercharger will support up to 1,200hp. Everything in the kit is already optimized for you to upgrade the boost and the power just as soon as you are ready. The ducting is optimized for big power, the standard intercooler included with every system is sufficiently sized for over 1,000 hp right out of the box. The dedicated 10-Rib Supercharger Drive System will easily support as much power as your heart desires, with provisions for a manual tensioner, multiple tensioner mounting points, and even an optional 50mm cog drive for when too much is still just not quite enough.

RELIABILITY - We have superchargers with over 300,000 miles on them that have never needed any service of any kind, and are still out there making great boost and showing the other guys how it's done. The reliability of a Vortech is what has allowed us to become who we are in this industry. Ask the guys who bought A-Trims and B-Trims back in the early 90's and are still beating down the competition with them today. Ask the 5 or 6 customers per week I speak to over the phone who have over 100,000 miles on their S-Trims and want to raise their boost level or upgrade to a larger compressor. If you want reliability, you won't find a better choice than Vortech.

MAINTENANCE - How about 10 minutes every 7,500 miles? Simply jack up the front of your car, open the valve on the oil drain line, drain it into an empty soda bottle or similar container, close the valve back up, and refill the compressor with oil from the top with one of the pre-measured refill bottles included with your supercharging system. There is even a dipstick to check the oil level.

DRIVEABILITY - Smooth, seamless acceleration that will never stop pulling. The Vortech Supercharger will provide you with usable power across the entire power band, and put a permanent grin on your face every time you put your right foot down.

If anyone has any further questions about the Vortech System or any of its components, feel free to pm me or contact me directly.

These numbers are at the engine, right?

[mtcwby]

Originally Posted by SPANKT U

These numbers are at the engine, right?

These are rwhp numbers at 7.5 psi here in CO. 9.5 psi at sea level. With ARH long tubes and 3" exhaust. Vortech is alot easier to do maintenance on compared to the maggie also. It has alot less moving parts to go bad also.

[Slowhawk]

I've been lucky enough to install/drive pretty much every supercharger system out there so I'm very unbias by what I own.

The Maggie is good for low rpm power which the new system(finally)the 2300 can sustain up top too.It has more of a turbo feel with alot of torque down low.

The Vortech/Procharger is more linier by throttle position and rpm.They will pull harder as the rpm goes up.

Both are extremely reliable.The decission comes down to the customer and what kind of "feel" they want.

I would like to push the Maggie into a respectable power range all over.I haven't seen anyone push them on a stock motor.I'll definitely have to try 12-14lbs out of one shortly since we already hit 700rwhp out of a Procharged,header 2010 with 12-14lbs.

[BUMBLEB]

Maggie all the way

[94guy]

which one is faster at the track?

[GMRULZ]

L99 (Max rpm of motor is low) = Maggie
LS3 (Max rpm of motor is higher) = Vortech

Thats if the internals are stock.

Bling factor goes to polished maggie

[1bacamaro]

i am putting mine on right now. mine has been real easy since its in the body shop. i know the owner so he is letting me put it on while he is waiting for so parts to come in.

[Will@Apf]

For me Vortech all the way !!! And no Comparison. if there is I'm all ears..two totally diff power adders. Both great but different

If you plan on making a bunch of power later down the road Vortech
If you never plan on getting dirty or making 650 without going the Meth route, all the extra pipes tubes and wires not to mention trying to find mail order vendor and extra hazmat fees.. too each his own i guess.. Go Maggie


reliability both are great!

[FRKNlo]

Originally Posted by Will@Apf

For me Vortech all the way !!! And no Comparison. if there is I'm all ears..two totally diff power adders. Both great but different

If you plan on making a bunch of power later down the road Vortech
If you never plan on getting dirty or making 650 without going the Meth route, all the extra pipes tubes and wires not to mention trying to find mail order vendor and extra hazmat fees.. too each his own i guess.. Go Maggie


reliability both are great!

hazmat fees?

[Will@Apf]

Originally Posted by FRKNlo

hazmat fees?

LOL... It's just what I hear..