Electric Superchargers
Preliminary Information
Electric Superchargers are an effective way to gain a fairly substantial amount of horsepower for a very low cost. Not only are they inexpensive to build, they are generally easy to install and are safe for your engine if installed and built correctly. The Electric Supercharger installs right onto your cars stock intake system. When choosing your main Supercharger Blower unit, be sure to purchase a unit with the highest amount of CFM.
In most cases you will need at least 500cfm of power to receive a boost great enough to give you any substantial gains. If at all possible we highly recommend building the 24,000rpm unit that will produce up to a 2psi equivalent boost!
Tools and Materials
Tools Materials
1) Assorted Screwdrivers (flathead, starhead, etc.)
2) Needle Nose Pliers
3) Hammer
4) Hacksaw
5) Wire Crimps
6) Scissors
7) Drill 1) (V1) Attwood Turbo 4000 Blower (Available from Marine Supply Stores)
or
(V2) For the 24,000rpm supercharger (1) Watt-Age 3" fan with motor. Or if possible with the Cobalt Motor!
To find the location to purchase these parts please read at the end of these instructions.
2) 3" Diameter Piece of Soft Pipe (available from Home Depot)
3) (1) SPST Momentary Push Button Switch
4) (1) Roll of Electric Tape
5) (1) Metal Bracket
6) (1) 25ft. roll of 12-Gauge Wire
7) K & N or equivalent Cone Air Filter
8) Miscellaneous Filter Clamps
Installation Instructions:
Please note that it is recommended that you use this with an aftermarket intake for best results. Also if used with a stock intake you may have to modify either the intake system or modify the in-line blower, this is an option, but not recommended.
NOTE: Both Versions of the Electric Supercharger 8,000rpm version and 24,000rpm version are built and installed using the same methods. We highly recommend the 24,000rpm unit with the Cobalt motor as it will produce much better airflow than the cheaper 8,000rpm unit will
For use on aftermarket intakes, simply insert the blower in the intake right before the air filter. Please make sure the airflow arrow is pointing towards the engine.
If you are installing in a factory intake you may have to modify the intake or the blower. Once again, please take note that I do not recommend modifying the intake.
Once you get the fan-installed reconnect the air filter.
Next connect a piece of the 12 gauge wire to the ground terminal of the battery, and then run the wire neatly to the ground wire (black) on the fan. Please be sure to note that the keyword in the previous sentence is NEAT, you don't want it coming loose and getting in the way of moving parts, plus you want it to look good don't you!
Now you will connect a piece of 12 gauge wire to the positive terminal of the battery and run it neatly to the throttle body, be sure to leave about 3 inches of wire to work with here, you will need it later. As mentioned before, keep the wire neat and secure!! Need to have it look good!!
Next you will have to run a piece of 12 gauge wire from the in-line-blowers positive wire up to the throttle body, once again you will want to secure the wire neatly and leave about 3 inches to work with here.
Next you will want to connect the 2 wires to the Mini switch.
Be sure to properly wrap any bare wires around the switch with the electrical tape so that they will not touch each other or something else if they come loose. Another option is to wrap the wires in heat shrink tubing, but this is up to you.
Now, with everything hooked up, press the button and make sure the fan comes on. If it does not, be sure to check all your connections and make sure they are all secure.
Now comes the tough part. Depending on your car, you will have to mount the switch in a position where it is activated during wide-open-throttle. Below is a picture of my car where you could mount the switch on the throttle body so that the switch is depressed only at wide-open-throttle. The Red mark represents where the switch would be mounted, the blue mark is the part of the throttle that would come in contact with the switch at wide-open-throttle. The second picture is the how it would look at wide-open-throttle, so you can see how it would depress the button.
Depending on your vehicle, you can install the button in a way that your throttle depresses the button and turns the fan on at wide-open throttle. If you can't seem to find a way to mount the switch anywhere on the throttle body; you can alternatively run the wires into the cabin and mount the switch so that the gas pedal will push the button when it is stomped to the floor, which would be at wide-open-throttle. This part of the installation, you are partly on your own because you will have to take different approaches depending on what car you have. Be sure you really mount the switch well, you do not want it to come loose and interfere with the operation of the throttle, this would be very dangerous, not only for your car, but for your safety also.
If this should ever happen, be sure to shut off your engine, but do not turn the key so much that your steering will lock on you. An alternative to doing this is to just put your car in neutral until you can come to a complete stop and then shut your car off, this will eliminate the possibility of your steering locking up before you can come to a complete stop. This method may be a little harder on your engine, but it is much safer for you.
Diagrams of Electric Supercharger
Diagram 1:
As you can see the electric supercharger fits onto your intake system just as any regular aftermarket cold air intake would. The only difference is the electric blower unit is inserted between the MAFS and the actual intake tube. Although it is not entirely necessary, we highly recommend using a cone air filter as part of your intake. This will allow much better airflow and ensure that the air coming into your engine is cool.
Diagram 2:
This diagram outlines the wiring procedure for the supercharger. You can also see how the supercharger connects to the relay and accelerator pedal switch. If at all possible print these instructions for easy installation.
Pictures of Components and Installed Electric Supercharger
The cobalt motor is used in conjunction with the Watt-Age 3" fan to produce the 24,000 rpm supercharger. The unit is available for only from:
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/131480.asp
The Watt-Age 3" or 4" fans are capable of spinning up to 24,000rpm under a 12 Volt power source. These units will produce roughly 3 ft. pounds of air pressure or about a 1-2psi equivalent boost under most applications. The complete fan with pre-installed motor is available for only $26.99 from:
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/131401.asp
For maximum results we recommend replacing the fans stock motor with the above mentioned cobalt motor!
Picture of the installed electric supercharger on a BMW M3.
NOTE: For even greater performance you can always double up the boost by using 2 electric superchargers in-line with each other. This can be extremely effective at producing great horsepower gains.
So where can I find the needed parts?
Inline blower (V1):
http://www.amarket.com/imbl03.htm http://www.sandiegomarine.com/products. ... 1&subcat=8 http://www.cpostores.com/hamiltonmarine/browse.cfm/), or you can call a boat shop in your area.
Watt-Age 3" fan (V2):
http://www.electricjetfactory.com/ or
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/131401.asp
or you can call a local hobby shop.
The cobalt motor can be found here:
http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/131480.asp (ASK ABOUT UPGRADING FROM THE PREVIOUS UNIT, THEY WILL BE WILLING TO HELP HOWEVER THEY CAN!)
Push button switch: Radio shack (part # 275-1556a)($2.39)
ThexLegend is not responsible for any work that you perform on your car, we are not qualified technicians or mechanics, and this is just how we would personally approach doing this on our car. Please understand that attempting this is at your own risk if something goes wrong.
The links added are mostly for US companies thought the same parts can be sourced from the same company type here in the UK.
