Turbo or Supercharged


dbk

The Favor Factory™
Staff member
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jul 30, 2005
15,187
Metro Detroit
The first thing I'd say here is the opinion of people who have driven all these different variants is worth significantly more than the opinion of those who haven't. Turbos vs. Superchargers is an old argument on the internet, but theory vs. reality is another. What charts show and what theories say is pretty useless when it comes to the rubber meeting the road. I'd also note that goals can make detailed analysis more important or less important depending on your definition of the term. If your goal is "have a huge torque hit at 2k rpm" or "go 230 mph in a standing mph", you'll want to adhere to a specific plan. If your goal is just "have fun in my car" I wouldn't put nearly as much stock in all the theorizing and mathematical analysis. Just drive or ride the two types and you'll be able to come to a decision a lot easier.

Here's my thoughts on the lag situation: My car when it had the pulley and tune made about 530 lb/ft of torque at 4k rpm, and if you stabbed the throttle, it would spin the tires and slide you sideways. My car with the TT setup (and I don't have the graph in front of me, so this is an approximation) made at least 150 rwtq more than that at 4k rpm. If you are at 2k rpm and you stab the throttle in third gear, you will not get the instant hit of torque that you do from a blower car, but to me, it's really all relative. The turbo setup is so $$*%&( fast that by the time you've contemplated any lag it has, you'll be going fast enough to kill yourself and anyone else around. Just think, in the first C&D 0-200-0 shootout years ago, Peak's TT car went 0-100 mph in 6.1 seconds and 10.6@152 mph on street tires. It's a car that will go 60-150 mph in 5-6 seconds, so you really don't have to worry much about waiting around for the fun. Ultimately, when I'm in the GT, I'm going fast, and therefore what the car does between 2-4k rpm is significantly less important to me.

I also agree with Kendall and Skyrex. I didn't have much to say about turbocharged GTs until someone let me drive one. And that was all she wrote.
 

BlackICE

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
1,416
SF Bay Area in California
...Ultimately, when I'm in the GT, I'm going fast, and therefore what the car does between 2-4k rpm is significantly less important to me...

Dave you are starting to sound like an Fcar owner, except for the part about going fast. :lol

attachment.php


Looking like one too!
 
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GT1261

GT Owner
May 28, 2012
315
All this Twin Turbo vs Supercharged ( Whipple 4.0L ) makes me go BANANAZ / CRAZY / LOCO!
I was 100% sure that I was going for a Whipple for the 2013 season, but since I have been reading all the TT guys replies about how FxxKing awesome it is, I am soon damn sure
that I will go for a TT upgrade also. The problem I have here is that no one in Sweden or in Norway probably has ever upgraded a GT and specially not a TT setup.

I have found my guy, a mechanic from Koenigsegg, but he still does not give me any 100% answer if he can do it.

How long time does it take for you americans to convert a stock GT to TT?
 

jaxgt

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Jul 12, 2006
2,794
All this Twin Turbo vs Supercharged ( Whipple 4.0L ) makes me go BANANAZ / CRAZY / LOCO!
I was 100% sure that I was going for a Whipple for the 2013 season, but since I have been reading all the TT guys replies about how FxxKing awesome it is, I am soon damn sure
that I will go for a TT upgrade also. The problem I have here is that no one in Sweden or in Norway probably has ever upgraded a GT and specially not a TT setup.

I have found my guy, a mechanic from Koenigsegg, but he still does not give me any 100% answer if he can do it.

How long time does it take for you americans to convert a stock GT to TT?

kendall and shelby have done lots of TT setups
 

Indy GT

Yea, I got one...too
Mark IV Lifetime
Jan 14, 2006
2,526
Greenwood, IN
Lots of good information here. But as one poster stated, "Here we go again". This topic has been debated in many, many previous threads.

We are 23 comments into this thread with many veteran owners having a tremendous amount of technical hands-on experience with all the forced induction options commenting on the topic. Most of all post the caveat that your decision to SC or TT or SC/TT depends on YOUR goal.

So Belgian GT what is your GOAL?

(Note also Belgian GT is not located in the US and thus the access to experienced TT installers like Kendal, Shelby or Heffener is not an easy trip)
 

Xcentric

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 9, 2012
5,213
Myakka City, Florida
Send Jason Heffner a first class plane ticket for Christmas. It will be a small percentage of the total cost of the TT installation. :lol
 

nota4re

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 15, 2006
4,176
GTSweden - you already know that I am a big advocate of the TT set-up after having done quite a few of them over the past 24 months or so and during that same time we have probably done 2X as many Whipple installs. We did or re-did 6 twin-turbo set-ups in 2012. (By "re-did" I mean that we converted a Version 1 Heffner install to a Version 2.) Ryan (21 years old) did ALL of these installs as well as the Whipples and a few clutch jobs in between. I would place Ryan as one of the most experienced and competent Ford GT mechanics on the planet. I tease him a lot becuase I also contend that he is the slowest mechanic I know. But, it is literally a tongue-in-cheek tease because the truth is that I admire his patience and careful, methodical approach. Using correct fasteners and ALWAYS using torque values from the shop manual are a couple of his very good habits. Anyway, if you elect to do a TT set-up, I would strongly advocate exactly what others have suggested. Fly Eric from Shelby's shop or one of Heffner's top guns, or Ryan in to help you. (My recommended list stops there for Heffner's TT.) It would be a very good investment on your side to make sure the job is done right.
 

GT1261

GT Owner
May 28, 2012
315
GTSweden - you already know that I am a big advocate of the TT set-up after having done quite a few of them over the past 24 months or so and during that same time we have probably done 2X as many Whipple installs. We did or re-did 6 twin-turbo set-ups in 2012. (By "re-did" I mean that we converted a Version 1 Heffner install to a Version 2.) Ryan (21 years old) did ALL of these installs as well as the Whipples and a few clutch jobs in between. I would place Ryan as one of the most experienced and competent Ford GT mechanics on the planet. I tease him a lot becuase I also contend that he is the slowest mechanic I know. But, it is literally a tongue-in-cheek tease because the truth is that I admire his patience and careful, methodical approach. Using correct fasteners and ALWAYS using torque values from the shop manual are a couple of his very good habits. Anyway, if you elect to do a TT set-up, I would strongly advocate exactly what others have suggested. Fly Eric from Shelby's shop or one of Heffner's top guns, or Ryan in to help you. (My recommended list stops there for Heffner's TT.) It would be a very good investment on your side to make sure the job is done right.

Thanks for your reply, IT DOES sound like a very good idea, BUT!!! I am warning you, if you send Ryan over here then he might not come back... Have you ever seen the scandinavian girls??? :wink:wink:wink

Anyway, I am a soundaholicer, so I was thinking of a Whipple because SC usually ads more raspy and an aggressive tone to the exhaust sound BUT! The I like the
idea of having 1000 BHP inches behind your back, with no driving aids!!! Maybe I should take a flight to next Texas Mile or GT Rally to see and feel the TT and the TT S/C carsor even a Whipple modded GT.
 

Mullet

FORD GT OWNER
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 21, 2008
2,468
Houston Texas
Thanks for your reply, IT DOES sound like a very good idea, BUT!!! I am warning you, if you send Ryan over here then he might not come back... Have you ever seen the scandinavian girls??? :wink:wink:wink

Anyway, I am a soundaholicer, so I was thinking of a Whipple because SC usually ads more raspy and an aggressive tone to the exhaust sound BUT! The I like the
idea of having 1000 BHP inches behind your back, with no driving aids!!! Maybe I should take a flight to next Texas Mile or GT Rally to see and feel the TT and the TT S/C carsor even a Whipple modded GT.

If you like cool sounds a SC/TT setup is VERY hard to beat. Turbo whine all the time. 1200rpm cruising around the streets.....turbo whine. It can even be heard on the freeway.

here you go......

[video=youtube;EMfBmW4cApo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMfBmW4cApo[/video]
 

GT1261

GT Owner
May 28, 2012
315
Simply amazing sound!!! Thanks Mullet
 

Vince H

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 23, 2012
2,417
Southern California
Symphony of awesome. Thanks Mr. Mullet.

Vince H
 

jaxgt

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Jul 12, 2006
2,794
Amazing audio. Wow.
Actually, if you are going the TT route, I think flying out one of the TT experts is the way to go.
Price spent will be far less than aggravation of having a GT newbie install it.
 

RPM217

2005 white/blue stripe
Jun 18, 2010
1,658
Rye Brook, New York
Like the "flame thrower"!!!!
 

2112

Blue/white 06'
Mark II Lifetime
Filmed in the streets of Mexico? :biggrin

What is the "flame thrower" running?
 

Mullet

FORD GT OWNER
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 21, 2008
2,468
Houston Texas
Filmed in the streets of Mexico? :biggrin

What is the "flame thrower" running?

SC and spray
 

Mullet

FORD GT OWNER
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 21, 2008
2,468
Houston Texas
few more for sounds. Please keep these videos here, don't repost.


My lambo (1550+ hp)

[video=youtube;4ffzJB3SCyM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ffzJB3SCyM[/video]



[video=youtube;KWGJzwyzRlo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWGJzwyzRlo[/video]

210mph pull
[video=youtube;k8xKCrOlcuc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8xKCrOlcuc[/video]

[video=youtube;-umhNtR4mC8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-umhNtR4mC8[/video]
 

GT1261

GT Owner
May 28, 2012
315
My > God Damn < reaction to the sound from your GT when cleaning of the wheels.

goddamn.jpg