Not All Boost is Created Equal.
SPORTCAR MOTION'S TIME ATTACK CIVIC GETS KRAFTWERKS SUPERCHARGED
Apr 16th, 2009 // Article By: Skunk2 Staff // Photographer: Skunk2 Staff
Many are familiar with the white, Skunk2-sponsored Sportcar Motion Civic hatchback that’s been dominating the FWD Modified time attack class as of late. Owner Loi Song, while already pleased with the way the car’s performed with its naturally aspirated K24 platform, has decided to crank it up a notch by making the leap to "the next evolution of supercharging" using a Kraftwerks K-Race Supercharger kit. In preparation for the 2009 Redline Time Attack series, as well as Song's participation in the upcoming Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge, the car was delivered to Skunk2’s facilities for the transformation.
In naturally aspirated trim, the K24 setup that helped propel this Civic to its many wins produced roughly 290 hp to the wheels. It’s got a fully built bottom end featuring 13.7:1 high-compression pistons, a Port Flow Design cylinder head, Skunk2 Stage 3 cams, Skunk2 Pro Series Valve Springs, Skunk2 Ti Retainers, Skunk2 Megapower K-Swap Header, a ported RBC intake manifold, and a Skunk2 70mm Throttle Body. While some may consider forced induction with such high-compression, naturally aspirated setups dangerous, the Skunk2 and Kraftwerks team opted to stick with the current engine, rely on solid tuning, and see what kind of power it might make.
One advantage the Rotrex supercharger has is its ability to minimize heat. Unlike turbochargers that rely on hot exhaust gases for spinning the compressor, or other supercharger units that are lubricated by the engine's oil, the Rotrex unit is belt-driven and has a dedicated oil supply and cooler. This allows the Rotrex supercharger to produce boosted temperatures that are near ambient. Combine those characteristics with smooth and progressive boost delivery, and the ability to utilize a higher-compression engine, and it’s easy to see why the Rotrex supercharger is so manageable.
Customers have several choices when selecting their Kraftwerks K-Race Supercharger kit, including supercharger size, supercharger pulley size, and the customer’s crank pulley size, which all contribute to how the system will perform. The choices allow for power targets to be met based on each application.
For further details, refer to the Kraftwerks K-Race kit page for more info. For Loi's car, based off of his engine setup and the previous K-Race kits we've done, we opted for a C38-71 supercharger, a 110mm supercharger pulley, and a 138mm RSX Type-S crank pulley. The C38-71 unit is capable of flowing just over 900 CFM, which according to Rotrex, should be good for anywhere between 450-550 whp. With such a pulley size we should be able to spin the engine to roughly 9200 rpm without over-spinning the charger, causing damage. It should be interesting
Loi's setup will be explored further in an effort to see what the engine likes most. The Skunk2 Stage 3 cams may even end up being removed as we test other cams in search of the ideal setup. We hope to provide consumers with detailed coverage of the build-up and tuning process to help guide others that may be interested in adding a Kraftwerks supercharger to their K-series setup.
Take a look at the pics of the current transformation and stay tuned as we continue to keep you updated on Loi's 2009 time attack performance and the results of the Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge!
In naturally aspirated trim, the K24 setup that helped propel this Civic to its many wins produced roughly 290 hp to the wheels. It’s got a fully built bottom end featuring 13.7:1 high-compression pistons, a Port Flow Design cylinder head, Skunk2 Stage 3 cams, Skunk2 Pro Series Valve Springs, Skunk2 Ti Retainers, Skunk2 Megapower K-Swap Header, a ported RBC intake manifold, and a Skunk2 70mm Throttle Body. While some may consider forced induction with such high-compression, naturally aspirated setups dangerous, the Skunk2 and Kraftwerks team opted to stick with the current engine, rely on solid tuning, and see what kind of power it might make.
One advantage the Rotrex supercharger has is its ability to minimize heat. Unlike turbochargers that rely on hot exhaust gases for spinning the compressor, or other supercharger units that are lubricated by the engine's oil, the Rotrex unit is belt-driven and has a dedicated oil supply and cooler. This allows the Rotrex supercharger to produce boosted temperatures that are near ambient. Combine those characteristics with smooth and progressive boost delivery, and the ability to utilize a higher-compression engine, and it’s easy to see why the Rotrex supercharger is so manageable.
Customers have several choices when selecting their Kraftwerks K-Race Supercharger kit, including supercharger size, supercharger pulley size, and the customer’s crank pulley size, which all contribute to how the system will perform. The choices allow for power targets to be met based on each application.
For further details, refer to the Kraftwerks K-Race kit page for more info. For Loi's car, based off of his engine setup and the previous K-Race kits we've done, we opted for a C38-71 supercharger, a 110mm supercharger pulley, and a 138mm RSX Type-S crank pulley. The C38-71 unit is capable of flowing just over 900 CFM, which according to Rotrex, should be good for anywhere between 450-550 whp. With such a pulley size we should be able to spin the engine to roughly 9200 rpm without over-spinning the charger, causing damage. It should be interesting
Loi's setup will be explored further in an effort to see what the engine likes most. The Skunk2 Stage 3 cams may even end up being removed as we test other cams in search of the ideal setup. We hope to provide consumers with detailed coverage of the build-up and tuning process to help guide others that may be interested in adding a Kraftwerks supercharger to their K-series setup.
Take a look at the pics of the current transformation and stay tuned as we continue to keep you updated on Loi's 2009 time attack performance and the results of the Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge!
