Takin the PLUNGE!!

[boosted1]

Boosted1, are you associated with Prodigy?

This new turbo is making me sway towards the turbo.. the numbers were better than superchargers before, now they're out of control.

Can someone drive to western Canada and take me for a trail ride??? Ahhh.. that's what I need most. To take a drive in each one.

My name is Wes I am the President of Prodigy Performance LLC.

Our turbo systems are now better than ever. One test drive is all it will take for you to be blown away at the power our system delivers. It is usable off idle performance that has huge power on tap at ALL times. The turbo lag comments are crap, the turbo is responsive and ready to do serious work. Turbochargers are not new but they are the way of the future. Please let me know what questions you have even if it is related to the supercharger companies. We can get them to chime in and give feedback.

[UselessPickles]

It is usable off idle performance that has huge power on tap at ALL times. The turbo lag comments are crap, the turbo is responsive and ready to do serious work

I think reality is somewhere in the middle. I often see exaggerated statements about how laggy turbos are and how they only make power at high rpms. I disagree with those comments, but I wouldn't go as far as saying that "huge power on tap at ALL times"... but keep in mind that I have a manual transmission and don't yet have a boost controller installed.

You only have to look at a dyno chart to see that the biggest gains from the turbo happen in the upper half of the rpm range, so of course I won't have "huge" power down at 2000 rpms when I put the pedal down to the floor with my manual transmission. There's no denying that. Even so, part throttle at lower rpms is very nice with more recent updates to the tune and the upgrade to the Precision turbo. Even under 2500 rpm, I regularly see 1-2 psi boost while catching up/keeping up with traffic using part throttle acceleration, and it feels great. But there's a certain point where you push the throttle just a bit more, and the turbo just can't keep up at the lower engine speeds, and boost stops increasing. The end result is that you reach max acceleration for low rpms before you get to full throttle, and the rest of the pedal travel does nothing but change the sound of the engine slightly. At part throttle, it feels powerful, but when you push the pedal for more, it isn't there. Admittedly, once you get to this point, you probably should have already downshifted anyway. If you try to drive a manual transmission turbo Jeep as if it had a big V8 engine, you will probably be disappointed. But if you adjust your driving style to take advantage of the strengths of the turbo (downshift to get rpms up whenever you want any serious acceleration), you rarely encounter its weaknesses .

But if you have an automatic transmission, huge power really would be just a deliberate press of the throttle away at any time. In the situation I described above, you would still get the perceived low rpm power because part throttle acceleration is great at low rpms, but the transmission will downshift when you ask for more instead of running into that point at low rpms where the turbo just can't flow any more air no matter how much more you push the pedal. Not only will the transmission automatically downshift as necessary, putting you into the upper rpm range where you get huge power, but you also have the benefit of the torque converter. If you're starting from a low speed where the transmission is already down in 1st gear at lower rpms, press the pedal, the torque converter will unlock, rpms will rise, the torque converter will multiply torque some, and you'll have higher exhaust flow spooling the turbo more quickly compared to the same situation with a manual transmission.

Then there's the recent addition of the boost controller to Prodigy's top-of-the-line setup. A wastegate by itself will actually start opening up well before the target boost is reached, slowing down how quickly the turbo finishes spooling up. A boost controller can keep the wastegate completely closed longer, allowing the turbo to spool up more quickly when you put your foot down.

Without a boost controller, my data logs show that (disclaimer: following numbers are approximated from memory) if I'm cruising around 4000 rpm (where the turbo is capable of reaching target boost), then quickly press the pedal to the floor, boost quickly jumps up to about 3/4 of target boost within about 1/2 second, but then takes another 1/4 second to reach full full boost. It's not as extreme as some people will imply, with comments about having to "wait for boost to kick in", etc, but it does make for a "soft" throttle response. It's just not an abrupt/violent sudden kick like a very powerful NA or supercharged engine would be. Adding a boost controller that holds the wastegate closed longer should make this type of situation feel more responsive.

I'd be very interested driving an automatic turbo Jeep to see how it compares in overall "feel", perceived power/responsiveness, etc. I bet the automatic overall feels more powerful/responsive. But a manual transmission is overall more fun to drive

My boost controller is arriving today. Hopefully I'll get a chance to get it all installed and setup within the next week or two. With both an increase in peak boost, and an improvement in spooling, it's possible that lower RPM performance could be significantly improved to the point that I'll be closer to agreeing with Wes that big power is available at all times, even with the manual transmission.

[Yoinkers]

pickles, you have done a lot of work on this turbo, still getting new parts for it to tune it in.... If you could go back in time, would you still do a turbo?

[UselessPickles]

Yes

Overall, I'm very happy with the turbo. And I'll be even happier with it after I get my boost controller and oil catch can installed (BTW: changed my mind yet again, and I'm now going to be using Prodigy's oil catch can kit, which is included with the turbo kits now - part of the reason for the price increase).

The remaining issues I have with the tune seem to be mostly limited to the engine warmup period. With the improved lower RPM performance from the Precision turbo, I can easily avoid those issues while the engine is still warming up. I still suspect an exhaust leak may be contributing to this. It's also possible that adding the boost controller will improve this a bit more. Switching to the Precision turbo, which spools more quickly at lower rpms, made some improvements to this issue. A boost controller will help the turbo spool up even quicker.

Most of the trouble I have gone through was either part of being an early adopter, or caused by my own lack of experience with installing major modifications like this. Some experience/skill/intuition in the area of getting complex aftermarket exhaust systems properly aligned and installed with no leaks would be a huge advantage. Some of the trouble I have gone through has contributed to improvements from Prodigy that everyone will benefit from. So don't let my experience scare you. Almost everything I have had trouble with can be easily avoided when purchasing a current revision of the kit (includes all improvements that have been made since I first bought mine), paying the upcharge for the Precision turbo up front, and having an experienced exhaust and performance mod installer perform the install.

Boost controller is by no means necessary. Just an easy upgrade to get even more.

[Pznivy]

Should have put them all on one truck. KABOOM!

[Matsango]

I'm in NYC so right around seal level maybe 60-70 feet. I got the black ops package and it comes with it. Been looking into them for a while. Just decided it was the better option for me from reading a lot of tuning issues with the magnusun. Have also seen an improvement in fuel economy.

[kevlar21]

so ive been wanting to buy a supercharger for about a year or so now and i finally pulled the trigger on a sprintex unit. i was kind of on the fence about which one to buy and ive seen that many people on here are too. i was really uncertain right up until i saw a used sprintex kit in dallas for 3000$ and i just couldnt let it get away. so its still in the box awaiting install which should be in about a week. (i have to get some last warranty work done and ive heard that a supercharger can void your warranty) i havent seen too much information about how well the tunes work with a manual trans except that theyre generally much less trouble than on automatics. mine is a manual so ill let yall know how it goes. i also want to thank all the other people on these forums that have shared all of thier experience with thier supercharger and turbo installations. i have a 6 speed '13 rubi. its a 2door with a soft top so im really hoping for a 5 second 0-60! anyways heres a teaser:

[Rexx19]

WHOA, i was about to tell you, that you were crazy to go with sprintex, considering how little we know about it. But at a 3k pricetag new in box, you almost have no choice. I too am on the fence. Feels like ive been on the fence forever. Worried that the power mod will ruin my rig. Ive talked to others who are not happy with theirs.

dont get lost on me! i want to know what happens.

[kevlar21]

dont get lost on me! i want to know what happens.

will do. ill post some pics as well as my thoughts once its installed.

[kevlar21]

But at a 3k pricetag new in box, you almost have no choice.

actually it was a used take off. the guy said on craigslist that he payed extra for a longer warranty for his jeep and that he learned after he installed that it voided it, and that sprintex' warranty did not cover returns. i was a bit skeptical, but after meeting him in person i didnt feel like anything was out of place. he explained the entire install and we went thru every piece and made sure the tuner was reset to stock, over about an hour and a half. i suppose it could still be considered a 'gamble' right up until its installed and working properly but im optimistic.