Amazing that sprintex would be able to come up with as much support as ripp. no one has them, and the one guy that did, took it off. LOL. Thats not a good review.
EDELBROCK E-FORCE
RIPP
SPRINTEX
MAGNUSSON
Amazing that sprintex would be able to come up with as much support as ripp. no one has them, and the one guy that did, took it off. LOL. Thats not a good review.
...and that is why I just decided on going with RIPP!Originally Posted by Yoinkers
It was not just your post, or the guy who decided to do an LS3 because he could not get his to work. It was all of the pages I just read about the lack of support that guys with 3.8 liter JKs griped about, along with only 2 owners saying they were happy.
I wish I could put some faith in the Sprintex, but there is not much data out there from owners on the net, and that is possibly due to 3.8 JK guys being disenfranchised by the issues and lack of support the faced years ago. The modern 3.6 JK Sprintex might be awesome for my manual JKUR, but I will never know because other than one YouTube video of a 5.3 LS JKU getting beat in a drag race by an otherwise comparably equipped Sprintex SC 3.6 JKU, no one is saying how great they are except Sprintex.
RIPP may have the advantage of better market penetration and very good marketing, but they are doing something else right to get the brand loyalty from their customers. This is a matter of perspective since all of my research is internet based, however, that internet presence is critical not only to selling a product, but refining and servicing it as well.
Here is my totally unscientific perspective/reasoning for all forced induction options I could find and how I came to a conclusion:
Edelbrock E-Force: heat-soak issues by design, similar to Magnuson, possibly improved, but too new and almost no owner data out there (unknown quantity other than Eaton rotors and solid Edelbrock reputation)
Magnuson: heat-soak, solid base of owners who seem pleased overall, could have been engineered better: to allow oil change, electric pump down low near axle could be an issue regarding water/mud (known quantity)
ProCharger: similar to RIPP, but with almost zero data available even from the company (unknown quantity)
Sprintex: looks great on paper, but still seems extremely susceptible to heat-soak, and if there are happy owners of this product for 3.6, I can't find them; probably because of Sprintex issues with 3.8 SC (understand RIPP went through issues as well, however, it is how these issues were dealt with that matters)
Prodigy Turbo: maybe the best price for the power, likely most efficient system because it is turbo, susceptible to water intrusion, heat is an issue for any turbo system (can require multiple add-ons, turbo timer, etc), fastest 0-60, but not the best for me to install or purchase (higher upfront cost)
RIPP: not ideal power delivery for me, but great peak power, susceptible to water, least susceptible to heat-soak, efficient power delivery, 2nd best 0-60 time, everyone loves them, bugs appear to be worked out (known quantity Vortech V3)
The only heat-related issue I have experienced with the turbo was excessive intake temps with the stage 1 kit (no intercooler) after back-to-back repeated attempts to race up a steep sand dune on a hot, sunny summer day. Not unreasonable, if you ask me. With the intercooler installed, I'm not worried about heat at all (of course, I'll still give it a break to cool down a bit after lots of hard driving on the sand dunes). I have monitored coolant temps and intake temps under various conditions and have not seen any evidence of heat being an issue to be concerned about.
A turbo timer isn't necessary if you're smart. Don't park it immediately after doing some full throttle high boost runs. If you just drive sanely when you get near your destination, everything will cool down quicker than idling stationary at your destination. If you do, for some reason, park soon after using all the boost, just let it idle for a minute or so (until radiator fan stops running on high speed).
BTW - turbo timer doesn't work so well on a manual transmission if you like to park in gear
One thing to be aware of with the Vortech supercharger is that starting it up at low temperatures can damage it, and is not covered under warranty.
Source: http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/images/94.pdfIn order to achieve the low noise level of Vortech
superchargers, Vortech specifies manufacturing
procedures that call for minimal internal clearance.
These precise tolerances however are not
conducive to temperatures below 25° F. Therefore,
storing the vehicle in a heated garage and/or
employing the use of an engine block
heater/aftermarket engine blanket is required when
the vehicle is subjected to a "cold startup" in
ambient temperatures below 25° F. Failure to
comply with this may result in immediate
supercharger failure and invalidate the
supercharger warranty.
Warranty document also mentions that cold starts void the warranty: http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/images/92.pdf
Damn UselessPickles...The only heat-related issue I have experienced with the turbo was excessive intake temps with the stage 1 kit (no intercooler) after back-to-back repeated attempts to race up a steep sand dune on a hot, sunny summer day. Not unreasonable, if you ask me. With the intercooler installed, I'm not worried about heat at all (of course, I'll still give it a break to cool down a bit after lots of hard driving on the sand dunes). I have monitored coolant temps and intake temps under various conditions and have not seen any evidence of heat being an issue to be concerned about.
A turbo timer isn't necessary if you're smart. Don't park it immediately after doing some full throttle high boost runs. If you just drive sanely when you get near your destination, everything will cool down quicker than idling stationary at your destination. If you do, for some reason, park soon after using all the boost, just let it idle for a minute or so (until radiator fan stops running on high speed).
BTW - turbo timer doesn't work so well on a manual transmission if you like to park in gear
One thing to be aware of with the Vortech supercharger is that starting it up at low temperatures can damage it, and is not covered under warranty.
Source: http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/images/94.pdf
Warranty document also mentions that cold starts void the warranty: http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/images/92.pdf
Just when I thought I was out, you bring me back in! Just messing with you, I GREATLY appreciate your very thorough analytical perspective.
I really like the Prodigy Stage II, but to trick it out is very expensive and the installation looks like a bitch. I will take another hard look at Prodigy before I pull the trigger. I really love turbos and have extensive ownership experience with turbo diesels; all OEM setups, which makes me less comfortable with a retrofit. Your experiences with the early Prodigy minor durability issues my have stuck in my craw as well.
OK, this is more money than I planned on spending but it is about as badass as it can get:
3.6 02 120x120 Cart PRO-2002 2012-2014 Jeep Wrangler Stage 2 Intercooled Jeep Turbo Kit
Precision Turbo (+$295) Turbo Housing: Standard Garrett/Precision
Turbo Bearing: Ceramic Ball Bearing (+$495)
$7,489.00
Catch Can mounted on bracket v2 120x120 Cart Oil Catch Can Kit for 2012-2015 Prodigy Turbo Kits $389.00
Prodigy T4 titanium turbo heat shield pro 1080 120x120 Cart PRO-1080 Prodigy T4 Titanium Turbo Heat Shield $179.00
TOTAL $8,057.00
Questions for you Pickles:
-Do you think that my OEM Clutch, Manual Gearbox, and 4.10 Rear can handle the Prodigy Stage II?
-Am I missing anything in my cart?
-I believe that I read somewhere the need for a 2" lift with the Prodigy Turbo setup; is that really necessary?
Last edited by doc5339; 10-02-2015 at 07:48 AM.
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