In an unofficial Part 2 of...
In an unofficial Part 2 of our unofficial series on the TVS blower, we swapped a Roush TVS on a Roushcharged 428R Mustang and were rewarded with some astounding results.
You Can call this an unofficial Part 2 of MM&FF's detailed analysis of the new Ford Racing Performance Parts TVS supercharger. Last month, we threw the TVS blower upgrade on a Shelby GT500 and made gobs of power, even more gobs of torque, and killed a bunch of mosquitoes with the ensuing tire smoke. This month, we throw a Roushcharger TVS blower on a 4.6L Three-Valve powerplant, and dig just a bit deeper into the TVS and what it offers enthusiasts.
It's common knowledge what a supercharger is and what it does. The obvious key to making more power is to supply the engine with more air and fuel. When you can burn the mix efficiently, you get greater cylinder pressure and a bigger push on the pistons. Increasing the flow of air and the accompanying fuel can be accomplished a number of ways-supercharging, turbocharging, and by the use of nitrous oxide. Matching the fuel to the increase of air is a matter of upgrading and tuning the fuel system.
The TVS (Total Vortices Series) blower and its predecessor, the M122 Fifth-Generation blower, are both designated Roots-style blowers. The Roots-style blower is the oldest design of the superchargers known to us Pony people. Other popular units are the twin-screw and centrifugal. The Roots-style was patented by Philander and Francis Roots in 1860. Used originally to ventilate mineshafts, the blower was first placed on a car engine by Gottleib Daimler in 1900. Since then, it has seen many different OE applications and versions, the latest being on the Shelby GT500, with another version of it on the various blown Roush cars (known as the Roushcharger).
The car on which we performed...
The car on which we performed the swap wasn't stock, as it had some mild bolt-on parts already installed. Nonetheless, we went ahead with the swap, which was performed at JDM Engineering in Freehold, New Jersey.
First things first. We removed...
First things first. We removed all of the wiring connections such as the TPS, and undid the intercooler lines, draining the fluid from it.
The serpentine/blower belt...
The serpentine/blower belt was removed, as was all of the required front accessories.
In the past couple of years, there have been numerous advancements concerning blower size, rotor makeup, and the like. Obviously, going to a bigger blower, such as a 3.4L Whipple supercharger-like the one we installed recently on our in-house Lightning, The Fridge-allows the blower to process more air to feed the engine.
TVS Versus The World
In our last issue, we touched on the basic differences between the TVS supercharger and the Fifth-Generation Eaton huffer, the M122. While it may be a sin to utter these next few words, keep in mind that the M122 is the blower the GT500 is equipped with, while the new ZR1 Corvette from Chevrolet will have its LS9 showcasing the new TVS. We can't let the Bow Tie boys beat us up at the track, can we? While basics are good, details are even better. After all, it's your hard-earned cash you'll be plunking down.
"I will initially note that the blower on the GT500 [the M122] is actually a hybrid that utilizes a Fifth-Generation design with added rotor twist, that being 82 degrees," says Eaton Corporation's Global Sales Manager Arnie Dunai. "That being said, the physical differences [between the M122 and the TVS] are in the lobe count and the end-to-end twist of the rotor. The Fifth-Gen blowers have three lobes and a total twist of 60 degrees, while the TVS blowers have four lobes and a total twist of 160 degrees. The housing design is also different for the TVS versus the Fifth-Gen." These differences are seen in the inlet and outlet ports of the TVS, which are larger and smoother when compared to the M122s. In addition, the backflow slots that are seen in the M122 to decrease noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) have been eliminated because they're not needed on the TVS.
"The outlet port has been redesigned for the new rotors, and we've also engineered the new front-inlet design where the inlet of the supercharger can be located on the same side as the pulley," Dunai says. "This allows for Eaton to design superchargers for applications previously though impractical due to air routing." For those holding the pink slip to a Mustang, the front-inlet design is not a concern, as the TVS offered by Eaton still retains the rear inlet configuration.
With the fuel rails off and...
With the fuel rails off and everything out of the way, the blower bolts were removed, followed by the blower itself.
Here's the old blower and...
Here's the old blower and lower intake manifold. The polished Roushcharger was good for 386 rwhp with the addition of a JDM custom tune and a full-on Kooks exhaust with headers.