A billet piece that not only...
A billet piece that not only looks good but serves a useful function, Reichard Racing's blower-belt tensioner is worth several pounds of boost in some applications.
Reichard Racing Blower Belt Tensioner
$299.95, $319.99 for spring-loaded tensioner
The Gen 2 Lightning F-150s are great performers, due in large part to the powerful 5.4L engine under the hood. The Two-Valve, modular engine gets a huge boost in performance thanks to supercharging. One of the first modifications new owners perform is throwing on various sizes of upper and lower blower pulleys to speed up the supercharger. An increase in blower speed results in more manifold boost. When properly tuned, the increased boost level leads to more horsepower and torque at the rear tires. "Turning up the boost" is the common statement often heard from hot rodders, and it's easy on supercharged Lightning trucks.
The theoretical and casual turning-up of the boost using different pulley sizes is sometimes easier said than done. A negative byproduct of turning up the boost with pulley swaps is belt slippage. An 8-rib belt setup is standard on these trucks, but when belt speed is increased dramatically, the ribbed serpentine-style belt can start to slip thanks to its design. There are a few different remedies, such as adding larger idler pulleys and a better belt wrap around the upper pulley. These help, but when the going gets tough for the 8-rib belt, more tension is the most effective technique for greater belt traction.
This screw is used to apply...
This screw is used to apply tension as needed. If you tighten it too much, you can actually snap the belt. That is an extreme case, but it shows the effectiveness of this tensioner.
Reichard Racing offers a billet belt tensioner that helps prevent belt slippage, ensuring proper blower speed is achieved at high rpm. Two versions are available from Reichard Racing; spring-loaded and manual-adjustable. This belt tensioner is different than others on the market because it offers a wide range of motion. It has 180-degrees of swing, making it useable with a variety of belt sizes. As another added bonus, there is a built-in force multiplier, which makes it easy to adjust tension. Reichard Racing starts with a chunk of 7075 billet aluminum and a CNC machine cuts each part precisely. Roller thrust bearings are used throughout. The tensioner mounts in the factory location with a slight modification to the OEM bracket.
We watched Justin Burcham of JPC Racing install this tensioner on a customer's Lightning while we were hanging out at his shop one day. It went in quickly, and Justin reported an increase of a few pounds of boost at high rpm when the blower speed is greatest and the belt is most susceptible to slipping. The truck wasn't all that radical, just the typical lower blower pulley swap, computer tune-up, and exhaust. Despite its mild nature, the added belt tension helped peak boost, thus creating more horsepower.
Reichard Racing
Dept. FTP
5231 Apple Way St.
Leonard, MD 20685
(410) 610-5567
www.reichardracing.com
Our test Lightning has a set...
Our test Lightning has a set of Reichard Racing Ultra-Grip pulleys. These feature slots that help reduce air pressure from the underside of the belt and aide in belt grip. The company's tensioner also reduces belt slippage and increases boost.
Compare the OEM tensioner...
Compare the OEM tensioner (top) and the Reichard Racing tensioner (bottom).
This is the belt tensioner...
This is the belt tensioner attached to a Lightning's mounting plate. It's not necessary to remove this piece from the truck, but we wanted to show what it looked like installed. Some slight trimming was needed to bolt this piece on to the bracket. Reichard includes the exact measurements in the detailed instruction manual.