Magna Charger

[Fubar]

Jerry,
I don't have any info regarding which would be better for towing. From what I've seen on-line they both claim to produce the same amount of power. I was set on going with Wipple but I had a couple of negative conversations with them on the phone regarding warranty work if it were to come up, and there idea of an intercooler is spraying liquid gas before it gets atomized threw the supercharger. This is a corrosive issue and may explain why they will only warranty the unit for 12 months. Another secondary issue is that they piggyback a computer control unit to your factory one. According to the techs I have spoken to at GM, Ford, & Chevy this can cause problems and is one of the biggest reasons the major manufactures do not choose to deal with Wipple. The biggest reason for me and why I went with the Magna is that there isn't anyone in this god forsaken town (las vegas) that is capable of installing the Wipple unit. I would have had to driven to either Sparks NV, Phoenix, or Whitter Ca just outside La in order to have the product installed. (and yes I called Wipple to ask where the nearest authorized place to me might be). So after speaking with the local H2 dealer and getting it in writing that they will repair under warranty for (4yrs) ANYTHING that might go wrong with the Magna Charger be it equipment failure or some other type of failure due to the installation or caused by the installation of this product. I decided to go with the Magna Charger, it is being installed now I should have it back by Friday. I am planning on taking it to a dyno shop to find out what the numbers are and I will share the info when I get it.

If you have someone you trust in your town who can install the unit and will stand behind that installation then by all means go with the Wipple. A lot of people I spoke with unfortunately from other parts of the country are very, very happy with there Wipple’s. I am not putting down the product. Just trying to justify my decision in my own mind and sharing some of what I just went through.

[drmiles]

Thanks for the info, I did not know of the issues you noted above. My dealer said they would install the magna charger.

Can't wait for your report. Good luck with your install.

[Fastest H-Town Realtor]

The idea of spraying fuel into the intake charge as an intercooling function is a death knoll to the idea of buying the Whipple.

A piggyback ECM is fine if it overides the standard unit from a given rpm(usually 4000rpm'ish) and modifies the fuel/ignition, but a positive displacement blower needs tuning(enrichment) from the beginning of the powerband enhancement, so a full tune would be more beneficial, if not down right needed.

[Fubar]

I'm no expert just relaying what I've learned along the way of making my own decision. Personally regardless of any short comings the Wipple my or may not have if I could of had the Wipple installed and had someone stand behind the work I'd probably had gone with the Wipple.
Giving credit to my local dealer here they said they would install anything I wanted but if a repair issue came up I'd have to deal with the manufacture if I went with the Wipple. Plus because of there unfamiliarity with the unit it would cost much more to install because of the added labor. After speaking with the GM certified master technician that is doing my install and learning he'd never installed a Wipple my mind was pretty much made up to go with the Magna Charger.
I don’t have specific needs other than more power and honestly I’m not going to know the difference between the two units. So might as well go with what they are going to stand behind.

[HUMMERcustoms.com/TAZ]

Thanks Ken and Cory for pointing Me to more info.

TAZ

[KenP]

No problem, TAZ. Mag has a long reputation and even though I, and LPE, had issues with them does not mean their product is not good.

Besides, who else would you go with? That is the very frustrating question for me. I think there is room in the SC market for another "roots" manufacturer.

[drmiles]

Okay, I'm convienced to Super Charge.

Where is the best place to purchase a Magna SC?

Is the breathless product the new Radix gen5 or is it gen 4? and what the heck is the difference?

[Fubar]

Your dealer will probably be one of the better choices. I suspect that if you go to some place like superchargersonline (i thing that it) or anywhere else and purchase the unit and have it shipped to you, your dealer will be able to do the install.
Your dealer will have more purchasing power so don't be surprised if they are able to get you the best price, plus most H2 dealers already carry the unit.

[CHarris]

Jerry,

The best place to purchase depends on what kind of warranty you expect. In my case I expect and desire none so I did my own and shopped for the lowest price. If you want/ need the warranty then you are limited to who is in your area that can install the supercharger. If you go this route expect to pay them a premium for the supercharger.
I was able to avoid sales tax by ordering from out of state and doing my own. Not a single one of the dealers here in the area were willing to stand behind their install work with a full warranty unless I bought the supercharger at significant markup from them. So I decided if something happens to the engine I'll drop an SLP 402 cubic inch shortblock in and if the tranny takes a dump I'll get it built to the max instead of another factory build via the warranty.

Whatever you need to do to get it I know you'll enjoy the results.

Cory

[drmiles]

My dealer said they would install, but recommended that I purchase parts myself to save money. The service manager is easy to work with and should be no problem if there is warranty work with install or engine. warranty with SC would have to go through seller. Whom did you purchase yours from?

[drmiles]

Any comments on buying a used sc?

[Fubar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by drmiles:
Any comments on buying a used sc? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Buyer beware

I'm curious how much approx are you going to be saving by buying used or for that matter buying from someone place other than your dealer?

I mean if as you have pointed out there is a SC hardware problem you'll have to deal with the folks that you purchased it from. Won't this mean extra time that the rig is down for repairs? The dealer or you will have to pull the unit and send it in for repairs. If the dealer does the pulling your going to get charged. I guess what I'm after here is does it really save to shop all over the net for the lowest price only to give it back to the dealer in the end to keep the SC up and operational?

Just wondering. I can see you going the route you are taking if your dealer is or was going to charge you excessively for the Magna.

[CHarris]

Jerry,

I bought mine from Speed Engineering a go fast parts place out of California. They drop ship from Magnacharger in another town in California. It took about 3 weeks to get it, but it was the best price I could possible get without working for a shop that could sell them. A trip to LS1tech.com will give you lots of vendors and a few phone calls will to them will give you some figures to bargain one vendor against another.

As a note, using my local dealer for install would have allowed the third party drivetrain warranty via Magnacharger (a $200 option), but the dealer would not warranty it themselves- meaning the dealer would take care of any issues no matter what if I bought via the hummer parts dept. If I brought the supercharger in to them any warranty issues were between me and Magnacharger. Seems to me it shouldn't matter, as it sounds like your dealer is willing to stand behind their work. Mine wasn't unless I paid extra. I'm not impressed one bit with the dealerships here.

I would not buy one used no matter what, unless you know the person and knew the installation. Too much trust involved in that transaction as the most likely source would be a private seller via internet. I also doubt most people would bother to remove the higher flowing fuel pump (in tank pump on 2004 and 2005's) so you would have to get that separately. I know I wouldn't drop my tank again unless I had to!

Cory

[drmiles]

Used is just one option. I'm very wary of used mechanical products. There is one in the classified section $4,000. I don't know any other details. Superchargers online adv $5,100. Breathless performance adv $5,700 Dealer said cost plus, no exact figure yet.

[CHarris]

I only paid $4,587.00 shipped to my door from Speed Engineering.

[drmiles]

Hey Cory, I used to drive 95 Firehawk #49 of 250.
Regret ever selling that car.

[drmiles]

Do you have contact info on speed engineering

[CHarris]

Speed Engineering is at 2545 N Renn Ave in Fresno, CA. 559-348-0200

About the Firehawk... I liked that car a lot but it developed the dreaded cold start piston slap at about 19000 miles which is pretty late. Most cars that had that issue did it from the start or very early on. Also, the TSB on it said it lasts about 30 seconds... Mine would do it for 3 1/2 minutes. Once again the dealership failed to support so I traded it in and got a 2004 GTO. The GTO is much more comfortable. I might be keeping this one!

Cory

[HUMMERcustoms.com/TAZ]

Cory does Speed Engineering have a website?
Thanks

TAZ (Rick)



<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CHarris:
Speed Engineering is at 2545 N Renn Ave in Fresno, CA. 559-348-0200

About the Firehawk... I liked that car a lot but it developed the dreaded cold start piston slap at about 19000 miles which is pretty late. Most cars that had that issue did it from the start or very early on. Also, the TSB on it said it lasts about 30 seconds... Mine would do it for 3 1/2 minutes. Once again the dealership failed to support so I traded it in and got a 2004 GTO. The GTO is much more comfortable. I might be keeping this one!

Cory <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[CHarris]

Come on, man. They have search engines to give you the website or go to LS1tech and click on their advertisement I'll point you to the horsepower but won't do it all for you!