VMP’s Gen2 supercharger takes TVS technology a huge step beyond its rival
By Steve Turner
Anyone that’s a fan of Ford performance knows that 5.8-liter V-8 engine powering the 2013-2014 Shelby GT500 carried the internal codename Trinity. This engine expounded and improved upon the vaunted 5.4-liter Condor engine that propelled the preceding 2007-2012 GT500s. Of course with the demands of a larger engine, Ford SVT also called for a larger more efficient supercharger to boost the Trinity engine.
This is the showdown we’ve all been waiting for, the VMP Gen2 2.3-liter TVS taking on the Trinity 5.8-spec factory TVS. The Gen2 flows 8 percent more air than then Trinity TVS, but now it’s time to see how that additional flow equates to horsepower.
Obviously fans of the reliable Eaton supercharger family, SVT engineers didn’t just grab an off-the-shelf unit for this job. Proven as an aftermarket option from Ford Racing, the 2.3-liter Eaton Twin Vortices Series supercharger was the natural choice to top Trinity’s more efficient intercooler core. While the proven 2.3 TVS rotor pack remained the heartbeat of this unit, the housing was refined for improved airflow to feed the 5.8.
A direct-replacement for the factory M122 Roots blowers on the earlier GT500s, the Trinity TVS became a popular starting point for aftermarket modders. It also became a clear competitor to VMP Tuning’s own version of the original TVS, which featured a pre-ported housing to maximize the flow coming from VMP’s bolt-on high-flow inlet elbow.
Sporting a completely redesigned air inlet, the VMP Gen2 is available for $2,999 with the pulley of your choice. It can also be had as part of more inclusive packages that include all the necessary supporting mods like tuning, a VMP TwinJet 67mm throttle body, and larger fuel injectors.
“…It seemed like the time to go back and re-tool the GT500 head unit with all that we learned over the years,†VMP main man Justin Starkey told us. “You rarely get a chance to do something over, but it seemed like a no-brainer since the factory TVS on ’13-’14 GT500s had raised the bar considerably…â€
Putting the Gen2 to the test required a worthy test subject, and that came in the form of the 2014 Shelby GT500 owned by NFL Tight End Tom Crabtree. He had played for the Green Bay Packers and most recently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While in Florida he became a VMP customer and modded his GT500 with several VMP upgrades and a JLT Performance Big Air CAI, making it a superb candidate for a blower upgrade.
“Tom is a good customer and is always looking to be on the cutting edge,†Justin said. “He already had our Stage 4 kit, but wanted more, so long-tubes, a 10-percent-overdriven lower pulley, and the new blower were natural steps forward for him.â€
This shot tells you all you need to know about the VMP Gen2 TVS. Well, all you need to know if you’ve already read our first installment on this blower. As you can see here the inlet has an integral throttle body elbow and it has been completely reshaped and enlarged to improve airflow to the proven 2.3-liter TVS rotor pack.
We were on hand to watch the blower swap and initial testing of the VMP Gen2 on Tom’s GT500. Much like Dexter’s nemesis Arthur Mitchell, a.k.a. The Trinity Killer, the VMP Gen2 has indeed outdone its more conservative rival.
“The TVS has always been known for torque but to gain horsepower and torque with the same pulley is just awesome. It shows the hard work we put into the design paid off,†Justin said. “We expected great horsepower gains from the improved flow, we did not expect such great torque gains. However, the way the rotor tips are exposed and unshrouded in the new housing lets it make power everywhere.â€
While the pump gas gains were quite impressive, it’s quite common for tuners to take TVS combos even farther. To see how the Gen2 responded with better fuel, Justin ramped up Tom’s combo with Gulf’s Mach 116 street fuel and E85 fed by Injector Dynamics ID1000 squirters (PN ID1000; $960). With better fuel and a more aggressive tune, the Gen2 combo responded with massive power.
Already pushing the stock blower combination to impressive numbers, Tom Crabtree’s 2014 Shelby GT500 proved the ideal test bed for the Gen2 TVS on a Trinity engine. Tom’s ride had already been upgraded with a VMP TwinJet 67mm throttle body; a VMP 2.4-inch blower pulley; a 10-percent-overdriven crank damper; Dynatech long-tube headers; and a pair of VMP fuel pump voltage boosters. It was ready to rock.
“We upgraded the injectors to support the 30- to 40-percent increase in fuel flow needed for E85 and used the latest ID1000 values. We added timing, changed the stoich point, and did a few other things to keep the car happy with its new fuel,†Justin explained. “A two-minute re-flash with the SCT tuner is required. However, with the widebands in ’11 up vehicles, if you end up with E75 or have some pump gas left in the tank its going to automatically compensate.â€
The Gen2 TVS-boosted 5.8-liter combo definitely responded to the better fuel and more aggressive tuning. However, even on pump gas the gains were impressive. Keep reading to see how the Gen2 stacks up to the factory Trinity supercharger using all three fuels.
Removing the fuel rails is not necessary for a straight blower swap, but Justin had big plans for Tom’s car, so a new set of fuel injectors was in order to support the extra fuel flow required.
Here Justin installs an octet of Injector Dynamics ID1000 fuel injectors (PN ID1000; $960). Flowing 98 lb/hr, these injectors wouldn’t be necessary for a pure gasoline setup with Tom’s combo, but he wanted the option of running E85 for big power. This fuel requires more flow than pure gasoline, but it offers higher octane and a slight cooling effect, both of which will deter detonation.
With the injectors swapped, VMP’s Steven Cleveland and Justin remove the Trinity TVS. Obviously you’ll want to remove the belt, and disconnect the EGR, EVAP, throttle body, and air inlet before you get to this point.
With the Trinity unit out of the way, the Gen2 TVS is a direct replacement. It uses all the factory connections, though it does use one less retention bolt under the inlet elbow.
While the VMP Gen2 inlet is larger, it still accepts the stock O-ring seal for the throttle body flange. Justin says these O-rings typically stretch out a bit when they are removed, which makes them easy to install on the larger orifice.
Steven bolted down the blower and reinstalled the fuel rail loaded with its fresh set of ID1000s. These high-flow, high-impedance injectors are said to offer great idling and low-speed driveability while supporting huge power. Moreover, they are paired with the necessary calibration data to make your tuner’s job easier.
For a direct comparison, Justin installed a VMP 2.4-inch pulley on the Gen2, as that was the same pulley diameter Tom was running on his Trinity TVS. The bolt-on hub used on the VMP TVS units will certainly make you forget all about the hassle of pressing pulleys on and off as was necessary on the original TVS blowers. VMP offers pulleys from 3.0 to 2.4 inches in diameter, which will yield 13 to 19 psi from the Gen2. Up to 3 psi more can be had with an overdriven damper as shown on Tom’s combo.
Tom was already running VMP’s TwinJet 67mm throttle body, so Steven swapped it over to the Gen2.
Finally, Steven reinstalled Tom’s JLT Performance carbon-fiber Big Air cold-air induction system.
Here’s the completed installation, and it looks right at home on Tom’s blacked-out GT500.
To properly test the Gen2 TVS versus the Trinity, VMP first upgraded Tom’s GT500 with Dynatech long-tube headers and an ATI 10-percent overdriven crank damper. A 15-percent is a common upgrade, but the Track Pack coolers on Tom’s car did not allow for the larger damper. These mods added only 29.02 peak horsepower but thundered out 61.74 lb-ft of peak torque. “You can kind of see how the torque picked up more than horsepower with the overdrive crank pulley and long-tubes, because the blower inlet was restricted thus horsepower production was limited,†Justin said. “Gen2 lets the TVS rotors breathe better and they are free to produce all the boost and flow they want.†To that end, the Gen2 added peak gains of 36.53 horsepower and 35.84 lb-ft of torque.
While the graphs give you the full resolution of data, this chart gives you an idea of how the power, torque, and boost trend across the entire powerband. Clearly the trend is good, but properly calibrating a combo like this is crucial. “When calibrating ’13-’14 GT500s on pump gas, the name of the game is safety. Ford upped the compression when they switched to the 5.8-liter in 2013. You can make killer power (for a little while) by running the engine right into audible knock, but you should be using the full array of technology packed into these cars,†Justin explained. “The factory knock control is good, it can be re-calibrated to work even better when needed, but a conservative tune is still key.â€
“Once the octane limitation is off the table, the gloves are off,†Justin added. “To get around that we tuned the car on both Gulf Mach 116 unleaded race fuel, then ran E85, which required the upgraded injectors.†The first step was swapping out the 93 octane in favor of Gulf’s Mach 116 unleaded fuel. Combined with Justin’s more aggressive tune, the Gen2-boosted 5.8 responded to the good Gulf gas with peak gains of 51.55 horsepower and 33.53 lb-ft of torque versus the 93-octane pump gas. Not only is the Mach 116 friendly to the cats and O2 sensors, it doesn’t mandate an injector upgrade. You can make this power with two VMP fuel pump boosters and Gulf in the tank.
If you really want to go for huge gains and you don’t mind upgrading your fuel system with some Injector Dynamics ID1000s, it’s hard to argue with E85. This mixture of 15 percent gas an 85 percent ethanol offers an octane rating of anywhere from 100 to 105 depending on its actual blend. If it is available at gas pumps in your area, it offers an affordable alternative to race fuels. Of course this alternative is only viable provided you have the fuel system to support it. An upgraded system is needed because E85 packs less energy per gallon, so you have to burn more of it. However, the upgrade is clearly worth it, as the Gen2-boosted 5.8 responded 86.61 horsepower and 55.45 lb-ft of torque.
Moving from the graphs to this chart illustrates how the Gen2 TVS combo climbs the horsepower ladder with better fuel. It is clear that 93-octane pump gas is holding back the true potential of a Gen2 TVS-boosted 5.8-liter engine.
Justin did log blower discharge temps on both the Trinity and Gen2 TVS. Despite the boost increase offered by the Gen2, the air temps remained stable between the two units.
Excellent Video/Article!
Thanks Rich!
Good Lord that Gen 2 VMP is a bad bitch.
VMP is killing it with their new designs.
The Gen 2 is tough for sure, the E85 really makes a huge difference between the Gulf 116, that graph is excellent info between the fuels.
Great stuff! Thanks for the write up!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for reading!