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My Whipple Supercharged 2014 RT

135K views 235 replies 55 participants last post by  BigV8  
#1 · (Edited)
The very first thing you need to do in order to install a Whipple supercharger on your 1yr old family SUV is marry someone awesome. I did that!

The next things you need to do are 1) buy the sweetest SUV on the market and 2) buy what I consider to be the best designed supercharger on the market. Check and check!

OK, so seriously, let's get down to business. I am going to assume that anyone attempting this understand what the basic parts of the engine are and can identify most tools. If I have to explain step-by-step how to remove spark plugs because you don't know where they are located and you don't know what a spark plug is, then you don't need to be doing this yourself.

The kit came shipped in 2 very large boxes that were well packaged. One box holds the supercharger and the other holds all the other "stuff" for the install.



The other box (sorry, no picture), has the air filter and intake, bracket, pulleys, wiring harnesses and extensions, MSD fuel pump booster, spark plugs, belt, heat exchanger, hoses, several bags of bolts and random hardware, the instruction booklet, stickers, and a license plate frame. What it does not include, but you WILL need is the following:

--Coolant--Mopar or Zerex G-05 only. DO NOT USE "ANY MAKE OR MODEL", no matter what the "expert" behind the counter tells you. I found the G-05 at O'Reilly for about $19 hidden under something else. The dealership usually wants about $30. It probably won't be on the display wall with all the "any make or model" stuff so ask for it. Tell them it's "the Mercedes stuff" and then usually 1 person will dig in the back and find it. You'll need to dilute it with distilled water and you can get that for $1 or less at your local Wal-Mart. DO NOT USE tap water, drinking water, spring water, or anything other than distilled water.

--Allen head sockets, 3/8" drive is fine and you'll want everything from about 4mm to 10mm. I bought a set that had 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 and inevitably I needed a 9 so I had to get creative. Make sure you get them all. I cannot emphasize enough that you need to either have the right tools or invest in them. I also recommend torx and allen screwdriver type bits and the long t-handeled allen wrenches. There are some tricky places that the sockets won't reach so you will need 1 or the other.

--Sealants and chemicals. The instructions tell you to get a few Loctite's: Red 271, Green 648, and Blue 242. You'll also want anti-seize, teflon tape, and any "clear automotive grease". I couldn't figure out exactly what they meant so I recommend something like this Super Lube Silicone. Carb cleaner is helpful as a degreaser/cleaner.

--Shop towels and gloves to keep things clean. You WILL spill things so be prepared to clean up. We picked up a bag of clay cat litter and used black nitrile gloves and had 3 or 4 rolls of the blue shop towels floating around. Trust me, you'll make a mess with something so be ready to clean up. I also have fender protectors to protect the truck's paint. I had a box of zip-top baggies to label and collect parts as I took things off. Masking tape is helpful for labeling and for protecting the engine when the intake is off.

--A right angle or 90* drill--something like this. You will be required to drill into your crankshaft and balancer to "pin the crank". I chose to pull the radiator to use my impact wrench on the center crank bolt and a normal drill for the pinning and ended up busting one of the tubes in the radiator. Learn from my mistake and either buy one or rent it from your local hardware store. I would also do everything I could to figure out a way to break the balancer center bolt without having to take out the radiator. An air ratchet (or electric power wrench) would be another tool investment but it'd be worth it to not have to mess with a busted radiator.
--Nothing but 91 or better in the tank. I'd been running the canned 93 tune from Diablo so I had 93 in the tank and that's what I will continue to use. Don't think you'll be able to leave 89 in the tank and then drive up to the station and top it off with 91 or 93. I highly recommend you plan ahead and start running your intended fuel for 2 or 3 tanks before you start the install. If you plan to run 91, use the Diablo 91 tune with 91 gas, etc.

--If I think of anything else, I'll come back and add it.

Some of the parts in the kit are specific for the Jeep SRT and some are used for the Durango while some parts are used for either platform. Read through the instructions while you look at the part to get familiar with what goes where and when you will be using them. If you're missing something, this is the time to find out and not when you're up to your elbows in engine bay. I was sent the wrong spark plugs. The instructions called for either NGK 2315's or 4306's but mine was shipped with 5107's that are designed for the 6.4L SRT. All manufacturers have their own specific heat ranges but the stock NGK's are a 5. The 2315's are a 6, which is actually 1 step colder despite the higher number. The 5107's are a 13--which is WAY too cold! Also, the 2009+ 5.7 Hemi has Eagle heads which use a gasketed spark plug but all of the recommended plugs are tapered. According to a few engine builders and tuners that I asked, it's not a big deal while you're running them, but once you go to a tapered plug you CANNOT go back to a gasketed plug: remember that if you ever plan to go back to stock.
 
#64 ·
Any updates on final numbers. I just bought a 2015 R/T and would love to do the same.. Only issue is Whipple doesn't offer a unit for the 2015s yet. Said there's no computer software to allow programming yet.. I would love to know how you're enjoying it and any additional issues you have ran into.
 
#65 ·
Nah, I still haven't gotten it to a dyno yet.

With email tuning, I have to load the tune and then drive it for a couple days for the vehicle to settle into it. Then I have to take a log, email it back to my guy where he makes some changes, and then sends me a new tune.

What could take an hour on the dyno takes me 2-3 weeks in real life because we don't have that ability to instantly make changes. We're getting close, but I can't even begin to guess when I'll get it on a dyno.

Other than that, it's still a blast and I don't regret it one bit. Diablo is offering tuning for 15's but it requires swapping your PCM with one from a '14, so that's an option.
 
#68 ·
I'm using the 3.5" pulley that came with the blower.

I'm not running a boost gauge and I haven't really looked at the synthetic boost that the Trinity can display. The dyno results on Whipple's website for a 2013 Durango say it was at 8.5psi so I'm guessing that's with the included pulley. In the future, I'll add a boost sensor to the Trinity along with my wideband O2 but for now I'll just have to guess that I'm around 8psi. Haha
 
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#70 ·
Knew you did the supercharger thing.. but first time reading this post... WELL DONE MY FRIEND!!!

I think I am going to mention to my wife that I plan on doing this to my D just to hear the plethera of swear words that come out of her mouth...
 
#73 ·
I called AJ today and confirmed: September 30th I should have some dyno numbers to share!
 
#76 ·
You too? Is it when the rears start to slip and power moves forward?
 
#77 ·
That's my guess from just looking at my own logs. I've been wrong before, though.

My bigger problem is I can't accelerate without shooting puffs of black smoke out the tail pipes. AJ was saying that my spark is shutting off every time the transmission shifts--with 8 gears, that's A LOT of shifting and A LOT of spark cutting out. So when it shifts, the spark dies but the fuel keeps going. Once the spark reignites, the cylinder is flooded with gas that doesn't get completely burned. Once I get up on the top end at WOT, it takes off like a rocket but it's difficult to get up to WOT because it runs out of spark in the 2500-5000 range with all the shifts.

Basically, we're going to have to start completely over with a new baseline and do all my tuning from scratch.
 
#79 ·
seems like all superchargers durango kits have some problems!
i need someone to gopro behind me and see if i'm shooting out flames. When i do some heavy braking sometimes i hear a loud Pop/bang noise from the exhaust. I'm guessing thats some fire shoot out of the ass.
Looking forward to see how well AJ works your Durango. I've wanted to go there but work has kept me too busy.
 
#80 ·
seems like all superchargers durango kits have some problems!
i need someone to gopro behind me and see if i'm shooting out flames. When i do some heavy braking sometimes i hear a loud Pop/bang noise from the exhaust. I'm guessing thats some fire shoot out of the ass.
Looking forward to see how well AJ works your Durango. I've wanted to go there but work has kept me too busy.
I think that's because we're in relatively uncharted waters. None of the LX's or WK's were perfectly tuned their first time out, either. We'll get there.....hopefully soon.....about a week from now for me. haha
 
#81 ·
I blame Dodge... For starters, there should have been a SRT Durango. Period. But barring that, we should have had sport mode, 2wd mode, and linelock. I mean it's the R/T which is the top of the line Durango. I suppose that there's no precedent for this assertion since Challenger R/T and Charger R/T models don't have things like linelock but, yeah.... Also, this torque management and the new trans is a headache. I miss being able to put an inline spoofing device to raise trans pressures for tighter shifts and better clamping forces on the clutches and stuff...
 
#83 ·
Line Pressure Booster Kits - Sonnax

This was awesome on my 2010 Ram. After I installed that, I could pretty much light up the tires at any red light without even stalling up... It actually got me a nasty ticket once and I had to get an attorney and plea probation before judgement...
 
#85 ·
Im anxious for the dyno results :) We must compare power outputs between the RIPP which is centrifugal and the Whipple which... isn't :)
 
#94 · (Edited)
Awesome thread, thanks bryan (and miranda)

question - how is the sound ? Cant really make out from the videos posted.

Reason I ask is I had a Vortech V9 SC in my Corrado SLC and while it made good power (@ 9-10 psi at 6K), it produced a loud whining noise that absolutely killed that sweet deep VR6 intake sound. It was bad with a serpentine belt, but I later designed/built an all cog set up which made it louder (but more boost). You could literally hear this car 2 blocks away, and if you got on it, you werent fooling anyone as what this had under the hood. I'd get mean stares from my neighbors cruising in 2nd gear at 20mph. Not much of a sleeper, and definitely a good way to end up in the back of a patrol car if you got on it. Dont get me wrong, I loved the power and sorely miss that, but it came at an expense of changing what was a beautiful smooth engine note to a whiny headache. It was also quite a bit more harsh, you could really feel the vibrations at idle.

It will be really nice to see the power curves to compare these 2. Im guessing twin screw should spool up faster than the centrifugal but with less overall hp. Bryan I hope you get this tuned properly soon, as that will make all the difference!
 
#95 ·
I'll try to get some videos of the exhaust, but mostly mine still sounds like a 5.7L Hemi with a magnaflow exhaust except there's a whistle from the engine bay at higher RPMs. Other than that, I think it's quite subtle.

I don't think you can compare the sounds of a Hemi and a VW V6. At least not seriously..
 
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#96 ·
Oh, and I had to postpone my dyno day with AJ. His dyno was broken and he's hoping to have it up by tomorrow.

I've continued on to my family vacation--which was the whole reason I was passing by AJ in the first place--and I'll stop by to see him on my way back through. That should be the 5th.
 
#97 · (Edited)
#98 ·
Did u legit just hit us with a Family Guy segue? :)
 
#99 ·
I'll also try to get in an occasional Archer reference every now and then.
 
#100 ·
bryan, awesome that the whipple sc doesnt wreck that sweet hemi sound. i wasnt trying to compare the hemi sound to that of a VR, just wanting to know if the note was overtaken by the SC whine. Im really glad to hear its not as Im seriously considering either Whipple or Vortech for my 2015 right now. The VR in my opinion sounded horrible with a Sc, but it would outrun almost everything (in a straight line nevermind the curves). It was still not worth it to me, which is why i have extreme hesitation in considering another SC. But Ive never driven a twin roots type, only vortech. Cant wait for your dyno run ! And Whipple should sponsor you, they might be getting $8 grand outta me because of you ...

miranda, what are your thoughts on the centrifugal V3 sound ? do you still get that hemi growl, or does the sc whine overtake it ? sounds mean as hell from your dyno run !

I do appreciate the honest feedback here. these kits are expensive, gotta be sure !
 
#103 ·
Nice !

I really hope Tazer line lock coming out allows to rev in park/neutral to 5K. That would wake up your neighbors!

You can kinda hear that whine, not bad though. My cog system was far louder at idle.

So would you do it again ?
 
#104 ·
Even with all the bumps in the road and all my stupid mistakes, I would still do it all over again.
 
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