With our baseline established, we enlisted the help of Lance Johansen, Mike Carlson, and Jeff Lacina from Procharger to perform the installation. While these professionals easily had the kit installed in about a day's work, a weekend is probably a more realistic timeframe for someone installing this kit at home for the first time. Follow along as we show you how it's done, and the impressive dyno results that followed the installation.
Now we can install the ducting...
Now we can install the ducting from the air-inlet to the supercharger; then the supercharger to the intercooler, and intercooler to the intake manifold. Most ducting is premolded, and junctions are sealed with clamped high-pressure rubber ducting.
The air filter is replaced...
The air filter is replaced with a reusable, free-flowing unit, which is relocated to the area inside the driver-side front bumper as well.
You might be wondering why you're just seeing a Procharger system for the new Hemi Charger that's been in production for more than a year now. Rather than throwing a system together that was merely adequate, the engineering team at Procharger did what they do best. By spending extra time in the development phase, Procharger put together a kit that is complete, easy to install and maintain, and shows impressive power gains while not sacrificing engine durability or drivability.
Before the Procharger kit was ever installed in a vehicle, it was installed on a dyno engine to be tested and refined. The Procharger engineers made some 227 total engine dyno pulls on their test Hemi before deeming the system ready to install in a vehicle. Once installed in their test vehicles, the Hemi system was again tested and refined through some 192 pulls on the chassis dyno, then street and track tested extensively before being released for retail sale. While this research and development is expensive and time consuming, the end result is a supercharger system with spot-on air/fuel ratios at all engine rpms, and an all-inclusive kit that is easy to install and maintain. Additionally, drivability and power are superb, without sacrificing engine durability. It would be nice if all products we tested were as well engineered as the Procharger system for the new Dodge Charger.
Since we're adding boost,...
Since we're adding boost, we'll need more fuel. Procharger includes larger fuel injectors with the kit, and changing them is an easy task.
To clear the supercharger,...
To clear the supercharger, a small notch must be cut from the engine cover. The cover can now be installed, as well as the lower air dams.
With everything buttoned up,...
With everything buttoned up, the supercharger is filled with oil. Procharger recommends running 500 miles to break in the gearbox of the supercharger, then changing the oil. Subsequent oil changes happen every second time the engine oil is changed. Enough oil for the first oil change is provided with the kit.
Since the car is now equipped...
Since the car is now equipped with forced induction, computer parameters such as fuel and timing curves must be changed. Procharger provides a preprogrammed Diablo tuner for this job, which simply plugs into the OBD-2 diagnostic port under the dash. In about 20 minutes, our computer was tuned, and we were ready to start the car.
Prior to making our dyno pulls,...
Prior to making our dyno pulls, we drove up to the gas station to fill the car with the required premium fuel. It's a good idea to drive your car until nearly empty before the installation and fill it with minimum 91 octane premium fuel before the supercharger is installed.
The Procharger kit fits so...
The Procharger kit fits so well it looks like it could have come from the factory. This is a nicely engineered kit.
From the beginning of our...
From the beginning of our first dyno pull, it was obvious we were making significantly more power. Numbers were up across the board and at every rpm. Torque was impressive, even at the lower rpm ranges.
With everything complete,...
With everything complete, it was time to strap the Charger to our Mustang dyno and see what kind of numbers it would make. Remember, our baseline prior to the supercharger installation was 255 rear-wheel horsepower and some 280 lb-ft of torque.
After three pulls, we had...
After three pulls, we had our numbers. Rear-wheel horsepower was up to 365 hp, and torque was improved by nearly 100 lb-ft across the board. Though peaking at some 4,000 rpm, the torque curve was very broad from just off idle to peak torque. Adding all that torque and over 100 rear-wheel horsepower will make this Charger a blast on the street. We can't wait until Alan takes it to the strip to get us some quarter-mile times!
R and D It takes research...
R and D
It takes research and testing to develop a supercharger system for a fuel-injected engine. Procharger devoted countless hours refining their system for the new Hemi with a combination of engine dyno, chassis dyno, and road testing.
Before releasing their kit...
Before releasing their kit to the public, Procharger installed it on their own '06 Charger for testing. This car (shown on the right) is used regularly as a rolling test bed demonstrating the performance and durability of their product, and to gain fuel mileage and drivability data. So far, over 4,500 supercharged miles have been racked up with no issues.
Before being installed in...
Before being installed in their own test vehicle, nearly 200 engine dyno pulls were performed to refine the supercharger system for the new Dodge Charger. With engineering at this level, it's no wonder we were impressed with the results of our installation.