The engineering standard for altitude caused horsepower loss on a normally
aspirated engine is 3%/1,000 feet.

Dennis

>From: Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
>Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Huffer motors..Turbo and SC...
>Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 21:05:20 -0700
>
>All this talk of 6 bangers, SVX Turbos, etc brings me to this
>question...Has anyone considered supercharging for the Vanagon?  A bunch of
>my pals from the Porsche 928 world have recently started doing it to their
>beasts, rather than the 'traditional' method of getting over 400 rwhp,
>which is to use a stroker crankshaft.
>
>   It'd seem to me, from looking at some of their installs and
>superficially perusing the net sites about superchargers that a SC and a
>Vanagon were meant for each other...Looking at my little inline four
>transplant motor sitting in there with all that extra room, I am
>thinking..."Hmm"..and I see lots of sand rails, buggies, etc.  with
>supercharged small motors putting out some decent power with good
>dependability....
>   I am gonna look into that...One thing I do know for sure is that at
>altitude, a forced induction (turbo or SC) motor still retains lots of
>power, but a Normal Aspirated motor drops off dramatically at about 5000'
>of elevation...
>   It's also my understanding that the boost from a supercharger can be
>'dialed' to the desired level, right from a dash knob...So if you are just
>donking down a flat road in no particular hurry, you can use Zero boost but
>if you need some power, you just dial it up a bit and cram more air/fuel
>mixture into the cylinders...Of course, you have the extra drive belt drag
>always, and some plumbing to do and you would have to make sure your motor
>had some knock sensors, probably...but attractive thought..
>   Dunno for sure, but it sounds good..
>   Don Hanson