I've made a couple posts about this topic before but have finally found something that may work. There's a kit for the Jeep Wrangler that has the supercharger mounted on the side of the mother where it wouldn't be against the firewall in the van. How well would this kit work if at all?

Here's a link to the website for it. http://www.moparsupercenter.com/3-8l...t.html?cat=776

Thanks

 

The bottom end in these motors is weak, they don't like boost. I would not expect the drivetrain to last long if it were abused with this on. Sadly, the 3.0L engine DID like boost, too bad it was also a smoker.

Wouldn't waste the time, everything in that kit is on the firewall side of the engine, no room, won't fit. I wouldn't even waste the cash and put it on a jeep, but that's my opinion, not a reason to not do it.

 

Being disabled and having to drive a minivan sucks. Maybe I should've gotten the Scion XB or PT loser. At least there'd be mods available.

 

No legitimate company is going to offer high power or handling add-ons for a minivan. This is because they are a roll-over hazard when modified for higher lateral G's or higher speeds. Such modifications encourage lawsuits when customers have accidents. A minivan is not a sports car and can't be tuned to simulate one. They are illegal in the SCCA for low speed parking lot slaloms because they try to roll over even at lower G's with stock tires. At highway speeds they are dangerous even at legal speeds in crosswinds. Embrace it's utilitarian features, as hippies did with the amazingly slow '60's VW microbus with motors in the range of 45 to 60 HP. They continue to be wildly popular even though engines have less power than the average motorcycle.

The weight distribution of a minivan does not lend itself to higher power launches. The front tires will just churn and tires becomes grossly overworked real quick. An idiot in a minivan with power adders will likely hurt somebody if they try to compete with the average car. They can't brake or corner well due to tremendous weight and high center of gravity. Suspension and wheel/tire upgrades that raise the max G forces will lead to rollover at the limit.

 

You should do some reading on some of these links.

Supercharged minivan (Also was at Sema)
http://www.truckinweb.com/brandpages.../photo_03.html

Very modified minivan (No deaths)

Aggressive driving minivan (No crash, spinout or flip)

Supercharged full size van. (I own one of these)

Van racing on the Nurburgring (Nothing happened except greatness)

 

Those links offer no statistical evidence about the safety of a Dodge minivan with high center of gravity and serious power adders. How about this Grand Caravan that rolled on a 25 MPH residential road? You think more power or speed would have helped?


I can show you a link of somebody jumping school busses with a car or walking a tightrope without a safety net. Is that safe for a novice to try? I've seen tons of videos & saw the turbo minivan years ago, but I'm a High Performance Driver's Ed instructor with over 50K track miles. I know a bit more about what effect power, speed, handling and center of gravity have on rollovers and accidents. I've witnessed accidents and vehicles with higher cg rolling or on two wheels in corners trying to compete. A half dozen videos proves nothing. Vehicles with higher center of gravity have much greater risk of rollover and death to occupants. Jeep tried the video angle for years before CJ5/6 got the axe from overwhelming statistical and legal evidence. Ford and Jeep learned that crossed fingers won't avoid rollover lawsuits from high cg SUV's. Vehicles with higher center of gravity roll over more often, period. The only thing reducing rollover to an acceptable level is driver behavior, lower speeds, modest power and suspension calibrations that reduce max lateral g's. More speed, grip and traction makes the situation more likely. There will always be some guy in a semi or van beating the odds, so good luck. I've been around Mid Ohio track at 90+ MPH in an E350 V10 van with a 500lb tool box flying around in the rear, so I've been there. It's stupid. European semi rig racing puts trucks with blowouts, catastrophic brake failure and uncontrollable understeer into crowds of spectators all the time. they often lift inside wheels, roll over and slide on their side throwing sparks at high speeds. European spectators and drivers are nuts, as witnessed by people serving as a human guard rail along muddy rally courses. This is not testimony for safety lol. Legitimate companies don't make power adders for vehicles that aren't capable of exploiting the power without a professional behind the wheel.

PS: To your last video, Sabine Schmitz is a top professional racer in Europe running BMW and Porsche factory team cars. She could safely pilot ANY vehicle with wheels around Nurburgring even with a failed shock, low tire, failed brake caliper or swaybar disconnected. She practially lives at that track...it's not a public roadway with pedestrians and/or other drivers driving 1/4th the speed while texting and daydreaming. To beat 10 minutes flat, her weapon of choice was a Ford Transit with 140HP diesel. This is a capable and well-balanced van, not exactly a tire burning, overpowered toy. Greatness and safety was ensured by limiting participation to highly trained track drivers on a closed course. However to your inquiry, I was explaining why the aftermarket won't and can't sell forced induction for a street minivan....it's not a suitable off-road race vehicle for trained race drivers. No racer is going to buy the kit and a typical idiot would hurt somebody driving it on the street. To ensure safety, the average driver needs a vehicle with handling and braking to match power and acceleration. You may have the skill and maturity to harness an overpowered van and avoid a barrel roll maneuver, but qualifications can't be assessed or managed by the mfr.