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JLRU Manual T Forced Induction Experience (ProCharger supercharger)

Torero

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This thread is to share my experience as it develops with a forced induction Wrangler JL Rubicon.

First of all the supercharger was not afterthought. I wanted a capable SUV, daily driver with a MANUAL Transmission and 4 Low. My closest candidate was the Range Rover Supercharged. (My wife for some reason hates the GC). But none of them was manual transmission, and that was a must. Then we saw a Rubicon at auto show and wife says: look that’s the one, it got the stick! The wrangles was not even on the radar at the time. (Ridiculous experience with a Wrangler 1987 back in Costa Rica that got laughed at by the Toyota FJ40s)
Well, I said yeah, but that thing has no guts. Then she asked, whats more difficult, to make a RR manual or to swap an engine on a Jeep?:idea: One week later we drove home a loaded Rubicon. I drove for 12000 miles and loved the thing. Pleasure to drive. Got to keep shifting and keeping it high on the RPM to make it go, but it was a good experience.

Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with the Rubi stock, but please remember where I was coming from, I wanted more HP before I even drove it.

I keept reading and waiting for the first supercharger bolt on option for the Rubi and ProCharger came thru.:clap:

A couple of emails later I decided to pull the trigger and drove to Kansas City to ProCharger headquarters. I didn’t now what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

This is a well established company where proCharger is just a small portion of their business. I toured their factory and their lab. It built up my confidence.

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Torero

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I don’t feel any difference on the stop and go traffic where I’m shifting below 3000 rpm. Drove for 600 miles on the highway and that was a real pleasure. Cruise set at 80 mph. 15.9 mpg average. That is no different than before the Procharger.

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Considerations: I’m fully aware that I am giving up the oem warranty on the Powertrain. There is an option for an aftermarket warranty for $700+. Still thinking about it.

One thing that seems a drawback with the Procharger is the maintenance. They recommend to replace the oil in the unit every 5,000 miles with their proprietary oil. That on itself is minor issue, the real issue is that replacing the oil seems cumbersome. I haven’t done it yet, but it seems easier to remove the whole unit than trying to reach the plug under the unit while mounted.

I’ll update when I get there.

Obviously now the stock serpentine belt doesn’t fit. Just got to remember to keep one in hand just in case.
Also have to keep in mind that the sparks plugs are no longer the oem recommended. Easy to find, just not the stock ones.

Is it worth it? Every penny so far.
 

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Considerations: I’m fully aware that I am giving up the oem warranty on the Powertrain. There is an option for an aftermarket warranty for $700+. Still thinking about it.
One thing that seems a drawback with the Procharger is the maintenance. They recommend to replace the oil in the unit every 5,000 miles with their proprietary oil. That on itself is minor issue, the real issue is that replacing the oil seems cumbersome. I haven’t done it yet, but it seems easier to remove the whole unit than trying to reach the plug under the unit while mounted.
I’ll update when I get there.
Obviously now the stock serpentine belt doesn’t fit. Just got to remember to keep one in hand just in case.
Also have to keep in mind that the sparks plugs are no longer the oem recommended. Easy to find, just not the stock ones.

Is it worth it? Every penny so far.

Good read. Sounds like you will be the Guinea Pig on this one. I wish i had the guts to chuck all warranties to the wind, and install one. I'm always a sucker for more power. Keeps the updates posted, whether they be good, or bad.
 
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Why I say it’s a pleasure on the highway? Simple, it feels great. For example, had cruise control set at 80 mph. 6 gear. Before the supercharger if I stepped on the gas nothing happened ( remember it’s a manual). Now if I step on the gas it starts to speed up. Nothing crazy but steady acceleration even on 6 gear up up. Now if I shift down to forth and hammer it, it climbs the rpm real fast and you find yourself at 100 mph in no time.
I haven’t had a chance to make a real fast start from 0.

Just for giggles I did hammer it once pulling from a light and it spun those KO2 with ease and a lot of noise and the red line in the rpm came very quickly. So I let go of the gas and shifted to second, pretending it wasn’t me acting like a teenager :angel:

I have the stock exhaust and that has to go. The engine is noisier now. Not annoying but not pleasant either. Just noisier. Only interesting sound is a loud pssss air escape if you accelerate and let go of the gas.
I just ordered a Borla S type axle back. That should cover the engine noise :giggle:

I’m hoping next weekend I’ll have a chance to play around and maybe clock a 0-60 and report.

First gear may be tricky because is very short. We’ll see.
 

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It is a supercharger right and not a turbocharger? Just asking.
 
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It is a supercharger right and not a turbocharger? Just asking.
It is a centrifugal supercharger. Means that it is like a turbo but driven by a pulley. Many prefer the screw type because it produces torque from much lower rpm. I personally believe that puts more strain in the drive train. This one is more sports car like, most power is achieved at the the top end of the rpm. More gradual build of power.
 

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Why I say it’s a pleasure on the highway? Simple, it feels great. For example, had cruise control set at 80 mph. 6 gear. Before the supercharger if I stepped on the gas nothing happened ( remember it’s a manual). Now if I step on the gas it starts to speed up. Nothing crazy but steady acceleration even on 6 gear up up. Now if I shift down to forth and hammer it, it climbs the rpm real fast and you find yourself at 100 mph in no time.
I haven’t had a chance to make a real fast start from 0.
Just for giggles I did hammer it once pulling from a light and it spun those KO2 with ease and a lot of noise and the red line in the rpm came very quickly. So I let go of the gas and shifted to second, pretending it wasn’t me acting like a teenager :angel:
I have the stock exhaust and that has to go. The engine is noisier now. Not annoying but not pleasant either. Just noisier. Only interesting sound is a loud pssss air escape if you accelerate and let go of the gas.
I just ordered a Borla S type axle back. That should cover the engine noise :giggle:
I’m hoping next weekend I’ll have a chance to play around and maybe clock a 0-60 and report.
First gear may be tricky because is very short. We’ll see.
The noise you hear will not be eliminated by an exhaust. Forced induction systems make noise. But, they are good noises in our opinion, just prefer turbo over sc. Appreciate you post.
 
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I like turbos, but what drove me away from Prodigy was the installation. It is far more complicated than my ProCharger.
 
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Added the Borla S type axle back exhaust. Bought it on Amazon on Monday and it was delivered on Wednesday. Great packing and excellent finish of the product. It took al of 45 minutes to install.
It is very difficult to judge exhaust sounds by videos. Borla has the best videos I have seen, then I read different opinions here and decided to go with the middle of the pack, the S-type. I expected it to be louder, but I am not disappointed. It sounds very good.

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I have the remote drain line for my head unit. simply just a long steel braided line that i can take the plug out of the end and drain the unit and then put it back.
 

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sounds like you need 5;13 gears,
 
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I have the remote drain line for my head unit. simply just a long steel braided line that i can take the plug out of the end and drain the unit and then put it back.
I’ve seen pictures of that set up. Wonder why they didn’t fit the hose like that when installed. I’m not looking forward to that first oil change, but I’ll add that hose like you say.
And that first oil change is coming very quickly. I love driving this thing. I take the longer route everywhere now. Lol.
 
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Man this thing is a joy to drive. I recommend a supercharger to anyone. It’s kind of having the 4x4, Most of the time you don’t need it but it is so nice to know it’s there. The SC makes driving the Jeep more fun. I’ve not put the Rubi to its paces, it’s just the spirited engine makes it fun.
 

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Added the Borla S type axle back exhaust. Bought it on Amazon on Monday and it was delivered on Wednesday. Great packing and excellent finish of the product. It took al of 45 minutes to install.
It is very difficult to judge exhaust sounds by videos. Borla has the best videos I have seen, then I read different opinions here and decided to go with the middle of the pack, the S-type. I expected it to be louder, but I am not disappointed. It sounds very good.

View attachment 107007

E9D4405C-466E-49A8-98E9-7221935FA284.jpeg
Nice! Any videos of how the exhaust sounds together with the supercharger?
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