Boosting the Ford V8

Redcliffe Dyno and Performance (RDP) have come to the rescue of quad-cam V8 Ford owners tired of being dusted by tweaked XR6 Turbos. Their new centrifugal blower kit features some impressive engineering and transforms the 5.4 litre V8 into a 400+ kilowatt rocketship.

And if for whatever reason you don’t like the kit, you can always rely on the RDP money-back guarantee!

Supercharger and Associated Hardware

The RDP quad-cam V8 kit is built around a US-sourced Pro-Charger blower.

The Pro-Charger is different to most centrifugal superchargers because it has a 270ml internal oil supply teamed with a 'splasher' gear that delivers oil to the components requiring lubrication. This approach means there’s no need for a complex stand-alone oil system.

The off-the-shelf Pro-Charger blower is mounted into local Ford V8s using RDP’s in-house kit.

One of the most attractive features of the RDP kit is the availability of a forward-facing throttle body. Compared to the standard ‘side-mount’ throttle arrangement, this enables a shorter and straighter plumbing route on the return from the intercooler (where fitted). Interestingly, Steve from RDP says that relocating the throttle body to the front of the intake plenum gives a massive improvement in throttle response - as well as achieving more power.

In order to relocate the throttle body, RDP employs an elegant cast alloy replacement intake plenum. (The plenum seen in these photos is a custom fabricated version used for development.) Depending on customer requirements, RDP can also include an upgrade 83mm throttle body that comes with a lipped outer pipe (to prevent the induction pipe blowing off under boost pressure). Factory electronic control of throttle is retained.

Top-line RDP kits are equipped with an in-house designed intercooler that makes use of the available space between the air conditioning core and bumper support panel. The 85mm thick intercooler core is a highly efficient bar-and plate type with internal cooling fins. Three inch mandrel pipe is used to and from the intercooler; note that a small curved section must be cut from the upper radiator support panel for adequate pipe clearance. All kits come with a Bosch blow-off valve.

The inlet to the compressor comprises a 4¼ inch convoluted pipe that connects to a mid-size K&N air filter mounted ahead of the passenger side wheel arch. Steve tells us space is relatively limited in this area and they’ve used the largest filter possible. At the time of writing, a one-piece moulded silicon hose was being assessed as a replacement for the convoluted pipe.

Fitted to the compressor inlet pipe is a water spray that comprises a garden-type spray nozzle and an OE windscreen washer pump fitted to an unused port in the factory washer bottle. The spray is triggered by a RDP piggy-back computer at a preset combination of engine load and rpm. While this water injection system is better than nothing, we’d prefer a system that delivers a more finely atomised water mist – perhaps using a brass nozzle.

But RDP’s attention to detail can be seen in the engineering of the blower mounting and drive system.

The supercharger mounting bracket is CNC-machined from a single piece of 30.5mm thick T5 aluminium and Steve says there are absolutely no problems in terms of mounting rigidity. To ensure the mounting bracket self-aligns during fitment, you’ll find tapered seats for the bolts that screw into the passenger side cylinder head. Steve says this ensures all supercharger fitments are spot-on – there is no need for adjustment. He also adds that there’s no requirement to bend air conditioning hoses.

One of the major design goals was to achieve the maximum amount of belt wrap around each supercharger drive pulley, minimising the chance of belt slip. As a result, RDP use a 4 inch supercharger pulley and larger-than-standard crank pulley for maximum contact with the belt. A 7.5 inch diameter lower pulley delivers 6.8 psi boost on FPV Boss 290 engines while an 8 inch lower pulley gives 7.9 psi on Boss 260s. (Boost pressure is lower on Boss 290s because they have a higher compression ratio.)

In addition to employing large diameter pulleys, RDP use dual belt tensioners on the path to and from the blower. These tensioners are Ford EA ratchet-style units – Steve says these provide consistent belt tension and don’t bounce like some hydraulic units. The belt chosen for the job is an 8PK Micro V belt.

Engine Management and Fuelling

The quad-cam V8 Ford Falcon kit relies on a RDP piggy-back computer that delivers sequential operation of the injectors, ignition timing control and more. Redcliffe tunes their RDP computer to drive a set of 445cc replacement injectors and alter ignition timing to suit each car and application. We are told that 6 degrees of timing is typically removed at high load/rpm but be aware that, at present, there is no knock sensor input to the RDP computer. Another function of the RDP computer is to limit MAP sensor voltage so that the factory management system never sees boost pressure.

For applications over 450kW, the fuel system is upgraded with the addition of a Bosch Motorsport pump that serves to boost flow through the factory main pump. The Bosch ‘booster’ pump is activated at certain load/rpm via the RDP computer.

Power and Price

At present, there is a choice of three RDP Pro-Charger kits to suit quad-cam V8 Ford Falcons – Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 (the Ultima kit).

The entry-level Stage 1 kit comprises the blower installation kit complete with water injection and blow-off valve - but you don’t get the replacement plenum or intercooler. Assuming you already have a decent high-flow exhaust, the RDP Stage 1 kit delivers 400kW at the flywheel - regardless whether you’re starting with a Boss 260 or 290 engine. Total price for the kit is AUD$10,000 fitted and tuned.

Stage 2 is essentially the same as Stage 1 except it adds the replacement plenum witn the relocated throttle body. This provides much-improved throttle response and approximately 30kW extra (for a total of around 430kW). Cost is AUD$12,360.

The Stage 3 Ultima kit is the all-out version that comes complete with a front-mount air-to-air intercooler and additional fuel pump. Providing a very healthy 470kW, the Ultima kit offers serious performance for just under AUD$16,000.

Steve makes the point that all RDP supercharger kits are individually configured to suit customer needs and so prices can vary. Options include a Gilmer belt drive, an electronic upgrade for auto transmissions and more. He also points out that the claimed power figures are very conservative.

So how much power can you shoot for?

Well, Steve says the Stage 3 Ultima kit takes the quad-cam V8 near its mechanical limit. The relatively weak pistons of the Boss 260 and 290 engines hold you to a maximum of around 500kW at the flywheel.

But surely the biggest advantage of the RDP kit is the money-back satisfaction guarantee that we teased you with earlier. Customers have the opportunity to return the car to standard if they aren’t 100 percent happy with any aspect of the kit – and it won’t cost a cent!

With supreme confidence like this and plenty of high-end engineering, we reckon the RDP Pro-Charger kit is a winning product.

Contact:

Redcliffe Dyno and Performance                         +61 7 3284 1925
                                                                                      www.redcliffedyno.com/redcliffedyno