Quick Tech: Upping the Pressure on our ProCharger i-1 Camaro

i-1leadRegular readers will recall our original installation and testing article on ProCharger‘s revolutionary i-1 programmable supercharger system. With the ProCharger installed on our 5th Gen Camaro SS, we saw an increase of 172.7 horsepower and 184.8 pound-feet of torque to the tires at only 7.5 pounds of boost, with very conservative ignition timing for safety using California’s so-called “Premium” gasoline.

What makes the i-1 revolutionary is the variable speed transmission incorporated into the supercharger that allows boost curves to be adjusted with precision – a single gear ratio transmission has to be a compromise to provide good boost at low RPM, without overspeeding the centrifugal compressor as the engine reaches its rev limit. With the i-1, the step-up ratio between the crank and the supercharger is computer-controlled and infinitely variable, providing consistent boost across the entire operating range and more power “under the curve” where you can feel it.

While we were very satisfied with the results we got from the standard i-1 system, when ProCharger suggested that we test their upgraded 9 PSI setup, we jumped at the chance. The upgrade was simple – all we needed to do was replace the i-1’s ‘brain’ that controls boost, and upgrade our fuel injectors to keep pace with the higher demand for fuel.

IMG_5399GR

Our upgrade consisted of a new i-1 "brain" from ProCharger, upgraded to allow a peak of 9 pounds of boost instead of the standard 7.5, and a set of DeatschWerks 65-pound fuel injectors.

Our upgrade consisted of a new i-1 “brain” from ProCharger, upgraded to allow a peak of 9 pounds of boost instead of the standard 7.5, and a set of DeatschWerks 65-pound fuel injectors.

More Air, More Fuel

DeatschWerks Injector Specs

65lb (700cc) Fuel Injectors

Product SKU: 16U-00-0065-8

Fuel Pressure Range: 40-70 PSI

Minimum Pulse Width: 1.0 ms

Maximum Duty Cycle: 93%

Coil Impedance: 12.4 ohm

Injector Type: Bosch EV14 (compact)

Connector Type: us-car

To feed the fire, we turned to DeatschWerks for a set of their 65-pound (700cc) injectors, part number 16U-00-0065-8 for a flow-matched set of eight. These injectors are dimensional plug-and-play replacements for the stock squirters – they fit the factory manifold bungs, fuel rails, and injector harness just like OEM parts, making installation a breeze.

Of course, since they have a higher flow capacity than stock (that’s the whole point), the ECU’s tune must be remapped to compensate, but DeatschWerks makes that as painless as possible, providing complete injector flow rate data for the matched set, as well as battery offset information. All of DeatschWerks injectors are compatible with E85, carry a 3-year comprehensive warranty, and arrive flow-matched and tested.

We enlisted Cunningham Motorsports owner and head mouse-clicker Ryne Cunningham once again to rework our tune for the new boost and injectors, and with the information provided from DeatschWerks and ProCharger, we were up and running on the dyno in no time.

16u-65lboffset

Putting Rubber to the Roller

Strapped down on our Dynojet Research 224xLC chassis dyno, we began to make pulls while Cunningham tweaked the tables on our LS3’s tune. Still running pump gas, and with boost peaking at 9 PSI, we saw a new best of 599.5 horsepower and 619.8 pound-feet of torque to the tires, for an increase of 14.5 horsepower and 18.9 foot-pounds at their respective peaks. Our air/fuel ratio was staying right around our 12.0:1 target, proving the new injectors were doing their job.

procharger9psi

Click to enlarge

What’s far more impressive than just the peak numbers, though, is the comparison of the area “under the curve.” A look at our 7.5 PSI graph compared to the best 9 PSI pull is revealing. Have a look at the dyno chart below, and notice how the red 9 PSI torque line absolutely soars above the blue 7.5 PSI line starting at 2,500 RPM and never looks back.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Back on Track

Dyno pulls are fun and all, but we were anxious to actually make use of the new horsepower. So we put on our drag radials and headed to Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California for their test & tune. Straight off the street, our first pass showed promise – even with a glacial 2.257 60-foot time, by the eighth mile marker 7.991 seconds later, the Camaro was running 98.38 miles an hour. At the finish line, we clocked an 11.971 second pass with a trap speet of 123.02 MPH. A second pass with an equally dismal 60-foot rewarded us with a 12.077 at 122.01 MPH; clearly, there was a lot more to be found once we figured out the trick to getting our manual-trans car to launch at its full potential.

Finally, with one pass left in the day’s schedule, we got the right combination of launch RPM, clutch slip, and throttle application, and dropped three tenths off the car’s 60-foot with a 1.907. Things were looking very good – at half-track, the car clocked a 7.461 at 99.30, the quickest and fastest we’d seen. Through the finish line, the ProCharged LS3 was pulling hard, but alas, a timing system malfunction robbed us of our full quarter mile time and trap speed!

Nevertheless, based on the back-half track incrementals from our previous runs, we can come up with a pretty good estimation of our final run – 11.34-11.44 seconds. We’d say that once we get the car to really 60-foot like it should, this Camaro will be a solid 11.25 performer at the dragstrip on DOT tires, running pump gas, and with the incredible road and race flexibility that no other supercharger system can match.

Article Sources

About the author

Paul Huizenga

After some close calls on the street in his late teens and early twenties, Paul Huizenga discovered organized drag racing and never looked back, becoming a SFI-Certified tech inspector and avid bracket racer. Formerly the editor of OverRev and Race Pages magazines, Huizenga set out on his own in 2009 to become a freelance writer and editor.
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