Juiced: JMS Chip’s PowerMAX Products Electrify This Camaro

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Manipulating electric signals in modern cars is not advanced rocket science, but it can be a daunting process for some folks. The incredible amount of technology packed into the 5th Gen Camaro is a far cry from the days of the ’60s, when the most advanced electric components operated power windows. The intrigue in seeing what can emerge from tinkering with modern-day electric components is what makes JMS Chip And Performance‘s Powermax line so interesting.

Our guinea pig is a sweet twin-turbo 2012 Camaro owned by Michael Walker.

Our subject for this installation is a sweet twin-turbo 2012 Camaro owned by Michael Walker.

Powermax products constitute JMS’s offerings of voltage boosters for several applications, not just GM vehicles. All are aimed at increasing the efficiency of such aspects as cooling, ignition, fueling, and more. For the purposes of our experiment, we secured the Sparkmax and Fuelmax models to enhance ignition and fueling, respectively.

We sought out the help of JMS’s Brad Grissom to better understand how these boosters work, what they will improve, and technical tips and tricks to make the best use of these products.

What Is The Powermax?

JMS SparkMax

Since 2012, JMS has been developing Powermax products for use in GM vehicles (as well as Fords). Folks who want to ramp up their Camaro with more power to the pavement can get by with the factory setup – the fuel pump, the intake manifold, the air intake, and so on – for quite a while until they need to start swapping in aftermarket parts, and that’s what the Powermax line proves.

Fundamentally, the Powermax line represents what are known as voltage boosters – devices that take a electrical signal and amplify them to increase their potency. The Sparkmax does this for the ignition coils, while the Fuelmax does this for the fuel pump. Small and relatively lightweight, the devices come with an array of connectors and knobs on the front to control voltage ranges and ramp types.

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These Powermax devices are now in Version Two, and have been since late 2013. They feature a maximum voltage output to 31 volts, upgraded heat sinks, support for either single or dual fuel pump outlets in the single enclosure, plug and play product configurations for Ford and GM applications, and more.

The Sparkmax and Fuelmax will be our focus for an upcoming install on a Camaro. The plan is to make this street car perform at high levels when the occasion calls for it, like autocross or bracket-class drag racing. For such a purpose, the Sparkmax and Fuelmax make for a great addition to the Camaro; but Grissom was quick to note a few concerns, including draw.

“Not all voltage boosters are the same,” said Grissom. “Amperage is very important and you should always check to see if the in-line fuse is matched to the advertised output. JMS was the first to offer a true 40 amp device with a 40 amp fuse and heavy gauge wiring.”

Adjustability also ranked high during the development of the Powermax line. When users need to fine-tune their devices, JMS’s voltage boosters provide flexibility for ramp-in and ramp-out rates. “The ramp feature allows you to smoothly ramp in the voltage increase over a period of time to eliminate spikes in fuel pressure or ignition voltage at the moment of activation,” said Grissom. “This can be based on time or boost pressure. The ability to supply high current and voltage is very important, especially if a user plans on making big horsepower. The voltage in our unit is adjustable, allowing for support from 450 rwhp to over 1,000 rwhp with a factory fuel pump in a single device.”

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The “front” of the Powermax products show a connector for the “Control Cable” (left) that can be with an optional remote voltage knob. Next to it is the “Config Switch” that contains toggle switches for voltage ranges and ramp type. Finally, two red dials determine the input trigger and output voltage.

And let’s not forget user friendliness. The Powermax products can be made to plug and play into an activation source, which does away with the need to tap into the engine for a boost or zero to five volt signal. JMS presents more than one option to installers, as Grissom explained.

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The Sparkmax and Fuelmax may look identical, but rest assured they fulfill two very different functions.

The most common types of activation for the JMS Powermax is via an external Hobbs Pressure switch, or zero to five volt signal monitoring the accelerator pedal or via an internal pressure switch. We offer a dedicated device that has a built-in zero to 25 psi internal boost pressure sensor, and also dedicated devices that activate via ground trigger (external Hobbs Pressure) or via a zero to five volt monitored signal.

The evolution of the Powermax line has been relatively quick. Version One, released in early 2012, changed to Version Two, released in late 2013. “Version Two offered some big advancements over Version One,” explained Grissom. “Version Two increased the maximum voltage output to 31 volts, upgraded the heat sink, supported both single and dual fuel pump outlets in the single enclosure, added plug and play product configurations for Ford and GM applications, and updated activation options to include an internal boost pressure sensor and an accelerator pedal position sensor.”

Burning Up: The Fuelmax

JMS Fuelmax

JMS Fuelmax

The Fuelmax (PN PM-2000-GMP) is all about increasing the output to the stock fuel pump, but that doesn’t come at the cost of shortening the pump’s lifespan, as Grissom pointed out. It’s only meant for usage at times of wide open throttle (WOT), when extra fuel is needed to help the engine reach its peak. It pairs well with forced induction applications.

JMS Fuelmax

JMS Fuelmax

When it comes to choosing the right fuse – 40-amp versus 80-amp – Grissom recommends installers determine if they want a single or dual-pump configuration. The 40-amp will suffice for a single pump, but an 80-amp is a must for running two pumps at a time.

Once that decision has been reached, it’s time to consider trigger voltage and ramp rates. A good rule of thumb is to activate the device at WOT using around five psi of boost pressure, just to establish a baseline. To get to the true optimal output voltage, it’s a good idea to get the car tested on a dynamometer or with a datalogging tuner in real-world conditions.

Since the Fuelmax can activate based on either a built-in internal boost pressure sensor or a one to five volt external signal (such as MAP, TPS, or PPS sensor), it’s a matter of personal preference that installers can determine on their own. “The boost-activated device does allow a broader range of activation based on pressure,” noted Grissom. “The external plug and play voltage monitor is by far the easiest and most reliable way to trigger the device. Just plug in two connectors, adjust one setting, and go.”

Electrified: The Sparkmax

JMS SparkMax

The JMS SparkMax. A small but handy legend explains what each of the switches do on the device.

Straight from the factory, most late model GM cars and trucks are able to flex enough muscle up until they reach 800 rwhp. “That’s where the Sparkmax comes in, as these vehicles will suffer from spark blowout or lack of spark energy at some point” said Grissom. “Sparkmax allows users to eliminate the blowout under higher boost and combustion, while also permitting a larger plug gap for producing better, more efficient power.”

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Our pressure-activated route gives us the Hobbs switch and all the necessary components to complete the job.

By default, the Sparkmax (PN PM-2100) increases the coil voltage to 14.5 volts at all times. Users can select a higher voltage when at WOT to keep up with peak air/fuel ratio, too. “The wide open throttle activation is for a short time period, so it’s not consistently increasing voltage beyond the OEM coil design parameters,” said Grissom.

But why go for a Sparkmax when other engine components can be boosted? For example, a builder might weigh the option between the Sparkmax and buying a set of aftermarket coils. The reason to choose the Sparkmax is because while aftermarket coils or plugs may seem viable, they can still only perform at the level already imbued into the stock system; the only way to increase voltage and spark effectively is to boost the voltage going to each plug.

For the purposes of our install, we opted to activate the Sparkmax with a Hobbs switch and the Fuelmax with an internal pressure sensor.

Installation Section

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Everyone likes to scream and shout about how easy installations can be. We have yet to find a kit that comes with a genie, emerging from smoke and levitating tools while we sit idly by and watch a football game. For something that requires messing with a vehicle’s wiring – already a demanding and nerve-wracking task in and of itself – the JMS Powermax devices aren’t all that complicated.

About The Camaro

The car brought to our shop belongs to Michael Walker. It’s a 2012 Camaro SS, and comes with a Turbosmart twin-turbo kit that Walker had installed. “It has two settings on it right now,” he explained. “One runs the car on seven pounds of boost, the other is 11.5. This allows me to switch between 550 and 650 horsepower when I feel like it.”

Walker was excited to receive the JMS Sparkmax and Fuelmax. “I’ll be glad to increase the PSI to 15 and see how it goes,” he commented. Walker felt he could really get to enjoy his new toys once he got the car retuned and out to the half-mile run at ShiftSector.

“I love the Camaro and it’s always fun to increase the power,” he said. “Hopefully this install lets me squeeze some more thrills out the car!”

First, we had to choose locations for where the devices would mount. The Sparkmax went into the duct where air passes to a cabin filter, since it would have to route to the wire that controls all of the ignition coils. The Fuelmax went into the trunk, tucked up in front of the lid, since it would have to route to the wire that controls the fuel pump.

The pink wire, which was part of the main wiring harness, was cut in two to feed to both the red and white wires. This completed the circuit as we opted for the Hobbs pressure switch setup. Wire looming was wrapped around both the red and white wires for protection purposes. Back near the Sparkmax, an eyelet was affixed to the black wire to provide a ground. This wire was then connected to a bolt in the car’s cowl.

Since our setup would be pressure-activated, we would need a vacuum reference from the engine’s intake plenum to see if it was working correctly (mind you, we were almost certain it was, but in the interest of thoroughness, we conducted our test). A fitting near the plenum had its cap removed and was given access to a hose connected to a pressure gauge. We turned on the car and let the engine idle, and saw it was drawing about -14 inHg (inches of Mercury); good enough for our purposes.

We wrapped up the Sparkmax by connecting the wires, including the gray “Ground to Enable” wire, to the Hobbs switch and tightening them down with a screwdriver. Finally, the vacuum line was fed from the plenum fitting to the Hobbs switch. Now it was time to take care of the Fuelmax.

Left: The pink wire controlling all eight coil packs is stripped. Right: A terminal is affixed to the pink wire so it can connect to the Sparkmax.

The trunk had a panel on the left side (where the fuel pump was located) which had to be removed to get close to the wires we would be working on. The fuel pump’s wire was red and white-striped, which the directions described clearly. We cut it in two and spliced the red and white enable wires into it; the white wire routed to the pump, while the red wire routed back to the Fuelmax as the trigger wire. The black ground wire shared space with one of the screws holding the Fuelmax in place.

Top Left: The ground wire is installed on the Sparkmax; Top Right: the ground wire is installed on the Fuelmax; Bottom Left: The 'Ground to Enable' wires are secured to the Hobbs switch; Bottom Right: The entire assembly is hooked up and ready to go.

We then reassembled everything and routed the Fuelmax’s wires through the cabin to the firewall, where they were fed into the engine bay and finally connected to the Hobbs switch.

Brawn And Boost

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Our in-house Dynojet Research dynamometer has been an indispensable asset for many installations, and today’s 5th-generation Camaro was no different. Bets can be made and big mouths can talk, but it’s the dyno that ultimately closes the case. The twin-turbo-powered Camaro was estimated to be making near 700 horsepower and 700 lb-ft of torque.

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The before run (red) showed 712.6 hp and 718.2 lb-ft of torque. The after run shot those numbers up to 722.4 hp and 731.3 lb-ft of torque, for an increase of 9.8 and 13.1, respectively.

On the run prior to the installation, this estimate was a darn good guess: it came in at 712.6 horsepower and 718.2 lb-ft of torque. The dyno runs afterward showed that however quiet and indiscernible the Powermax devices were, they were getting the job done. The stout LS3 was definitely reaping the rewards of increased spark voltage and fuel output, as the massive twin turbos spooled up to screaming level while the RPM climbed higher.

Voltage readouts of before the installation (left) show a max output of 14.62 volts from the ignition coils. After the installation (right), we saw the number jump to 14.74 volts.

The run after the installation bore out good results for the amount of work we put into the car. It now made 722.4 horsepower at an increase of 9.8 horsepower, and 731.3 lb-ft of torque at an increase of 13.1 lb-ft of torque. Walker was definitely excited to see the difference JMS’ products had made, saying “I’m really pleased with how the installation turned out. Now I’ll have to see how it does at Shift Sector!”

It goes without saying that Walker will be making the most of his JMS devices in the near future. If you’d like to see what JMS can do for your ride, head over to the company’s website, or give them a call using the contact information provided below.

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About the author

David Chick

David Chick comes to us ready for adventure. With passions that span clean and fast Corvettes all the way to down and dirty off-road vehicles (just ask him about his dream Jurassic Park Explorer), David's eclectic tastes lend well to his multiple automotive writing passions.
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