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What do you perfer LSA or magnuson

13K views 53 replies 26 participants last post by  Prussian Steel 
#1 ·
I am looking into supercharging my 2016 SS its has a few things done
not looking really to change the hood. I looking to get 600hp as a daily.

which blower you think will be better and why.

do i need to put forged internals in this?

what been your experience with either one of these.

any imput would help from people that been down this road. appreciate any intel or advise.
 
#5 ·
Chances are that whatever supercharger people are running is going to be their answer, so it's kind of a vote scenario at this point. I would also consider the Whipple as well, many an SS owner pleased with it.
 
#6 ·
Its just i been told to look into these. It seems lsa run hotter. And need hood changes.. and magnuson are dont require that and run cooler. I just wanted ro hear how it went for the people that did this. New to adding boost to a na car. I had pre boosted cars in the past. Looking to get a nice power increase while not pushijg the motor to hard as a daily
 
#8 ·
The max effort guys running the 1320' quite often seem to prefer the LSA, which requires cobbling together number of parts, although I think there was a place selling complete kits. But the Whipple and Maggie as complete kits seem to be preferred for the daily driver cars and are well designed setups.

Do you need a built motor, not necessarily, LS's are known for being stout and 600hp isn't pushing a stock one. Tune will be critical for longevity so make sure you have someone who knows what they are doing. That said there's always going to be higher risk of failure when boosting a stock motor so be prepared the day may come when you're going to need a new shortblock.
 
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#9 ·
600whp is fine on stock internal, stock cam. As for LSA vs magnuson, people go LSA because at one point they were the cheapest option to pull parts from a wrecked car. Also the aspect of OEM spec S/C and mostly a bolt-on upgrade. You don't need to modify the hood to install a LSA either or any of the super chargers in our cars. LSA build out is still probably a couple K cheaper than a Magnuson kit.
 
#11 ·
yeah im not worried about money tbh. i just want will give me what im looking for without too much engine work or body work. i inherited this car with a few mods already so im trying to make sure i dont over step on the car limits. gonna go get it tuned and checked out. i got the reduced engine power alert and an o2 senor code. rn
 
#16 ·
yeah im not worried about money tbh.
Anybody done the Whipple 3.0 in an SS yet? Always fun to be first.
 
#12 ·
had the HeartBeat from Maggie back in 2015/2016. at the time, probably one of the best if not the best PD blower for our LS engines. Fast forward to today with a Harrop 2650 and the difference is night and day. IAT's are better, HP and Tq is way up, and it is more that I or most people will ever need. I am pushing 18 lbs of boost but this could be 10 and be even cooler. and still get big power. just a thought.
 
#22 ·
How much is the Harrop 2650?
 
#13 · (Edited)
I like the Whipple design, albeit I’m not too fond of the whistle sound of any blower. Even so, I still admire them. 😐
 
#14 ·
The Reduced Power thing is almost certainly related to the tuner messing with the drive-by-wire settings. You have to be some kind of savant to mess with those and not occasionally get "reduced power."
 
#15 ·
The reduced power could be related to the throttle blade not being where it’s supposed to be in relation to the actuator. It’s 2101 problem. Well documented.
also doesn’t matter if the setting a were stock or changed it could happen. It’s a flutter on the blade while it’s trying to do a test





I’m lsa and not partial. If I had the funds to do what I want now it would be the new magnuson 2650 using the lsa belt drive system.

The most important part on deciding on what system to use it not the system itself but the cooling efficiency. Make sure you have an adequate pump and heat exchanger and routed correctly. You should have a reservoir for reserve cold water not exposed to the engine bay to absorb heat like a hot water tank in your house.

Either supercharger you decide to get build the best cooling system you can around the blower.
 
#17 ·
Yeah i heard cooling is a thing to look into. I was told i need to find out my iets or something. Im new to this. Gonna take the car in this week to get ky o2 tuned out and look into the teduced power. They gor rid of it once so im gonna see what they can do. If i feel they do well i may talk to them about the blower install.
 
#18 · (Edited)
600hp should work on the stock bottom end. Start approaching 700 and you'll probably want to start looking at forged internals and other major upgrades. You can technically do that at 600 just to be safe if you want to spend the money.

LSA if you want good power that has a lot of available replacement parts and knowledge from people, and you don't want to spend a lot. Doesn't need a hood change like you heard, it'll just make a small indentation in the fire blanket, no worries.

Whipple, Harrop, or Magnuson if you want more power-capability than that and still have a roots-style blower.

Procharger if you want something that builds power more like a turbo-setup than the others listed above.

Custom turbo for massive power, but you'll need a loooot of other expensive upgrades if you are reaching for high power levels. This isn't necessary if you're only doing the 600hp like you said.

I have an LSA since I wasn't chasing high numbers and just wanted a nice, reliable setup that I could easily find parts if they break. Plus it looks factory on this car (should have come with an LSA option from the start honestly, but I understand the logistics to do that wouldn't make much sense). I would have done Procharger if I wanted more power. But I got my entire build bought, installed, tuned, and shipped all for only a little bit more than just buying the other superchargers, and that was all I needed. Around $9k total for everything involved and couldn't be happier!

You can view my build here, but looks like you will be chasing higher numbers than me: smann's LSA Build!
 
#19 ·
excellent insight. appreciate the info. yeah right now its got a few things on it and taking it to a dyno tomorrow and get those errors looked at. if i learn anything more ill defiantly update. hope to be talking about the power increase soon
 
#20 ·
I am looking into supercharging my 2016 SS its has a few things done
not looking really to change the hood. I looking to get 600hp as a daily.

which blower you think will be better and why.

do i need to put forged internals in this?

what been your experience with either one of these.

any imput would help from people that been down this road. appreciate any intel or advise.
sent my 2016 manual to Lingenfelter for a LS7 block and LS3 heads with a magnuson supercharger (it fits under the hood) - gave me 700HP and 695 torque at the crank - works nicely as a daily driver.
 
#28 ·
On the positive, you have a lot of great options, because “LS3.” I don’t think I’ve read any really bad experiences on the forum from anyone that went the PD route. Installs are fairly straightforward and the biggest issues have been getting the tune right and cooling at higher power levels (600hp+). Key is finding a good tuner with lots of experience with LS engines, not Joe down the street that tuned a Mustang once…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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#29 ·
Curious as well...LS3 SBE/Stock HEAD/LTH
Thinking about building out a basic stock LSA kit to bolt on for some slight bump in HP. Without going too far into the rabbit hole of building a motor.
Stock LSA GM parts + LTH, LSA/LS9 Cam worth doing?
 
#31 ·
Curious as well...LS3 SBE/Stock HEAD/LTH
Thinking about building out a basic stock LSA kit to bolt on for some slight bump in HP. Without going too far into the rabbit hole of building a motor.
Stock LSA GM parts + LTH, LSA/LS9 Cam worth doing?
From what i hear the LSA is cheaper the mag runs cooler, but it really wont matter. Also apparently the LSA has higher power possibilities. I love the cam thats in mine car sounds amazing gets alot of attention too.
 
#36 ·
Ordered my LSA kit and it should be here in about a month. I went the LSA route because it was the best deal for the power I'm looking for (500+ WHP). And, it was at the top end of what I could afford since I also had to upgrade to green cats.
 
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#37 ·
i went with whipple kit ! great for daily IMO

setup is rotofab intake, kooks headers , kooks full exhaust no cats , solo performace catback and
whipple kit with stock 4 inch pulley , custom
hp tune with stock fuel system only whipple injectors
8lbs of boost did 545 hp 523 torque
( live south texas and it was 100 F that day )
 
#38 ·
If you want reliable and fun, don't go for max power. Also, while too much horsepower is just about enough it doesn't do you much good if you can't put it down. At 550rwp you can break the back end loose at highway speeds.

I'm not hearing noticeable whine from my Whipple in the cabin, but I'm kind of deaf in that frequency range. I understand it does vary from one to the other of otherwise identical SCs. Some videos you can really hear the whine, in others you can't.
However, and more importantly, The Passenger has never made any comments about whine or anything different after that upgrade aside from "It's a lot louder why do you like that you're such a child I don't get it not it doesn't sound good like you say it's just annoying"...or something similar.

Here's a tuner's page with videos of just SS dynos, these guys do mostly Whipples and Prochargers: https://www.facebook.com/page/225781994135783/search/?q=chevy ss
 
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#41 ·
If you want reliable and fun, don't go for max power. Also, while too much horsepower is just about enough it doesn't do you much good if you can't put it down. At 550rwp you can break the back end loose at highway speeds.

I'm not hearing noticeable whine from my Whipple in the cabin, but I'm kind of deaf in that frequency range. I understand it does vary from one to the other of otherwise identical SCs. Some videos you can really hear the whine, in others you can't.
However, and more importantly, The Passenger has never made any comments about whine or anything different after that upgrade aside from "It's a lot louder why do you like that you're such a child I don't get it not it doesn't sound good like you say it's just annoying"...or something similar.

Here's a tuner's page with videos of just SS dynos, these guys do mostly Whipples and Prochargers: https://www.facebook.com/page/225781994135783/search/?q=chevy ss
yes u right, my whipple doent make no wine :-( just louder exhaust
 
#39 ·
For me, it will be Magnuson. I had a bad experience in the past supercharging a car that was basically the same deal as doing an LSA where the supercharger itself will go right on and give no problem but all the other stuff has to be made to work. So I will never go that route. I've seen tons of cars and trucks that have had Magnuson superchargers on them for 10 years and 100k miles so whatever extra it costs is worth it.

My desire is to put the stock cam back in and do a Magnuson and hopefully make maybe 50 more HP than it has now but with stock drivability.
 
#40 ·
Interestingly, the Whipple on my car whines pretty righteously under boost. Like make a Hellcat blush whining. I coudn't hear it at all with the stock airbox, but with both open filter arrangements, it's been nicely audible.
 
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#42 ·
I was under the impression that the Whipple had a louder whine according to posts on this forum.

The Magnuson on my SS has a subtle whine; when the Bi-Modals are in Touring mode, it is a lot more noticeable without the exhaust drowning it out.

I remember when people were welding the silencer ports on the older Eaton M90 equipped vehicles to make them louder.
 
#43 ·
I want to go with a Magnuson for street use only, getting to around 600-650 hp in order to keep most everything else stock and within range of normal heat and wear. I described this to a regional performance shop a year ago and was given an unofficial estimate of around 11-12k, and was put on a waiting list. At the end of the year I got a call back to have the work done but was given this quote...

1 SC Magnacharger TVS2300 HB - 8,895.00 $ y 600.41 $
1 Intake Rotofab Intake - 459.95 $ y 31.05 $
1 Headers Kooks Headers 1 7/8" - 1,077.03 $ y 72.70 $
1 Connection Green Catted Connection pipes - 2,378.37 $ y 160.54 $
***1 Gaskets OEM Ex Manifold Gaskets - 43.98 $ y 2.97 $
***1 Plugs NGK TR7 Iridium Plugs - 55.96 $ y 3.78 $
***1 Wires & Socks - 222.98 $ y 15.05 $
***1 Sensor 2 Bar MAP Sensor - 42.00 $ y 2.84 $
***1 BAP MSD Boost a Pump - 572.95 $ y 38.67 $
1 Catch Can - 289.95 $ y 19.57 $
1 Tune Dyno Tune F/I LSx - 780.00 $ y 52.65 $
33.5 Labor - 175.00 $ 5,862.50 $ y 395.72 $

Labor & Parts $ 20,680.67
Sales Tax $ 1,395.95
Total $ 22,076.62

So first I was bummed/cranky about a quote that was 8-9k more than what I was planning and saving for all of last year. I had them take me off the waiting list because I just don't have that kind of money for now. Second though, does everything on that list look necessary or about right? I choose the Magnacharger, CAI, headers, exhaust, catch can, and tune. The items with the stars are the ones I'm not sure about needing, but ultimately I also hope for feedback about the labor cost, because a year ago I was told around 1k or so, and the quote says almost 6k. Any opinions or advice is greatly appreciated.
 
#46 ·
I want to go with a Magnuson for street use only, getting to around 600-650 hp in order to keep most everything else stock and within range of normal heat and wear. ...
I want the most HP without having to have a major overhaul of other OEM parts and a maintenance burden. I need to keep it street legal and pass regular annual inspection. I've gathered that I can get to maybe over 600 HP with those goals. ...
Just to be clear, are you talking about HP at the crank, or at the wheels?
 
#44 ·
The prices you are posting are retail. Are you able to get the parts less expensive? I was about to source a Whipple for about 20% off list. Tuner said he prefered that I provided him the parts that way he didn't have to charge me more tax on the same items he would order.
The list you posted is complete but are the extra's needed? Would you rather have 500/550HP and only install the bare minimum? You can always add to some of the boltons at a later date when you have more funds.
Something else to ask yourself can you install the supercharger yourself or with some help of friends? $5862 26% of everything you want to install. That might be a justified labor rate has been going up.

Minimum install needs:
SC Magnacharger TVS2300 HB - 8,895.00
Plugs NGK TR7 Iridium Plugs - 55.96--might not need I would download the install instructions to see if they are called out. Stock plugs might be fine for mid/low HP applications.
Sensor 2 Bar MAP Sensor - 42.00 --If not included with the kit
Catch Can - 289.95 --- nice to have but is it needed day one?
Tune Dyno Tune F/I LSx - 780.00
Labor for the install or will the tuner take it after you did the install?

Sounds like it's an all or nothing conversation your having with yourself.
Check with some of the vendors on this site that sells the kit you want (there are discounts I do not see a reason to pay full retail for the same item). Good luck in your decision but it were me I would choose getting a SC and wait on the rest until I had the funds.
 
#45 ·
The prices you are posting are retail. Are you able to get the parts less expensive? I was about to source a Whipple for about 20% off list. Tuner said he prefered that I provided him the parts that way he didn't have to charge me more tax on the same items he would order.
The list you posted is complete but are the extra's needed? Would you rather have 500/550HP and only install the bare minimum? You can always add to some of the boltons at a later date when you have more funds.
Something else to ask yourself can you install the supercharger yourself or with some help of friends? $5862 26% of everything you want to install. That might be a justified labor rate has been going up.

Minimum install needs:
SC Magnacharger TVS2300 HB - 8,895.00
Plugs NGK TR7 Iridium Plugs - 55.96--might not need I would download the install instructions to see if they are called out. Stock plugs might be fine for mid/low HP applications.
Sensor 2 Bar MAP Sensor - 42.00 --If not included with the kit
Catch Can - 289.95 --- nice to have but is it needed day one?
Tune Dyno Tune F/I LSx - 780.00
Labor for the install or will the tuner take it after you did the install?

Sounds like it's an all or nothing conversation your having with yourself.
Check with some of the vendors on this site that sells the kit you want (there are discounts I do not see a reason to pay full retail for the same item). Good luck in your decision but it were me I would choose getting a SC and wait on the rest until I had the funds.
I want the most HP without having to have a major overhaul of other OEM parts and a maintenance burden. I need to keep it street legal and pass regular annual inspection. I've gathered that I can get to maybe over 600 HP with those goals. If I can do that without the exhaust pipes then great. If I only lose a little bit of HP and sound by not doing headers then I can manage without, but I understand that the car will run more efficiently and maybe cooler by having headers (less risk of maintenance issues). It's the other smaller items that I starred, that I just don't know much about and the relative necessity (not a mechanic or very knowledgeable about cars in general). I can probably install the SC because I'm handy but haven't done this kind of work before. The rest might be beyond my ability unless I have help.
Thanks for the feedback.
 
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