Turbo Kits: Front Mount vs Side Mount

[raph12]

I know the front mount is used for larger turbochargers which is neccessary for getting more power, but I prefer the front mount to the side mount strictly for cosmetic reasons. I am leaning toward the 1000TT setup, but want a front mount over a side mount (which was suggested by many tuners).

I want my Viper to have drivability (driven 3-5 days a week), yet tear up amatuer drag contestants (street tires only). If I get a front mount setup for my 1000TT kit, what type of drawbacks would it have compared to the side mount setup?

 

[CWhiteRun]

Heat soak = hotter air charge = detonation. Simply put a sidemount will NEVER be able to cool as effectively due to the limited amount of airflow running across the intercooler as compared to a frontmount. All an intercooler is is a radiator for air instead of water. You wouldn't want your radiator mounted deeper in the engine bay for the same reason....it would never be able to cool down.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Heat soak = hotter air charge = detonation. Simply put a sidemount will NEVER be able to cool as effectively due to the limited amount of airflow running across the intercooler as compared to a frontmount. All an intercooler is is a radiator for air instead of water. You wouldn't want your radiator mounted deeper in the engine bay for the same reason....it would never be able to cool down.

I think he MIGHT be talking about turbo location and you might be talking about IC location.

FWIW, my car has had both a front mount IC as well as twin side mounts. The twin side mounts have more core area which in turn drops the IAT. With the driving lights removed and some airflow management, air flow is not an issue at all. As an added bonus, the car runs significantly cooler since the front mount IC is not blocking the radiator. The down side is this is more costly and complicated so tuners typically go with the FMIC as it works fairly well and saves them work and $$$. Given the choice, I'd choose the twins all day long for a Viper.

Anyway, if the OP is talking about turbo location, I have twin 78mm turbos (which are plenty large!) and mine are not front mounted. Getting only 1000hp form a viper TT system is fairly easy and doesn't require big turbos to do it. I prefer the footwell location for every reason but one... the oil evacuation is more problematic since the turbos are almost at the same level as the oil pan.

 

[plumcrazy]

don't worry about the size of the turbos. its about the whole package. talk to a few of the trusted timers and see what they say.

 

[raph12]

I'm talking about turbo location and I know that you don't need larger turbos to get 1000HP from a Viper TT system, but I'd prefer a front mount with larger turbos just for cosmetic reasons (visual appeal). I'm just asking if doing a front mount over a side mount is a bad thing in terms of performance or drivability for a car with only 1000HP (never thought I'd put "only" and "1000HP" in the same sentence lol).

 

[Sneaky Pete]

The closer the turbos are to the exhaust manifolds, the better. This will give you better efficiency and spool.

Likewise, large turbos typically have more lag as well. If you oversize the turbos you'll likely find the system very laggy. As I mentioned, I have twin 78's but my can make a lot more than what you're targeting. With that said, they certainly dont hit hard down low. If I were targeting 1000hp, I would not go any larger than 76mm. In fact, you'd probably want to look over some compressor maps and I'd guess they'd point you towards going with something like twin 72's (at most) to get the best all around performance. You could do twin front mount 88's, but the thing would probably hit full boost around 6k rpm!

 

[1TONY1]

yet tear up amatuer drag contestants (street tires only).

There's your problem
Maybe you are talking sticky/drag radials for DOT tires.

 

[plumcrazy]

search for "paolo castellano" or "paolo" on this site. he used to MFG a setup like you describe

 

[CWhiteRun]

I think he MIGHT be talking about turbo location and you might be talking about IC location.

Oh...well then...hell I have no opinion. There's advantages and disadvantages to both. I've noted two common problems with turbo setups on these cars after talking with a few people that run them. First is oil draining from the turbos to the pan. This might be the area where a decent front mount setup would excel. One side mount setup that accomplishes a gravity drain requires the turbos to be taken apart, installed over the frame rail, and then reassembled after the frame is cleared....not fun. Downside to a front mount would be all the extra piping that would need to be ran...and all the extra heat that comes along with it. The heat issue is the other problem. Personally I'd shoot for a twin 66mm or 70mm T4 side mount setup. Might be a PITA to install, but unless you're going balls to the grindstone race car then you would probably never even use 80% of the power it would be capable of producing.

 

[RTTTTed]

Sean Roe's TT was being an installed price cheaper than all the kits I read about. However, it was built as a Gen 3 and I didn't ask about the Gen 2 since I like my supercharger. Might be asking about, if you're shopping