My red L is only a month old, and was delivered new in New Jersey (same smog regulations as CA, I'm told). Two questions for y'all:

1) I have read nothing in the press or the owner's literature about the nature of the blower drive. I notice that it's completely silent at idle and small throttle openings, but whines at part throttle and howls at full throttle. Other roots-blown engines that I've seen in street rods or drag cars have been quite noisy, even at idle, and this causes me to wonder: is the drive clutched, and engaged only on demand? Or is it driven full-time, and just designed for very silent operation?

2) When I start the engine, I stay completely away from the throttle, and yet the engine does a big, slow VROOOOM before slowing down to idle. It sounds dumb. Is this a feature of the NJ/CA smog calibrations, or does everyone's do this?

Anyway, these pickemups sure are fun, aren't they?

 

Hey Hotwheel, Sal here. Here are the answers to your questions:

1) The Eaton M112 blower is a very quiet unit. It has a special coating on the inside of the case and on the rotors, to help reduce friction and noise. The drive gears are not straight cut like some other blowers. Straight cuts gears are really loud. And the main reason the blower is quiet, is because the lower pulley on the crank is mounted on a rubber hub set up. This was not to make it hard for us to change pullies, it was to absorb harmonics. Harmonics are the enemy of roots blower. If you were to change the lower pulley with a solid mounted pulley, the blower will get really loud, and will probably not last too long at extended high rpm use.

2) Yes the truck does rev for a few seconds after start up. It's normal and it's annoying Hope this helps!!

------------------
SAL
13.35@103mph
All stock with PSP 99 Lightning Chip and Filter Kit

Power Surge Performance--- Your SOURCE for SVT Lightning EFI Tuning and Performance!! http://members.aol.com/NLOCsvt/svt.html

 

I thought the main reason was because under low power settings the bypass valve was open. With no delta P across the rotors, they are free wheeling in a vaccum. This condition would create very low loads (if any) on the gears. No load, little/no noise. Of course ALL the reasons Sal pointed out help. Am I wrong Sal???

------------------
Joel.......
99.5 White Lightning,
SVT # 0052

 

Thanks to you both for your insights. Speaking of blower noise, Sal, it sounds like I'd better have one of your filter kits -- if some howl is good, more must be better!

 

Yes Joel, you are correct also, but that's a different point. There will be a noise differance between load/no load at the same rpm. My explanations were based on being at load. And if you've ever heard a Kenne Bell or large Roots type blower, they whine all the time!!

------------------
SAL
13.35@103mph
All stock with PSP 99 Lightning Chip and Filter Kit

Power Surge Performance--- Your SOURCE for SVT Lightning EFI Tuning and Performance!! http://members.aol.com/NLOCsvt/svt.html

 

Hey Sal
Not looking to disagree with you but I never had my Kenne Bell whine. If you ever talk to Jim Bell, he uses the fact that they are quite as a selling point. I will agree with you on the Roots style blowers you can here them coming for several blocks. In fact that is why many of the street rod guys use gear drives so that others will think that they are running blowers. Here is a photo of the KB on my Mustang Cobra. Today I now use a Vortech and it is quite too.


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BABolt
SVT#290



[This message has been edited by BABolt (edited 02-10-2000).]

 

Hmm, that's kinda odd. Every Lightning I have ever heard with a KB was loud as hell. I know they use the same head unit, maybe the different manifolds make a noise difference. I know the 2200 is quieter because it has a bypass on it.

------------------
SAL
13.35@103mph
All stock with PSP 99 Lightning Chip and Filter Kit

Power Surge Performance--- Your SOURCE for SVT Lightning EFI Tuning and Performance!! http://members.aol.com/NLOCsvt/svt.html

 

hotwheel,

I too live in El Segundo, CA. I'm waiting on my 2000, any chance we could meet one day at Snacks, Scoops, or wherever so I could drool and get a really good look at a Lightning? I promise to wear a bib I'll buy you a shake. I'm begging here...

Are you going to show the L at annual car show? How about burnouts on Main between Grand and Holly? No, wait, that's in front of the police station.


[This message has been edited by ArcLight (edited 02-10-2000).]

 

Sal, my old KB 2200 was absolutely, dead-nuts silent when it wasn't making boost. Matter of fact, the noise characteristics were identical to the Eatons with probably not quite as much whine at WOT from the KB. It's one of the things I missed the most about the unit - the quietness.

KB 1500s have a slight amount of gear chatter at idle without the bypass but they go silent at light throttle and then whine at load.

Both your reasons and Joel's reasons were correct. The Eaton uses teflon-tipped helical impellers and tight drive gears - the big Weiand and B&M Roots blowers use a straight impeller and fairly loose drive gears. Load causes more noise from the drive gears, which is why the Eatons and Whipples sound like sirens when under load by are silent when the bypass is operating.


------------------
Later!
Jeff S.
President, National Lightning Owners Club - http://nloc.org
SVT Lightning #74 in '95
11.92@115.2 on radials, driven daily
jeff_s@nloc.org or fmosracing@aol.com

 

Another take on the blower noise. I have a small (142cid) Weiand supercharger on my 68 Camaro. It sounds identical to the trucks, but there is no bypass. Under light throttle the drive gears are under very little load, since the flow of air will help drive the rotors. But as you begin to build boost the load on the gears increases, and so does the noise. The big blowers that whine at idle have a gilmer drive belt, the noise is from air being caught in the cogs. If you drill holes in the pulleys, you can reduce the noise in those units.

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99 Lightning black #2022, cd,tow package,bed rug,roll-n-lock, stock
(13.73 @ 99.74)
98 Cobra coupe laser red
best stock et 13.43 @ 103
one run w/ 3.55 gears 13.34 @ 102 no other mods
former Chevy fan still have a few
72 SS454 11.6 @ 116 (slicks open headers)
68 Camaro 12.2 @ 116 (street tires closed exhast)

 

ArcLight, I don't live in El Segundo, but I work there. The next three weeks are hectic (I'm traveling, then moving) but I'd be happy to show you the truck after that. e-mail me at <millerto@mattel.com> and we'll set something up.

Don't know about the car show. When/Where? I have another vehicle (1950 1/2 Ford Victoria) that I usually enter in shows.