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Re: Which Supercharger?? (I used the search)
Well, I've had a Vortech on my 02 for almost 40K miles now. The only problem it's ever given me is thrown Belts on hard shifts. But once I switched from the standard Belt to the Kevlar Belt, my problem (which I had happen 2x before I smartened up) has gone away. The Vortech installation wasn't hard, took about 18 hours over two days. The worst part was drilling/tapping the oil pan for the oil return line from the blower, and most of the difficulty was me convincing myself I wasn't going to screw it up. Everything fits under the stock hood. With the exception of my custom made "Superchared" fender emblems, the car looks pretty much bone stock on the outside.
ATI is, I think, using a Vortech blower now instead of a ProCharger. This makes the primary difference between the two the Intercooler, which is Air/Air on the ATI and Air/Water on the Vortech. The debate rages as to which is better. I think Water is, but your mileage may vary.
The car makes nearly 520HP at the wheels, runs pretty much like stock if you're not on the boost (it can surge a little at low RPMs some times, but it's at most a mild annoyance and not a real problem), and I still get about 30MPG on the highway.
The only problem I have is that the 315s on the back still aren't enough rubber and the car will break loose pretty much whenever you want them to (which isn't a bad thing, really, except for having to be a little careful when it's cold or wet out).
And oh, yeah, you'll want to upgrade your clutch. I did an Aluminum flywheel, a hyrbid Spec Kevlar/Ceramic clutch disk, and a higher pressure lightweight pressure plate. The Aluminum flywheel made a surprising difference in the car's SOTP "grunt factor", but I wouldn't recommend the Ceramic clutch. It's got great holding force and wear characteristics, but it tends to squeal when you slip it when it's cold. Not a real problem (or it'd be surely be dead by now since it's got about 30K miles on it), but an annoyance just the same for the first few miles of driving.
Highly recommended.
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