Whipple or Procharge
 

I have a 2005 Mercruiser 496 Ho in my boat and am wondering if it would be worth putting a super carger kit on it to give it that bit extra mumbo. Have been looking at the Whipple kit and the Procharger kit but not sure which kit would provide best value for money. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have had both, go with the whipple.

Whipple.

If you're gonna go forced induction you better upgrade to forged pistons before you worry bout the blower....

The hypereutectic pistons are not blower or supercharger friendly.

But it will run for a while if you don't.

We've done quite a few installs. On a 496 we won't install a supercharger without replacing the pistons. It's not a question of "if", but "when" a piston will fail. You can get stock replacement forged pistons so it's not that much more money to go ahead and do it right the first time. As far as which package is better???? Whipple, hands down. They add a 2 bar map sensor, new fuel system and reprogram the PCM. It's a complete package that works correctly every time.

Bob
Full Throttle Marine

Before going too far into looking, first be sure your engine is in very good shape first.. Most are, but if you have an engine that is getting close to rebuild time for any reason, be it Hours or other. This may not be the way to go.

If that is all good then..... In a nut shell:

The Procharger kits are less costly initially on that setup. But the later models are not supported by them (which probably includes your model). They earlier fuel systems they were able to get worked thru (the ones that had the spin on fuel filter). However the later model units with the integrated fuel cool system which yours likely has are not supported or offered by Procharger..

In either case it is my opinion that the way to go on that platform is Whipple anyway. The reason is, the kit will work on both the earlier & later verions of the non DTS & non catalyst equipped 496's.

I have done my fair share of both compaines sales & installs and I continue to do so. But the Whipple is a more precise and robust kit. Especially on this application where it is crucial.

The 496 can live with boost if it is done right (even with stock internals).. However again the key is being precise and not looking to run very high boost levels. With the Whipple 5-6psi is the norm, with procharger the recommended set up is about 3psi due to tuning and fuel system set up. With enhanced tuning and a better fuel system the procharger can run 5-6 psi as well, but by the time you spend the time and $$$ to get there on the earlier models you end up rivaling the Whipple $$ anyway..

:) Hope this helps, If you would like a price on either set up feel free to give me a shout.. :) Jamie / Lakeside Restorations 570-639-2628

Whipple all the way.
I would'nt put a procharger on my lawnmower let alone something I like to run

First of all, I WILL NOT install either kit on a 496 without internal mods (pistons, etc).
I have installed a ton of both Prochargers and Whipples. The Whipple setup is a much nicer kit and makes for a much cleaner install, but you pay for it. It is more than a few dollars more than the Procharger. However, you are definitely getting something for your money.
If you go with the Procharger, throw the instructions away. They may know their way around a drag race engine, but they are really not up to speed on marine installs. Plan on doing fuel system mods with the Procharger, items that do not need to be done with the Whipple. The Procharger install will cost more than the Whipple because of the extra work. Unless you are very mechanically inclined, do not attempt it yourself.
Also, you need to make sure the boat's fuel system is sufficient. You need to have a large enough pickup, hoses and filter head to support the additional fuel requirements. This will not be in the Procharger instructions and is the major cause of engine failures after a Procharger install.
Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions or if I can help in any way. Good luck.
Eddie

Fixx
 

if you want to brake your drives then go whipple, if you want them to last a whyle then go procharger..if you want to blow your engine up put 5 lbs of boost to it and it wont take long:eek::drink:

Running pro chargers now but I'm building 2 new engines and going with whipple's on them . As Eddie said a lot of little tricks in setting up the pro chargers that they forget to mention ! Either way pistons are a must . Good luck :drink:

I like Procharger, run over 11lbs boost, over 1100 hp on pump gas.
Ran Procharger in my Baja for over 4 years no problem, Now running a pair of Prochargered 572's in my Awesomecat.

Smitty (Articfriends) also is a big Procharger fan... He's EFI, I'm carb.

enclosed a pic of my setup ... I'm a CNC shop so I built my own brackets and intercooler. btw Procharger brackets are wimpy...

lets not forget how noisy the procharger is.........

Like I can hear anything over my Stellings....

What are the advantages and disadvantages to both, assuming they are set up correctly?

IMHO..They both work great if set up correctly(efi applicatons). The Whipple has better packaging and has more eye appeal. It also has more low end torque, but a Procharger has plenty since most boats will spool up to over 3000 RPM just geting on plane. The M3 & 4 PCs seem to make a little more top end power than the 2.3 and 3.3 Whipples, but the 4 & 5 liters are a whole different game. Whipple intercoolers are much better also. Again the Whipple package is complete and tuned correctly in most cases right out of the box. Prochargers need a lot of setup work by a knowledgeable tuner.

Bob
Full Throttle Marine

My only experience with both is on the drag strip so :
The power curves are very different as well, Prochargers as all centrifugals are linear so you dont get as much boost until you get some rpm, Whipples are strong thruout but in my experience with drag cars they dont have the same top end charge.
I see 1000+ hp cars with centis or turbos but few with whipples.
At that power level Whipples are very hard to control the power and actually put it to the ground not to mention the bigger ones are huge by the time you factor in blower+intercooler. A good centi is also more efficient than a whipple.
Setup is always harder with a centrifugal but they are a lot more forgiving on drivetrain.
Whipples are brutal on the drivetrain unless you have a trained and gentle throttle technique
Again this is car experience and not boat so take it for whatever its worth.

With hyperpathetic pistons I would run NO power adder at all..

What are the lines going to your intake?

I would find out how much horsepower you use up just to turn the ProCharger versus the Whipple.

Those are the intercooler lines going to the transom pickup on one side, on the other the dump out the back. I used to run seapump to the intercooler but it ran way to cool channel idling.

Whipple!

Whipple is the only one!

Either one would run fine if set up properly.

yo cnc nice set up how much $ to put that setup together for a customer ?
p.s. I have a m3sc for sale CHEAP

Whipple all the way!

It is a great product... and the Whipple family is awsome to work with.

Chris

Personally I lean towards the Procharger because thats what I own and run, as far as a bunch of un-needed torque down low, can't see the need for it, I am already making 900 ft lbs at 3500 and 780 ft lbs at 3000 with a procharger that everyone claims doesn't make any low end or mid range. As far as looks and customer support, Whipple would win every time but I could give two ****ts about bling. I'm running stainless marine 3's with 5 inch tails too, they have no bling factor either but they don't crack and they last about forever, Smitty

We have used both, will never use Pro Chargers again even if they gave them away, Whipple's all the way, except for changing synthetic fluid in charger we ran four years running, not one problem.

Whipple!

What artic said - no need to blow outdrives

Before I would do anything I would sell the 496's. Then call Eddie

Hey KC, you have an excellent idea right there.:lolhit:

Yep, I keep hearing these prochargers don't even make enough torque to get on plane! Here's another one with what Dustin would call a weak torque curve..

Short pull on a 540 with M3