cmccort

Everyone,

Does anyone know anything about these electric Turbos by Thomas Knight??? No, these are not your $99.00 electric turbos on ebay. These things are serious, 400+ cfm 8hp electric motor it does require some batttery pack technology. The cost of the blower is $1695 I have not completed my research on the cost of the power set up. Check out the website and tell me what you think or if anyone has some experience with this product post it. According to some of the articles (One was featured in road and track) you can get significant hp and torque gains for a 15 second boost cycle. The article in road and track featured a ford ranger with minimal mods but gained nearly 100 hp and equal torque with this product.





Thanks

Lexmex

http://www.boosthead.com

http://www.turbomagazine.com/tech/04...ger/index.html

I am aware of it and have known about it for a number of years (that product is out of my hometown of Miami, actually from way out in the boonies in deep southwest Dade County, just farmland and rattlesnakes, and I used to go hunting out there), looked into it, but still not going to be feasible for just any RX300. Reason once again is that the transmission cannot support that kind of power. Additionally, that 15 second boost cycle will play havoc with the MAF without some major electronic modification with the ECM and I guarantee you that transmission will jerk like crazy (he mentioned it worked like nitrous and he ain't kidding). Moreover, such product might be ideal for me given I love 1/4 mile runs, but I just can't see this is in anyone's daily driver going from stoplight to stoplight.

However, Tom Knight's products are still excellent and very innovative. Some of them run on vehicles up at Moroso, the 1/4 mile track up in West Palm Beach.

Key thing is to even before thinking about doing any forced induction on any vehicle is to build it up: better transmission, better exhaust, better cooling, better engine management system and oh yeah...you will need a better braking and suspension system.

The most you can probably get off a stock RX300 with the transmission (for a few runs) is probably close to 300 hp and that is putting severe risk on engine and transmission alike. A safer bet is around the 250 to 260 hp range.

miniround

please save this quote somewhere for all those people that talk about the super engine mods haha. without a sufficient tranny, our rx's aren't going anywhere. haha

AlexusAnja

Exactly... the engine is one thing, but where are you going to transfer all that power and how to convert to usable torque. Let's say you could somehow even boost the 3.0L to 300hp+, you'll probably blow the tranny within 5 miles if you gave it full throttle.

Hey, want an RX with more power, get the RX350 or wait for the next gen. RX370 perhaps???

Lexmex

However, I have to admire people for continuing to want to do this. However, going with forced induction on an RX300 is like going to the moon, you need a lot more equipment and expertise (and $$$) to get there, unlike shooting a rocket up into the sky and letting it fall back to earth, which is what we are doing with naturally aspirate modifications like I have.

No doubt exists in something like the TTE Supercharger, but I find it much more fulfilling and enjoyable in life to set things up myself...and its cheaper.

Lil4X

So true! Too many catalog tuners forget that horsepressure alone is the way to deep trouble. Any buildup requires you get that additional power to the ground - and that means everything from the intake to the tires plays a part and must be sized and/or reinforced to take it.

You guys make excellent points too about upgrading brakes and suspension. You may get to the end of the quarter in 12 seconds, but if your brakes aren't up to the task of a fast triple-digit hauldown, you will only do it once.

Once you go beyond small incremental improvements, you open a whole new can of worms (and budget) on the path to the next level.

miniround

yea. money talks. basically that's the moral of this thread.