Magna Charger’s Expansion into Ford Superchargers

For the last several years, Magna Charger has been building and designing Roots-style superchargers for GM products, primarily late-model Vortec-powered vehicles. We’ve been familiar with its kits thanks to our sister publications like Super Rod and Chevy Rumble, as well as the fact that Magna Charger’s facility was only a few miles away from our own. Last year the company entered the Ford market with a kit for Ford Flathead V-8s, and now it’s expanded its product line to cover the new Mustang and its 3V 4.6-liter V-8.

Roots-Style Superchargers and Eaton Blowers

Magna Charger is a big proponent of Roots-style superchargers, and it’s actually the sole distributor of Eaton blowers in this country. If you have an Eaton-powered kit from another manufacturer, or a Lightning or a Thunderbird Super Coupe, your blower has actually gone through Magna Charger at one point in time. The company is a strong believer in this particular type of supercharger because of its combination of low-rpm power delivery and low cost, and this is the same reason Ford and other automakers choose Eaton superchargers.

Key Features of the Magna Charger Kit for the S197 Mustang

Highlights of the new Magna Charger kit for the S197 have to begin with the Eaton MP112 supercharger, similar to the one Ford included on the ’03-’04 Cobra. Next is the internal bypass valve, which increases supercharger efficiency. A vacuum motor actuates this valve, and when boost is not required, air is re-circulated through the system, essentially meaning that until you get hard on the throttle, your engine operates like a naturally aspirated engine for better fuel economy. At 60 mph, it takes only 1/3 of 1 horsepower to turn the supercharger, and the bypass valve results in 30 to 66 percent more power under the curve, where it’s most important. Another unique feature is the “inlet forward design,” which makes the supercharger appear backward when compared to most other Eaton-style setups. This arrangement allows incoming air a more direct path into the compressor, which the company claims increases the efficiency of the system even more.

Intercooled and Non-Intercooled Versions

When this kit is introduced, scheduled for March or April, the Magna Charger kit will be available in both intercooled and non-intercooled versions. Obviously, the intercooled design will make more power, and though the current kit is so new that it’s still in the tuning stages, Magna Charger expects a realistic gain of 125 hp above the factory power rating, using 7 pounds of boost. Should you opt for the non-intercooled kit, it is possible to upgrade this version with the intercooler later. Pricing has not yet been finalized, but Magna Charger tells us to expect kits to begin somewhere near $3,300, a figure that would make the kit very competitive with those from other manufacturers.

Installation Process and Future Install Coverage

Because the kit was still under final development during our visit, we can’t yet give you a step-by-step install as we typically would. Rather, we’ll hit some of the highlights of the installation process and the features of the new design. Then, shortly after you read this, the unit should be ready for delivery. Once that occurs, we will follow up with a real-world install so that you can see all that is involved and the results you can expect on your Mustang.