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Tech: Kenne Bell 3.2-liter Mammoth

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Tech: Kenne Bell 3.2-liter Mammoth

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Kenne Bell packs the punch of a bigger blower into its 3.2-liter Mammoth

By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Boost Works

Like mobile phones the trajectory of the positive-displacement supercharger development seemed headed toward larger and larger units. However, eventually there are limitations on how much blower you can fit under the hood of a modern Mustang. So, color us intrigued when we learned that Kenne Bell was releasing a new supercharger that would sit between its popular 2.8- and 3.6-liter Mammoth units.

The test bed for the new 3.2-liter Kenne Bell supercharger is Adeel’s beautiful ebony 2014 Shelby GT500, which rolls on True Forged Chicanes and Toyo tires. He was ready to step up to a larger supercharger. However, he did not want to go to the trouble and expense of adding a taller hood, so the new KB 3.2-liter Mammoth was a great option. His Shelby also features a host of supporting bolt-ons, including American Racing Headers 1 7/8-inch long-tube headers, an American Racing Headers 3-inch X-pipe, Boost Works’ GT500 blower camshafts, Boost Works’ GT500 valvespring kit, an Innovator’s West 10-percent-overdrive balancer, Magnaflow 3-inch after-cat exhaust system.
The test bed for the new 3.2-liter Kenne Bell supercharger is Adeel’s beautiful ebony 2014 Shelby GT500, which rolls on True Forged Chicanes. He was ready to step up to a larger supercharger. However, he did not want to go to the trouble and expense of adding a taller hood, so the new KB 3.2-liter Mammoth was a great option. His Shelby also features a host of supporting bolt-ons, including American Racing Headers 1 7/8-inch long-tube headers, an American Racing Headers 3-inch X-pipe, Boost Works’ GT500 blower camshafts, Boost Works’ GT500 valvespring kit, an Innovator’s West 10-percent-overdrive balancer, and a Magnaflow 3-inch after-cat exhaust system.

As it turns out, the move came at the apex of customer desires and Kenne Bell capabilities. It seems that the want for a bigger blower was strong, particularly amongst the GT500 crowd. However, not many people wanted to make the moves necessary to add the bigger hardware. This demand begat the new Kenne Bell 3.2-liter supercharger.

“No one liked the idea or the cost of the K-member and lowering/motor mount kits or aftermarket hood required to clear the externally large 3.0-liter superchargers,” Jim Bell of Kenne Bell explained. “And, everyone wants a 3.0-liter. That’s OK on Shelby Super Snakes because the car comes with a new Shelby hood. So we bored out the case to 3.2-liters, which is one of the big advantages of the billet case.”

“We don’t have to do a new casting for every supercharger size. This was my design concept from the onset—two cases, one for 2.-1, 2.6-, 2.8- and 3.2-liter blowers and one for 3.6-, 4.0-, 4.2- and 4.7-liter blowers,” Jim added. “Look at the 3.2 concept as a billet small-block that can be made into a big-block by boring and stroking (with a longer case length).”

Here’s a look at the new Kenne Bell Mammoth 3.2-liter, Liquid Cooled supercharger, which features big rotors inside a more compact case. This unit is designed to fit under the stock hood by way of dropped motor mounts and deliver performance that approaches that of the larger 3.6-liter blower.
Here’s a look at the new Kenne Bell Mammoth 3.2-liter, Liquid Cooled supercharger, which features big rotors inside a more compact case. This unit is designed to fit under the stock hood by way of dropped motor mounts and deliver performance that approaches that of the larger 3.6-liter blower.

The billet cases design and scalable rotors is what allowed Kenne Bell to offer a new creation to meet the bolt-on desires of its customers.

“The case is a billet extrusion that can be both bored and lengthened for larger and longer rotors. We can also change the screw rotors for increased or decreased threads (like fine or coarse threads) for displacement. My goal was always to offer both the largest and most efficient 2-, 3- and 4-liter superchargers…” Jim said. “Since the 3.2 shares the exclusive Kenne Bell 4×6 lobe rotor concept, which will pump more air and boost at a lower temperature than 3×5 or 4×4, it can match our 3.6 up to 24 psi in both power consumption and charge temps.”

As such, when we learned that the crew at Boost Works in Katy, Texas, would be installing one of these new units on a lightly modded 2014 Shelby GT500, we were excited to follow along and see how the blower fits and performs. They chose to install it on a Adeel ’s 2014 Shelby GT500 with the Performance Pack, which came to them with a wounded number-five cylinder. They repaired the cylinder and revved up the combo a bit to get it ready for the new blower.

“Around the time that the engine was going together, I got a phone call from Jim Bell over at Kenne Bell. We were discussing the recent success of our 2015 Mustang GT (featuring their 3.6LC Mammoth supercharger), and the ongoing development of their shelf-stock system. During that call, I was talking with Jim about how much work had to be done to fit the huge 3.6LC supercharger under the hood of our GT. He informed me of a new slim-case 3.2-liter head unit that they had been developing,” Travis Burelle of Boost Works explained. “Apparently, this head unit shared the same footprint as the 2.8-liter case. Even better, the IATs were dramatically lower in testing than the 2.8. They were on par with the 3.6-liter! After discussing our 2014 GT500, we decided that we would test one of these new 3.2-liter head units to see just how much more efficient it would be over the stock 2.3-liter TVS and the KB 2.8…”

For comparison’s sake this is a peek inside the smaller Kenne Bell 2.8-liter supercharger at its rotor pack.
For comparison’s sake this is a peek inside the smaller Kenne Bell 2.8-liter supercharger at its rotor pack.
As you can see, while this blower is similar in size to its 2.8-liter little brother, the rotors are much larger. They are like those found in the massive 4.2-liter blower, and their 4x6 design is said to be more efficient that other rotor styles.
As you can see, while the 3.2 is similar in size to its 2.8-liter little brother, the rotors are much larger. They are like those found in the massive 4.2-liter blower, and their 4×6 design is said to be more efficient than other rotor styles.

While they eventually plan to step up Adeel’s car with a 6.0-liter big-bore engine, they opted to fix that stock engine in the meantime and set the engine up to live through Houston’s 100-degree summers. Eventually they will crank up the boost and feed it with E85 on the way to that new engine combo, but for the moment the idea was just to see what the new supercharger was all about.

“The car received a set of our GT500 billet blower cams, valve springs, and the ports were left largely untouched. The heads received just a valve job, and some minor clean-up in the bowl area. Thankfully the block was undamaged, and we were able to install a new OEM piston/rings without any fuss. The car barely had 1,000 miles on the odometer, so everything sealed up just fine…” Travis elaborated. “We beefed up the sway bars, and installed a set of billet end-links. The car sits on True Forged Chicanes, wearing Toyo R888s out back, and Michelin Pilot Super Sports up front. A beefier clutch/flywheel, MGW shifter, and built 8.8 axle out back wraps things up. To feed the beast, 750cc injectors were installed, along with Kenne Bell’s Pro Series 20-volt dual Boost-a-Pump. The new 3.2LC supercharger breathes through a KB 168mm Big Oval throttle body and 5-inch inlet tube.”

Of course, adding the hardware is one thing, but making the combo work together is another. Boost Works recently partnered with Lund Racing for its custom tuning needs, so they headed for the dyno for a remote-tuning session.

“With everything dialed in, we strapped the car down on Late Model Racecraft’s Dynojet. Within three hours, we had the car perfectly dialed in. At a very conservative 15.5 to 16psi, 16 degrees of timing, and a safe 11:1 air/fuel ratio on 93 octane, the car put down 786 rear-wheel horsepower and 710 lb-ft of torque. We were pleasantly surprised with the numbers, but we were even more pleased to see the IAT’s only get up to 128 degrees, on a 85 degree day,” Travis enthused. “This was after four pulls on the dyno, and no cool-down. Just single fan blowing across the OEM heat exchanger provided enough cooling to keep things in check. Subsequent highway pulls with better airflow showed even lower IAT’s of 115-118 degrees max! So, Kenne Bell definitely has a winner with this new 3.2LC Mammoth system. We can’t wait to see what it does at higher boost levels on a built short-block. Happy with the numbers made on the dyno, we called it a day.”

You can watch the dyno runs right here…

“We’ve seen people make big numbers with the stock TVS, but the curve doesn’t look quite as nice, and the IATs are screaming at those blower speeds on stock heat exchanger/pump/intercooler. We’re barely scratching the surface of what this new 3.2 can do, and that makes us very happy,” he added.

Travis expects that this 3.2-liter blower will eventually support four-digit power levels, but for now they plan to see what the current combo is made of on the Texas Mile, while running it alongside the shop’s KB 3.6-liter-boosted 2015 Mustang GT.

The Boost Works crew started the Kenne Bell Mammoth 3.2LC install by removing the stock 2.3-liter supercharger and induction.
The Boost Works crew started the Kenne Bell Mammoth 3.2LC install by removing the stock 2.3-liter supercharger and induction.
Next they install the adapter plate, hand-tightening the fasteners in a crisscross pattern.
Next they install the adapter plate, hand-tightening the fasteners in a crisscross pattern.
With that done, the fasteners are torqued to 16 lb-ft using the same pattern.
With that done, the fasteners are torqued to 16 lb-ft using the same pattern.
The Boost Works team muscles the 3.2-liter Mammoth into place atop its companion adapter plate. After trouble-shooting to ensure no hoses are wires are pinched between the adapter plate and blower, you can hand tighten the blower fasteners. Follow that process up by torquing the six fasteners to 16 lb-ft in that ever-popular crisscross pattern.
The Boost Works team muscles the 3.2-liter Mammoth into place atop its companion adapter plate. After trouble-shooting to ensure no hoses are wires are pinched between the adapter plate and blower, you can hand tighten the blower fasteners. Follow that process up by torquing the six fasteners to 16 lb-ft in that ever-popular crisscross pattern.
The Kenne Bell Mammoth inlet ships with an O-ring in place, just ensure it is properly seated before installing the throttle body. You could use a stock throttle body, but knowing that positive-displacement blowers don’t like inlet restrictions, Adeel opted for one of Kenne Bell’s 79x168mm oval throttle bodies. This unit is designed to flow 2,150 cfm!
The Kenne Bell Mammoth inlet ships with an O-ring in place, just ensure it is properly seated before installing the throttle body. You could use a stock throttle body, but knowing that positive-displacement blowers don’t like inlet restrictions, Adeel opted for one of Kenne Bell’s 79x168mm oval throttle bodies. This unit is designed to flow 2,150 cfm!
Boost Works swapped over the electronic throttle motor to the Kenne Bell unit. Then they installed the throttle body by hand and torqued the fasteners to 70 in-lb. As you can see it is necessary to re-route the fuel crossover line around the supercharger with the hose supplied in the kit. Removing the stock line and installing this line requires some strength as well. You also relocate the harness at the rear of the blower. This requires a protective wrap to shield it from the heat of the EGR tube. Clearly we are just hitting the highlights of the install here, but Kenne Bell includes a comprehensive set of instructions.
Boost Works swapped over the electronic throttle motor to the Kenne Bell unit. Then they installed the throttle body by hand and torqued the fasteners to 70 in-lb. As you can see it is necessary to re-route the fuel crossover line around the supercharger with the hose supplied in the kit. Removing the stock line and installing this line requires some strength as well. You also relocate the harness at the rear of the blower. This requires a protective wrap to shield it from the heat of the EGR tube. Clearly we are just hitting the highlights of the install here, but Kenne Bell includes a comprehensive set of instructions.
The billet/urethane engine mounts supplied in the Kenne Bell kit are designed to lower the engine a ½-inch, which is quite clear when you see them next to the stock mounts.
The billet/urethane engine mounts supplied in the Kenne Bell kit are designed to lower the engine a ½-inch, which is quite clear when you see them next to the stock mounts.
Next they installed the air filter heat shield, swapped the mass-air sensor to the huge inlet tube, and installed the new Kenne Bell inlet.
Next they installed the air filter heat shield, swapped the mass-air sensor to the huge inlet tube, and installed the new Kenne Bell inlet.
To ensure the engine was fresh and ready to run, they changed the oil with a fresh pour of the synthetic good stuff from Royal Purple. This a good time to remind you that Kenne Bell superchargers are shipped dry. The necessary lubricant is included in the kit. Pour it into the drive reservoir and check it with the cap’s integral dipstick until it reaches the prescribed level for proper operation. Do this before you ever run the car or you will damage the blower.
To ensure the engine was fresh and ready to run, they changed the oil with a fresh pour of the synthetic good stuff from Royal Purple. This a good time to remind you that Kenne Bell superchargers are shipped dry. The necessary lubricant is included in the kit. Pour it into the drive reservoir and check it with the cap’s integral dipstick until it reaches the prescribed level for proper operation. Do this before you ever run the car or you will damage the blower.
Completed and ready to run, the Kenne Bell 3.2-liter Mammoth is ready to rumble.
Completed and ready to run, the Kenne Bell 3.2-liter Mammoth is ready to rumble.
To withstand the newfound power under the hood, Boost Works upgraded the drivetrain with a host of rugged aftermarket parts, including a set of Moser Engineering 31-spline axles. The other mods included a McLeod RXT twin-disc clutch, a Fidanza aluminum flywheel, a Detroit Locker TruTrac differential, and a set of Ford Performance Racing Parts 3.31 gears.
To withstand the newfound power under the hood, Boost Works upgraded the drivetrain with a host of rugged aftermarket parts, including a set of Moser Engineering 31-spline axles. The other mods included a McLeod RXT twin-disc clutch, a Fidanza aluminum flywheel, a Detroit Locker TruTrac differential, and a set of Ford Performance Racing Parts 3.31 gears.
To dial in the new combo, the Boost Works team brought Adeel’s 3.2-boosted Shelby over to the Dynojet.
To dial in the new combo, the Boost Works team brought Adeel’s 3.2-boosted Shelby over to the Dynojet.
Boost Works recently partnered with Lund Racing for its calibration needs, and Travis worked with main man Jon Lund to safely dial in the new combo.
Boost Works recently partnered with Lund Racing for its calibration needs, and Travis worked with main man Jon Lund to safely dial in the new combo.
One of the calling cards of the Kenne Bell 3.2 is its efficient 4x6 rotor pack. As you can see, its peak discharge temperature was only 128 degrees on a 75-degree in Texas.
One of the calling cards of the Kenne Bell 3.2 is its efficient 4×6 rotor pack. As you can see, its peak discharge temperature was only 128 degrees in the Texas heat.
After the tuning was complete, the Boost Works crew followed up by putting the car on a Dynojet and it put down nearly 790 at the feet.
After the tuning was complete, the KB 3.2-blown Shelby put down nearly 790 horsepower and over 700 lb-ft to the rear wheels on a Dynojet.

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