What's so wrong w/ Kenne Bell?

[Burkey]

IMO, most of the reasons have been mentioned already except one.
The Whipple looks like it’s meant to be there, the KB doesn’t.
If you’re purely a power guy, that won’t matter but for plenty of people they want it to look “finished”. Ergo, Whipple wins that one, plus customer service (10/10) and have the representation of the larger vendors.
Can the KB produce enough power to destroy a stock engine? Absolutely.

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[olaosunt]

I have a 3.2 LC on one of my 15’s
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...kb-tremec-148-mph-1-4-mile-10-03-video.90222/

Of course if makes power but in my opinion compared to the Whipple in terms of fit and finish it’s a little “rough around the edges “

It also makes a ton of heat and I have to run an ice tank to keep IAT’s down at the strip . In fairness I suspect any PD blower@19 psi is going to make a ton of heat .

It does look different and stand outs in the sea of whipple blowers . It does have a kind of “mad max” look to it but definitely not OEM looking .

My biggest issues (which could not be avoided ) is the use of the engine mounts to lower the motor/clear the hood which in my opinion adds a lot of NVH to the car and make it feel too “race car “ like at least compared the others .

It was making low to mid 900’s with the 3.5 pulley and 20 % OD . I just pullied down to a 3.25 pulley in my quest for 9’s and will be getting on the dyno in the next week to see if it will crack the 1000 up mark ....:.thats not really the goal but I figure I need to probably trap 150+ to be able to run that 9 without having to go take gear banging lessons from Heinz !

 

[zero_chance]

I decided to go KB over Whipple. 3.2 LC. And if I want I can step that all the way up to 4.9L. Try doing that with a Whipple. Is Whipple bad? Absolutely not. Was an hour away from buying one. But they have inherent limits and one of them is the front inlet that everyone seems to think is the greatest thing. Not much in a way of expanding that where the KB Mammoth kits seriously outflow them even on the smaller setups. There’s a lot of data to back up KBs claims, not just people knocking it because they have something different on their car. This debate will never end. I personally fail to see how a smaller supercharger with a less efficient rotor design getting squeezed through an opening half the size of the KB provided TB is somehow better, but to each his own. I called KB and it was answered on the second ring. Placed my order with Mike. He followed up when he said he would and answers my emails within a few minutes. Plus they gave me ten percent off my kit. How many people staying they have terrible customer service have actually dealt with them or are you just repeating what everyone else says? If everyone buys Whipples why are you calling KB to inquire about their customer service?

 

[lodans]

I have the 2.8 LC on my 15 and could not be happier. Like other people have said the Whipple is also a great option but I wanted something different. I am not looking to blow my motor so I opted to stick with the stock tune and have had it for close to 2 years and I am still happy with it. As far as customer service they were awesome. I did the install in my garage by myself and was complete in about 20 hours, keep in mind I did this over several days after work so I read the instructions over and over to make sure not to mess up. I had to call 2 times while doing the install and both times they answered my questions right away. I also believe this forum is very well represented by Whipple that is why you see their product over almost any other. Its just like anything if you throw enough advertising at it and your product is strong you will have a great following. Kenne Bell is old school, you will see that in ordering - you have to actually talk to someone to place your order, to me that is not a bad thing.

 

[zero_chance]

I have the 2.8 LC on my 15 and could not be happier. Like other people have said the Whipple is also a great option but I wanted something different. I am not looking to blow my motor so I opted to stick with the stock tune and have had it for close to 2 years and I am still happy with it. As far as customer service they were awesome. I did the install in my garage by myself and was complete in about 20 hours, keep in mind I did this over several days after work so I read the instructions over and over to make sure not to mess up. I had to call 2 times while doing the install and both times they answered my questions right away. I also believe this forum is very well represented by Whipple that is why you see their product over almost any other. Its just like anything if you throw enough advertising at it and your product is strong you will have a great following. Kenne Bell is old school, you will see that in ordering - you have to actually talk to someone to place your order, to me that is not a bad thing.

Well put. I also like that when KB puts something on their site regarding their product, they always back it up with actual data, often including citing sources if a magazine was involved, or showing the actual test and results. Anyone can say what they want about a product, and people that don’t own that product can provide incorrect insight, but the actual facts speak for themselves.

 

[zero_chance]

My best friend is advising me to get either the Whipple or the new 2.65TVS. He's built a few monsters and is usually right about what I should do, lol.

Other than a few inconveniences like the spark plug thing though, I still haven't read anything that's a deal breaker. You just seem to get more Blower (power) from the KB's. ..I know this seems like I'm "stuck on stupid" but I'm just trying to over think it.

He has talked me down off my high horse a bit though so I can start with a near base kit of any setup and make 650-700rw. Then only needing to upgrade fuel & tune later for more power when I get greedy.

I just wish KB was more involved in the community so they could be here to sell their side of the house to everyone. It seems their biggest hurdle is lack of representation in the marketplace. I messaged KB yesterday with my questions and they were quick to respond & very helpful.

...Decisions..

Spend some time on their site if you haven’t already, they have more info about their products than any company I’ve ever seen. You could literally spend hours reading. And, not to beat a dead horse, but it’s actual FACTS backed up by provided evidence and data. Also, there’s a reason why the small roots and TVS style blowers that come from the factory are replaced with KB units. Shelby’s and the terminator Cobras. Check out the Shelby 1000.

 

[ypena02]

I have a 3.2 LC on one of my 15’s
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...kb-tremec-148-mph-1-4-mile-10-03-video.90222/

Of course if makes power but in my opinion compared to the Whipple in terms of fit and finish it’s a little “rough around the edges “

It also makes a ton of heat and I have to run an ice tank to keep IAT’s down at the strip . In fairness I suspect any PD blower@19 psi is going to make a ton of heat .

It does look different and stand outs in the sea of whipple blowers . It does have a kind of “mad max” look to it but definitely not OEM looking .

My biggest issues (which could not be avoided ) is the use of the engine mounts to lower the motor/clear the hood which in my opinion adds a lot of NVH to the car and make it feel too “race car “ like at least compared the others .

It was making low to mid 900’s with the 3.5 pulley and 20 % OD . I just pullied down to a 3.25 pulley in my quest for 9’s and will be getting on the dyno in the next week to see if it will crack the 1000 up mark ....:.thats not really the goal but I figure I need to probably trap 150+ to be able to run that 9 without having to go take gear banging lessons from Heinz !

Why do they state that it fits under the stock hood?

 

[Roh92cp]

- They lack representation
- They are not active on forums or Facebook, I bumped their 2018 kit thread and even tagged them, no response
- Trying to buy a kit is a hassle, you can't just go to your go to vendor you've had a relationship for years with to order one
- They keep using external bypass valves instead of integrating them into the lower manifold like everyone else(Roush, Whipple, Edelbrock, Magnuson)


The head units themselves will make power, they just haven't been keeping up with the time, it's like they think we're still in the 90's and early 2000's

I decided to go KB over Whipple. 3.2 LC. And if I want I can step that all the way up to 4.9L. Try doing that with a Whipple. Is Whipple bad? Absolutely not. Was an hour away from buying one. But they have inherent limits and one of them is the front inlet that everyone seems to think is the greatest thing. Not much in a way of expanding that where the KB Mammoth kits seriously outflow them even on the smaller setups. There’s a lot of data to back up KBs claims, not just people knocking it because they have something different on their car. This debate will never end. I personally fail to see how a smaller supercharger with a less efficient rotor design getting squeezed through an opening half the size of the KB provided TB is somehow better, but to each his own. I called KB and it was answered on the second ring. Placed my order with Mike. He followed up when he said he would and answers my emails within a few minutes. Plus they gave me ten percent off my kit. How many people staying they have terrible customer service have actually dealt with them or are you just repeating what everyone else says? If everyone buys Whipples why are you calling KB to inquire about their customer service?

I love Kenne Bell's and have owned 4 of them over a 15 years period. Great design and rotor pack, however from 94 to 2010 tech support and getting parts was always difficult. I've heard they have made progress lately on both areas, however still remain elusive when dealing in public forums.

When comparing the front Feed Whipple to the Kenne Bell rear feed design both have large throttle bodies available. Whipple 150MM and KB 165mm, however the Kenne Bell design is misleading when they say it's the largest because it chokes down at the back significantly compared to the Whipple's front feed that remains 150mm from throttle body into the rotor filling area. The only one that is truly a monster inlet is the Kenne Bell BIG GUN.

 

[Dalton@Evolution]

Why do they state that it fits under the stock hood?

The kit comes with a set of lowering engine mounts. It fits under the stock hood.

 

[zero_chance]

I love Kenne Bell's and have owned 4 of them over a 15 years period. Great design and rotor pack, however from 94 to 2010 tech support and getting parts was always difficult. I've heard they have made progress lately on both areas, however still remain elusive when dealing in public forums.

When comparing the front Feed Whipple to the Kenne Bell rear feed design both have large throttle bodies available. Whipple 150MM and KB 165mm, however the Kenne Bell design is misleading when they say it's the largest because it chokes down at the back significantly compared to the Whipple's front feed that remains 150mm from throttle body into the rotor filling area. The only one that is truly a monster inlet is the Kenne Bell BIG GUN.

Mammoth kits have a slightly bigger TB actually at 168mm. And we’d have to know the size of the housing inlet at the rotors to know if there is actually a significant restriction. Restrictions downstream of the unit are what cause problems because you only flow as much as your smallest component.

 

[Roh92cp]

Mammoth kits have a slightly bigger TB actually at 168mm. And we’d have to know the size of the housing inlet at the rotors to know if there is actually a significant restriction. Restrictions downstream of the unit are what cause problems because you only flow as much as your smallest component.

It's easy to see by eye it's almost half the size of the inlet at the back where it narrows down.

 

[zero_chance]

I’ll have my kit on Monday Tuesday for the real eyeball test but something tells me the turn down was accounted for in their engineering. Doubt they’d spend time and money developing a completely new intake only to build inherent flaws into it. Without a doubt that is the smallest part of the intake but that’s exactly where you’d want it to be. Right at the source. Not downstream.

 

[CB18]

It's a reverse ell. It changes from wide thin to thin wide.

 

[zero_chance]

It's a reverse ell. It changes from wide thin to thin wide.

That’s exactly what I was trying to put into words. Here’s some good data on their inlets
http://kennebell.net/products/mammoth-system-kit/

 

[olaosunt]

Here is my 2015 with the 3.2LC KB- see my thread for details.3.25 upper/20 %OD lower/ported heads/stock cams/1 7/8 headers/E85.
No quite 1000 hp SAE but close - 991
1015 STD.

I think that should be enough to get me that 9/150+ traps with me shifting the magnum.LOL
If I need more I could upgrade to the 3.6LC and "max out" the motor since its rated to 1500 HP.

I think like the 2.9 whipple the 3.2/2.8 KB is close to being maxed out at this power level -per KB the blowers are rated for 1250 at the crank.
Evil 5.0 made a "little" more with a max effort whipple(cams/ported heads/2 inch exhaust) with smaller 10 rib pulley(3.0) same 20 %OD and he thinks the whipple is maxed out around 1100 rwhp

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