THE INSTALL & THE TEST

[pullquote]EVEN WITH ALL THE AVAILABLE SPACE TO WORK, WE RECOMMEND REMOVING THE FACTORY… STRUT BRACE[/pullquote]The installation was straightforward but a little time-consuming. The instructions suggest test fitting the supercharger and manifold to inspect for clearance between the manifold and an alternator bracket. If there is interference, the solution is to simply file away some of the material on the alternator. In our case, we had just a little interference and were quickly able to remedy it as suggested. In retrospect, it would have been easier to inspect the interference without the supercharger attached to manifold. Due to the design of the kit and the layout of the engine, there’s plenty of space to run the various lines and hoses without concern for accidental abrasion. Even with all the available space to work, we recommend removing the factory passenger- side strut brace to ease the installation.

The only shortcoming of the kit was the absence of a vacuum/boost port on the pressurized side of the manifold. We tapped the plate they provide to house the factory MAP sensor. This enabled us to log boost pressure when we ran the car on the dyno.

With the system installed and the ECU reflashed by the EcuTek cable, it was time to evaluate the performance gains. Before the addition of the supercharger, the FR-S delivered an uninspiring 174.56- peak horsepower to the wheels (roughly 200 horsepower at the flywheel). With the CARB-legal Innovate supercharger system in place, the engine delivered nearly 243-peak horsepower to the wheels. This is a gain of 68 whp, or nearly 40 percent more power with a bolt-on exhaust in place. We were inspired.