The 3.8L motor in the 2010 Jeep Wrangler JK is underpowered, everyone agrees with that, but how does the motor respond with the addition of a
super charger? Lets take a closer look at that..
Extreme Vehicle Builders (EVB) and its owner and founder Jim Daley have been modifying every make and model of vehicle you can think of and testing super chargers for almost 30 years. Jim’s first shop in Bedford Hills NY (JD’s Off Road) was often featured in off road magazines and in one article they installed and dyno tested the
Avenger Super Charger on a 05 Jeep Rubicon, the
article offers a good simplistic overview of how a super charger increases horsepower in a combustion engine.
2010 Jeep Wrangler JK on dyno at EFI Logics
Yet all things change as has the mighty Jeep JK and its available super chargers so clearly it was time for EVB to weigh in on that subject once again.
Like everyone who realizes its time to invest in more power this Jeep owner was no longer willing to tolerate his pride and joy lagging around town and on the trails. He wanted to enjoy the full Jeep experience and heard EVB is the best shop around to help get that job done.
So after carefully considering three possible super chargers for his JK:
The RIPP Super Charger,
Hesco Super Charger, and
Avenger Super Charger the decision was made to install the RIPP super charger because of a little black box - we’ll discuss that more in a bit.
RIPP Super Charger Kit
The guys at EVB often bust a myth or two about products and benefits in the shop. In fact they often put manufactures claims regarding ease of installation and performance to the test.
A super charger can take some time to install and RIPP suggested it would take 2 guys roughly 4 hours to do. EVB concluded that the wiring alone can take a single person 3 hours and that it takes another 7 or 8 hours for a single person to make all the necessary modifications and bolt things down. The conclusion is it’s a 10-12 hour job for even the well versed.
The installation of a RIPP Super Charger in your 2010 Jeep JK will VOID the dealer warranty, that’s plain and simple, but so is your desire for more power and the reason why you make such a choice in the first place.
The main feature that swayed the decision to use the RIPP Super Charger in this 2010 JK was the little black box. The little black box means that RIPP took the time to map their super charger to your Jeeps ECU to ensure performance, they left nothing to chance and claim proper installation will not set off your check engine light.
A point of humor at EVB shop was that there was no black box in the RIPP Super Charger kit, in actuality there was a silver box mistakenly labeled as a black box in the instructions that does the same thing.
To wire this silver box into your Jeep you have to tap into 8 wires that connect directly to your ECU. There are special dust boots that must be carefully attended to for access to these wires. Jeep manufactured these dust boots for one time use, meaning they tend to break easily, but RIPP clearly forewarns you about this pointing out the need for caution and patience in this step.
The silver box appeared to be sealed well and water safe and RIPP suggests a simple installation in the engine bay. EVB chose to improve on the manufacturers instructions here and install the box under the dash to keep it out of the elements.
Overall EVB thought the
RIPP Super Charger instructions were very well detailed, easy to follow and full of lots of great bits of information all throughout.
The brackets RIPP supplied were machined nicely and fit properly. The piping in the kit is excellent too. There is one section of piping that installs directly above the main fuse block, which creates an extra step on the trails if you ever need to get to the main fuse block, but that section is easily removed allowing you easy access once again.
RIPP relocates the open-air filter to a good location. The battery box supplied with the kit is of high quality but needs to be modified because simply bolting the battery box in as per RIPP’s instructions leaves it too close to the engine pulley. The good news is that EVB found it easy to gain another inch of clearance with some simple modification.
The Jeeps air box mount had to be cut and RIPP suggested cutting it in the vehicle. EVB decided to take the extra step of removing the air box mount before cutting it because there are too many close wires to safely cut the air box mount while in the vehicle.
One element of the RIPP Super Charger Kit EVB was particularly dissatisfied with was the temperature intake sensor, it was a cheap wire that was not long enough to reach the exterior of the vehicle and it had a cheap foam sock covering the tip. Of course EVB couldn’t help but take matters into their own hands and improve on this particular part for their customers Jeep JK but they said that everything else in the RIPP Super Charger Kit was well machined and nicely manufactured.
It was time to test the RIPP Super Charger on the Mustang
dyno after it was installed and driven a few miles for proper break in. Chris & Pete over at
EFI Logics had tested many cars on their Mustang dyno before but they never tested anything turning 35” BFG’s.
2010 Jeep Wrangler JK with 35” BFG’s on Mustang Dyno
What you will notice when you take a closer look at the Mustang
Dyno Results is that the stock 2010 JK with Automatic Transmission, 5:13 Gears, 35” BFG’s and a 2.5” Pro Comp experiences a build in horsepower to the rear wheels before fading around 5000RPM. It generates a maximum of 149HP with 177 ft/lb of torque that flat lines and declines from 3000RPM onward, that is less than optimal.
2010 Jeep Wrangler JK Dyno Results Stock Motor
When EVB tested the same JK with the RIPP Super Charger installed on the Mustang dyno they were more than pleased with the results.
What they noticed was
an increase of 61HP to the rear wheels with the RIPP Super Charger delivering a maximum of 211HP and 232ft/lb of torque at 5000RPM.The RIPP Super Charger offered a more desirable linear build in horsepower and torque that was available throughout the range yielding better and cleaner performance.
In the past its been argued whether or not a super charger actually benefits your Jeep and the naysayer would link such claims to the lack of mapping and resulting loss in torque similar to that experienced in the first dyno illustration. But the RIPP Super Charger Kit has clearly demonstrated its ability to alleviate this by properly by mapping its super charger to your Jeeps ECU ensuring the power and performance gains you seek.
EVB concludes that the RIPP Super Charger is indeed a worthy contender for those of you seeking more power from your JK’s, it most definitely increases your horsepower, torque and overall performance.
A body lift is not necessary for a RIPP Super Charger and EVB rates this installation at a difficulty level of 3 on the 1-5 scale of difficulty.
Modifications on this 2010 Jeep Wrangler JK 3.8 AT tested include:
5:13 Gears
2.5" Pro Comp Lift Kit
35" BF Goodrich MTR’s
RIPP Super ChargerBe Back Soon,
CJFinchPS. There are other interesting projects underway at
Extreme Vehicle Builders so be sure to visit often and check in on
facebook to stay better connected to what going on in the shop!
