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Tested! An Inside Look At VMP’s Gen2R TVS Supercharger

The Twin Vortices Series supercharger took the traditional roots supercharger into the modern era with its highly efficient rotor pack. These blowers became a go-to upgrade for both factory and aftermarket Mustang supercharger upgrades. When it comes to maximizing the performance of these superchargers, VMP Performance is one of the first names that comes to mind. Now the company has stepped up its game with the Gen2R TVS supercharger.

VMP started out by creating smaller pulleys for these units, and that product line evolved into a full array of supporting hardware ranging from belt tensioners to throttle bodies.

These are two powerhouse siblings. The VMP Gen2R TVS (right) and its Gen2 cousin are both effective ways to boost your Ford. The Gen2R blower is available on its own for $3,299 for either GT500 or Coyote applications, which includes your choice of pulley plus the necessary hardware and a one-year warranty. If you need a complete supercharger it will run you $4,499 to $8,499 depending on the application.

In The Beginning

“When I was first getting into supercharging in 2007, it didn’t seem like there were many great options,” Justin Starkey of VMP Performance explained. “I got hooked up with Ford Racing (now Ford Performance), we put the new TVS on my personal car, a 2007 GT500. The blower performed well, was easy and consistent to tune and we could beat the heck out of it on the race track with no issues.”

Inspired by the efficacy of this supercharger, Justin’s creative wheels started spinning. From developing tuning and supporting hardware, he quickly escalated into high-flow inlets and eventually a line of VMP-branded superchargers.

These drawings illustrate the areas that VMP looked to improve upon the Gen2 with the Gen2R redesign. Not only is the inlet larger, but the inside is smoother thanks to the removal of the indent for the EGR valve. Also, the throttle-body opening is larger. If you know what you are looking at, you can see the Gen2R has a bigger inlet without the indent for the EGR passing. A shorthand way to tell them apart is the logo, as the Gen2 doesn’t have the machined frame around the VMP lettering.

Going from tweaking the calibration to tweaking the hard parts was almost natural for me.—Justin Starkey, VMP

“Being a tuner, I was always looking for that edge,” Justin said. “Going from tweaking the calibration to tweaking the hard parts was almost natural for me. I saw some great opportunities and aggressively pursued them.”

This led Justin to collaborate with the likes of Eaton and others to take the former company’s 2.3-liter rotor pack and fit it into a case designed to provide and even freer flow of air to those efficient rotors.

“I have been able to work with some great people in the industry to help my ideas actually come to life,” Justin said.

Generation Two

The first giveaway is the smooth curve of the Gen2R without the EGR indent, but if you study the two you can see the inlet and throttle body flange are subtly larger.

Working with those companies led to the creation of the VMP Gen2 TVS, which was a direct replacement for the standard TVS supercharger. It featured a much larger, smooth inlet casting that freed up much of the restriction that held back the blower’s performance. However, even that version could be improved upon with porting, so VMP looked to add those improvements into a new casting.

“We actually wore out the Gen2 tooling,” Justin said. “We had some ideas on how it could be made better—there I go tweaking again—and the Gen2R was born.”

Here’s an inside look at the inlet. The area behind the rotors is larger on the Gen2R (right) and VMP created a casting that lacks the hump for the EGR valve. Likewise the throttle body flange is larger but features the factory bolt spacing to accept stock-style throttle bodies.

That tweaking involved a new casting that is revamped inside and out. When viewed alone the changes are subtle, but when placed next to the Gen2 TVS that it supersedes, the Gen2R (PN GEN2R; $3,299) inlet is noticeably improved.

“I really like the cleaned-up exterior look; smoother, bolder, and in your face,” Justin explained. “In the performance department, it flows 5 percent more at the upper operating range of the TVS rotorpack. This translates into 20-30 more horsepower.”

Improving Efficiency

To properly feed the free-flowing Gen2R supercharger, VMP installed one of its new VMP TwinJet 72mm throttle bodies (PN VMP72TWINJET; $649). These units are fully polished and loaded with electronics, so they are ready to bolt right on. Depending on your application, VMP says the dual 72mm unit is good for gains from 25 to 60 rear wheel horsepower.

2007 Shelby GT500 Mods

• ATI 15-percent overdrive damper

• Dynatech long-tube headers

• ID Motorsports ID1000 fuel injectors

• JLT Performance Super Big Air cold air intake

• Reische 170-degree thermostat

• VMP dual-fan heat exchanger

• VMP custom calibration

• VMP return-style fuel system

• VMP TwinJet 72mm throttle body

• VMP 2.3-liter Gen2R TVS supercharger

Everything about the VMP series of TVS superchargers is about improving the inlet efficiency, as positive-displacement blowers abhor inlet restrictions. Making the blower breathe better is a huge step, but you have to follow through with the rest of the system, which is why VMP used its new TwinJet dual-bore throttle body on the blower for our testing.

“The supercharger is only as good as the rest of the inlet system, so we wanted to pair a bigger inlet with a bigger throttle body to feed it,” he explained. “The dual-bore TwinJet design helps maintain the torque that the TVS is famous for, while still flowing over 2,000 cfm.”

Here’s a look at the completed installation on BJ McCarty’s 65,000-mile 2007 Shelby GT500, affectionately named Christine. She has been the test bed for numerous VMP TVS upgrades including the Gen2 and Gen2R supercharger. BJ’s 5.4-liter engine is upgraded with Dynatech headers, a VMP heat exchanger, a VMP custom calibration and the necessary fuel system upgrades.

We are continuing to innovate with supporting mods to help our blowers make power. —Justin Starkey, VMP

As you will see with the dyno results, the new VMP Gen2R TVS supercharger is a substantial upgrade over its predecessor, but that doesn’t mean that the VMP team is ready to rest on its laurels.

“We are looking into offering some F-150 specific kits with options, much like our Stage 1, 2, and 3 F-150 kits,” Justin teased. “We are continuing to innovate with supporting mods to help our blowers make power. Next year you will see a VMP fuel system and 10-rib belt drive.”

The future definitely looks bright for TVS fans, but the present is pretty great too thanks to the arrival of the VMP Gen2R TVS supercharger.

On the VMP Dynojet chassis dyno, Christine produced peaks of 807.86 horsepower and 791.68 lb-ft of torque with the VMP Gen2 TVS. Swapping on the Gen2R and adjusting the calibration for the increased airflow resulted in impressive peak-to-peak gains of 46.78 horsepower and 48.30 lb-ft of torque.

Whenever possible we like to look beyond just the peak numbers and examine those ever so important under the curve digits. A great way to do that is looking at a sampling of the data in chart form. As you can see, the Gen2R starts pulling stronger from the jump. From the midrange to the top of the tach it really pulls away from the Gen2.