The team behind the 800HP Retro Silverado, the 700HP Supercharged Colorado, and the 800HP Solstice are setting their sights on a new challenge – the Lamborghini Huracan.
Owners and fans alike – things are going to get a lot more exciting on the road and track.
Stay tuned for more updates along the way.
The story below appeared on GM Authority on August 29, 2019, comparing the Mallett Performance Supercharger system to the proposed Lingenfelter tuning package.
Chevrolet Colorado Supercharger Battle: Mallett Performance vs Lingenfelter
BY JAKE STUMPH— AUG 29, 2019
Earlier this month, Lingenfelter announced a new supercharger kit for the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. The highlight feature of that package is a major power bump for the 3.6L V6 LGZ engine, going from the stock 308 horsepower to 416 horsepower. That 35 percent bump in power is thanks to an Edelbrock supercharger.
Since then, GM Authority has taken to compare the supercharging kits, and spoke with Mallet Performance Cars – which was first to offer a supercharger solution for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon way back in 2015. The North Carolina-based tuning firm has provided some interesting information that calls the Lingenfelter offering into question.
Mallett vs. Lingenfelter Supercharging Kits For Chevrolet Colorado & GMC Canyon
First, let’s compare the two kits. Both use Eaton-based superchargers, with Lingenfelter using a TVS R1740 while Mallett Performance using a TVS R1900. The numbers refer to the amount of air, in cubic centimeters, that the blowers push per rotation. Generally speaking, a smaller supercharger will have to be spun harder, using more boost to make as much power as a larger supercharger being spun at a slower rate and running on less boost.
The Mallett kit produces 361 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque at the wheels, and “that’s on a conservative, heat-soaked pull,” the firm tells us. Meanwhile, Edelbrock – which supplies the supercharger for the Lingenfelter kit, claims its kit is good for 345 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. The slightly lower power figure for the Edelbrock unit is understandable due to the smaller blower. However, Lingenfelter advertises 416 horsepower for its kit, presumably at the crank. As a result, it would seem that Lingenfelter is maxing out what that kit is reliably capable of.
And that is problematic, for a few reasons, the most noteworthy of which is that running more boost through a smaller supercharger tends to generate more heat, which can compromise durability and consistency. In fact, Chevrolet itself applied this very principle when sizing the supercharger for the 2019 Corvette ZR1 compared to the Corvette Z06.
“The key to engine longevity is intake temp and careful tuning”, Mallett tells us. The cool air being run through the TVS1900 used by Mallett keeps intake temps down. The company then adds Fluidyne intercoolers and a custom reservoir that holds roughly two gallons of coolant to stabilize those temperatures. That enables the Mallett system to “run wide open all day without any thermal issues.” Meanwhile, the Edelbrock 1740 in the Lingenfelter system will pull more heat into the air, while featuring a smaller reservoir. Hence, the kit will likely have trouble performing consistently when placed under heavy loads, such as being driven at high altitudes, towing, or towing at high altitude.
Of course, different dynos with different calibrations are going to produce different numbers, but the rest of the Lingenfelter kit seems to be on just as shaky of ground due to the drive belt. The Lingenfelter kit extends the standard five-rib drive belt to also drive the blower. That belt is perfect for driving the alternator and AC compressor, but its use in also powering the supercharger isn’t necessarily ideal, since an overburdened belt can quickly become the weakest link of an integrated system. If it fails, it can cause the entire truck to not run. By comparison, Mallett uses a bespoke eight-rib belt, with “the best idlers and tensioner in GM’s inventory and the best belt Gates makes.”
As an independent publication, GM Authority has no stake in the game, but when there are multiple aftermarket options available, buyers and bound to cross-shop. This is what Mallett Performance has told us thus far, but seeing that the Lingenfelter kit has yet to be released, the truth will out once it hits the streets. The only wild cards here are the price, with the Mallett kit coming in at $7,200. Pricing for the Lingenfelter kit has not yet been announced.
In the meantime, subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Colorado news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
We’ve gotten a lot of questions about what sets the Mallett Supercharger system apart from the competition. Aside from our commitment to using premium parts and proprietary engineering techniques, the primary difference comes from the blower used in the system.
The 2015 SEMA show kicked off at the Las Vegas Convention Center November 3 through Friday November 6.
The Mallett Performance Cars team was on site in the Magnuson Superchargers booth, debuting our new tested and tuned supercharger system for the 3.6L 2015+ Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon.
The Supercharger kit is the first of its kind and was designed, fabricated, and installed at Mallett Performance Cars’ shop in North Carolina.
See the complete specs below.
2015 Chevy Colorado 3.6L V6 Intercooled Supercharger Kit
UPDATE: You can buy yours today by clicking here.
Car and Driver Sept 01 2001
Csaba Csere, Frank Markus, Daniel Pund, AAron Robinson, Tony Swan and Larry Webster
SEARCHING FOR THE HIGHEST PERFORMANCE STREET CAR IN THE LAND
We found the perfect venue in our backyard — Michigan International Speedway. It not only sports a 2.0-mile tri-oval but also has an infield road-racing loop.
Mallett Cars was founded in 1997, its goal to produce the fastest, highest-quality fifth-generation (C5) Corvettes on the street, drawing on years of motorsports experience, some of which was spent working for Chevy’s racing program.
Mallett Corvettes have competed in every Car and Driver One Lap of America since 1996, placing as high as second in 1997 and as low as 71st two years later. The very car you see here achieved those rankings, plus third overall in both 1998 and 2000. It’s also Chuck Mallett’s daily driver, so we were not surprised to find that it was exceptionally docile and tractable on our road drive, bagging four of five drivability stars ( a low, hard seat cost it a fifth star).
Power comes from an aluminum LS1 V-8, stroked from 3.62 to 3.92 inches and gently bored from 3.90 to 3.92 inches, for 378 cubes total. All new internals, plus smoother-flowing intake and exhaust plumbing, add up to 435 hp in naturally aspirated trim, but this being a full-tilt-boogie exercise, our car also boasted a customized Vortech centrifugal supercharger. Calibrated for pump premium, it blows 9.0 psi of boost, good for 625 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque (running 14.0 psi on 104 octane, he sees upwards of 700 hp).
Routing power through a heavy-duty Mallett clutch to a blueprinted Tremec box at the behest of a billet shorty shifter, the Mallett 435S was much easier to drive smoothly than the Lingenfelter twin-turbo setup. Putting the power down was easy, thanks to Hoosier racing slicks grooved to meet the letter of our stated minimum-tread-depth rule.
The suspension’s composite leaf springs have been ditched in favor of a multi-adjustable coil-over shock unit at each corner, and lowered, with modified Mallett geometry and custom-tuned anti-roll bars. The car is also lightened everywhere with Swiss-cheese holes, thin body panels, and even a clear-coat primer paint job that saves 18 pounds in paint. But a roll cage and fire and data-gathering systems put a lot of that weight back on.
Mallett’s Vette ran like a train all day Monday and garnered high praise in the logbook: “a very civilized machine,” “ride quality in the medium suspension setting is really good,” and “a well-developed car — so secure and planted that I feel most confident in here.”
The car completed three runs and finished third in the official standings, reaching 140 mph, with a course time of 99.3 seconds. And the suspension work paid off with a decisive second-place time on the 0.86-mile road course, clearing the gates a considerable 3.6 seconds ahead of the Lingenfelter Vette.
Mallett’s quiet, linear, and well-weighted Baer brake package also managed to stop the car from 140 mph in an impressive 623 feet. Clearly, this is one impressive daily driver, but next time expect to see a real fire breather.
(Excerpt from Car and Driver magazine write up Sept 01 2001)
