Last update: 5/10/23.
This page was created to help remind people about the limitations of Powerdyne Superchargers. We can provide warnings, and it never fails that someone will push the envelope and abuse them. In recent years, as these superchargers become cheaper, more and more people place these on higher and higher HP applications. When these superchargers came out, small V8’s were barely pushing 200hp. Now, a small V8 will already produce the HP level that the supercharger is rated for. Since the advent of social media, users want to push them higher and higher in HP, to get noticed. JBP has always taken care of customer’s who break belts. Effective 5/10/23, JBP WILL no longer warranty broken internal belts.
Powerdyne Superchargers were sold under many brands, including B&M, O2 Force, Ford Motorsport, Cool Charger, Dinan, and more.
Powerdyne Superchargers made many belt drive models and 2 gear drive models. Both designs have engineering limitations.
BD series superchargers stand for Belt Drive. They are driven by an internal cog drive belt. The major issue that these superchargers have, regard belt reliability. We will get more into that later.
The gear drive series is an XB series, which is a oil injected version. Powerdyne went bankrupt as this model was being released. This model has similarities to a Vortech V1, but does not have the same ratings as V1
BD SERIES:
Belt: The belt in this supercharger will hold up in a low torque engine using low rpm. Contrary to what anyone says, or what someone else says they are spinning the supercharger at, reliability drops as engine rpm or engine torque goes up.
BD series superchargers work best on LOW rev, low to medium torque/HP rating. While some users can reach up to 400 fwhp, not all applications will be able to reach it. The maximum rpm of the supercharger from the factory was rated at 38,500 rpm with a maximum rpm of 42,500 rpm. Not all mounted applications will support 38,500 rpm. Keep in mind, the rating provided does not guarantee that the belt will survive. The teeth can sheer off the belt with a quick rev situation, followed by a sudden drop in rpm. The output rpm of the supercharger may need to be adjusted if you are experiencing belt breakage on a properly built supercharger. The belt we use is already an upgrade over stock, with material and being 3mm wider.
BD series have no internal tensioner inside the supercharger, leading to teeth shear. Gates recommends increasing belt tension with rpm. A constant pressure tensioner is needed to make the supercharger more reliable. The whole supercharger would need to be redesigned to include this.
Belt speed in FPM at smaller shaft with 38500 rpm @ impeller: 12,900 fpm. At 42,500 rpm, the FPM is 14240.
BD series was not engineered with a internal belt tensioner, to tension the belt to the proper internal torque to increase the ability of the belt to handle the additional RPM. Therefore, shock loads from sudden RPM changes cannot be overcome. This is why BD series shear teeth, which eventually leads to belt breakage.
BD series belt wrap is 8 teeth on the output side. This is the minimum amount of teeth required at an idle on most applications and does not support the required belt wrap for higher rpms.
AS THE RPM OF THE BELT GOES UP, THE REQUIRED TORQUE TO BREAK IT GOES DOWN. Excessive shock loads from sudden acceleration and deceleration is all it takes to break a belt.
The soft aluminum case clamps can bend from over-torquing of the bolts. This can cause the clamps to loosen over time, allowing the volute to move in relation to the impeller.
BD11a models and newer will have a dust seal behind the front pulley. This is to keep water out of the case.
None of the BD series feature an impeller seal. They do not contain oil, so there is no need. There can be a slight leaking of air, due to this.
DO not vent the case or drill holes in it. This allows air to travel through the rear impeller bearing, pushing the grease out of it as it passes. This can lead to early failure and does not cool the belt as advertised by many vendors that sold this kit back in the mid to late 2000’s. The belt doesn’t break because it is hot. It breaks due to the sudden acceleration and sudden deceleration of the supercharger. This is why engine designs with the ability to rev quickly experience more issues over low revving applications. Basically it is TORQUE that sheers the teeth off of the belt.
Pulleys are not sold under ‘pounds of boost’. They are a ratio. On a BD series, this ratio is made up of the following:
((crankpulley size / supercharger pulley size) x engine rpm x 3.05)= rpm.
Powerdyne pulleys have offsets, so there isn’t a one type of pulley fits all. They are sold by application. There are vendors that sell pulleys that do not have the right offsets or bore sizes. There are also some designs that have poorly cut v-grooves, which leads to excessive belt slip and premature belt wear.
We have had the comments of ‘I am only spinning 6lbs’. 6lbs of registered boost does not mean the supercharger is pushing 6 lbs. When you add upgrades such as an intercooler, cam, headers, larger cubic inches, ect, the supercharger has to push more air to deliver the same PSI as someone else spinning 6lbs on a stock engine.
To sum it up, a BD series supercharger is best used on a low rev, low torque, stock engine. Yes- there will be a few that may be able to do more in some situations. This does not mean this that all BD models will survive in the same situation. Remember- Powerdyne did well until they tried to market smaller pulleys to make the supercharger spin faster. Once they did this, their reputation was damaged by belt issues.
There are 2 belts available on the market. A GT Belt and a HTD Belt. HTD is a half moon. GT is a trapezoid. To run a trapezoid belt, you will need to make sure you have a trapezoid tooth pattern on your input and output shafts. HTD tooth pattern is the stock tooth pattern used by Powerdyne. All of our replacement parts support the stock tooth pattern. We do not support the GT pattern in our shop.
BD Series is not a RACE supercharger. DINAN, B&M, Ford Motorsport, and Cool Charger all experienced reliability issues, hence why these companies used them for such a very short time.
All belt BD 550, 600, 10, 11, 11a, 12 series are CW rotation superchargers. BD11r is CCW and made to mount backwards. Some CW superchargers were mounted in a CCW postion and driven off the flat side of the serpentine belt to turn CW. This works, but has limitations for grip, and experience alot of belt slip. BD11r came out later at the end of Powerdyne’s life cycle.
Bd550 and 600 are made for V6 275hp applications and smaller.
XB Series:
XB series superchargers are not a bad design. They are modeled after the Vortech supercharger in basic design. They do have a very small straight cut tooth with a narrow tooth pattern. They also have a very small bearing on the high speed side of the shaft. This does not allow for a large impeller, nor does it allow for high RPM. This supercharger is best kept below 500 fwhp and around 48,000 rpm. While we offer bearings that support much higher rpm, the impeller balance, size of the bearings, and the internal teeth, we recommend staying near this number or lower for reliability.
Mounting must be within 0 to +/-45 degrees of the pulley side at the top,
General Precautions:
Bypass /blow off valve is not required unless over 9psi, however, we recommend one for longer belt life.
Be wary of crap being sold around the internet that is destroying these superchargers. If you find bearings for the high speed side of this supercharger for less than $200, they are not the right load, heat range, or rpm for this supercharger. Be aware someone is selling belts for these superchargers with the wrong tooth pattern. GT belts are a trapezoid tooth pattern. Powerdyne uses a HTD tooth pattern that is half moon shaped. The drive components must match the tooth style. We use HTD components here- the same as OEM.
Anyone selling you venting kits is selling you smoke and mirrors. Dinan learned this the hard way. When you drill a hole in the case and vent it, the grease is sucked out of the rear bearing and into the impeller over time. This is because there is no rear seal in the supercharger.
Powerdyne never sold street or race bearings. Some companies street bearings are nothing more than a snowmobile track bearing. They are not rated for the blower and will destroy the bearing pockets in the blower.
Pulleys should slide on and off. If you purchase someone’s pulley that requires heating or a hammer to install, it isn’t made correctly.
Always check pulley keys for wear when replacing a pulley.
6 rib pulleys are good to about 12psi. 8 rib about 17psi.
Do not tighten down a pulley because of belt slip. Always use recommend pressure per belt manufacturer. You do not measure serpentine belt tension by twisting the belt. Use a Krikit or other brand of tools. Excess tension leads to early failure of input shaft bearings.