The kit also came with an extension harness for the alternator, so we didn't need to cut and extend the electrical wires. After installing the oil pan and relocating the alternator everything was pretty straightforward. The supercharger mounted with all the corresponding brackets and the intricate pulley system was all tied together with the supplied drive belt. The intercooler mounted perfectly and all the aluminum I/C piping lined up properly.
Besides removing the factory ECU to install the reprogrammed unit, the only other wiring that needed to be installed was the relay to activate the clutch on the supercharger. The only tricky part was contouring the factory dipstick tube around the supercharger outlet.
Driving the Celica with the supercharger took a little getting used to, especially on turns. Activation of the supercharger on a turn could easily have left large patches of rubber on the pavement. And remember, the Celica is rolling on some pretty wide 225/35R-19 Yokohama Parada Spec-2 tires and still easily smokes the hides.
Since the supercharger is clutch-activated, boost pressure was instantaneous. The effect was similar to a nitrous kit being activated. Unlike a turbocharger where boost pressure is gradual, the Blitz supercharger reached peak boost almost immediately. Throttle response was extremely crisp, no stumbles or misfires, just pure acceleration.
The 2ZZ-GE engine willingly screamed to redline once the accelerator was to the floor but can still be extremely civil in stop-and-go traffic. Overall, fuel economy was not greatly affected, except during the first two tanks of gas when we had the accelerator on the floorboard everywhere we went. Fuel economy was still about 22 to 25 miles per gallon.
On the dyno the Toyota pumped out 198.9 hp on 91-octane gas; peak power was increased by 33.6 hp. With the air/fuel meter hooked up, we noticed the engine was running a little lean at the top-end. From 7000 rpm to redline, the air/fuel ratio crept into the 13.0 range, but we didn't hear any detonation or see any slivers of aluminum on the plugs.
Since we are still running the Japan ECU which was tuned for 100 octane we weren't really surprised to see the air/fuel get so lean. Blitz will reprogram the ECU for 91-octane fuel in the U.S. version of the kit, so we hope to see an even larger horsepower gain on the dyno.
The Celica is a real looker, constantly turning heads each time we take it for a cruise but don't let the looks fool you. The front-mount intercooler hints that this Celica is ready to run.