eRAM 1PSI Electric Supercharger

Update #2 (1/7/2000)

Here is the newest setup for the eRAM and filter

UPDATE:

I got up to my Z at 11:00 am today (04/02/2000). I drove the Z a bit. I just needed to get it warmed up.

First time I drove it, I punched it a bit, but honestly I didn't feel a thing. The car felt a bit sluggish.

Anyway, I then preceded to do an oil flush, filter and refill. Then I went golfing from 1:30-6:00. Luckily there was still some light when I got home. I did the Seafoam once. The smoke went flying. I used 1/2 can. Then I did it a second time. The thing wouldn't stall the second time. I went through the second half of the can, and then I opened up another can. I finally got the car to stall after 1 1/2 cans!!! The second time the car didn't smoke nearly as bad either.

Anyway, by now it was dark. I was livin' on headlight light :) I took the car out for another short drive and I got to punch it four of five times. At first the car accelerated as normal...a bit slow to 3K, a burst of energy at 3K, and then, another little boost unbeknownst to me before this time. I thought it might be coincidence; but I punched it the same way about 10 times and everytime, about 1/4 second after hitting WOT, I got a little boost I'd never felt before. It was noticeable :). So, it looks like the eRAM does something.

The little boost actually felt like a miniature reproduction of when I drove my friends '84 Turbo. You slam on the throttle; Z starts to move; and then a little extra power comes in (obviously not TURBO type power, but a little).

I regret to say I have not GTECHed the car yet. I really didn't have time. But, I think the eRAM may live up to its guarantee.

-Dave

Previous stuff:

I now have the microswitch installed, and I've tested to see if it turns on at full throttle (using gas pedal). It does. So soon soon soon I will actually test this sucker out. Here are the pics of how I got the microswitch in and how it activates:

The SWITCH MOUNTED arrow shows where I epoxied the switch into place. I used some sheet metal and made a thin custom bracket that bolts into the original TB bracket. The two wires going into the switch are the best thing to look at to understand how the switch is laying. Look below for a pic of how the switch looks alone. I had to raise the furthest TB coolant line a tad to give clearance for the switch location. The CRIMPED CONNECTOR arrow shows where I used a female FASTON electrical connector. I remove the plastic from the connector and opened the crimping part on the seam to get it over the plastic coated throttle cable. I crimped it on, and I folded over the connector so it would stick down. The "blade" of the switch lays under the coolant line, and sticks out right underneath the throttle cable where, when the blade connector gets to that position, is activated.

The rectangled area in this pics shows the switch and where the "blade" of the switch sticks out underneath the throttle cable.

ORIGINAL INFORMATION

Does it really give you HP? They claim this device will give any car, turbo or NA, from 4-6% HP increase guaranteed. To prove it one way or the other, you must get a real DYNO test to show the differnces. I have kept good correspondence with Mark Kibbort from eRAM. I was hoping to get a tester eRAM sent to Morgan so he could evaluate the device on both a turbo and non-turbo Z31 and give us appropriate feedback.

The device is supposed to eliminate 1/2psi vacuum caused by the engine, and then add an additional 1/2psi compression to amount to a difference from stock of 1PSI. It is supposed to produce 650CFM in open atmospheres, but cannot produce that much CFM when it is compressing....so you aren't getting gains like a turbo, since as it is compressing, it won't put out 650CFM. However, it will not cause any restriction to the turbo or NA since as the engine pulls more air the eRAM can "keep up" with the demands of airflow all the way up to 6K and a bit beyond. So it should help a little from start to 6.5K...a little being ~1psi.

I have only installed the eRAM into my intake setup. I have yet to truly test it out. I clicked it on a couple times just to make sure it works, but it was with the engine off. Even with the engine off, I felt my air inlets (in my CAI setup) and some air was being pulled into the air box and passed through the engine. I need to setup the microswitch, which is part of the eRAM setup. The microswitch is only to be activated at Wide Open Throttle (WOT), as the eRAM is only to be used then (and you really only want it to be used then anyway...otherwise it would create air pressure when you didn't want it and your car would accelerate when you didn't want it to). The microswitch is crappy design in my opinion. You have to mount it so the little button on it can be depressed right at WOT, which means you have to set it up near the TB, Gas pedal, or other part of the throttle cable. Something moving has to hit the switch to activate it. I am having a bit of a tough time seeing where I should install the switch effectively. Also, last time I went up (car is 35 mi. away in storage) to try a setup, I left the switch at home. Shame on me. Anyways, here are some pics of my setup as it is right now, and some miscellaneous pics of the eRAM. Go to eRAM's page to see their boasting comments. But remember, one good think about the eRAM guys is that they only claim 4-6%, which is feasible, unlike so many other companies claiming gains of 20HP or more from a stationary spiral that is supposed to create a vortex effect to up HP (which by the way, the eRAM has such a device installed at the end of it's assembly after the fan). I'm not saying 4-6% HP is awesome, just that it is credible. 4-6% HP gains would equate to 6.4-9.6 HP for stock NAs and 8-12 HP for stock Turbos. This is supposed to be rear wheel HP, which for $300, is somewhat reasonable.

Notice how tough it might be to install the switch. The switch completes a circuit back to a relay (which comes with eRAM). 12V from the battery goes into the relay, the microswitch is activated, which sends the 12V to eRAM; the ground from eRAM goes back to the relay and then to the battery. To install the switch, I have thought about removing the TB coolant tubes, the cruise bracket, and a few other things. I'll figure something out eventually. I actually installed the eRAM inside the CAI container, which also meant I had to use a smaller filter. You can see three silver bands inside: two are clamps, and the middle one is the eRAM. I drilled two small holes at the end of the filter (the endcap) and used radiator ties to tie it down to the end of the container. This way it steadies the filter and leaves plenty of airspace around the entire filter. The rubber coupler going through the offwhite cap of the container is pretty long. I may cut it down or find a shorter one to allow for a slight bigger filter. I slid the rubber coupler right over the stock plastic elbow leading to the MAF. I used a small peice of my old 3" resonator pipe inside the stock elbow, so when I tightened down the clamp, it wouldn't just collapse the coupler and plastic elbow. I may have a muffler shop custom bend me a new 3" pipe down to the MAF and connect it there with another coupler, getting rid of the stock plastic pipe entirely. Expect teh pipe to be painted yellow if I get it made :)

The pic on the left (below) shows where I drilled a small set of holes to get the wiring for the eRAM set up. The pic of the right is the intake side of the eRAM.

The pic on the left was the only part of the eRAM I though could use a little better construction. It is the stationary plastic blades that are supposed to create a vortex from the air coming off the eRAM. It is just glued into place. You can see the glue where the blade attaches to the wall of the piping. But that glue is pretty hard and has a tight hold. The next pic is just a side view. The motor used for the eRAM appears to be a model airplane engine, and the orange fan (as seen above) may or may not be a custom fan that the eRAM people have fabricated for this application. I'm not sure.

This is the rubber coupler used for eRAM. Like I said, in my setup it is placed over the stock plastic elbow going to the MAF. I had to put the 3" pipe underneath the stock elbow to make sure the clamp didn't just collapse the elbow. The pic on the right is another rear view, showing the black plastic fins (used to create a vortex). The wires are nice and thick and firmly attached with solder joints and plastic screws which thread into their places.

Hopefully I'll have this all done soon. I'll give you my initial "feelings" and eventually get a DYNO (if gains seem significant enough) to show actual gains. I will probably get a DYNO regardless, because if gains aren't enough, I will return it for my money back (as promised by eRAM guarantee).