MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Moss Supercharger - real experience

Hi friends,

I have tried to search the archives, but no success. I'm looking for someone who has Moss supercharger on 1275 engine.

http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=5578

And who could share with me experience from real life... Supercharger looks nice on the Moss web, but how does it work in reality? Is it worth the investment? Is it noisy? What is the difference in power and are other mods necessary (brakes, half-shafts, cooling etc..)?

In fact I'd like to know your opinion, if it makes sense to buy and install it.

Thanks!
Stepan
Stepan Marek

I know Moss are expensive, but how much is that kit?! I know it's a comprehensive kit but even so.....
S Overy

That is why I look for other people view, as from Moss it is very very very expensive... But I don't know about any other company making supercharger kits for A-series. Or am I wrong?
Stepan Marek

There are several kits for the A series but most are for the mini and don't fit under a midget bonet.

As for the other upgrades it all depends on how you use the car!

Imo bigger brakes are only needed if you do track time or fast rally stages.
Halfshafts who knows.
I know people who break them in loads with a std 1275 but I have yet to have a failure with my 1380 that gets thrashed around.

So questions:
What do you use the car for?
And why do you want a supercharger?
Onno K

Hi Onno, well, most frequently I use my car for commuting to work once or two times a week during the season (60 km a day, no highways). Also frequent use is for fun driving during the weekends, no track days, just twisty B roads. Plus few times a year longer trips (up to 300km).

I have fresh engine (Ivor Searle, 5000 km on it) in standard condition, standard SU's, no fast mods (only K&N filters, larger needles and modified distributor = home made Aldon race distributor type with fixed advance settings and vacuum system removed). I also keep standard 4-speed gearbox. During last 8 years I have changed or repaired almost everything, last thing to do is new wiring (I am really afraid to start such a messy job...:-)

Car goes really well, but a bit more horse power would be more fun and also more safe. Few years ago I was playing with K-conversion idea, but that is not an option anymore. Now I am considering 5-speed and supercharger as a way forward...
Stepan Marek

So ideally you'd like a little more power, maybe coupled to a 5 speed? If that's right, there are much cheaper ways of getting a few extra HP! Any idea how much more power you're after?
S Overy

I have one of the original Moss kits. At first I used it on a stock engine that had been "refreshed". It made decent power and was reliable and unobtrusive. Then I built a motor for specifically for the supercharger. It makes significantly more power and still seems reliable. Easy to drive. Plenty of torque and pulls hard to 7000 rpm. It has not been on the dyno lately... maybe this summer.
Here is a video, and some others can be found under my username
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXFS0Yb0Voo&feature=g-upl&context=G28aca0eAUAAAAAAAAAA
Trevor Jessie

as for cost, see here:

Supercharger Kit
Note: Instructions & Information
1275cc models £3,124.96 €3,718.70

Alternator Conversion
Note: Designed for use with Supercharger system
1275cc with Supercharger System £105.95 €126.08
Gary & Gaps

They have certainly increased in price. I purchased mine through an introductory offer via a distributor. They have made incremental improvements to the kit. For me it was an easy way to increase HP over a weekend and provide a "platform" for building a new engine.

I'm still planning a turbo system for my other spridget.
Trevor Jessie

Simon,
car should now have around 60 HP (estimate, never on dyno). I'd say 20-30 HP more would make it. What's your suggestion? Fast camshaft? Changes in exhaust system?

Trevor,
did you need to do any other mods to adopt the car to superchager (standard engine) or was it just a bolt on and go as Moss says on their web?

Thanks.
Stepan Marek

Personally I'd go the usual NA tuning route, but then I prefer that way. It will be up to how you want to spend the money and how you want the car to behave at the end of it all.
S Overy

It was a bolt on affair as described in their instructions.
Trevor Jessie

For the price of the blower you can do a lot to an engine!!

I'd go with an nice camshaft (276 or 266 range) and a good head.
Then you have bucket loads of money left and a nice power increase.
You can spend some money on a 123 tune programable ignition and on a good carb (love the weber)
And after fitting it you have plenty to spare to take it to a good roling road to have it properly setup.
Onno K

I added the blower and enjoyed the car for three years. Then I built an engine to take further advantage of the blower. Not a cheap route, but it pulls like a freight train from 1500 rpms through 7000. Not something a normally aspirated engine can easily achieve without a large number of cc's displacement.
Trevor Jessie

I like Superchargers. I even bought one pre-K in order to build a DIY supercharged engine. There's a company called Vmax Scart that do em a lot cheaper than the price up there. Went K instead.

Power per pound there are better ways of getting a 90HP A series. But a supercharger is very very cool. Wish I hadn't sold mine now, it was a lovely piece of kit

Onno's route with a 5 speed is a good plan IMO. I'd do a K-onversion, and did. And it's excellent.
Rob Armstrong

If money was not an issue then I would have chosen the Supercharger rather than a turbo.

The turbo is fantastic and keeps the A series engine which I find important. Of course it can be beaten by fitting a totally different engine but that is another matter.

The problem for Moss with the supercharger kit was they had to reduce the effect of the supercharger so that they could market the poduct as a bolt on kit, this meant running very limited boost. As Trevor points out the supercharger only comes into its own when married up to an A Series engine designed for the extra boost.

A really good normally aspirated ngine that runs a 286 cam and such is easily beaten by a Supercharger or urbo but they need to run at about 10 psi of boost, that requires an engine that is set up with a lower CR than standard. Once you build such an engine then the sky's the limit.

By all means choose the supercharger but get the best from it by rebuilding the engine with lower CR and lift the boost.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Thanks to all for suggestions and ideas, now I have even more topics to search for and think about ;)

Onno, about the camshaft - where is the best source for information? I mean what will which camshaft do, which one is good for fast road, which one is pure racing type etc.? I don't want to build racing engine, just add more power in higher rpm, but don't want to loose too much in lower rpm (and my understanding of camshaft tuning is this way - please correct me, if I am wrong).

Stepan Marek

Found this webite recently which may be help with selecting the approriate camshaft for the intended use:

http://www.mlmotorsport.com/forum/index.php/topic,334.0.html

HTH
Doug Plumb

Whilst not in a Midget, but a Mini, I've had good results with the APT cams. Good low down power and as mad as you choose the cam to be. My last A series engine had it's peak power at roughly 8,000 rpm!
S Overy

APT made my cam for my supercharged engine. So far I've been very pleased with it.
Trevor Jessie

Here's a pic I took at Spridget 50... Trevor, I think this is your car:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/safety_fast/2619089925/in/set-72157605873860590/lightbox/

It offers a very nice view of the Moss supercharger installation.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Yup, that is the old engine.
Trevor Jessie

This thread was discussed between 25/01/2012 and 26/01/2012

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.