Big TVS Blower To Push Terminators Past 1,000 HP

VMP Performance has become synonymous with producing high-output Twin Vortices Series superchargers for a wide array of Ford applications. The company has been hard at work developing its latest iteration of the VMP TVS family — the Gen3. Obviously this unit is headed for Coyotes and GT500s, but the company hasn’t forgotten about the 2003-2004 SVT Mustang Cobra.

My desire to build a better blower for the Terminator started way back in 2007. — Justin Starkey, VMP Performance

“My desire to build a better blower for the Terminator started way back in 2007 when TVS technology debuted. After seeing how the FRPP TVS performed on my ’07 Shelby GT500, I talked to several companies about my idea, and finally hit it off with Roush Performance,” VMP Performance President Justin Starkey told us. “By late 2010 we were working with Roush on its 5.0-liter Coyote kit — a version of the Ford Performance Parts TVS — for VMP and developing an all-new blower for the Terminator.”

VMP Performance recently revealed that it would produce a version of its Gen3 2.65-liter TVS supercharger for the 2003-2004 SVT Mustang Cobra. The company teased that this unit will offer 1,000-horsepower potential for snakes with the proper supporting hardware.

While this project started 11 years ago, VMP continues to develop TVS technology for all of those platforms, including the OG factory-boosted Mustang, and the company recently revealed those plans on its Burnout Box web series, where the new unit is discussed starting around the 14-minute mark of the video below…

“The original VMP Gen1 TVS for ’03-’04 Cobra Terminator was the first clean-slate design that VMP launched. Built specifically for the Terminator, my idea first hatched back in 2007 at the PRI show, I was not seeing it become a real design with CAD models, drawings, tooling, and eventually a blower that would be a first for the Terminator — eight years after the car came out,” Justin elaborated. “To date, the VMP TVS series for the ’03-’04 Cobra is the only blower designed like the factory supercharger in terms of how it fits the car. Everything is cast in piece, all the bolts are accessible, and the elbow bolts onto the side for easy serviceability. The Gen3 will continue with these important design elements, but with the bigger Eaton 2650 rotors inside.”

VMP Gen3 Terminator TVS Features

• Direct replacement for factory supercharger

• Based on larger Eaton R2650 rotor pack

• Offers increased adiabatic and parasitic efficiency

• Produces more power at the same boost level as compared with units based on the 2300 rotor pack

• Available with your choice of four inlet elbow/throttle body combinations to meet your performance needs

As the car that was at the forefront of the producing easy gains from basic upgrades, the Terminator Cobras remain a receptive candidate for supercharger upgrades, which inspired VMP to bring Eaton’s larger, more efficient 2650 rotor pack technology to this classic Cobra.

The cars are over 15 years old, but there are many still in good condition. — Justin Starkey, VMP Performance

“The Terminator market is unique. The cars are over 15 years old, but there are many still in good condition, and their owners love them. Anytime there is a new product there has to be a market to justify the huge R&D costs associated with launching that product,” he explained. “We were on the fence about building the VMP Gen 3 for —’03-’04 Cobra, but sales have remained so steady that the answer was clear. I kept expecting sales to drop off, but as recently as Black Friday ’17, they were still going strong. We needed to get the Coyote and GT500 Gen3 design done first, and that program set in motion, but once that was done we moved onto the Terminator Gen3.”

The VMP Gen3 is based on Eaton’s larger, more efficient 2650 rotor pack, which promises more boost at the high end without sacrificing midrange efficiency. However, it will still offer the same removable inlet elbow and bolt-on fitment that its predecessors did.

Making that move will enable owners of these Four-Valve 4.6-liter machines to make a lot more power, but often at a lower boost level.

The Gen3 will make the same boost as the older blower with a pulley that is three to four sizes larger. — Justin Starkey, VMP Performance

“We decided to build the Gen3 for Terminator due to the success of the Gen1 and Gen2 versions, the overwhelming demand, and the incredible power potential of the new Eaton 2650 rotor set,” Justin explained. “The Gen3 will make the same boost as the older blower with a pulley that is three to four sizes larger. If you were running a 2.8-inch pulley with your VMP 2.3-liter, you will want to start with a 3.2-inch pulley on the Gen3. There is an incredible efficiency gain going to the new rotor set, they take less power to turn, due to much higher adiabatic efficiency. Even at the same boost level, power will go up significantly.”

Look for the VMP Gen3 TVS for the Terminator to hit the market in June of 2018 starting at $3,995.

If the idea of more power at the same boost level is compelling, the VMP Gen3 TVS for 2003-2004 Cobras should hit the market in June of 2018 for $3,999. The unit will ship with one pulley and your choice of inlet elbow to work with stock, Accufab, Dragon, or VMP GT500 bolt-pattern throttle bodies.

For more on the VMP line of TVS superchargers, you can check out the company’s site right here, and for primer on the Gen3 TVS you can review our prior story on the VMP Coyote and GT500 units here.

Article Sources

About the author

Steve Turner

Steve Turner brings decades of passion and knowledge in the world of Ford performance, having covered it for over 20 years. From the swan song of the Fox Mustang to the birth of the Coyote, Steve had a front-row seat.
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