Creating A Storm—TorqStorm Superchargers Are Moving Air To Make Horsepower
By Evan J. Smith
Supercharging has long been a tool used to increase the performance of an internal combustion engine. Forced-air induction dates to the late 1800s in aviation applications, where supercharging was used to compensate for the thin air at high altitude. It was later adapted to automotive use in diesel and gasoline-burning engines.
Racers figured out a long time ago that supercharging offers great potential for horsepower and there have been various types of blowers developed for street and track performance. In fact, head to any NMCA or NMRA event and see a slew of blowers on race and show cars and trucks, especially in TorqStorm True Street.
One company that’s leading the “charge” is TorqStorm (Wyoming, Michgan), with its line of affordable centrifugal superchargers and kits. Like Roots and Twin-Screw units, centrifugal blowers are driven by the crankshaft, but that’s where the similarities end.
With a centrifugal supercharger, the amount of performance is directly linked to the design and size of the housing, the impeller design (read: shape) and the step-up ratio of the transmission (centrifugal blowers use internal gearing to increase impeller speed well beyond engine rpm). Of course, there are other factors like inlet piping, intercooling and tuning that can affect output and durability.
Recently, we sat down with Chris Brooker and Scott Oshinski of TorqStorm to learn more about their fantastic product line. “TorqStorm started when we did a bunch of work for a certain blower company and it was talking about selling everything without finishing the product,” said Brooker. “All the patents were old and they never paid us a dime. We’re right there so we decided to make it right and build and sell the unit.
“ProCharger and Vortech are a lot more money, so we made a high-quality, affordable blower,” he added. “We went 10 years and didn’t make any money—it just took time. Dennis from Painless Wiring helped us a lot and once 10 years hit things really started cranking.
“Our first TorqStorm Supercharger was/is a 75mm unit that we’ve updated over time. The ‘75’ in the TS-75R 75mm denotes the impeller size, the actual wheel size. Back then if you could make 500 hp that was pretty good. It was a lot of fun and you didn’t have to get crazy with fuel systems. We wanted something that fit nice and where you didn’t have to cut up your car. We showed we could mount a blower on either side of a Big-Block Chevy and we made our first twin kit for Wes Adkins for his 427-inch small-block Ford in a Cougar,” Brooker told us.
“People wanted more power and there’s advantages of running two blowers over one big one,” he said. “The biggest thing is that it only takes 47 horsepower to turn one blower, so we’re under 100 hp to run two of them and it will move enough air to make 1,900 horsepower. With a single blower for 1,900 hp there’s more parasitic loss, upwards of 300 hp. And there’s some serious wow factor when you see twins.
“But most of the rules for different classes don’t allow two power adders so that led us to develop the new unit. We learned from research and testing and designed a new impeller. We wanted to move the max air with the lowest temperature. That’s important with blade count and angle and that’s how we came up with the TS-91R and TS-94R.”
Brooker continued, “We had the 75mm on my 1969 Camaro, which has a 4-link, aftermarket front end and is powered by 388-inch LS that’s backed by a Turbo 400. It ran a best of 8.22 at 162 mph in 2022 and for 2023 we upgraded to the 91mm and we’ve been 7.75 at 174 mph with everything else the same, even the cam and exhaust.
“Weight is 2,920 lbs. and it runs on Methanol. This combination made 1,600 hp on an engine dyno with a 3.5-inch drive pulley. We put a 4.0-inch pulley on it so we can keep it in the 8.0 range since we run NMCA Street King. We recently moved the cam and picked up a bunch of power, too. In Orlando made 1,023 hp and by North Carolina it was up to 1,200 hp. We picked up 10 mph as well and we were not expecting that. Most of our customers are hot rodder/street rodder guys, LS guys, Hemi and Mustang owners. Anything that’s a street car we have it covered. And in the race car market we have the new blowers to fit the classes and the racer needs and our customer service is second to none,” he added.
Along with Brooker’s Camaro, co-owner Scott Oshinski also has a rolling test bed—his familiar Candy Black Cherry 1972 Old Cutlass. “I’ve owned it since 1996, it was always a specialty car that I’ve raced and enjoyed taking to the street machine nationals,” said Oshinski.
“The car shows off our twin blower set up and running NMCA lets us get the word out. The Olds is powered by a 565-inch Big-Block Chevy with our normal twin kit. It has Dart heads, a solid-roller cam and was built by Steve Morris Racing Engines. It also has a Steve Morris intake with Holley Dominator EFI. Until recently we ran a carburetor so switching over to EFI created its own challenges with the fuel system and all the wiring,” he added.
The Bow-Tie is backed by a Turbo 400, a Neil Chance converter and a Ford 9-inch with 3.40 gears. “We added a air-to-air intercooler and it makes 25 psi. of boost,” said Oshinski. “One blower would not be enough, so the twin setup provides enough cfm, that’s why we’ve done the twins 75mm blowers, which is our standard.
The mighty Olds is no lightweight, last year it was 3,920 lbs. but he added a 7.50 cage and so it’s likely to be 4,000 lbs. Amazingly, it’s run 8.43 at 164 mph cutting 1.30 60-foot times on M/T 295 Drag Radial Street R tires. For suspension it uses AFCO coilovers in the front and out back are UMI bolt-in bars and adjustable uppers with AFCO shocks. “It does okay on the street, we run True Street and go out for ice cream when we’re home,” he added. “The goal is to beat Chris, but I don’t think that will happen. In reality, running 7s would be great, I just have to get things dial-in.”
Oshinski told us the team at TorqStorm is working on an 84mm R (race) blower that’s just been released. “We did testing on different scrolls and that blower is available now,” he stated.
Blower Tech Specs
Billet case
Hybrid ceramic bearings
Transmission step-up ratio 4.45:1
Billet impeller
Assortment of pulleys offered
Made in America in Grand Rapids, MI
1 year warranty on the 75 and not on the race blower
By Evan J. Smith
Supercharging has long been a tool used to increase the performance of an internal combustion engine. Forced-air induction dates to the late 1800s in aviation applications, where supercharging was used to compensate for the thin air at high altitude. It was later adapted to automotive use in diesel and gasoline-burning engines.
Racers figured out a long time ago that supercharging offers great potential for horsepower and there have been various types of blowers developed for street and track performance. In fact, head to any NMCA or NMRA event and see a slew of blowers on race and show cars and trucks, especially in TorqStorm True Street.
One company that’s leading the “charge” is TorqStorm (Wyoming, Michgan), with its line of affordable centrifugal superchargers and kits. Like Roots and Twin-Screw units, centrifugal blowers are driven by the crankshaft, but that’s where the similarities end.
With a centrifugal supercharger, the amount of performance is directly linked to the design and size of the housing, the impeller design (read: shape) and the step-up ratio of the transmission (centrifugal blowers use internal gearing to increase impeller speed well beyond engine rpm). Of course, there are other factors like inlet piping, intercooling and tuning that can affect output and durability.
Recently, we sat down with Chris Brooker and Scott Oshinski of TorqStorm to learn more about their fantastic product line. “TorqStorm started when we did a bunch of work for a certain blower company and it was talking about selling everything without finishing the product,” said Brooker. “All the patents were old and they never paid us a dime. We’re right there so we decided to make it right and build and sell the unit.
“ProCharger and Vortech are a lot more money, so we made a high-quality, affordable blower,” he added. “We went 10 years and didn’t make any money—it just took time. Dennis from Painless Wiring helped us a lot and once 10 years hit things really started cranking.
“Our first TorqStorm Supercharger was/is a 75mm unit that we’ve updated over time. The ‘75’ in the TS-75R 75mm denotes the impeller size, the actual wheel size. Back then if you could make 500 hp that was pretty good. It was a lot of fun and you didn’t have to get crazy with fuel systems. We wanted something that fit nice and where you didn’t have to cut up your car. We showed we could mount a blower on either side of a Big-Block Chevy and we made our first twin kit for Wes Adkins for his 427-inch small-block Ford in a Cougar,” Brooker told us.
“People wanted more power and there’s advantages of running two blowers over one big one,” he said. “The biggest thing is that it only takes 47 horsepower to turn one blower, so we’re under 100 hp to run two of them and it will move enough air to make 1,900 horsepower. With a single blower for 1,900 hp there’s more parasitic loss, upwards of 300 hp. And there’s some serious wow factor when you see twins.
“But most of the rules for different classes don’t allow two power adders so that led us to develop the new unit. We learned from research and testing and designed a new impeller. We wanted to move the max air with the lowest temperature. That’s important with blade count and angle and that’s how we came up with the TS-91R and TS-94R.”
Brooker continued, “We had the 75mm on my 1969 Camaro, which has a 4-link, aftermarket front end and is powered by 388-inch LS that’s backed by a Turbo 400. It ran a best of 8.22 at 162 mph in 2022 and for 2023 we upgraded to the 91mm and we’ve been 7.75 at 174 mph with everything else the same, even the cam and exhaust.
“Weight is 2,920 lbs. and it runs on Methanol. This combination made 1,600 hp on an engine dyno with a 3.5-inch drive pulley. We put a 4.0-inch pulley on it so we can keep it in the 8.0 range since we run NMCA Street King. We recently moved the cam and picked up a bunch of power, too. In Orlando made 1,023 hp and by North Carolina it was up to 1,200 hp. We picked up 10 mph as well and we were not expecting that. Most of our customers are hot rodder/street rodder guys, LS guys, Hemi and Mustang owners. Anything that’s a street car we have it covered. And in the race car market we have the new blowers to fit the classes and the racer needs and our customer service is second to none,” he added.
Along with Brooker’s Camaro, co-owner Scott Oshinski also has a rolling test bed—his familiar Candy Black Cherry 1972 Old Cutlass. “I’ve owned it since 1996, it was always a specialty car that I’ve raced and enjoyed taking to the street machine nationals,” said Oshinski.
“The car shows off our twin blower set up and running NMCA lets us get the word out. The Olds is powered by a 565-inch Big-Block Chevy with our normal twin kit. It has Dart heads, a solid-roller cam and was built by Steve Morris Racing Engines. It also has a Steve Morris intake with Holley Dominator EFI. Until recently we ran a carburetor so switching over to EFI created its own challenges with the fuel system and all the wiring,” he added.
The Bow-Tie is backed by a Turbo 400, a Neil Chance converter and a Ford 9-inch with 3.40 gears. “We added a air-to-air intercooler and it makes 25 psi. of boost,” said Oshinski. “One blower would not be enough, so the twin setup provides enough cfm, that’s why we’ve done the twins 75mm blowers, which is our standard.
The mighty Olds is no lightweight, last year it was 3,920 lbs. but he added a 7.50 cage and so it’s likely to be 4,000 lbs. Amazingly, it’s run 8.43 at 164 mph cutting 1.30 60-foot times on M/T 295 Drag Radial Street R tires. For suspension it uses AFCO coilovers in the front and out back are UMI bolt-in bars and adjustable uppers with AFCO shocks. “It does okay on the street, we run True Street and go out for ice cream when we’re home,” he added. “The goal is to beat Chris, but I don’t think that will happen. In reality, running 7s would be great, I just have to get things dial-in.”
Oshinski told us the team at TorqStorm is working on an 84mm R (race) blower that’s just been released. “We did testing on different scrolls and that blower is available now,” he stated.
Blower Tech Specs
Billet case
Hybrid ceramic bearings
Transmission step-up ratio 4.45:1
Billet impeller
Assortment of pulleys offered
Made in America in Grand Rapids, MI
1 year warranty on the 75 and not on the race blower
