Hey everyone !

I'm looking at Supercharging my 350z. Initially I was going to Turbo but after lots of research Supercharging seems a little cheaper and was told the VQs respond better to supercharging.

This is a Daily Driver that I will track every now and then so I aiming for around 350 - 400whp.

I was told that our engines can handle up to 400whp before needing to be built?

Currently I have a 2005 Touring 350z with 90,000km on the clock. I just had it tuned with an intake and plenum and it is making 251whp after the tune. Nothing else has been done.

I am aiming to manual swap in a CD009 over the next 6 months then look at doing the Supercharging.

I was wondering, between Procharger and Vortech which should I go?

Should I be building the engine anyway even though I am only going for around 350 - 400whp?

Is there any advice that others have got after going through the process?

 

Stock motor with a Vortech is a great combo. The power isn't the problem on the DE engine, but how the torque is introduced, hence the popularity of the supercharger route. Torque from a turbo comes on much stronger and will bend the rods if you're not careful. If you plan to track, definitely get some solid cooling upgrades and I'd recommend adding a fuel return system with upgraded injectors/fuel pump. If the motor is healthy with modest torque under 400wtq, you should be able to beat on it pretty good.

 

I would recommend looking into the HKS kit. I know there isn’t as much information on the kit vs the Vortech kits however considering your power goals the HKS is a strong contender as well. Vortech doesn’t produce as much area under the curve at the same HP level as the HKS. Another issue with the Vortech is they are notorious for eating belts but that is due to the design of the bracket which flexes quite a bit even though the amount of flex is small. The HKS kit is quieter, more reliable and makes wayyy more torque in the low/mid rpms at the same horsepower level. Which can prove useful in very technical tight turns. As far as ease of torque, it largely depends on having a good tuner as well. There are plenty of tuner kits out there that are reliable as well.

 

Hey Shadow,

I was planning a Vortech build once upon a time (V3 Sci), primarily because I live in CA and it's the only C.A.R.B. legal kit for the 350Z here, also they make a specific kit for the Revup DE which I have. (Note: Stillen no longer makes an SC kit for the DE, but they had a legal option for CA years ago). Vortech offers a tuner kit which puts the injectors, fuel pump, and wide-band on you to figure out (which I think is a good thing) since it drops the piggy back ECU and fuel pump assist. Renfro hit the nail on the head. You're going to need to improve your cooling in parallel with any boost application. There's plenty of aftermarket oil cooler options, if you plan to track once in a while, get a large one. I would also consider a large capacity oil pan. For radiator, I recommend the Koyorad 48mm ALU, keep the stock fan package. In terms of the air/fuel system, you should be good with a wide-band MAF and larger capacity fuel pump + injectors. For your target hp/tq numbers you should be ok with the stock return-less system, but there are advantages to a return system. Just my opinion, but I don't think a return system is worth the added cost for the numbers you're looking to achieve. Just my humble opinion, but I think a return system would be more appropriate on a turbo setup running E85/Flexfuel. For tuning you have a lot of options. I was planning on keeping things modest and rolling with an Uprev flash + custom tune, but you can always go with an aftermarket ECU. It really depends on your local tuning support and budget. If your local tuner shop is more familiar with Uprev, then I would go with that. If they're more familiar with something like Haltech, then I would go that route.

I've seen HKS mentioned here and there, but I never dug deep into it since it's not street legal in CA. They are a reputable company so I wouldn't be concerned with one of their kits.

You're going to enjoy the CD009! Make sure you upgrade the clutch fork to the cast unit if not already done on your Z.
Cheers!
-Icer

 

DO NOT GET THE PROCHARGER KIT!

A better place to post this is in the "Forced Induction" Section

Procharger makes a great Supercharger, but this kit that did for the 350Z/G35 did not work well.

Vortech overall is a much better kit, and now you have many Options.

You can Message me if you need more Help, I'm glade to Help!

You can search here (OldmanZ350) might be some stuff under TimRod

TimRod

 

Any update?

 

I’ll echo this … and I ran the procharger with years without major issues. The downside is that it’s not scale’able like the vortech and I dont even know if theyre making kits anymore.

I’ll say that there are plenty of turbo kits that will work for your goals.

I would love to have a turbo kit that brings on torque as quick as possible.

And your torque output is more of a function of your tuning than it is of your turbo selection. You can relax the torque output pretty easy by modifying your ignition timing to a safe level.

 

boost is boost, there is no validity to one being easier to handle on this engine. turbo adds more torque faster, but i say this as all boost will stress this engine.....unless youre running an hr w vastly better rods and crank girdle

differences in throttle behavior, total power possible etc..
but aside from that, they both need fuel, both make air, and both put just as much strain on the engine internals and oil system.
Neither is safer at the same hp level.