i was wondering how much power do you need to be competive on a roa course/track, ie road atlanta, lugana seca buttonwillow etc.

second
is it better to have power down low or higher up in the power band. (BOOSTED APPLICATION)
because im debatting between a jwt 530bb kit or a greddy 18g kit.

 

You need all the power you can get. I don't know about the west coast tracks but for Road Atlanta you are better with power that will get you down the long straight. There is also a shorter straight past the paddock areas. Most passing is done at the end of straights so brakes also come into the picture. In T2 you are limited by the rules for power. In GT2 and GT3 you have a lot more you can do to the engine to gain power and torque.

 

Talk to Sharif @ Forged...he can tell you

 

will 500whp do???

 

Maybe you should some research about road racing before buying in. Seldom do you simply put on and helmet and race wheel-to-wheel.

 

Honestly a lot of this is track dependent. There are certain tracks with long straights, sweepers and a more open setup that really favor high horsepower cars, while other tracks are tighter and more technical and favor cars that put a premium on handling. Compare the track maps of road atlanta and buttonwillow to see what I mean. Four our cars, brakes and suspension is often priotity #1.

 

I think most of us with high power Z's find the sweet spot to be about 450-500WHP. I was running with 565 whp at Sebring and it was too much power for the twisties. I could never hold WOT into the braking zones. I would be entering the braking zones with much too much speed. I was entering turn 17 at 172MPH. I also couldn't use WOT around alot of the long sweeping turns. I was too scared the rear ws going to come out. I'm going to settle on 475 whp for the next rack day and see how that goes. I think Sharif was running about the same power.

Look int othe GT Motorsport turbo kits. They use the Garrett GT ball bearing turbo's. You have a few choices for turbo sizes.

500 whp for a novice is way too much to handle. You can get yourself into alot of trouble. I would shoot for 400whp for openers.

With the Greddy 18G's or the Garrett GT28RS and the right set of cams you will have power everywhere. But if I had to decide I would want power in the upper RPM range. My motor is never below 5000 RPM on the track at Sebring. That's why I decided to go with the revup lower plenum on my 04 motor. It sacrifices some low end tourque for some upper RPM breathing.

 

What race sanctioning body? What class? What other mods are on the car?

500 whp in a SCCA T2 350Z will get you tossed out of the event in the tech shed before you turn a lap on track. 500 whp in an otherwise stock 350Z is stupid and you'll get beat by a good driver in a 90hp Pinto.

 

I think I know what you are getting at. The 530bb is too small for any track...maybe an autocross. You will not be happy.

Even if running just 400whp, you would be better served with the delivered powerband of the Greddy 20G/18G, over the tiny super spool of the 530bb.

Assuming the rest of your setup is spot on, 500whp (600bhp) on a 3000 lb'ish car is more than enough to run mid to low 1:30's at Road Atlanta. If you can't do that, then your chassis setup is off, or you need more seat time.

 

Go do some track events and figure out what you need.

 

^ what betamotorsports said.

With a turbo, your #1 issue will be keeping your engine from overheating.

 

Competitive in what sense? HPDEs (95% of track applications)

If you aren't competing for anything more than bragging rights, I think $ is better spend in suspension, wheels, tires, and brakes. My Z is very "competitive" at Laguna Seca and the other NorCal tracks.

Here is some Laguna Seca vid for your enjoyment. Look at that 260rwhp monster (In all seriousness, I am a tad faster around Laguna in my 350Z than my Z32 which has a boatload more power. Partly because I have more *****, partly because I've spent decent $ on the 350Zs suspension).

First day at Laguna with the new Z:
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2nd day at Laguna with the new Z (part 1):
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part 2:
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Damn what kind of suspension do you have?

 

Power alone doesn't make you competitive.... period.

To be competitive, you need to know how to drive the circuit, and you have to have a good BALANCE between power and handling (with tweaks one way or the other for any particular circuit.)

You also have to finish (if we're in fact talking about competition.) And in general, boosted applications don't last very well on road courses.

 

Beat me too it.

Always upgrade the driver before the car. It saves time and money.

 

BINGO Sharif. what i was tryin to say was i could max a jwt 530bb kit on a high boost (12-15lbs) setting for road racing and take advantage of the quick spool VS. using the bigger greddy kit which will have more lag and moderate boost to get me 450-500rwhp. thats what im really asking.


Also i understand u need seat time to handle such power. Thats why i already autoX and go to every NOVICE School/Points event scca's has to better myself as a driver.

 

lol .. so true

 

sell the Z, buy a GT3 RS or CUP... in the long run will be cheaper.

 

Why would you spend that money on a road car when you could get a Radical or a Juno and lap the Cup car with ease for less money.

 

I feel you are going at this backwards. You need to buy a cheap Miata, RX-7, 510 and learn to drive momentum. To many times someone comes out ot the track with high horsepower and slows everybody down in the corners and then make it difficult to pass on the straights. This way you will learn to drive the corners and not just point and shoot. With this economy I would think you could find a car at a decent price and start racing with other cars on the track and if it gets banged up, who cares. After a few races then take your Z out and see the difference.