350z-Helsinki

iTrader: (1)

Hi,

for the past year I have been wondering should I keep my car NA or supercharge it. If it would be just a streetcar I would definitely SC it but since the car sees 5-10 trackdays in a summer I wonder if the stock block can handle all that stress.

I have been thinking of HKS supercharger and the aim would be around 300whp. Other option is to just get Supersprint longtubes and HFCs and save money for other stuff like tires and pads. Then hope that I could stop there and not start an NA build in the long run.

I listed my parts below and I'm looking for some opinions on what direction to take. Mostly I want to know if supercharging is an awful idea for a trackday car if you don't build it properly. If you see some areas besides power that I should modify I'd like to know that too.

Seat time would be the best mod but I don't think that alone will satisfy me mentally.



Here is a list of most of my current mods:

DIFF

4.08 gears
quaife LSD
Solid differential mounts
Whiteline subframe bushings

Handling

LMGT 4 rims, Michelin PSS tires (next summer now R888)
SPC rear camber arms
BC racing ER coilovers
Stillen swaybars
powergrid endlinks
Kinetix A-arms
Megan racing H-brace

Power and brakes

Utec
Greddy Evo 2
Motordyne 5/16 plenum spacer
K&N drop in
Power enterprise Oil Pan
Carbotech pads, DBA 2-piece rotors, RBF 600

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

If you like to show up, drive, and have fun. Don't bother with FI

350z-Helsinki

iTrader: (1)

I was afraid that might be the case. I just needed someone to tell me that so I won't make a stupid decision.

Scrodes

iTrader: (3)

^^^ LOL funny how we all knew exactly what was going on here. We should all follow your example more.

97supratt

iTrader: (61)

If you're going to race it 5 times a year, the HKS charger isn't bad. It has it's own oiling system, low boost, and is not bad on the motor.

If you were to do more competitive driving, you would do some expensive damage. For a street/track machine the HKS unit is a great piece. As long as you have proper "cooling", and that's the main factor for any car that hits the track "cooling". Cool that intake charge down, and keep those temps low. You will have a happy engine.

Cheers

bmccann101

iTrader: (16)

OP, you already have the one item i was going to reccomend to you.. 4.08 gears.
Then i looked at your list and realized you are missing a huge giant and fully necessary part of the equation: tuning software on your ecu.. go spent 1k on an Osiris and a tune and thank me later.

350z-Helsinki

iTrader: (1)

Forgot to list the ECU. I have a Utec waiting for installation.

I think that I will plan my mods so that it leaves the option of SC open, but for now I will settle for a tune and the Supersprint longtubes. I also have bad syncros in my gearbox. My 6th gear grinds badly so an upgrade to CD009 could be smarter. Then next step would be to improve the cooling, brake ducts etc. And if I after all this I think I need more power the maybe I just have to do it.

pez1111

iTrader: (2)

If I had the chance to do it all again , i probably wouldn't go with the HKS S/C. I'd keep it NA. I really enjoyed the project build, but the car is way beyond my capabilities. I'v tracked a few times and it's a lot of fun and i think i would enjoy it just as much with out.
Depends on how far you want to go the tracking, you can do it in steps as you improve.
ENJOY

Vivid Racing

iTrader: (67)

If you feel like you've gotten as fast as you can with that power level, then the HKS kit isn't a bad idea. It's going to be just about impossible to reach FI numbers on an NA engine, but you don't need a ton of power for AutoX so the linear/constant power of NA is probably a better idea than FI.

ThreeFiveZero Z

iTrader: (23)

Dont boost it, just drive it and enjoy it. While it may be easier on the engine compared to other f/i applications, save yourself the potential headache. It is hard to beat the reliability of an n/a racecar.

CleanFairladyZ

iTrader: (11)

Found this searching so decided to post here instead of make a new thread.

Anyway, if you wanted a DD Z that you also took to around 5 or so track days a year, what direction would you go? Of course, handling mods would be first and most important. But afterwards, would it just be best to keep the Z NA or go FI?

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

NA is fine , and the Z is actually one of the faster cars at a normal trackday . Also, 5 trackdays a year, it will take many years to be able to even use the FI power to the point your not getting smoked by the NA cars.

Ruthless18x

iTrader: (59)

^ a lot of truth there.

If you've got the cash to deal with broken things, etc, I don't see any reason not to boost. You just have to know what you are doing from the get go, or you're just setting yourself up for failure.

CleanFairladyZ

iTrader: (11)

I was thinking that. Planning on just doing handling mods (sways and coils etc.), bolt ons, and a nice tune

350z-Helsinki

iTrader: (1)

Despite all the wise words I got from this forum I just couldn't resist it and bought the HKS supercharger. I got a sweet deal that I couldn't pass. I guess part of the reason for buying is that I just like to work on the car and I really like the idea of installing a supercharger and building an engine by myself.

So far I have only bought larger injectors to replace the additional injectors in the HKS kit. I'm going to make a safe tune with Utec. I will build the engine in time (hopefully later than sooner), but now I'm interested in getting some tips how to make it last.

I have decided not raise the rev limit, get additional oil cooler and CJM stage 0 fuel return kit. Is there anything else I could do before my build to help reliability? I will keep it around 300whp before the build.