Right now I have a honda prelude and really want to put a turbo on it but the h22 ringlands are really weak so the engine doesn't handle boost well. I am either going to sell the lude and get a Z or turbo the lude. The reason I want to know if the Z can handle the boost is because if it can I would more likely sell the lude and get a Z and turbo that.

Will a stock Z handle a low boost or will I have to build up bottom end? Well it won't be stock with a turbo but stock internals.

Thanks
Joe

 

Procharger makes a SC kit for around $5k. Most ppl are running 7 psi and an intercooler. On avg, its dynoing around 350rwhp and 300rwft-lb on stock internals. The only problem is the kit's FMU is a slide bar and most everyone runs the car rish for safety sake. Do a search for the ATI SC kit if you need more info. There is alot under the Engine mod section.

 

Has anyone blown a motor running 7 psi of boost with a turbo with stock internals?

 

3 blown motors (burnt pistons) with ATI we know of. First 2 were running 7 lbs boost, the other running 9 lbs boost with Nitrious. Air/fuel mixtures running to lean seems to be the most popular reason believed to be the problem. Tuning seems to be a big issue.

People that have the ATI SC running without problems claim theirs run well because they are tuned properly, not running lean, and some site professionally installed as well. Many owners have installed their ATI SC themselves and have also not blown up their motors.

If you want to know more, do a search, find out who blew their motors and pm them. If they feel comfortable doing so, they might give you additional details.

 

Two of the ATi blows motors were because they were installed improperly. The one with nitrous well I'm sure the combination of nitrous/boost was to much for the engine. Haven't heard of the specifics of that case so I don't know what kind of shot he was running.

 

I have discusssed the believed reasons for the blown motors with some of these people that own these cars. You assessment does not equal their assessment of the cause. In addition, to my knowledge, it would be speculation on the cause to begin with. It is not like any engineers have looked at these motors and determined the cause. This has been my concern for a long time, ATI is not actively determining the failure of motors with their kits on them.

To simply stated the cause was because of of a poor installation is an easy answer that lacks facts. Air/fuel mixtures, boost levels, engine temperatures as other factures are possible considerations. Belts fly off from poor installations. Tuning would be a better term but then again, tuning may not be the cause if the kit was set up within proper limits of the kit but still failed.

 

there is a fella in dallas running 8.5 psi on his twin garretts.

pushing around 400rwhp

 

I would def. get it professionally installed and tuned.

 

Will building up bottom end of engine solve this problem? Also having a good Standalone system?

 

It's all in the tuning.....

There are guys with VQ30DE motors in Maximas (3.0L version of our motor) running 15lbs of boost on completely stock motors. The VQs bottom end is PLENTY strong...tuning is ESSENTIAL.

I have NEVER heard of a cracked cylinder wall, crank or rod in a VQ motor because of too much power...

7psi is nothing for a stock VQ motor...

 

If you can afford standalone, by all means do it! It is MUCH better than the FMU and SAFC route

 

Where can I see more of these maximas? Are they part of a forum?

 

http://www.maxima.org

 

here's the website of the quickest STOCK motor maxima in the US.
http://members.verizon.net/~vze4yqyk/

Supercharged@14psi
35 shot Nitrous

11.9@117mph

 

rather be safe than sorry. I watched a clip of a z33 on some laughing gas... and those guys were laughing and talking about a piston with a 'holey' block... I would say.. poor them.. but they seemed to enjoy it?

seems like 10 psi was the recommended stable boost reading in the maximas.. anything more could blow the block pretty badly. I know a person named Nigel dynoed at 394 to the wheels with 10 lbs of boost and a full 3 inch exhaust system. That is damn good.

 

Enhanced

2500 plus miles on my car and I drive hard in LA Stop and Go traffic. It runs incredibly well with dyno numbers of 350RWP and 289 ft lbs of torque when tested in 92 degree temps. I will be going to R&D Dyno shortly to get new numbers as temperatures have dropped and I anticipate much better numbers. I have not had one issue with my car since the installation 4 months ago in anyway, shape or form.

If you need any addtional info on the benfits or drawbacks of this set up PM me or email me.


Jack Ritoli

 

Jack, remember, you are getting a dyno in December too for the SportZ test day! Are you still running stock tires?

 

Jeff:

I understand that. Be advised I am going to push for a 3rd party dyno site for the December test with a dis-intertested dyno operator.


Jack

 

Show me a link to ANY THREAD were a VQ motor had a BLOCK blown up by boost. I don't know of any that have done it with less than around 18lbs of boost...and even then it's the rods that go first. But I'm talking about 500+ whp.....not something 95% of Z owners will ever have to worry about.

For all intesive purposes the VQ motor is rock solid with normal boost levels (under 15psi). More attention should be payed to fuel management than bottom end strength in these motors..

 

Enhanced,

I was at almost the same place as you last spring. I had a 97 Prelude with a JRSC and Hondata running 6psi. The car was quick, but I wanted more. The H22a's weak rings left me no choice but to build it to run more boost. I decided it wasn't worth it to dump over $2k more into a project that already cost nearly $5k just in engine mods.

I took everything off the Prelude and sold it all. I then bought the 350z and have never been happier. The 350z is pretty similar in performance as my JRSC Prelude. The times I've run at the track are almost exaclty the same, but the 350z has a lot more potential. The 350z on boost is a terror to say the least. Just 7psi has gotten a lot of people near 400whp, something the H22a couldn't produce until boost hit double digits.

Also FYI, a member of this site ran over a 300 shot of nitrous on as stock engine for months. He finally blew it with a 380 shot, but this was due to a malfunction with his progressive controller. The VQ engine is much stronger than the H22a.

By the way, are you on PO.com. If so I was bkw97lude over there.