OK guys I have done the searches and there is not much info on this topic. I would like to look into this further with the hope of doing something soon to my roadster. I am not the guy looking for CRAZY amounts of HP and I plan to keep my engine stock. I have no desire to be in the 500hp club, lol. This will be my daily driver and relaiblity is HUGE for me. Also my car knowledge is so so, I am not the guy to get under my hood and trouble shoot. I will be relying on a local shop for all that. Looking to keep the need for tuning to a minumum.

I want to hear some real world examples, what is good on the auto?

Supercharger vs Turbo?

Kits that come to mid are, Vortech, Pro charger, Turbonetics or APS and "maybe" Stillen but not a huge custom hood fan and it seems to have very low dyno's compared to the rest.

What other things are needed for the auto tranny to make the switch, rev limited ect...

All these Turbo's and SC's on this board we need more auto's, lol. Hope to hear some good feedback from Auto owners with any of these setups.

 

APS ST here....430ft/lbs torque.......about 5K miles on the turbo....EXCELLENT SET-UP....

Have had no problems.....based on current driving experiences, I am not immediately planning on VB/TC upgrades. My Z is not my daily driver. I consider my performance mods 95% complete...I may do some suspension mods to finish off the package.......


Now....I have some questions for you:

1.)Where in FLA do you live?
2.)Are you going to do the install yourself?
3.)Have you identified a tuner to either purchasefrom/and or do your install....if yes>#5
4.)Have you spoken to them about recommendations?
5.)Will your daily driver have to deal with bumper to bumper rush hour traffic?


I will give you my recommendation for APS on the 5AT....you need to identify an authorized tuner.

 

Thanks JoneZZZ,

1.)Where in FLA do you live? Miami

2.)Are you going to do the install yourself? No way, lol

3.)Have you identified a tuner to either purchasefrom/and or do your install....if yes>#5 Yes I think, the guys from the So Fla Z Car Club have a shop in Palm Beach. Mike Wade is the Tech guy. Been working on Z's forever, he did some of my bolt ons and has done some turbo's and SC. Good guy, sounds like he knows his stuff, although I may not know, lol. Also the guys at Japtrix here in Fort Lauderdale area are a APS shop and I Also spoke to Gus who is on this board here and works for them and he recommended the ST APS for me but I still have no idea. They are a APS dealer so I know he is biased although a SUPER nice guy who is very good to talk to.

4.)Have you spoken to them about recommendations? All they said was he didn't like the Stillen SC but I think he said b/c of the power and the hood change, other than that he didn't really push one way or the other

5.)Will your daily driver have to deal with bumper to bumper rush hour traffic? Nagh not really, of course I get the occassional 95 traffic in Miami but no I am pretty cool with that. DEF, not a daily traffic thing!

 

NP Lexus33......

I am SUPER pleased with the APS setup.......as long as you have an authorized tuner doing your work for you...cool......GRD did mine(Tuan/Irshad...."I LUV you mang'!!").

My only caveat was heat for a daily driver....if you were in bad traffic jams(3-4hrs/day) 5 days a week, I would definitely recommend cooling upgrades to your install(upgraded radiator, vented hood, etc).


APS works beautifully with the AT.....


Peace.......

 

Hey I am not biased The shop in Palm Beach is part of Palm Nissan and Japtrix is actually just down the road, Japtrix will also be the only Unichip tuner in Florida and is finishing up the install of thier dyno. Ok end of sales pitch.

Give Kevin a call his is super cool and will probably let you take is Stillen SC for a spin, I did not tell him about the Turbo vs SC thing just that you wanted to chek it out so his opinion will be honest, and then I can give you a ride in mine so get the idea of the difference between the turbo and the Stillen SC that will convince you

All kidding aside there is a lot of info here that you can sift through and very knowledgeable guys so just do your research and make a decision you will be happy with because there is nothing like doing a mod like this and having regrets.

 

Thanks Guys!!

Jonezzz a few ?'s,
1. so you didn't do any torque converter, or valve body, or a tranny cooler for your 5AT??? All I have been reading is saying we MUST do that as a 5AT. You don't think it is necessary and have been running fine?

2. Why not a Turbonetics ST?? I heard they are the best for the auto and have not read any blown engine issues or anything else on the Auto. Why did you go APS VS. TN?

3. BTW how many miles with the kit?

Westpak, I will be up to the shop soon to talk to you guys! I WISH you had an auto floating around with the APS single kit I could drive or hear. Let me know if you know anyone in our area that has that set up. I will call Kevin sometime this week when we dry out down here from Wilma, YUK! You have always been a big help, much appreciated and I will keep that ride with you in mind for SURE!

Jay

 

Jay....

"1. so you didn't do any torque converter, or valve body, or a tranny cooler for your 5AT??? All I have been reading is saying we MUST do that as a 5AT. You don't think it is necessary and have been running fine?"

I have seen no need for it right now...both the TC and the TB were part of my original build-up plan(seemed to make sense)...I have seen no evidence of weaknes at those links(I am prepared to make those moves, but no need now)....whenever I am in traffic I shift manual....whenever I have clear road/or want to thrash it, I am in auto. I have been super pleased at how tight the auto hooks up when I am in boost......grant it, I have had to learn to drive this car all over again(I like the new beast!). I have learned to keep it under redline between 70-80% throttle.....have not used 100%WOT yet.....not enough Hwy free of troopers.....and have not had any encounters in which I have needed it.


"2. Why not a Turbonetics ST?? I heard they are the best for the auto and have not read any blown engine issues or anything else on the Auto. Why did you go APS VS. TN?"

This was a personal choice....First I like the engineering design of the APS better.....functionally makes sense......turbo is below, but is sheilded from road debris, etc......and the way I look at it, it is in a better position for cooling. I don't care if you cant see it with the hood open......anybody that cruises with me can hear it, smell it, feel it, and see evidence of it. Second, I liked APS's commitment to their product....I know I have the first APS/ST 5AT in IL(maybe the US?).....I had to wait on upgraded/redesigned parts specifically for the AT.....they tested it....did not seem to rush production....stayed in touch with me....what more could I ask? They got my business.....and it works like they said it would.


"3. BTW how many miles with the kit?"

I have about 5K on it(since Sept)......

 

https://my350z.com/forum/forced-induction/140298-aps-single-turbo-on-a-5at_comments.html

 

Some preliminary feedback for you but still early in the game. Just picked up my car yesterday in Charlotte NC @ CP Racing and drove it 520 miles to Orlando. I'm at 401 whp tuned at 8psi on a Greddy TT. The car feels and rides awesome! It is my daily driver for now. No problems on the trip. No temp issues; egts and fuel press very stable.

No tranny mods yet but I am considering the SGP valve body upgrade. I did have the ECU reflashed to increase the rev limiter to 7100rpms. In auto mode the 1-2 shift at WOT still hits the rev limit at times. The rpms come on super fast now so it's best to be in manual mode and be quick in the shift. So much more power now.

Above all else, make sure you get a good install and tune; a shop and someone with lots of experience on the kit you are considering. Good luck!

 

Greddy TT here,

Get a good installer and especially a good tuner and then just pick a kit that fits your needs, power wise and money wise.


Tasso-

 

Nice info man! Please keep me updated. I am excited for you.

So you can't drive in auto mode just normal cruising. It is a must to drive in manual mode now?

Any plans to do a tranny cooler, or Torque converter or do you think the main thing with the 5AT's is the valve body upgrade??

How far are you from Miami??

 

Well I can tell you that for daily driving in South Florida (I lived in Miami for 18 years) I would chose the Turbonetics kit over the APS. And no I'm not bashing APS but lets look at the facts. With the turbo under the car like that and the size of some of the puddles in Florida when it rains hard you are asking for trouble. The problem I see is that typical temps on the turbine side of a turbo exceed 600 degress F when being pushed...When you splash cold water onto the the cast turbine when its that hot you can be sure you are going to have some problems. Maybe not right away, but its going to happen. The debris shield is nice but its not going to stop the water from getting in. Just this Friday my brother got stuck in Ft Lauderdale because the water in the puddle was so high it went into his car. Now granted this isn't an every day event but puddles are frequent and they dont go away quickly out there. Water is going to get on the turbine side and its going to cause problems. Aside from that both are quality kits. Turbonetics designed and built a 5AT specific turbo kit. It includes a reflash to bump the rev limiter to 7100 so you dont bounce off the rev limiter in auto mode under full boost. Its literally a plug and play affair. No tuning is required, no cutting or replacing of any harnesses either. I have over 11k miles on my car of some HARD driving and have never had a problem with my car. Turbonetics commitment to the customers is also unmatched. Who else offers a 12k mile 12 month warranty on every part of the kit. No fault no hassle. If your installer accidentally sucks a shop rag into the turbo during install (don't laugh I've seen it happen)Turbonetics replaces the turbo free of charge no questions asked. For a plug and play kit with excellent day to day driveability and reliability the Turbonetics simply can't be beat. Thats my 2 cents.

 

I was going to ignore that statement but in case someone takes it seriously I figure I would throw my 0.02 in. It is similar to the lame argument people throw out there about cold air intakes, and my answer is always if you are in such deep water to have a concern about the intake or turbo in this case you have other issues to worry about like swiming, come on, the splash guard will help keep it from getting wet under normal conditions and if you lived down here for that long you know you learn NOT to drive through deep water. I am lowered so always aware of such a situation and if I encounter questionable water I turn around. If you are concerned about he APS turbo being down there then you should be concerned about the Turbonetics pipes unless the flanges/connections are water tight.

And as for the Turbonectics not needing tuning it is because you CANNOT tune it unless you add a piggyback or find someone that can reflash the ECU.

 

Um sometimes you have no choice but to drive through them. You should know that by now if you live there. Sometimes theres just no way around them. I may not live there anymore but I go home to visit family a lot and things haven't changed THAT much. As for the Turbonetics piping I'm not sure why you would be AS concerned as the turbo getting wet. First off the pipes aren't cast, second the pipes aren't at 600+ so that water would actually have a potential of cracking them. As for the tuning the reason the flash was done was so that no tuning WOULD be needed and the kit would be plug and play. The Turbonetics out of box tune happens to be a bit better then the APS out of box unichip tune according to EVERY APS untuned dyno I have seen compared to the Turbonetics dynos. And you COULD add a piggyback if you want to to tune furhter in the Turbonetics kit but you don't NEED to. Example Solidsnake just completed his install. Out of box on a stock exhaust at 8 PSI he made 377 RWHP on 91 pump gas. Thats with no tuning. Last APS dyno I saw untuned at 9 PSI was in the 360 range. Low 360 at that. Tune at 9 PSI with a piggyback and on pump gas the Turbonetics kit makes 401 RWHP and 418 ft/lb of Tq. Last numbers I saw for a tuned APS ST at 9.5 PSI was 395 RWHp and 412 ft/lb of tq...The numbers and facts speak for themselves.

 

Like I said if you have such deep water that will affect the turbo then it is too deep to drive through irregardless of turbo or no turbo, I like my car more than to drive it through such deep water, I have never HAD to drive through water that deep, I will wait it out or just turn around. And the reflash of the ECU is not perfect, all cars are different and we have seen that with cars that have had the TS reflash and have different results so not the utopia of solutions.

 

I have a ati procharger at 7lbs. conservative tuned.. 350hp..310tq. Fun to drive. Normal cruising auto mode is fine. But when I get on it I always do manual mode. I haven't done the flash. No need right now, I've hit the limiter a couple of times, no problem though. The car acted just like it did before the supercharger, a little stumble, then i'd switch gears, and go about my business. This winter I'm gonna tuned it for alittle more power. Maybe 380+hp/340lbs tq. I figure I'll bump it up with the cold/dense air, so when the summer comes around the a/f will drop down just a bit(safer). I considered an oil cooler and other such goodies, but I only track the car once or twice a year, I didn't think I needed it. I usually stay in the beginners group, where the action isn't as tough. I do auto-cross 8-10 times a year so I did upgrade my brakes to the stop-tech stage II, slotted/drilled, s/s lines better fluid. Other than that I've left her alone.
One thing about the supercharger, the sound is an acquired taste. Like the whine from a jet engine. It's not for everybody. I used fat-mat to insulated the sound somewhat, but you can never get ride of it. I like it, some don't.

 

I never said it was the end all be all of tuning solutions but it works well and makes this kit a plug and play affair with no added cost to the owner. I think it has been a very reliable and pretty solid tuning solution so far. All flashs are set safe 11:1 and still make solid power. As for the water issue well you may have the luxury to drive around all day looking for a place with no puddles but some people dont want that hassle. And theres a reason why AEM makes and sells bypass valves. There just happens to be a market for them and I gurantee some of the highest volume places for sales of that are in Florida. Unfortunately you aren't going to be able to "bypass" cold water being splashed on a hot cast metal part. Maybe you would be comfortable with your $1500 turbo being down there but I wouldn't and in Miami its something that should be considered. Is APS going to replace the turbo if the turbine housing cracks?

 

+1
hot metal & cold water don't mix.

that icon was the closest to a "crack" that I could find.

 

What's the deal with the Turbonetics 5AT kit? Is it out? How much $? Any details?
Miaplaya, you seem to know all the Turbonetics stuff going on. You got any info?

 

It is out and is shipping. Cost is I think $200 over the 6MT kit. I've seen a lot of vendors selling the 6MT kit for between $4200-$4800. Most of them sell for about $4395. Add $200 cost would be around $4595. Details, well the kit comes with everything the 6MT kit does. Numbers are are the same. Rev limiter is bumped to 7100 so you can go full boost in auto mode. Its been up and running on the Monterry Park Police 350Z for about 3-4 months now and he has NUMEROUS drag launches and track days done so far with no issues.