I am getting ready to do FI on my 03 350z. I have intake, cams,headers, test pips, greddy evo2, and pullies. I am trying to decide what kind of S/C to buy...im looking to get around 375-400 whp...any ideas...i dont really wanna do a turbo kit b/c i did that on my last car and had nothing but trouble with it. Thanks for your help in advance guys.

 

turbo is the way to go - once you get used to the power of SC you'll want more - and they can't provide it. turbos can.
otherwise, i'd recommend vortech.

 

i wouldnt mind a turbo kit but the only thing is 1. the install and 2. the problems that come with turbos and 3. lag

 

1. What problems come with turbos's?

2. There is no lag on the TT setups. Greddy $5300 dollars with intercooler.

Turbo is the way to go.

Respect
JET

 

correct me if im wrong but arent turbos harder on your engine and require more maintenance

 

not really more maintenance - less if anything. SC's have more moving parts and you gotta fiddle with belts more. Turbos have more piping so boost leaks more more possible. Boost spikes are also more possible since the tune dictates how much boost you run. The SC is mechanically boosted so it's more consistent in that way.



whether a turbo is harder on the engine or not is debatable - IMO it is because it has lots more torque and it all hits much sooner and harder than a SC. In turn, it goes after what seems to be the weak link in this engine - the rods. They also generate more heat. SC is harder on bearings, but IMO they'll handle the extra stress better than the rods will handle a turbo's torque

SC's can blow engines too though.

turbos do have at least a little lag - twins have less than singles. It's in the nature of it. Look at the torque curves, there's nothing below 3k, then BAM big torque buildup.

SC's have much less torque so generally won't be as fast or as fun, but arguably more controllable with handling since the torque continues to rise at a steady pace. Shorter gearing seems to be a SC's friend on this car (possilby not for the stillen though)


and single turbo's have about the same install time as a SC
any setup can be reliable if you get it installed right and tuned well and regularly go back every now and then to check the tune. And always keep an eye on your FI gauges


IMO a TT is a rediculous amount of money to spend just for the sake of getting 400ish whp when a ST can get you that for half the cost. Really the only benefit is bragging rights and slightly less lag and adding more weight to the car. However, the ST kits really do have some lag - not tons, but it's there. I'm not a big fan of torque curves that look like a mountain peaking at mid rpm's. I want it to be either fairly flat, or gradually rising to redline.

SC kits ARE upgradable. You can do simple pulley upgrades, or in cases like the vortech, you can actually change out the blower to a more powerful one. You can gain more power with tuning, only you can't add more boost with it unless you mechanically change something

Don't let anyone fool you into thinking a TT setup is similarly priced to ST or SC kits. By the time you buy the needed extras like an EMS, return fuel system to make a TT reliable it ain't cheap - install is 2x as much too. People usually have more traction issues with turbos on this car because they don't have the proper tire setup. SC's have less torque so it's less of an issue usually. It doesn't hurt to go as extreme as you can with tires either way though

 

thank you very very much taking the time to explain all that... cheers

 

i feel ya on the whole turbo thing i did the turbo thing on my last car to but one thing you have to rem. is that there is nothing the compares to having a turbo feels sound everthing is great i ammit i had my share of problems with my old turbo set up but then again i did install everything my self. this time around when i get ready for the turo set up i will be having a shop do the work it will cost me out the *** but all the work will be done right and all i have to do is enjoy the car.

 

TT is the way .. it's got potential for later on engine build up if u want more !!!


but it's pricey ..

 

I can't sit here and let superchargers get punked. Depending on the compression ratio of your pistons a Procharger can get you 385-425rwhp easily (with built engine). With just a 50 shot of NOS you'll be at 525-540rwhp by redline. There are on par with turbo performance #'s now. Yes you untimatly still get more HP with turbo's, but, superchargers should not be dismissed as weak or unreliable.

How do I know this? Because I'm talking about my car. I too was asking my self the same question about a year ago. I got the Procharger and figured since I have it might as well push it to see how far it can go. It's pretty wild from what most would expect from a supercharger.

 

got any vids not knocking pro charger by saying this but does it rattle alot i hear alot of people saying they make all types of noise's that sounds bad got any vid of your ride?

 

Its the Vortech that makes the rattling sound.

To the original poster, I have the Vortech and I would recommend going with a turbo, probably a single turbo like the APS or the Turbonetics. You have more torque and HP and the numbers peak a lot higher than on the SC. If you do go with the SC, you will need to put back on the OEM crank pulley or get the KJR pulley. If you dont, you will be underdriving the SC and have reduced numbers.

 

thanks again...im now thinking about a turbo set up...but then again i dont know what i wanna do because I really dont feel like making a built motor right now and it seems that if I do F/I im gonna have fun with it for a short amount of time then end up blowing my motor and be forced to get a built motor...i really dont know what I want to do any more.. but I really really want F/I...im really going crazy trying to figure out what to do. thanks again guys

 

There are a lot of guys on this forum who are running a turbo on stock internals and doing it safely. You just need to stay in the high 300RWHP rage and keep the boost lower. Dont try to run something like 14psi or you will blow it up! Also,if you get a turbo, DO NOT geta boost controller as the urge to "up the boost" will cause you to do so and you will end up blowing it up also!

 

good call,also rec vortech if you want that kind of power even though i love my stillen.

 

there's people are running 470whpand 380wtq with the vortech and breathing mods.

I'd feel safer running that setup than a 440whp/440wtq twin turbo setup

 

yea the vortech does seem like a prety good choice...how complete is their kit compaired to others???

 

the full kit is....ok

the tuner kit, a return fuel system, 440 injectors, and a UTEC, with a 3.13 pulley is a nice setup and only like $500-1000 more than the full kit

 

i WAS in your shoes about 4 days ago..... i ended up with the stillen as my choice..... reason being are the following:
1. Reliablity - don't get me wrong, i think the vortech as well as the tt and st are quite reliable as well... but you cannot challenge the maintance of a stillen vs. any of the other kits out there..... with the stillen, it's plug and play.... leave it alone... no tuning required....(b/c you can't really tune it)
2. as stated above, "PLUG N PLAY" - no problems after.... pretty much bullet proof....
3. Low-End and mid-end torque..... so no lag...... immediate power when needed......
4. I'm a daily driver, so with stillen, this is the best option.....
5. Got a great deal on it!!!!!!!

i think the more you read on the forum.... the following will be realized,
tt = most people here loves APS, but has more experience with the Greddy
st = Turbonetics has recently been the huge fad...... don't know much about it myself, but lots of people are loving it and reccommending it...
sc = Vortech hands down.... mainly because most can't stand the looks of the stillen hood ( i personally agree with it) but i like the stillen, and the hod doesn't bother me too much and i've been getting use to the bubble...
and lastly, whatever you do...... don't get dooped into buying the TURBONATOR!!!!! Although it does produces like 200 hp at the wheel, and install time is like 20 mins........ DON"T DO IT!!!!!!!! hope this helps and good luck.... i lost a lot of sleep over this, now i've reached peace and speed!!!!!! hope to see you on the FI side......

 

id recommend the vortech kit for reasons such as:
1 tuning - a majority of shops can handle the vortech setup
2 reliability - only prob i've had and serveral others have had is the serpentine belt and cog belt adjustment (which takes all of 15 mins with the right tools) and after comparing the problems other kits have had, i c the least out of the vortech with also equals more of a streetable long term car
3 safe - out of the box the tuning is uber rich so no worries there
4 bov - sounds money once adjusted rite
5 install - it is a diy kit with the correct tools, i've done 3 already and its 10x easier than ne tt setup for our car ie removal of the manifolds. u can call around to ur local shops for the install and its going to be considerably cheaper than a tt.
6 upgrade - swapping out for the smaller pulley for more power is very diy. boost kicks in sooner with a smaller pulley
7 cost - call paul at avalon racing. i got mine when they first came out and he gave me the best deal out of all the other shops
8 power - with ur cams and exhaust (loose the crank pulley) u will easily make the 375-400 whp mark with tuning.

yes turbos do produce a consideralbe larger amount of torque at ne rpm range. if u did decide to go turbo i would say aps imo. and yes scs can blow motors like turbos... its all about tuning.