my 2003 redline came with a stillen on it. it's fun and nice to hear a s\c whine but damni miss the turbo sound and performance. but then again it's nice not always having to be under my hood everyweek making sure everyting is running perfect. my stillen is only a stage 1... was gonna upgrade to stage 2 with intercooler and maybe hop to 4 after. but after reading this here, it sounds like getting the greddy with 5psi might surpise even the stillen stage 4. and that might be safer then the stage 4 stillen.
choices... choices...
turbo = more dangerous, more hp though (would 5-7psi be safe for daily driving but still see nice power?)
s\c = alot safer power thru whole band but less hp
i live at high elevation, and i sometimes wonder if turbo is even more dangerous at higher levels cause seems like alot more motors blow here then when i was back in ct. then again i dont know how well they are tuned.
i wish i lived somewhere where i could check out a greddy tt for myself in person. but again nice read.

 

I dyno'd 345 whp / 350 tq with 4.5 PSI w/ Stock Exhaust and Greddy TT.. so yes.. a stock boost Greddy Kit would blast a Stillen Stage 4..

back in CT? as in Connecticut? i didn't know there were that much Turbo Z's in CT... i only knew of 3 ... anyway.. most likely they were blown not due to elevation or tempreture in CT.. but poor tuning or improper installs or supporting mods

 

i live in wyoming now ^_^ but might be moving to reno nevada next yr. but wasn't refering to only 350z blowing motors, alot of cars. then again i think the were all single turbos.

 

To the OP: Which wheels and tires where you running with each kit? I can imagine there would be a lot of traction issues (like you mentioned) if you are running stock wheels and tires.

I run the nismo lmgt4's with nitto nt555's all around and rarely break lose, unless im trying to break loose. Only time I REALLY have traction issues is launch at the drag strip.

 

Thanks for the write-up. It's nice to hear real world experience.

Someone mentioned Stillen dropping the ball with regard to the power their SC makes. Yeah, kinda. But their #1 goal was to be CARB certified...which they accomplished. For me, in CA, their kit makes more sense than in other states where you can get away with a TT kit. But my main gripe is that the Stillen SC is way overpriced for what you get. When the Vortech is also CARB legal, a solid $1k less, with no need for a new hood or front sway bar (another $1k), and puts down a good 80-100whp out o the box...it's hard to go the Stillen route.

Although I still think it best suites my driving style. Hmmm....

 

thats because your car has no power or TQ

 

There's a quality contribution to the thread....

 

no thats just the harsh reality i am bringing to you

 

Are you looking to have a pissing contest?

The OP was talking about how the weight distribution changes caused him to lose traction when it may easily have been stock tires.... wider, stickier tires dont break lose as easily. TT kits easily add comparable amounts of weight to the front end. The stillen blower has plenty of torque, especially down low where, in street driving, its easy to break lose.

Congratualtions, you bought a twin turbo, get over it. Lets keep on topic.

 

doug must have a HUGE *****

 

you should know

 

Sorry, been out a few days (trying to recover from this cold)...

Yes, all with stock tires. I cannot say if I would have had no traction issues, while turning with wider tires (and with Stillen kit), but I can guess they would be less. What I was comparing was mainly the change in feel of the car as you add more weight to front -- e.g., I stayed on same tires, yet felt the difference in turns even with very little throttle application (much less then when I was stock and kept mashing my throttle in turns hehe). This could be only me, but whatever the case is, weight distribution is important and should not be ignored -- that was my point.

Now, with this turbo, I'm not actually able to use the power even in straight line w/o changing my tires to 255/285 or similar, so that'll be coming soon.

If anyone has any recommendations for wheels and tires, I'll be "collecting" them for consideration .

 

Well i guess my one issue is that turbo kits add comparable amounts of weight to the front between two turbos, piping, intercooler, and all the other things that make turbo kits tick as well.... so you are still putting the weight distribution off by about the same...

 

Good unbiased opinion of the two set ups.Confirms my opinion of Stillen..

 

I agree. Turbo adds probably as much weight to my front, perhaps a little less biased towards high center of gravity (turbos sit lower than Eaton, and Eaton is heavy) and little more behind front wheels (I think). I still feel slippery on turns, but due to less torque on turbos down low (2K-2.5Kish rpm) my general feel of it is less in daily driving.

Overall, my mention of weight distribution (as well as other things, like longer gears, etc.) was mainly because I saw a lot of posts in last few years about losing weight, many of them referring to taking out spare, etc. Sheer weight loss is not enough, esp if one is FI. Sheer power is not enough either, lest you feel like just burning through first few gears. Its a more delicate balancing act.

 

Yeah, definitely.

 

good writeup

 

I have a stillen stage 3 and dynoed in at 305 to the wheels... plus mine is an 04 G35 auto. I should have my stage 4 kit comming in the mail today

From what I learned is that with the type of supercharger it is, it loves back pressure. I talked to Scott@VRT and he told me that it would perform best with stock headers, cats, and exhaust. Im guessing that you dynoed a little low because of the aftermarket headers and cats you purchased. If there is not enough back pressure, the supercharger has trouble making boost to bring up higher numbers. (at least thats what Stillen told me)

I know there is a member that dynoed in around 342hp to the wheels with his auto stage 4.

BTW these are in G35's... but shoudlnt make a difference.

Other than that Great write up. Your explanation of the performance of the Stillen s/c is probably how I would put it. I read from the people who installed the stage 4 that they get full power all the way up to redline... mine seems to taper off at around 5500rpm (stage 3). Sorry for all the problems the s/c put you through though. Ive never had a problem with mine yet with about 7,000miles on it (knock on wood)

-MiKe

 

i think that answers that question

 

that would be mine and i do like the kit.....but if i had to do it over again it would be the greddy twins.like doug and mrc says you got no more power to gain with the stillen and for its price,the kit is a looser of a deal.

if there would have been more choices in mid 03 i def would not have gone with the stillen.