2004Black350z

iTrader: (37)

Yo Daniel I talked to bobby yesterday about a custom exhaust and told told me about this. LMK how much ur sellin the kit 4?

DanielW

iTrader: (27)

pm'd

Boozt

Update.....I have noticed a "flat spot" in the RPM's (5700) as torque and power drop a bit esp at larger fast tracks. I added the APS tall boy plenum and the car now rips to redline with no loss in power...a worth while upgrade IMO. -Jim

goosegoose

iTrader: (8)

Did you have any other plenum modifications before you added the APS tall boy? Perhaps Motordyne spacers or lower plenums?

athenG

iTrader: (2)

I know you know your car very well but I would get a Dyno to at least see your power curve up top. How's the A/F? The Plenum could've just made you leaner up top or just changed your tune...

Boozt

No other previous plenum mods.....AF ratios are consistent with pre-swap. It just breathes better now...I'm sure a spacer or other types of plenum's would have the same results, I just happen to get a great deal on the APS. -Jim

DanielW

iTrader: (27)

I would still wanna do a retune. the plenum mod deffinitely helps IMO though. What kind of boost controller are you using? The flat spot could be the slight boost drop that some of us experienced.

Ahsmo

iTrader: (13)

From what I understand about spacers and what not, they allow air to get into the cylinders a little more evenly which theoretically has no or little effect on AFRs.

I have a 5/16ths spacer I have yet to install. My biggest fear being changing my AFRs too much to correct back without getting a full retune. That said, I think you are one of the few people who are running a different intake setup. Good to hear about good results

Boozt

I will get to a dyno someday soon....not pratical at this time as I am in the middle of race season and very busy being self imployed. I post dyno results when I get em =). - Jim

JonnyC

iTrader: (19)

Alright guys, I read about 20 pages and gave up - a LOT of info all over the place in this thread I'm sure people have done this already, but I need a quick recap...

I have the Vortech setup, but ever since I bought it I have had my eye on the STS. I like the Vortech, but here are my issues:

1.) No torque.
2.) Loud - blower noise and exhaust. It sounds cool - but actually gets a little annoying after the first few months.
3.) Hot start issue having 650 cc's and the UTEC
4.) If I switch to the 3.12 pulley for more power, I'll be around 12 psi on the stock motor

I haven't priced it out yet, but was thinking of selling my Vortech kit to get the STS. I have a lot of the stuff done already - UTEC install, Walbro, gauges, plugs, which were the more time consuming stuff for me. I would need to swap the 650's for the 440's, then just bolt up all of the STS stuff (which should be easier than the Vortech install, I would hope).

This is what I think I would get out of the swap:

1.) More torque = more usable power around town. Would there be a nice improvement in the 2000 rpm - 3500 rpm range, so I don't have to be hard on the gas just to get up to speed?
2.) Quieter - with a much better sound when I get on it
3.) Better starts with the smaller injectors

Now my only other question is about the MBC vs. EBC. What's nice about the Vortech is that I can tune things myself (still on the base TN timing map though), and not have to worry about a boost map. Can I stick with the MBC for ease of use and be relatively happy? My main concern is overboost, since I don't have to worry at all about that with a blower. I'm sure that can be found somewhere in the thread, but I don't feel like spending 4 hours reading the whole thing

So I guess I'm just looking for people who have had experience with both kits and have some input. I'm really only looking for around a (relatively) safe 350 hp 350 tq max, without any major headaches.

Thanks guys!

athenG

iTrader: (2)

Are you thinking of MBC or you are going to get a BCS so that you can control the boost via Utec? Overboosting or boost creep is not a big concern with STS since I'm not aware of any STS owner who have an overboost issue. Depend on how good is your BC but expect a little spike especially after doing a hard shift. I usually see a spike of bout .4-.6psi on the next gear but that spike only last about 200-400rpm and then it goes down to the normal psi (we are talking about split second here). I'm using the UTEC BCS so it is sometimes slow to react so that is why I get a quick spike. The spike only happen when shifting to 4th or 5th at WOT or Drag racing. Owner who has a good EBC dont have that problem if I'm not mistaken.


Boost vary by gear so it won't be consistent since every gear has different load. I only hit around 5-6psi on 1st gear and about 7psi on 2nd. Above 3rd then you should be able to hit full boost (around 8psi for stock motor). You'll have a blast driving between 3000rpm-5000rpm shifting. Traction is not a huge problem compare to the TT counterpart since you won't hit full boost below 3000rpm...lol

My only problem with STS is that they have raised the price so I don't think it is worth it if it will cost you $6000+ for a full kit. The kit is pretty reliable and so far I'm not aware of parts failing (ie, Turbo, Oil Pump..etc). Not sure how easy the installation is going to be since some had problem with it but there are at least 2 guys here who did their own install in their garage and didn't really b1tch about it. I guess it depend how good you are...lol I haven't been into a Vortech car so I can't really compare.

JonnyC

iTrader: (19)

Thanks athen. For some reason I thought you had a Vortech before the STS.

I'm a total noob when it comes to turbos, so when I said MBC vs EBC I was thinking of wastegate spring only vs. an EBC like the UTEC one. I'll start reading up on them more. I just didn't want to add another complexity to the tune process (UTEC Boost Map), especially since I can create some nice overboost situations.

I should have PM'd CIN Motorsports before even posting this, since their turn-key package is still listed at under $6k - so I'll have to figure out what it will be for just the kit. If it's going to be close to $6k for just the kit, then I'm not going to even bother. But if after selling my Vortech and Nismo exhaust I don't have to pay all that much more, then I'm definitely still interested in the swap.

DanielW

iTrader: (27)

wg spring only i think is 4-5 psi i think. someone chime in if i'm wrong

DanielW

iTrader: (27)

you might even want to see if you can get a side pipe kit from them directly. it will be cheaper and make more power and have lower intake air temps

JonnyC

iTrader: (19)

My car is lowered over an inch, and the Wisconsin roads can be pretty crappy sometimes. Plus, there are a decent amount of speed bumps around :-/ So I would go with the newer kit.

athenG

iTrader: (2)

I believe you can select any WG spring you want. I have a .5bar spring right now but for some reason I only hit 6psi on WG spring alone..

Boozt

Johnny...I had the Vortech and swaped for the STS because of 2 blower failures on the Vortech. Hands down the STS will blow the Vortech off the track or street (keep in mind I had the basic Vortech set-up). A good tune is in order for the STS but not really a big deal overall. However, If your Vortech is working well and you don't actually track the car I'm not sure the change is worth it. My car is my toy and I spend alot of time on the road race tracks (Sears point, Laguna, Thunderhill, Fernly, butonwillow......) and AutoX.

Ahsmo

iTrader: (13)

I advise against the side pipe. I hate that thing. Instead go with the center pipe and a very simple water injection kit to control air intake temperatures.

athenG

iTrader: (2)

I had the center pipe from the beginning so I can't compare it personally but Goosegoose had the side pipe before then he switched to the center pipe later on. If I remember correctly, his Dyno and my dyno look the same were the Peak HP hit just before 6000rpm and start falling after that. Before the switch he hit peak HP just after 6000rpm but it held it pretty good with the side pipe. Basically the center pipe helped us hit our peak HP earlier but start falling after 6200rpm. Don't know if the higher IAT caused it to drop down. I'm not complaining since I like driving below 6000rpm and try to avoid shifting past 6300rpm so the earlier I get my peak HP the better. My drop is also because I have the non-revup lower plenum(Mrev+) + spacer with my revup motor so it basically shifted the power band earlier, Goosgoose just have the spacer with his non-revup motor.

goosegoose

iTrader: (8)

I advise against the side pipe. That was the worst idea for drivers that live in pot-hole prone urban areas. There was no appreciable power differential between the two setups to justify the significant possibility of banging a hole in the pipe with everyday driving.