while water-cooled turbos are a great thing to have, for most people, the non-water cooled 18g's are more than enough. additionally, i doubt that anyone on this board would run their car hard, and then do an abrupt shut-off

 

I think you would like either kit. I have the Greddy and have enjoyed it thus far. I beat my brains out for months tryin to decide which kit to by and finally just went for the Greddy. As far as losing the bumper support if you really feel it is nessessary you can always have one fabricated, see attached thread. https://my350z.com/forum/forced-induction/211366-finally-finished-the-new-intercooler-intake-for-my-pe-tt.html Also, I don't know if this was mentioned earlier but seriously consider a Nismo T-stat and large capacity radiator. Ceramic coatins and a vented hood might also be something to think about.

 

I agree with you on getting a support fabbed up, but no way would I consider a Nismo thermostat. waste of money IMHO. I'll stick with the 17 buck oem one that is of equal quality

 

if you don't want to lose the bumper support, you don't have to buy the Greddy intercooler kit. Go with a SpeedForceRacing intercooler kit.

I know the GReddy IC has the Super Japan look, but a vertical flow intercooler is probably a better design. The way the greddy intercooler fits with most bumpers, the upper core doesn't nearly enough airflow over the core as compared to the lower core. here's an example of what I am talking about. See how only the lower core is in the airflow of the bumper opening? what about the upper core (which is cooling the driver's side turbo air)? not getting alot of air (cooling), is it???



this is a better design for cooling the charge air from both turbos. See how the air coming from both turbos gets equal cooling in the intercooler as compared to the greddy design.

 

All kits have shortcomings. Everyone has their favorites and sure one design may be marginally better than another but does that design difference have any real world implications? Likely not or we'd have heard about it by now. Once particular shortcomings are addressed the 3 kits appear to be on par with each other. As requirements change, each kit requires adjustment. Like the actuators for the APS, or going from single to dual intakes for the JWT or changing out the stock downpipes when upgrading to the 700bb kit.

I personally have the JWT kit, APS down pipes with welded in 3.5" cats, and Greddy evoTT exhaust. So I'm not playing favorites . Any good shop can make any of the kits work for you... good luck!

 

I really agree with pretty much everything you said. All the mainstream kits, JWT, GReddy and APS are fantastic setups. They each have their little pro's and cons. Chances are however, if you're like most people, you're going to be very happy with what you get regardless. The differences in the kit are so small that they will be almost imperceptible when driving.

As far as the Greddy intercooler, QuadCam brings up a good point. However, I will play devil's advocate and point to the fact that Luie (eagletanggreen) has his JWT 850BB setup custom with the Greddy intercooler. If I recall correctly, switching from the supplied JWT I/C to the Greddy I/C was done as a preventative measure by Forged Performance to ensure that those two huge turbo's were being adequately cooled. Also keep in mind he tracks his car on a regular basis (with the stock front bumber) and I have never seen him post anything about overheating, knock, insufficient cooling, etc.

The point is that all the kits have some plusses and minuses, but at the end of the day, the real world difference is marginal.

 

Thanks everyone. Honestly, after everything I've read here I think I'm going to go the Greddy route. MSRP on the ASP tuner kit is almost 2 grand higher than what I've found the Greddy w/ intercooler for. Plus I'd have to by fuel system and emanage. If I could get the APS tuner kit for about the same price I wouldn't mind the extra cash for the extra parts being I'll most likely get them anyways. Hell, I'll probably change my mind at least 2 more times before May anyways! LOL

 

$2000 dollars is a lot of money for most people, no two ways about that. But, I will say that over the course of buying all the hardware, the installation, the tuning and so on, $2000 starts to look less and less significant. So, with that in mind, my best advice to you would be to save until you can afford precisely what you want, and you have plenty of cash in reserve if unexpected expenses come up, and they ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do. I know how it is to have a wad of cash in your pocket and just wanting to take the plunge as quick as possible, but if you wait and save a little more for exactly what you want, you'll be much happier in the long run.

 

Don't know if the T-stat is a waste or not, it was suggested that that I buy one from a few different shops. Whether or not it makes a difference i'm not sure but the money is already spent in my case.

Quadcam I'd forgotten all about the SFR FMIC, thats a nice option IMO.

Gixxerjohn, I also wanted to suggest an oil cooler if it wasn't already mentioned. P.S. Don't forget your friends on 350zFrenzy when it's time to post a Pics an Info thread after the build.

 

if you are running a stock block, get the regular APS kit with fuel system and EMS. The difference in price is small and the setup is ready to run out of box. Then if you build down the road, sell off the couple extra pieces and upgrade what you feel necessary

 

the nismo stat just opens at something like 160 vs 180 degrees. When you are running around 190-210 degree water temps there really is no benefit, so might as well save your self the $120

 

I've been told the unichip, while not substandard (like the Greddy emanage blue), is something that is worth upgrading on the APS kit regardless of stock or built motor. Is this incorrect?

 

Ready when you are. We can make both kits work just fine...no issue.

 

Go Greddy! Save money!

 

not really. The unichip is plenty capable. I ran mine on a built motor for a short time till something worthwhile became available to upgrade to. No doubt something like the Fcon is a better EMS, but on a stock block the unichip is just fine. You can adjust fuel, timing, and it sees boost.

I have a build going on right now that we plan on using the unichip. We discussed our concerns and needs with our tuner and he feels he can make it work, so we are going for it. The only real concern is the unichip having enough adjustment to control the 600cc injectors we plan on using. Other than that, the clutch will most likely limit us, not the unichip

Base APS TT conversion
9:1 ED pistons
Eagle Rods
BC cams
out of box APS fuel system with 600cc deatschwerks
Spec 2+ clutch

We are shooting for around 475 hp, give or take, depending on what the clutch will hold. I know my spec 2+ started to slip at 14 psi / 500 hp, so we have an idea where its limit is

 

Whats the difference in life expectancy in the turbos, as far as oil journals like the greddy and aps's BB water cooled ones. I would assume the aps ones would last longer right. Also can the greddy's get an upgraded center to BB and water cooled if I wanted to.