Now first off I know you guys are search ****'s and I have, but I want more input before I spend 4-5grand.

My goal to make 400 whp and 400ftlbs torque stock block and last for 10-15k miles till I do a full rebuild when the car is paid off.

My car's use is in level of priority....weekend and nighttime driving, autocross(7-9 times a year), drift(3-4 times a year), road coarse (once a year)
Car is not a daily driver as of this week.

Now I have owned over 6 turbo cars ( bmw's, hondas, rx7's) and zero supercharged cars. I dont like how the Vortech has low torque numbers and seems to be a bit laggy by vids I have seen.

Benifits of the Turbonetics turbo. Easier to make power and torque on lower boost levels....which means less heat in the motor..more reliable
Cons. more time to make it work....ac lines etc.

I gotta go to work but thats about where I stand, now all of my turbo cars has blown a turbo at one point or another so I dont like that idea again..and I dont want to overboost and pop a low mileage motor as well.

I think withthe superchargers reliability and ease of mind you get less performance.

Car will be tuned with haltech.

 

I think your best bet would be to hook up with a couple of guys in your area. One with a turbonetics and one with a vortech, and see if they can take you out for a spin. Then make your choice. I was in the same boat as you, and couldn't decide between the two. I finally decided to go with the vortech and I'm very happy with it. I wish the TQ was higher, but I can make up for it with a 3.9 final drive later on. My othe option for TQ would be a 35 shot of NO2. Then I can just have that higher TQ when needed .

 

oops double post

 

I had a procharger and know I'm installing a Tn kit if that tells you anything. Could not get the TQ that I wanted out of a supercharger.And I didn't like to wait for boost like a supercharger does. It has to build up you don't hit 8.5psi till almost redline.

 

Personally I think you are barking up the wrong tree with either of those kits. If you were happy with mid 300's, the vortech would be a good choice, but I think it's clear that you want more power. That alone makes the vortech not worth considering.

You then state you are looking to build in the future. HUGE red flag for the TN... that and you talk about heat and reliability. I think it's a fairly known fact that the TN kit merely feeds your motor hot air...

I think you should look into a greddy or aps twin turbo system; maybe a powerlabs kit. I definitely don't think the TN or Vortech are going to be what you want after everything is said and done

 

The PL kit has much better piping than the TN kit...much better kit overal. I think the PL kit, APS TT or Greddy TT would do what you want to do

 

My buddy has a TN kit and he has a HELL of a time keeping his car from overheating when at drift events (even with a 3-row rad).

 

Turbonetics = Highest AIT = Highest Engine temps. My 2 cents....

click the link in my sig... it might help.

 

Great info guys maybe I should wait and find a used powerlab kit. I honestly will be happy with 400 hp though. Tt kits would overkill power and budgt wise. 5000 is my budget with all work minus tune done by me. Any affordable clutch kits for my power

 

regardless of kit, buying used will be a HUGE mistake 99.978% of the time. Your budget is pretty slim considering you talk about building a motor in 10-15k miles.

TT isn't overkill powerwise. We are talking a 'V' motor which makes a twin setup more "natural" . When you start adding everything up, the small amount a TT setup costs over a vortech or a single turbo really doesn't equate to much in the long run.... especially if a motor build is to come.

IMHO buy new, and get a greddy or APS twin setup

 

I don't think you will find a "used" Powerlab kit, seeing is that everyone who has a Powerlab kit is fairly new install. You might want to look at there Tuner Kit.

Also, as Zivman said, TT's are a good option as well.

 

Well the built motor thing is not required and built into the budget. I dont see how i will get tired of 400whp either. I just read up on the PL kit and I like it alot. Every car I ever had I custom made the piping and intercooler and used a high quality turbo...I have a feeling I may look into this option. My local welder could do many of these pipebend for a fraction of the cost....factor in a 1200 turbo...a greddy core FMIC and materials it could be a viable option...but I dont want to be ghetto either.

My local turbo shop will rebuild a turbo for 300..so I dont see a problem with used turbokits.

 

I have been down that road and unless you have some insane hookups custom turbo kits look good on paper but can cost a bunch after it is all said and done.

 

obviously you have absolutely no experience with this application. you are dreaming if you think you can put together a custom setup, have it work and cost less than a prepackaged setup for this car.

Buying used isn't all about reman'ing a turbo... cracked welds, missing parts, you name it... for the little bit of money you might save, you pay it right back in time to install and piecing together the missing and broke items.

I have offered some sound advise, but in the end you will do what you want... good luck with your limited budget

 

thank you. I think my limited budget will work well.

 

In all honesty I like the PL kit and will be looking for a used one. I could care less about missing bolts or gaskets or any of that crap...a used 3k kit is better than 6k new. My weld guy owes me a favor and would do the piping for around 500 labor + materials. add in a GT35R and an intercooler and I dont see what else would go wrong. I would have adjustability for turbo placement to improve on the TN design and replicate the PL design.

How do I have no experience? I just said I made over 6 turbo cars all by myself. That is buying high quailty items and making my own piping. I built a 11 second EG hatch for under 4k, a 375whp FC for under 7k, and other custom turbos....so how can this be different?? I have built over 15 cars and 4 have been from the ground up. I have been tuning since I was 15 with Haltech/Electromotive/Hondata/Uberdata/Chrome/Neptune.

I do not think I am thinking outrageous. I build my own stuff because i can.
There are a lot of guys here who pay for someone to do their installs/motor builds/tunes and thats fine

But I can do the same thing for 1/5th the cost not because I have to but because I like to.

 

I would think finding a used Powerlab kit for sale would be really hard at this point, lol.

 

I have a Vortech and Eagletangreen and Sharif was talking me out of it saying, you'll want more power, cant replace the TQ and lastly and most importantly the kit is limited! I love the kit, but I find myself wanting to go a little faster and 400 in a Vortech feels a lot slower than a turbo application.

 

^^ good to know!

I always loved turbos...and I think it will stay that way

 

Just so you know, I know of THREE cars running a power labs turbo kit on the WHOLE right side of the country.

My car being the first one =) (not counting the car that was totaled during tuning in VA)

Sooner or later you might find one used, but it might take a few years.

TN kits are easy to find because a lot of people remove them to go bigger.
Powerlab kit owners will never have to do that. You'll just have to find someone who is about to install a kit then knocks up a girl or something, then has to get cash fast, maybe just maybe if you're lucky....

for what it's worth, I bet I could part out my PL kit and get at least 3+K for it, selling it as a total package should bring in at least 5000-5500 used.