I have the Stillen Headers on my Z and while I was installing them, I remember seeing on the instructions that headers will negatively affect supercharged vehicles. I even just looked at the Stillen site and it says blatantly on their page

"NOTE: Contact your STILLEN representative before use on a forced induction engine."

Its late, I dont really feel like calling stillen, does anyone know why headers wouldnt help on a supercharged car? Is it just their headers, or would there be any particular ones that would be better?

 

Which supercharger do you have?

 

None yet, I was looking at getting a Vortech.

Right now I have the stuff in my signature,
Stillen Headers
Stillen High flow cats
Stillen True dual exhaust
Kinetix Plenum
K&N Typhoon cold air intake
Ecu flash and tune up at Function:Tuned

oh, and that new Trial lip kit, gotta throw some rice in there somewhere.

I want to boost, but I want it to stay reliable. I dont want numbers in the stratosphere, just some more power you know? I was going to get some cams, but idk... I could just save up some more and boost.

 

I don't see why the headers would be a problem with a vortech kit. I honestly haven't spent any time researching into it, but don't see how it would hurt.

 

you wont notice a diff already having the headers installed when you boost but if you had switched from stock manifolds to headers while boosted you would see some peak boost lose thats all

 

My car use to have the stillen stage 4 supercharger kit with Nismo R-Tune headers, the only thing I can think of is that the engine bay use to get really hot and the supercharger would get alot of heat and not make that much power after awhile.

 

You don't want a Vortech supercharger, in fact, you don't want any superchargers since all of them have some sort of defect and down the line you're going to want a turbo anyways. Most folks around here have more luck with twin turbos and many have said it's even more reliable (depending on how you drive of course.) Though it might cost a little more on the install, you can find a good deal for a TT kit in the 4500-5500 range. I highly suggest that route. In fact, I can hook you up with a kit.

 

I know this is blasphemous in the mid-a (ala twin turbo land), but you could also look into a powerlab kit which will cost 1/2 as much to install and still give some room to grow. I'd agree that supercharging really isn't the way to go. IMO.

 

Welcome to the Mid-A, where 500whp is the standard.

 

Check out

https://my350z.com/forum/forced-indu...questions.html

 

I dont think that headers will hurt your supercharger set up nor do I think superchargers are a bad idea. IMO I think that getting a supercharger setup is better. There is a thread in the FI section that breaks it down, Sentry wrote it. There is another thread somewhere on the forum where people are discussing, if you have a stock block, how many people have popped there block with TT and with SC.

PROS: SC are cheaper, produce less heat, instant boost, easy to add more boost (change a pulley), easy of install and are less damaging on a engine due to their powerband output throughout.

CONS: Limited amount of HP, not much low end torque

There is possibly more but I know I have a T-Trim producing some nice power. Once my block is built, to compensate for low end torque I'll just spray on it a shot of nitrous.

 

As for the headers, what happens is it changes your entire tune. Without a good re-tune you'll lean out and blow your engine after a short time. If you install the headers WITH the SC and have it tuned at first, you should be fine.

Another thing with the Stillen is that it uses crap engine management that probably can't be reliably retuned for headers.

If you've got a UTEC, osiris or standalone there would be no issue.

 

....

 

Cloud damnit...... get to the meets fool I still have the part for u

 

i ran the DC sports headers on my car for ever since the Vortech that used to have and i never noticed any negitive affects other than i was running a about a pound/pound and a half less boost pressure than what Vortech said that i should be running. the only reason for that is just the exhaust being more free flowing.

 

Apparently, Stillen SC's don't like test pipes either (according to their site). So it must be the pre tune provided by Stillen and/or Stillen SC's need the back pressure to produce its preset boost level.

 

Roots Superchargers like the stillen require mass amounts of back pressure, without it you lose power.

with a Vortech or ProCharger, you can increase boost with headers and the psi stays lower.

For example:
I have the Vortech SC for the RevUp kit that is supposed to make 9psi out of the box. Well my engine exhaust mods brought the psi down to 7.8

I got the 2.87 which should push my car to 10.5 psi.

I am now only at a weaksauce 8.8psi

APS plenum (for now)
Strup Headers
Test Pipes
Stillen Y pipe
440 cc injectors
(its recommended that I get the fuel return system for over 9 psi) but I didnt make nine (yet) so im now stressin over that mod, but its coming soon.

Stock midpipe and muffler.

8.8 psi put down the same numbers the 10.5 whould with stock exhaust would yeild....maybe my power is a little later in the RPM range, but its at a safer lower boost level. but no boost level should be consider safe, just some more risky than others.

my two cents.

 

Just remember;

If you buy a Stillen supercharger, be ready to wear the Stillen hood.

 

very true, not to mention that the Stillen SC doesnt make near as much power as say a Vortech or Procharger. a friend of mine has the stage 4 Stillen blower and was only making 350 to the wheels while i was only running the 3.12 pully on my vortech and was making 360.

 

If you had to choose a supercharger: I'd go with the HKS or Stillen. It's not always about how much power you can squeeze out of a unit, it's the efficiency of the unit + how the car responds to it overall.

Too bad the stillen hood is super ugly though.