Supercharger on stock motor reliability?
 

Hey guys, I've been lurking around this forum for some time and just couldn't find the answer I was looking for on supercharging a stock motor and its reliability. From what I've read this is what I know (please correct me if I'm wrong)... S/C is more reliable than T/C and better the tune, better the reliability.

So my question is, how reliable will a supercharged, stock motor, with a good tune, be for daily "spirited" driving? Now I know there are always the possibility of something going wrong, but let's say I don't spin a bearing or push a piston out the side, will it hold up?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Don't have a BRZ/FRS/86 yet, but driven the BRZ multiple times and already know I would like to bump up the HP in the future. (Also this might be the deciding factor on jumping on getting the BRZ!)

Search.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15044
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68600
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89354
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50672
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81693
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85034

In short, supercharger is more reliable because it is harder to add boost and harder to make cheap parts.

@swarb As mentioned, I have been "lurking around this forum" and searched and not found the answer I was looking for...

Yes I know this vehicles' platform is still relatively "new", but I'm looking towards a number chart, sort of say, to how many miles/years someone has gone (or still going) with a S/C or T/C, on stock motor, without any signs of giving out. Or how long someone has gone with a S/C or T/C, stock motor, and the motor went kaput.

Maybe I have missed it and if I did I apologize and ask that you point me to the right direction.

Search.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77475
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35315
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70780
In the end, it is difficult to get reliable data as there are too many variables. Too much boost, bad tune, money shift, cheap/failed parts, bad fuel, ignoring warnings, etc... From my personal experience, most people who blow their motors don't tell anyone, let alone tell the internets of their failure. They usually end up- building it, swapping it, selling the kit to rebulid, or giving up and moving on.

Edelbrock has a sc kit with a warranty.
Boost goes up, reliability goes down. Simple as that.

Do you have any idea of the cost? or how much do you expect to spend? What is your budget? Or power goals?

He did, twice. probably one of the most discussed topics on here - basically of you're looking for oem type reliability with boost buy something oem like a stock wrx. aftermarket kits are always pushing an engine past its design, and as swarb mentioned there are too many variables (installer, tuner, how much boost, driving style, track exposure, supporting mods, climate, etc). if you're not at least somewhat prepared for the possibility of blowing your motor, don't do it.

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Completely agree, that applies to EVERYTHING. If you can't afford to fix it, don't do it!

Super charger or turbo, no cheap way to get the car as close to 99% complete under 10k with supporting mods. If your not looking to push 280+ bhp then save your money.

Dont take corners with knock offs, dont skip on supporting mods like the oil cooler and dont be cheap with your tune.

On another note. Im really sorry for anyone living in a CARB enforced state. The BHP limitions to dollar ratio really makes it tough.

If you choose a supercharger that produces lower levels of boost you will be better off. I know @whataboutbob has run his Innovate/sprintex 210 on his car for over 62000 miles. He is now upgrading, but the point stands -- The 210 puts out only 8.5lbs of boost out of the box, and this will help ensure longevity of motor.

On top of this, it is all in the tune.

If you are going turbo, you will HAVE to know what you are doing to ensure long engine life. There are so many variables in turbo setups.

I'd recommend HKS, Edelbrock, Jackson Racing, or Innovate due to company reputation, and history in this forum.

@swarb Thanks! Guess I wasn't searching the right terms/words.

But I am the type of guy who'll rather spend a little more time and money to get everything right then cut corners. Budget isn't a huge issue as I can save and/or buy parts separately as my budget allows me to. Not looking to make insane gains, just something to get a little over or around my e36 m3 hp range (240~whp), which a s/c should be able to do.

And as to "if I can't fix what breaks", it's not that I can't. It's a matter of it being a nuisance and hassle. And who WANTS their motor to go bad, I surely don't.

Again, thanks everyone!

I do agree with GSXR for the most part but I want to add one thing:

If you go lower boost (in my opinion you don't NEED 280 BHP... I'm on the innovate 210 at 225bhp and its plenty with all the torque under the curve) you don't need a ton of supporting mods necessarily. In my case, its likely that an oil cooler would over-cool my car for daily driving (which is primarily what I do). If you do ANY sports driving off the street (autox, track) you will need supporting mods for sure -- But in the case of a low boost application, you can get away with less IF you are only daily driving.

All in, I am $2500 in my supercharger setup, with the purchase of a used Innovate 210 non-intercooled unit, DIY install, and a tune from Mike at moto-east (who is known for an excellent tune for this SC).

10k is what you will spend if you're looking for 280bhp and expecting the car to last while tracking on occasion.

Its all in the tune, choose a tuner who can provide back up and has a happy customer base and you won't go far wrong

another thing to be aware of is the difference between the centrifugal and positive displacement type chargers and what kind of power delivery you want

I blame my laziness on this, but does anybody have a compilation of the psi levels of the carb approved/lowest settings of each SC/turbo option?

This is the most important thing - and I highly recommend finding a reputable tuner near you (although I'm not sure I'd want a tuner that lives over the rainbow :) ).

@BluePaperClips: Edelbrock is so confident in their supercharger, that they will warranty your *ENTIRE POWERTRAIN* if you have your Edelbrock supercharger installed by a qualified installer, and run their supplied tune with an otherwise stock powertrain.

Then there's the Jackson Racing kit, which is by far the most popular kit in competition. @Jackson Racing has won all but one of their regional STU class races this year, testement to their kit's performance and reliability.

Yep, I think people like to throw high numbers out there to justify their excessive spending.

Picked up the Edelbrock kit here, new during the promotion. For $5k with an oil cooler up and running with no problems.
This is all costs, running supplied CARB tune w/ ECUTek and license, self-install, and Forester oil cooler (helps warmup, no turbo heat in oil).