BRZ Supercharger/Turbo Questions
 

Hi guys, I just joined the forums and i have been chomping at the bit to get my questions answered, finally my account was validated and now i can post.

First of all i currently have an 05 Mini cooper S R52 with many mods on it, i am done with mini coopers and wanted to move onto a more powerful car. I have been looking at the 370z and the BRZ, i really do love the brz but i am just not sure if i can get the proper amount of power for the right price.

So my question(s) are...

Supercharger or turbo charger?

I am a smart guy but do not have really any experience working with cars, could I possibly install the turbo/supercharger onto my car? Is it just following instructions?

And how expensive is it to build a BRZ that really has good power, Lets say i want a Under 5 second car for 0-60. Is that realistic under 8k?

Lastly.. if i could not put the part on myself, how much do you think a shop would charge? and are there any other vital mods/addons that are required to go with it.

I would not be going crazy with that E85 fuel that i see everyone talking about, I would be sticking to 91 octane gas or 93 what ever i have available.

I really appreciate everyone's help and hopefully i can purchase a BRZ if all these answers are what i am hopeing for them to be.

this is just ballpark numbers but $10k on e85 with a garrett gtx30 will get you enough power to run a mid 7 second 60-130, or a 11 second 1/4

Turbo's are not complicated, but if you never done one, I suggest at least getting someone local to help you on the more difficult parts and to check your work. As far as power and costs, 8K will get you a nice proper build with quality parts and supporting cooling mods. I am not sure you will get to under 5 seconds without Corn juice.

You've gotta be kidding me.

If you want to mod your car get the brz/frs. 8 grand is enough for a base turbo kit. If you want to keep a warranty and have a more reliable car get the Z.

sooo 10k + install :/ With that i could just get a 370z sports package and throw on some minor mods and be running the same times for cheaper. That is my issue, but i feel like i would enjoy the BRZ more i just wish the price|power ratio was better.

This would be my daily driver, so i'm not trying to track it or anything. Just drive it very spirited on the streets and get lots of tickets :D

What did you expect to read when you clicked on the title? I know you saw it coming.

You're looking to make a slow car fast, it's going to be spendy.

I went from a 350z to my BRZ and even though it is much slower it isn't less fun. Test drive both and just decide how much modding you want to do to your car. The BRZ will leave you with more money for mods

Not to be a DI c k, but you obviously haven't been lurking enough...

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56783

This is the thread stickies at the top of this section.... It answers all your questions...

/endthread

I'd rather have a stock BRZ than a 370Z, but that's just me.

I'll cut to the chase and say if you're talking about the occasional contest of stupidity against an SUV pulling away from a light with your foot in the gas, cruising around and taking corners at 50% of the car's capabilities, then the Z would be the way to go.

Down sides of the Z in this scenario are horrible blind spots/lack of visibility out the back, as well as giant mirrors that block your view of other cars at 4-way stops. Really. You have to move your head around quite a bit to see over the mirror, or you won't be able to see someone to your left at a 4-way stop. You will also nearly kill many people who will stupidly drive in the blind spot, which there is no real way to adjust the mirror around. Definitely going to want to go over to Autozone and get those little stick-on mirrors for the passenger side blind spot.

Also you can't take anything with you. If it's bigger than a kid's lunch box, it won't fit behind the seat, and if it's bigger than a small duffle bag, it won't fit in the hatch. So, good luck taking your girlfriend away for the weekend, unless you plan to wear the same clothes the whole time. :iono:

As far as it being a "driver's car" many people would say that you can fix what is wrong with the Z with better brake pads and minor suspension mods to correct the understeer. I would add to that list a proper LSD (the stock viscous unit is crap.) What you can't easily fix is the crappy shifting manual, the laggy throttle, and the coarse engine feel. The Z's 3.7 doesn't really sound particularly good when you rev it, but it also vibrates a lot.

So, when you test drive it, be sure to rev it past 5,000 RPM and make sure you take it through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd multiple times. Of course, cruising around, you will never rev it that high so it may not matter to you.

If you actually like driving, the BRZ is better. If you drive somewhere for the weekend, you'll still have fun on the way and can take a couple of suitcases worth of stuff. You'll also be able to see people at stop signs. You won't have tons of understeer or a car that feels like a 3300 lb pig masquerading as a sports car.

Unfortunately the BRZ/FR-S is pretty slow as it is delivered. You can fix that by adding a supercharger or turbo kit. But, even in the slow as-delivered configuration it's still a lot more fun to drive, except in those occasional contests of stupidity against an SUV pulling away from a light with your foot in the gas.

And yeah, with around 300 horsepower at the crank (which should be relatively easy to do with about any of the kits on the market) the BRZ will be fairly quick.

I thought I wanted to go FI, but instead I've learned to drive my BRZ in the powerband and it feels great with plenty of power. It would be nice to have an extra 100HP, but in reality I'm not 16 years old anymore doing highway pulls against other kids. My friends and gf wouldn't be impressed with my reckless driving and speeding tickets.
If you don't track the car or compete in some way then don't waste your money trying to make a slow car fast. We all have the same speed limits on public roads anyways.
With that said, if you're looking for speed then you're looking at the wrong car. If numbers are your thing then you're looking at the wrong car. If 0-60 times take priority over a fun drive then you're looking at the wrong car. Like someone already said...don't waste your money making a slow car fast.

OR, you could spend the money, make that slow car fast, and then you have an awesome, fast car.

I have gotten a lot of satisfaction modding my car and I enjoy it more because I made it fast.

Plus, our twins are more unique, less of them on the roads, funner to own.

Funner, those technical words though ;D lol

But in all seriousness, turbo vs super...

Turbo is more expensive and complicated, but has more room to grow.

Supercharger is simpler and more reliable, but limited on pump gas to around 300whp (for now until bigger blowers come out)

But to be realistic, dude search. There is a thread sticky on this AT THE TOP OF THE SUBFORUM. Damn. not to mention the countless thread answering this same question that pops up like once or twice a week.