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Old 07-06-2020, 09:58 AM   #42
bfrank1972
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Drives: 2013 FR-S Argento
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Uhhh, some points:


1) quoting peak RWHP numbers mean nothing. My Vortech kit probably makes around 260-270rwhp, but I guarantee a positive displacement supercharger making 260-270rwhp will feel faster/be faster. Area under the curve.


2) Related to #1, I guarantee you between a torquey PD unit and a centrifugal unit, the PD unit will put more stress on the motor. Especially in the lower RPM register, stress on the con rods is amplified in lower rpms.



*edit* sorry forgot to mention turbos, while you can't quite shock the rods like with a PD supercharger, turbochargers can make tons of torque, even low end if they're not huge, so they sit somewhere between PD and belt driven centrifugal setups. You can lug a smaller turbo at 2500 rpm under load at highway speeds and cause excessive stress on your rods. Also forgot to mention: regarding superchargers, typically put a higher stress on a motor due to drive losses. I.E. if you're seeing 200 lb/ft at the wheels at 4000 rpm, the motor is working harder (higher load) to spin a supercharger to produce that vs a turbo. An example would be the big Sprintex 335 units, take a lot more power to spin - they can produce big power but typically put significantly more strain on the motor.



3) How do you drive? Do you track? Do you hoon often? Power shift, or granny shift? Driving style/environment plays a major role in drivetrain life. How do you maintain your car? How often do you plan to change the oil post FI? Every 5k or every 15k? Factory service intervals no longer apply when moving beyond the design parameters of an engine/drivetrain.


4) Planning to do the proper supporting mods to manage heat? Any time you push a motor beyond its original design parameters, you're playing a game of risk management. Some motors hold up better than others. If you're a relatively sane street driver that likes to have some limited fun, and live in a relatively temperate climate, probably don't need much in the way of supporting mods. If you track regularly, drive hard in hot climates, extended high speed runs, etc. you will need to spend quite a bit more on heat management. Be attentive, pay attention to your oil levels, oil pressures, blow by in your catch cans (change them periodically), belts, wastegates/manifolds, and if you see anything concerning while driving be prepared to shut down rapidly and call a tow truck to minimize collateral damage in a failure. Oh, and do you live in an emissions conscious state?



5) How much power do you really need? Do you primarily track the car? Do you live in a less populous area with wide open roads? You can add plenty of power. Do you live in the northeast, plenty of cars/bikers/walkers on the roads, lots of narrow blind curves? Fun, but with my 'wimpy' Vortech setup I can't really come close to pushing things on public roads, it is more than enough to have fun. Terrain makes a big difference in how you can use the power on public roads. Here in CT thrills are zipping around curvy roads early in the morning, in the midwest thrills are flooring your 650hp Z06 on a nice open road



6) Do #1-5 seems just way too complicated and a pain in the butt? Do you just want to have fun? Buy another car that's already fast from the factory and leave it. Do you like tinkering, experimenting, take pride in making your car unique, like to live dangerously? Then this car, with a 400rwhp turbocharger strapped to it, is the car for you. It's visceral, yet daily-able. It has a semi-useable backseat. It can be fast and really fun to drive. It looks beautiful, especially with a few tasteful cosmetics and coilovers.



Hope this helps!

Last edited by bfrank1972; 07-06-2020 at 10:43 AM.
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