Forced induction insight and advice needed
 

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some insight regarding some forced induction options. I’ve been reading through the forced induction forums for some time now gathering up the information I can. Now that I am currently in the market to go forced induction, I wanted to get some advice and insight from those of you who have experience or knowledge about these kits.

The 3 kits I am currently considering is the Fast Intentions Stage 1 twin turbo kit, the Soho Stage 2 Top Mount Single turbo kit, and the Soho A2A Supercharger kit. My 370Z is a 6 speed manual and my goal is to be right around the 600 whp range. The plan for the car is to be daily driven most of the year as long as it’s not too cold or snowing/raining. As well as hitting the drag strip a few times a year.
Thank you!

Fast Intentions hands down is the best high quality kit.

So the power delivery profiles (TQ curves) of the turbos kits vs the A2A S/C kits are very different. I have a S/C kit & can tell you that all of the power is top end (5k+), not much mid range TQ. The car is fast, but you have to drive it like you stole it. You don't get the same mid range TQ as you would w/ a turbo, thus the car doesn't feel as fast. However, it does hook up pretty well, so it's able to make good use of the power. If money were no object I would have gone turbo & most likely Fast Intentions. Also, i wanted to do the work myself & simply don't have the facility to remove & replace the motor, which is required to install the FI turbo kit. W/ the S/C kit, the complete installation can be done w/out removing the motor. So the all in cost of the turbo kits including installation is a lot higher. Just depends on your budget & how you want the car to drive.

Thanks for the input Spooler and CGR! Seems like the Fast Intentions kit is collectively the preferred kit if possible. I just don’t want to count out the Soho single turbo kit and supercharger kit without hearing some feedback on them first. The insight on the supercharger kits is definitely much appreciated, thanks again CGR. Any ideas on how well the S/C and single turbo kits react when launching them?

In case you have not seen it. We offer a supercharger kit which makes just as much power, more torque (by utilizing the stock manifold) and removes all of the problems associated with the Soho kit, which was our Gen 1 kit that was copied.

Also, it costs hundreds of dollars less. Let me know if you would like more information.

www.topgunspeedworks.com

Top gunz has been revolutionized the blower units for this platform. C38R I dyno

What's your all-in budget? And do you plan to do any/all of the work yourself, or hire it out? If planning to DIY, what's your skill level?

All of our kits will meet your power goal. The biggest factor you need to decide on is how you want the power delivery. If you want it to be linear, go SC. If you want it to hit hard initially and carry go turbo. If you have any questions give me a call at 704-839-0435 or email me at george@sohomotorsports.com

Thanks everyone for reaching out! Just from what I’ve heard so far I think I’ll rule out doing a supercharger kit just for the reason that I’ve always had turbo cars and love the way they drive.

Thanks Topgunz, I did just come across your kit and if I was still considering the supercharger I would definitely include yours as an option!

I originally budgeted and put away money specifically towards the twin turbo kit. I did put away $14k for the turbo kit and exhaust to go with it as well as $4k in extra parts. I am planning to do all the work myself, I do have all the tools and lift necessary to do most jobs. In terms of experience I do have done everything from simple bolt ons to a number of motor swaps and short block/head work.

Thanks George, I am considering your single turbo kit however I just haven’t seen many people running it or talking about it.

Thanks everyone for chiming in! I really appreciate it!

$14k with you providing the labor can definitely get you 600whp, but is going to be a really, really tight fit if you want to go with the FI TT system.... though if you can negotiate a discount with them or be willing to expand your budget a little that would the no-brainer option.


The major items needed are the kit, return fuel system+injectors+pump, exhaust, clutch, oil cooler, and tune. Then a zillion little things like gauges, etc.


Another very solid option would be the BP Single turbo kit, or the upcoming BP TT kit. http://www.the370z.com/forced-induct...oes-twins.html


If I were you, I would call FI and promise to vomit their logo all over your ride if they would give you a small discount... or expand your all-in budget by a thousand bucks or two to give you some margin for error.

Even if you secure that, understand you will likely have to go with more budget friendly items for exhaust and clutch, and a diff upgrade is probably out of the question (and also not super necessary for a street car).


I am sure some on this forum will have differing opinions of the cost of going TT - but I am one of the resident cheap skates that did my 500whp TT build for well under $10k. Staying on budget for a street car build is much easier than if the car will see track time.

EDIT: I wrote that long message before I reread what you just said and realized you had $18k to play with, not $14k.

FI TT kit is the way to go. If you are providing all the labor, it's a no-brainer choice and you should be able to get a really solid build with that budget.

I hate working on stuff. Nothing I can't stand more than to be tweaking things all the time. That's why I have a Fast Intentions TT kit. It freaking works and easy to maintain.

If the car is a good, reliable car and you want to continue to use it as a daily driver then I would recommend not touching it. Installing Stillen's supercharger kit was the biggest mistake I made with my Z. The kit went on at 21k miles I have only had about 7 months trouble free, beyond that modifying this car turned it into the biggest piece of s**t! If you want something reliable that you don't have the mess with every freaking weekend trying to fix issues then don't touch it. If you want a turbo'd or supercharged car I would recommend buying one that has a turbo or SC from the factory. Right now, I am wasting money on insurance for this car because it is in garage with the hood up more than it is on the road.

If you go FI all I can say is good luck and have a backup vehicle to drive. Luckily I have my '98 Ram 1500 that is a thousand times for reliable than this POS Nissan with no thanks to Stillen.

If you have the Stillen w2a kit then yes, it was a big mistake. A reputable aftermarket turbo or a2a supercharger kit is dependable.

The original Stillen kit can be extremely reliable as long as the install is done correctly and your are after very modest gains. Upgrading to eliminate the shortfalls allows that Vortech based kit to make both very high power and be reliable. Again, do it right the first time and you will have a headache free car. Cutting corners or having a poor install and tune can definitely result in a bad experience.

Most of the guys that have done their homework and put in the time, effort, maintenance and extra money to ensure its done right have left the forum. But there's lots of guys with 10s of thousands of miles on these platforms without an issue.

If you want a "built not bought" car that has supercar performance then do it right. If you want a car that you don't care to know how it works and take it to pennzoil for maintenance then buy an untouched C7 or CTSV, just don't cry when a tuner Z gaps you.

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience, but I'm not sure what to say other than I completely disagree w/ your conclusion / advice. There are lots of folks on here, myself included, who have had very good, reliable performance from boosted applications.