Stillen Supercharger reliabiity

Coon-azz · 01-29-2013, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irondoc

Coon-Azz -
My 2013 is now running flawlessly, and it is my DD. My problems related to the fact that mine was the FIRST 2013 to have a Stillen SC installed.
Cost was also higher for install and tuning because of that fact.
Stillen does run sales, especially at the end of the year.
Keep your eyes open, use an experienced installer/tuner (or install yourself) and you may well get away with 6K or a lot less. Some used kits being sold here are an option to consider as well.
Bottom line is, the car is fast enough to be fun without the kit. With this FI kit, it is much more fun. How much is that worth to you? What is your $/fun ratio?

thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I like the concept of the Twin Turbo set up, but if you want instant on, the SC (IMO) is the way to go. The few times I've autocrossed, the SC would have been a better option than the turbo. Great advice and enjoy the new SC. (I'm so jelous). If you get a chance to post a video or two, that would be awesome. (hint hint)

dansracing · 01-29-2013, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elperuano

Such a misinformed post. You have a lot of reading to catch up on. Power n longevity depend on how good your tune is from your tuner. There r guys out there with 500hp+ running for years just fine with no problem. Read up n research...

Ha.... I have researched just fine, and there is nobody out there running
500+ HP with no problems.

elperuano · 01-29-2013, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dansracing

Ha.... I have researched just fine, and there is nobody out there running
500+ HP with no problems.

Sure u did.

irondoc · 01-29-2013, 08:13 PM

I have no trouble with the clutch, but I am not racing the car.
Regarding the injectors, I am running the injectors that came with the kit. I asked my tuner about this, he seemed to feel they were more than adequate for my current warrantied Stillen tune at 395 whp

Osiris · 01-29-2013, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irondoc

I have no trouble with the clutch, but I am not racing the car.

Nor am I racing the car. I've had the kit for 2.5 years now and my stock clutch is going out. I plan to replace clutch and most definitely the CSC. I'm currently experiencing slipping under heavy acceleration. I've already had the clutch fluid boil on me and turn black. had to fully drain and refill. But this is most likely due to the CSC going out....it is plastic after all!

So, if you have this kit or any FI, i'd recommend a new clutch & CSC in your near future.

irondoc · 01-29-2013, 05:39 AM

[QUOTE=dansracing;2135224]......On MPG. Who cares? If your putting the power to the car and your spending the money for it, who cares what the MPG is.....
Point to the MPG calculation is that Stillen has made claims of improved MPG with the SC, and others have debated the issue here, so just posting my real world observation.
The bulk of what I have read here suggests that our engines can safely handle outputs up to mid 500's whp. As you stated, several of those running TT kits feel the Stillen SC does not provide enough of an increase in power. However my car is now at 395whp (Dynojet at 61 degrees F) with snow tires with no attempt to improve the tune for power.
Others seem to have achieved up to 440whp with additional tuning. Then there is of course the possibility of a 9 or 10 psi pulley (more?). I do not imagine I will want much more than what I could get from tweaking the Stillen kit down the road. Maybe someone who has truly maximized the Stillen kit can comment on what they have achieved.
Other Stillen advantages
1. 50 state CARB legal
2. 36 month - 36,000 mile warranty.

Coon-azz · 01-29-2013, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dansracing

Irondoc it sounds like your pretty happy with your car. I have a new 2012 with 1800 miles on it and I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on this SC. I read the entire thread and there are many opinions and issues. It seems though, that most are not happy because they want more and more power. Thats great, but I want to maintain the factory block, and it cant handle much more than 400WHP for any length of time. I live down in Texas so summer heat may be an issue, and I have to check into that more. But if I can get around 400WHP out of this small car, I know I will be happy and stay alive a few more years lol.
On MPG. Who cares? If your putting the power to the car and your spending the money for it, who cares what the MPG is.....
Like you, I want a clean new car with much more than factory HP in a new car package. I will keep an eye on your feedback regarding your install.

Agreed here as well. This is my daily driver. No since in owning it, if I'm not gonna drive it. In 10 years, I'll want something new anyway. 400 RWHP is more than enough for me. Virginia heat, humidity and traffic suck almost all summer long. 8k is a piece of change though for so many problems I've read. Is it the kit ,or the installers?

gussyturbo z · 01-29-2013, 07:03 PM

Hey are you guys running the 600cc injectors that came with the stillen kit? I am and uprev told me that they were maxed out? Anybody having this issue?

gussyturbo z · 01-30-2013, 02:10 PM

Man I made 412hp and I drive it everyday to work not a single issue! When I got it tuned at uprev they told me that the 600cc injectors where not enough they were at 98% of use not a good thing. But I still drive it everyday.

darli328 · 01-30-2013, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gussyturbo z

Man I made 412hp and I drive it everyday to work not a single issue! When I got it tuned at uprev they told me that the 600cc injectors where not enough they were at 98% of use not a good thing. But I still drive it everyday.

That sounds really good and bad at the same time, haha. Am I correct in my understanding that if you don't use the Stillen tune it's no longer technically CARB legal?

BTW, I looked at your album. I really like your sleeper look and nice choice on the color of your Z.

theDreamer · 01-31-2013, 02:58 PM

The issues from the early days were tuning problems and people not hitting the numbers Stillen quoted. There were some 'other' issues that happened on a Stillen SC car, but no way to pinpoint what caused the actual issue (a blown motor).
Current model (2013) issues I have not read up on yet, but I would imagine there will be minor issues as with each model year they adjust things which can alter aftermarket parts.

Osiris · 01-31-2013, 03:26 PM

other issues would include:

-sub-par components (eg: pulleys, bypass valve)
-dollar per horsepower gain too low
-minimal torque gains over stock vs compared to other FI kits
-intercooler only adequate up to approx 12psi.

just my 2 cents.

Nut_N_Much · 01-31-2013, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osiris

other issues would include:

-sub-par components (eg: pulleys, bypass valve)
-dollar per horsepower gain too low
-minimal torque gains over stock vs compared to other FI kits
-intercooler only adequate up to approx 12psi.

just my 2 cents.

Something we have been thinking of to assist the cooling is a larger water reservoir. Pull out that plastic thing that comes with the kit. I'm sure it warms up in the engine compartment and really doesn't help to keep the water cool at all, if anything it helps keep it hot. Also we could run hard lines from the rear to the front that would help with the heat dissipation.

I'm going to mount this 1.5 gallon tank in the rear.
1. Its inside the car making the tank cooler.
2. Only 4 ft of the hose that supplies the water to the heat exchanger will be in the engine bay.
3. More water in the tank will allow longer cool off before it recycled.
4. The aluminum will absorb some of the heat.
5. Tanks mouth is large enough for Ice for Auto Cross or Drag.

Easy mod, should help some with better boost due to the denser air. Anyway I just wanted to share this. Kelly and I were talking about it a few days ago. Will let you know how it works!!! Theory is sound.

elperuano · 01-31-2013, 06:23 PM

It's amazing that the inferior Stillen kit still gets this much play.

The main reason everyone goes for this kit is because with the Stillen SC and Stillen tune it's supposedly still keeps "warranty". For everyone that went this route they quickly realized the cost wasn't worth what the Stillen SC provided. The Stillen tune is complete garbage. You can almost make the same with the most mods people go with anyway i.e. exhaust intake tp/HFC and an Osiris tune.
Once people realized Stillen tune was garbage, to save face they threw the warranty out the window and went with a custom tune. Even then the gains for what ur paying is minimal.
Every Stillen owner will want more power and this is where it keeps adding up money wise. Buying different pulleys, brackets, upgrading this and that. Few posts above me this guy has to run a water/heater exchanger. It's always something este u have to upgrade or add to get little more HP out of it. I've seen direct meth injections on Stillen SC builds. It's comical. Also everytime they upgrade its straight back to the dyno for a few more pulls and redline tuning. Every Stillen owner has about 100 more dyno pulls and countless more hours at the local dyno shop than any other TT or single turbo owner out there. How's that for extra "safety and reliability" that they deceive u with.
Lastly in the end a MAJORITY of Stillen SC owners end up selling their kit and going with a TT or single set-up. I can count 3 off the top of my head. For the money pit it becomes you could save yourself a lot of grief n aggravation goin turbo.

I went stage 2 TT, os giken clutch, csc, exhaust, oil cooler and gauges. 1 time tune at Z1 and have never looked back. 1 dyno session is all I needed to achieve desired goal. And my kit is not what's holding me back for power, it's the stock block.
You guys should check out my350, they have lotta knowledge from people who tried the Stillen route. Be careful posting. They're not the same "yes" guys that I see around here a lot.

irondoc · 02-01-2013, 08:49 AM

[QUOTE=elperuano;2141180]It's amazing that the inferior Stillen kit still gets this much play.

The main reason everyone goes for this kit is because with the Stillen SC and Stillen tune it's supposedly still keeps "warranty". For everyone that went this route they quickly realized the cost wasn't worth what the Stillen SC provided. The Stillen tune is complete garbage. You can almost make the same with the most mods people go with anyway i.e. exhaust intake tp/HFC and an Osiris tune.
Once people realized Stillen tune was garbage, to save face they threw the warranty out the window and went with a custom tune. Even then the gains for what ur paying is minimal....

There seems to be some venom against Stillen out there. Not sure why but…
My experience was not seamless, but the above hardly reflects what actually happened.
I am no expert. I wanted SC because of the faster power response. I have had several turbo cars and could always feel the turbo lag. Even in my brothers 2011 335 with a stock TT set up the lag is apparent.
My research showed Stillen to be the best option for a supercharger. I was looking for HP gains well beyond what non-FI options can provide and from what I can tell, the statement “…You can almost make the same with the most mods people go with anyway i.e. exhaust intake tp/HFC and an Osiris tune…” simply isn’t true. The best by far I have seen any one report without FI is roughly 340whp and that was with high flow cats – definitely not CARB legal and generally marketed as an off road option only.
The GTM kit lists for $8726 for the satin kit (without an oil cooler). Their web site states “…This includes installation with before and after dyno testing. Expected results for this with tuning session are 360-400 rwhp….”
In order for them to include installation in the price one would presumably have to go to them for the install. Not an option for me.
Stillen’s kit lists at $6300 for the Satin kit and estimates 12 hours for install. The oil cooler was $600 with tax and shipping. My install costs including the 25 row oil cooler and all the extra work (due to previously described issues) was $1900. So installed with oil cooler (not included in GTM kit) was $8800. Realistically $7800 without the oil cooler.
That is over $900 less than the GTM and I dyno’d at 394 whp on the Stillen tune with snow tires. I am told by my tuner to expect roughly 405whp with my NISMO wheels and summer tires. So on a cost/hp ratio, I believe I did better than with the GTM kit.

01-31-2013, 02:58 PM	#11 (permalink)
theDreamer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 30,879 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 4211	The issues from the early days were tuning problems and people not hitting the numbers Stillen quoted. There were some 'other' issues that happened on a Stillen SC car, but no way to pinpoint what caused the actual issue (a blown motor). Current model (2013) issues I have not read up on yet, but I would imagine there will be minor issues as with each model year they adjust things which can alter aftermarket parts. __________________ theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

01-31-2013, 03:26 PM	#12 (permalink)
Osiris A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: http://www.cfzclub.com/ Posts: 1,524 Drives: Angry Rep Power: 20	other issues would include: -sub-par components (eg: pulleys, bypass valve) -dollar per horsepower gain too low -minimal torque gains over stock vs compared to other FI kits -intercooler only adequate up to approx 12psi. just my 2 cents. tomnavone, elperuano, Nut_N_Much and 1 others like this. __________________ ^^^^^^^^^Like our Facebook!^^^^^^^^^

01-31-2013, 06:23 PM	#14 (permalink)
elperuano A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Southwest FL Posts: 1,374 Drives: G37S Rep Power: 29	It's amazing that the inferior Stillen kit still gets this much play. The main reason everyone goes for this kit is because with the Stillen SC and Stillen tune it's supposedly still keeps "warranty". For everyone that went this route they quickly realized the cost wasn't worth what the Stillen SC provided. The Stillen tune is complete garbage. You can almost make the same with the most mods people go with anyway i.e. exhaust intake tp/HFC and an Osiris tune. Once people realized Stillen tune was garbage, to save face they threw the warranty out the window and went with a custom tune. Even then the gains for what ur paying is minimal. Every Stillen owner will want more power and this is where it keeps adding up money wise. Buying different pulleys, brackets, upgrading this and that. Few posts above me this guy has to run a water/heater exchanger. It's always something este u have to upgrade or add to get little more HP out of it. I've seen direct meth injections on Stillen SC builds. It's comical. Also everytime they upgrade its straight back to the dyno for a few more pulls and redline tuning. Every Stillen owner has about 100 more dyno pulls and countless more hours at the local dyno shop than any other TT or single turbo owner out there. How's that for extra "safety and reliability" that they deceive u with. Lastly in the end a MAJORITY of Stillen SC owners end up selling their kit and going with a TT or single set-up. I can count 3 off the top of my head. For the money pit it becomes you could save yourself a lot of grief n aggravation goin turbo. I went stage 2 TT, os giken clutch, csc, exhaust, oil cooler and gauges. 1 time tune at Z1 and have never looked back. 1 dyno session is all I needed to achieve desired goal. And my kit is not what's holding me back for power, it's the stock block. You guys should check out my350, they have lotta knowledge from people who tried the Stillen route. Be careful posting. They're not the same "yes" guys that I see around here a lot. Osiris, tomnavone and FernDiggidy like this.

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01-29-2013, 08:13 PM	#4 (permalink)
irondoc Base Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 99 Drives: 13 370 6MT sport tou Rep Power: 13	I have no trouble with the clutch, but I am not racing the car. Regarding the injectors, I am running the injectors that came with the kit. I asked my tuner about this, he seemed to feel they were more than adequate for my current warrantied Stillen tune at 395 whp

01-29-2013, 05:39 AM	#6 (permalink)
irondoc Base Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 99 Drives: 13 370 6MT sport tou Rep Power: 13	[QUOTE=dansracing;2135224]......On MPG. Who cares? If your putting the power to the car and your spending the money for it, who cares what the MPG is..... Point to the MPG calculation is that Stillen has made claims of improved MPG with the SC, and others have debated the issue here, so just posting my real world observation. The bulk of what I have read here suggests that our engines can safely handle outputs up to mid 500's whp. As you stated, several of those running TT kits feel the Stillen SC does not provide enough of an increase in power. However my car is now at 395whp (Dynojet at 61 degrees F) with snow tires with no attempt to improve the tune for power. Others seem to have achieved up to 440whp with additional tuning. Then there is of course the possibility of a 9 or 10 psi pulley (more?). I do not imagine I will want much more than what I could get from tweaking the Stillen kit down the road. Maybe someone who has truly maximized the Stillen kit can comment on what they have achieved. Other Stillen advantages 1. 50 state CARB legal 2. 36 month - 36,000 mile warranty.

01-29-2013, 07:03 PM	#8 (permalink)
gussyturbo z Base Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dallas/ Ft. Worth Posts: 180 Drives: Nissan 370z grey Rep Power: 13	Hey are you guys running the 600cc injectors that came with the stillen kit? I am and uprev told me that they were maxed out? Anybody having this issue?

01-30-2013, 02:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
gussyturbo z Base Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dallas/ Ft. Worth Posts: 180 Drives: Nissan 370z grey Rep Power: 13	Man I made 412hp and I drive it everyday to work not a single issue! When I got it tuned at uprev they told me that the 600cc injectors where not enough they were at 98% of use not a good thing. But I still drive it everyday.

02-01-2013, 08:49 AM	#15 (permalink)
irondoc Base Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 99 Drives: 13 370 6MT sport tou Rep Power: 13	[QUOTE=elperuano;2141180]It's amazing that the inferior Stillen kit still gets this much play. The main reason everyone goes for this kit is because with the Stillen SC and Stillen tune it's supposedly still keeps "warranty". For everyone that went this route they quickly realized the cost wasn't worth what the Stillen SC provided. The Stillen tune is complete garbage. You can almost make the same with the most mods people go with anyway i.e. exhaust intake tp/HFC and an Osiris tune. Once people realized Stillen tune was garbage, to save face they threw the warranty out the window and went with a custom tune. Even then the gains for what ur paying is minimal.... There seems to be some venom against Stillen out there. Not sure why but… My experience was not seamless, but the above hardly reflects what actually happened. I am no expert. I wanted SC because of the faster power response. I have had several turbo cars and could always feel the turbo lag. Even in my brothers 2011 335 with a stock TT set up the lag is apparent. My research showed Stillen to be the best option for a supercharger. I was looking for HP gains well beyond what non-FI options can provide and from what I can tell, the statement “…You can almost make the same with the most mods people go with anyway i.e. exhaust intake tp/HFC and an Osiris tune…” simply isn’t true. The best by far I have seen any one report without FI is roughly 340whp and that was with high flow cats – definitely not CARB legal and generally marketed as an off road option only. The GTM kit lists for $8726 for the satin kit (without an oil cooler). Their web site states “…This includes installation with before and after dyno testing. Expected results for this with tuning session are 360-400 rwhp….” In order for them to include installation in the price one would presumably have to go to them for the install. Not an option for me. Stillen’s kit lists at $6300 for the Satin kit and estimates 12 hours for install. The oil cooler was $600 with tax and shipping. My install costs including the 25 row oil cooler and all the extra work (due to previously described issues) was $1900. So installed with oil cooler (not included in GTM kit) was $8800. Realistically $7800 without the oil cooler. That is over $900 less than the GTM and I dyno’d at 394 whp on the Stillen tune with snow tires. I am told by my tuner to expect roughly 405whp with my NISMO wheels and summer tires. So on a cost/hp ratio, I believe I did better than with the GTM kit.