Stillen Supercharger reliabiity

elperuano

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

[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.

dansracing

[QUOTE=irondoc;2142067]Very well said. The only real point in reading these forums is that there are so many opinions. Those opinions are based on many different circumstances and attitudes. There are posters from the age of 15 to 50, and those that will never be happy and those that will never have enough power. And of course those who think that if you don't do it like they did it then it is wrong. The great thing is that you can read through all of that and pretty quickly determine what is BS and what you can actually use. The bottom line is your car is unique to you, and your wants are not what others may be wanting so don't get caught up in the negativity. Since this is a "Stillen" thread, I will proudly say that I just ordered my Stillen SC and it's on the way. I am completely happy with my decision and have done enough research to satisfy me. My expectations are in line with what I know about it and I plan on being okay with it. If its not, then I will change it.
Thank you for all of the info that I have absorbed from this and other threads and to all of you who just state your experiences and not just come in here to bash a product that may not have worked out for you.

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elperuano

[QUOTE=dansracing;2142735]Well said, I can appreciate that.

irondoc

[QUOTE=dansracing;2142735]Dan, Though you may end up going nuts with 9-10 psi pulleys, and other ways to get up close to 500whp, the initial Stillen tune will make such a big jump in power over your NISMO it will be startling. This is by far the fastest car I have ever owned. I have learned that I get much better acceleration with the traction control turned off. When on, it kicks in constantly and every time the squiggly lines show up the engine backs off on the throttle. The only problem is it is way too easy to leave tread on the pavement. You will have a blast. Who is doing the install and when do you expect it to be ready?

dansracing

[QUOTE=irondoc;2144884]Kit is supposed to show up this Tuesday. I have to send off the intake tube for powder coating and expect it back the following week, maybe Wednesday. If all goes right I will be sucking some serious air by Feb. 18. I will give a full report with pictures.
I don't see myself messing with the pulleys for more gain. I want to leave the system as is. If I ever do anything, I would look at Meth injection. A guy in our group who has the Stillen SC just had the Meth kit installed last Thursday. HUGE improvement. He has a 350z and has been running the Stillen kit for about a year with no issues at all. He was making 375 WHP. Adding the Meth Kit, it jumped up to like 423.
His work and my work will be done by J Tran Studios in Houston. They are experts on our cars and the tuner Johnny Tran is very good. They have done tons of FI work and countless tunes, specializing in the Nissan Z.

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elperuano

[QUOTE=dansracing;2144932]
That's a good shop there. You're in good hands.

dansracing

[QUOTE=elperuano;2145051]I feel that way as well, and your post is spot on above. The canned tune is not for every car, maybe no car. I think they just take a stab at it and send a map with the kit. I opted out of it and saved money on the overall kit.

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irondoc

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

...Once people realized Stillen tune was garbage...


Elperuano - Just wondering here. Not challenging you or talking trash - I just want to know what exactly is "garbage" about the Stillen tune? Is it optimizing power output? Is it reliability? Why is the tune bad in your opinion?

elperuano

[QUOTE=irondoc;2144892]Well the power output is pretty bad, drivability is bad... Just from what I've read over time on other forums and this one. I don't think I can think of more than 2-3 Z's that stayed with the Stillen tune. A canned tune isn't best for every car. Any FI added to the car should always have a personal tune for ur specific car to make the best out of it.