GT Motorsports: 370Z Supercharger system development

Originally Posted by JoeD

In a nutshell...yes.

Don't listen to anyone who says that turbo setups are reliable. They are lying. This applies for any turbocharged car which came NA from the factory as it's just the nature of such extensive modification. While it might be "reliable" in the sense that you won't blow your engine or need to replace a turbo so long as you're careful, as you mentioned..."little things just keep coming up." One day it's a boost-leak, followed by an oil-leak, a faulty sensor here and there, hoses going bad, boost-creep issues, misfiring, and on and on. So many people go turbo and love the car the first week/month but never end up having it run the same or make the same power since its initial tune. It's a constant headache, or in many cases a nightmare, that doesn't go away until you sell the car.

For the most part, supercharger installs are more of a "set it and forget it" deal. I'm not saying that your car will be as trouble-free as stock, but it's a no-brainer compared to turbos. Beyond the reliability factor, the headache and stress factor drops significantly when talking about supercharging an NA car vs. turbocharging it. Yes, I'm being very general, but this opinion stems from years of observation and experience, both first-hand and through friends/forums. I've been in the game long enough, and I dare anyone to tell me I'm wrong.

The above is not only limited to Zs, either. The same holds true to everything from S2000s and RSXs, to Mustangs, Corvettes, Vipers, and M3s. But of course...everyone has a "boy" who has a turbocharged _________ and has been problem-free for xx,xxx miles. LOL.