philaeagle51

iTrader: (1)

I want my car to have 400 to the wheel. long story short, what option (H/C) or (STS Turbo 5psi basic setup) would be cheaper to reach 400rwhp (atleast). What do I lose by chosing one over the other? will my car wear faster if i run the sts turbo (at 5psi)? Will my car last longer with H/C?

MY CAR HAS 21,000 MILES- just so you keep that in mind

mods: new tires, new brake pads all around, new front rotors, slp cold air intake, slp lid, slip bellows, slp loud mouth exaust, diablo sport predator tuner (dyno tune)

Mods to come before purchase of STS or H/C: bilstein shocks, hollow sways, poss sfc's, poss stb

thanks for any suggestions/help

philaeagle51

iTrader: (1)

my car is a 2002 z28 camaro ((A4)) 21,000 miles btw

lt1pwr1

iTrader: (1)

I'm sure you will get a ton of different opinions but I like the STS turbo route. As long as you don't boost too much your motor should have no problem lasting a long time. The STS is pretty much bolt on without really any engine teardown. The downside is you have a 60E trans which you will blow up in no time with either the STS or H/C combo.....not to mention the 10 bolt rear. I would invest in upgrading those first.

Also when the time comes to sell it, the STS is easy to take off and turn back to stock. Then you can sell the turbo separate. However, I will tell you there is no sweeter sound than that of a cammed LS1

old motorhead

iTrader: (10)

I'd always vote f/i over heads/cam....unless the f/i involves a plumbing nightmare running oil/air from the front to the back and back to the front of your ride. Don't mean to **** in anyone's Cheerios that likes the STS, but I wouldn't fool with it.

The Fugitive

iTrader: (6)

here's the thing that would make the price of one or the other a factor. Are you doing the work on the head and cam or is someone else? Both have to get tuned and is the STS used or new? I would also say do the STS because it will leave room for improvement later on, I don't know if you can change a h/c to work with a s/c but there are plenty of options either way. I would say find someone on here local that has one or the other and ride in them to see what you prefer

venom ws7

iTrader: (13)

if your only looking for 400rwhp then finish the boltons and get mild cam..
Not really worth buying STS turbo if you want 400rwhp..

93camaro_zzz

iTrader: (13)

Yeah, and your basic question was which is cheaper. Thats a no brainer. Go H/C.

The Fugitive

iTrader: (6)

that's why I asked if he was going to do the work himself place here where I am at want $1800 for head work alone then you need to add in the price for them to do the cam gaskets and etc then you still need to add in whatever h/c he goes with. Good heads range from $1500 and up avg cam cost $380 and up. You can get a used STS on here for about $2000+ both would need tuning injectors etc. So for me I would just say STS or custom rearmount just for room to grow

GMCBURBAN

iTrader: (1)

Im a fan of H/C myself. Like it has already been stated. There is not alot of money in H/C vs FI....

But you should def. get the tranny issue shorted out first... Take it from experience, 3
4l60e's later, just wish i would went with th-350 or 400 to start with...

hawk584

iTrader: (1)

i'm with the guys above, not worth the price and headache..58mm /tb, ported/polished intake and heads, cam, long tube headers and tune

IWGF

iTrader: (6)

If you only want 400rwhp, H/C is the way to go. You'll make that easy with a mild H/C setup.

philaeagle51

iTrader: (1)

Ok, i feel convinced I should go the heads and cam option, for those of you who suggest going with a "mild" H/C setup, what would that consist of (parts, price) and what other mods should i do first, new tranny and rear? (where do they sell upgraded rear ends?).

And for those who managed to make the STS setup seem worth it, if running at 5psi do i need new injectors? how much would it cost for a new tranny t-300 or t-400 as someone suggested?

IWGF

iTrader: (6)

My H/C setup is pretty mild. TEA Stg 2.5 5.3 Heads and a TSP 228r cam... I got my heads for $1500 (used) and got the cam brand new from TSP. A Rossler TH400 to meet your goals goes for $1200ish. I am running a MWC 9". I paid like $3700 for all of the stuff (tq arm/driveshaft/lca's/phb/etc) but you could pick up a Moser for way cheaper.