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I'm getting ready to pull my 225k ls1 finally and swap to a built aluminum LS3. I'm torn between procharging it or going turbo. I'm fine with either. I'm looking to trap 9s and still be streetable. No highway miles just around town.
I'm looking for people who have experience with both platforms. Which one would you pick and why? The LS3 is 10.5:1 static compression. 4.070" cp carillo pistons. 6.125" lunati rods. Stock crank. 0821 frankenstein stage 1 heads unmilled. Cam is a custom cut (see photo). Fuel system is 8an feed with 6an return on adjustable regulator 340lph racetronics pump. I'll be running E85. 3600 stall Turbo400 RMVB with trans brake. 9" inch rear. Holley Terminator to control it all.
This is my first boost build so I'm open to advice aswell. I'm on nitrous right now with the stock ls1. I'm open to keeping the nitrous kit with a 100 shot in play with boost if I need it.
Its kind of a tough call really, both have had good and bad. I have had both, bunch of small blocks, big blocks with Prochargers, 2 or 3 LS/Procharged, now several turbo LS's. I will be honest, I love the Procharged whine, its like music, lol. Its more expensive to get setup with a Procharger, but the install is easier, simple to remove if you wanted to go back to NA. You can grab a cheap turbo, if you have fab. skills, put together a setup, but you have to deal with all the plumbing involved. Turbos are kind of free HP, where it takes some to drive the Procharger.
My guess is you will need more fuel pump, of course a boost ref. fuel system. An intercooler would be good, but you are on E85, might be able to run W/O one, I dont have much experience with E85, none around here.
Depends on which procharger, the ones with the helical gears wont drive you crazy with noise, but the biggest downside is that all you hear on the highway is your blow off valve. But the procharger will make full boost in 1st gear when the turbo wont because there isnt enough load. l voted for turbo because of the noise and price.
turbos are for poor people . Go with a nice Procharger setup and keep your ac and your radiator where they came from .
I'm just raggin on turbos but they make nice kits for both . I went with a Procharger years ago bc it was the lest intrusive and it kept ac. This was about 15 yrs ago when I went procharged so the turbo choices were slim .
The Procharger setup also lets your v8 roar like a v8 a turbo is going to muffler it . Me personally I hate when I see cars with fender dumps, to me its cheap and the easy way out . It makes the car annoying and that exhaust usually ends up back in the cabin .
If i went turbo id have a kit that kept ac and a full exhaust .
turbo. Why? For one, if you have correct gearing Like 3.23's vs 4.11's) then you can have all the boost in first gear. Do you really want all of it though? Can you put it all on the ground? Next, a turbo can be controlled. I have maps i created where on he street it'll roll the boost in first gear just a little and when i put it in second, it ramps it in quickly but at a controlled rate to keep from spinning. You can't change the boost on a procharger from the drivers seat. Then belt slippage. You will definitely need more fuel pump. Honestly, You really don't need boost with that engine to achieve your goal, that 100 shot on that engine will do it. If you were going boost, you'd have been better off saving your money and building a smaller, cheaper engine and putting money in a good turbo. Boosting it, You wont need much boost to break into the 9's. My buddy has a full weight f body. He had a 5.7 with h beam rods, forged pistons, stock heads, stock ls1 intake. not ported. Regular 7875 turbo. he went 9.70's at 139-140.
We race both and tune a lot of both combos. To runs 9's either one will work and shouldnt be to hard. Both have there pro's and con's. A procharger is easier to tune because boost is just rpm based. Since you cant control boost (without pulley change) there are less variables to tune for and its all just done with mostly timing to control power. A turbo with make more power easier since your not turning the blower but is more work to tune since you have to tune boost ramps and also timing and fuel can change how it makes boost. It also gives you the ability to turn it down or up. The procharger will also require more fuel and injectors over a turbo combo with the same power.
The Procharger solution isn't totally as unobtrusive as claimed.
The guy I bought my current car from had a Procharger P-series blower iirc and while it performed decently, he was only really able to get about 12 lbs. out of it before his IAT's started getting really high and he was constantly fighting cooling challenges as the radiator fan configuration required caused the car to run hot along with belt slip issues.
Now to be fair I had similar issues with a front mount 7875 on my last 4th gen car, a bigger radiator, twin high flow pusher fans and truck alternator were needed and even then, in hot weather and traffic my temps would get a little higher than I liked.
Current car is a T6 setup, has a stood up dual pass radiator, dual fans, Davies Craig water pump setup and never gets over 185 degrees regardless of ambient temp or traffic.
Obviously I'm a turbo guy. I have been all my life. On a LS platform, I've only played with a few Prochargers. While I do think they are neat, I just don't like how limited you are. On a street car, it's probably fine, but you are still limited vs a turbo.
Now, I will say, with the newer electric wastegates, if you had the ability to control one, and put it on a Procharged setup, that would help even things out a little. There's still no scramble button, and you can't just turn the boost up as easily, but I will say, they are cool.
I’ve had a Procharger on my car for 3 years. It’s been issue free no belt slip or any issues at all. I’ve been spinning it beyond max recommended impeller speed for the last year. Gone as fast as 6.12 in the 1/8th with a heavy irs GTO. It’s not the fastest street car and doesn’t make the most power, but it’s been issue free and coolant temps are never a problem. Never gets over 190 degrees in any temps stop and go driving or wot. Iat’s aren’t an issue either after back to back wot pulls tuning it never went above 10 degrees over ambient. Just a little D1x. Planning to go to an f1a-94 or even f1x, but I’ve put it off because it’s been so great and reliable with the little D1x. I just want to get into the 8’s in the 1/4 and well into the 5’s in the 1/8th.
I don’t really care what others use if I’m happy with what I have why change?
D1X isn't going to do what he's wanting on a healthy LS3. I wouldn’t go smaller than an F1 for his engine combo. The turbo will make more power per pound by a land slide and cost a ton less. Not to mention easier installation. That’s why I’d go turbo.
I’ve had turbo and blower cars. Really isn’t even a comparison with cheap turbos these days. I love the sound of an obnoxiously loud blower. I ran the old P600B which I believe was one of the loudest centri blowers. It ran well, and I really liked it. But when a $400 China turbo will make more power per pound, I don’t see how people can afford to not go turbo.
Working on an F1 installation now into Fairmont with a SBF and its been a pain. Had to make room for the 12rib, change accessories, remote mount water pump, etc etc… It nickel and dimes you to death ON TOP of the ridiculous initial cost for the kit. He has a mint into fittings and lines just to remote mount the water pump. It will run really well I’m sure. But its twice the work and 10x the cost of a factory manifold DIY turbo kit…if not more.
Common sense = Pick a goal. Find the most economic way to get there with the least amount of time invested. This gives you the most time and spare $ to enjoy the hobby.
Spending more for less is a personal choice and a luxury. If it’s in your budget and you want blower noises… more power to ya! No need to ask which is “best” at that point though. Which is best isn’t an opinion, it’s a fact. If the 2 power adders are in a “fight”. The Turbo’s on top every time.
Common sense = Pick a goal. Find the most economic way to get there with the least amount of time invested. This gives you the most time and spare $ to enjoy the hobby.
Spending more for less is a personal choice and a luxury. If it’s in your budget and you want blower noises… more power to ya! No need to ask which is “best” at that point though. Which is best isn’t an opinion, it’s a fact. If the 2 power adders are in a “fight”. The Turbo’s on top every time.
I'm a big turbo guy but I can realize that the answer isn't always turbo. There are plenty of use cases where turbos don't win like packaging, install, heat mitigation, etc. For example, if I could have kept a blower belt on my C6 Z06 I wouldn't have gotten rid of my F1X for twin turbos as I could hit my goal and not have all of the problems I've had with the turbo setup in a Corvette platform. It's some of the same reasons that Procharger kits are so popular for C7 Corvettes and Gen6 Camaros,
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Procharger vs turbo 
