forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc
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Teching In
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 13
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forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc Just wondering if it is easier to get more power from forced induction or cam, heads etc? Which is easy, more reliable, etc?
Let's here the pro's and con's of each
court is now in session.
Let's here the pro's and con's of each
court is now in session. Re: forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc I beleive for the money spent the n/a power would be more, figger average heads = 2k (not including pushrods, springs, rockers), cam = 3bills, LT's with duals = 6bills, rest of bolt ons like intake, air box, maf, ect, = 1k, computer tuneing would need done to both for max output = 1k(atap and ls1 edit), but then with all that done you'd still need a mcleod dual disc and a rear end = 3k, not to mention all the other helpfull items like shifter, rims and tires, ect.
now, if you have the $ to bullet proof the bottom end, and do the rest of the n/a power stuff, oh damn would that make a church lady cry!
I would say the cam, heads, bolt ons, would be easier and more reliable, and instead of 4-5k for turbo you could spend 1k on a good n2o set up and get the same hp................ this is going to be a long thread
now, if you have the $ to bullet proof the bottom end, and do the rest of the n/a power stuff, oh damn would that make a church lady cry!
I would say the cam, heads, bolt ons, would be easier and more reliable, and instead of 4-5k for turbo you could spend 1k on a good n2o set up and get the same hp................ this is going to be a long thread
Launching!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 270
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From: Baton Rouge, LA
Re: forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc i was wondering about this myself. i'm leaning toward mild boost and mild bolt-ons. You're going to want exhaust either way for the sound. i'm thinking 5 psi boost, lid, exhaust, mild cam.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 1,220
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From: Germantown, MD
Re: forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc One area FI will always win is coolness factor. I've never seen a heads and cam car turn heads like a BOV or S/C idle whistle. Purges are cool, but only legal at the track and expensive to do repeatitively. OK, enough with the ego stuff.
I think the decision depends on your goals. FI is a commitment to go fast. It also gives you a ton of power in a very streetable package. If you don't get on it, the cars are typically much more drivable. If you're looking for big horsepower, FI is clearly a better choice than simple heads and cam and can even be more cost effective than a big shot setup. Once you find yourself at the level of spraying enough N20 to require beefing up the engine, this is where I feel the Blowers and Turbos are more cost effective. The engines might be setup differently, but the forging process is all the same.
My biggest knock against an FI setup is reliability. Because our motors weren't designed with FI in mind, I fee for more mild goals it's not the best choice. Even if you sacrifice a little drivability, a heads and came setup might be a better choice for cars shooting <450 rwhp.
So...
coolness factor= FI wins
big horsepower setups= FI wins
reliability on mild setups = FI loses
Just my $0.02
Mike
I think the decision depends on your goals. FI is a commitment to go fast. It also gives you a ton of power in a very streetable package. If you don't get on it, the cars are typically much more drivable. If you're looking for big horsepower, FI is clearly a better choice than simple heads and cam and can even be more cost effective than a big shot setup. Once you find yourself at the level of spraying enough N20 to require beefing up the engine, this is where I feel the Blowers and Turbos are more cost effective. The engines might be setup differently, but the forging process is all the same.
My biggest knock against an FI setup is reliability. Because our motors weren't designed with FI in mind, I fee for more mild goals it's not the best choice. Even if you sacrifice a little drivability, a heads and came setup might be a better choice for cars shooting <450 rwhp.
So...
coolness factor= FI wins
big horsepower setups= FI wins
reliability on mild setups = FI loses
Just my $0.02
Mike
Re: forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc i think about this everyday....its seems that with a h/c setup people see 400-450rwhp and a FI car will see atleast 450rwhp using stock bottom end. what would be faster too a 400rwhp h/c or a 450 FI car. equal everything, i ask because it seems a h/c with 400rwhp is more of a "badass" car than a 450 FI car? what do you guys think?
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TECH Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 10,341
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Re: forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc I had two FI setups on my last car and my current car and went to NA for several reasons.
1) reliability
2) ease of tune
3) no race gas requirement
4) consistent power (I run within 1-2 hundreths back to back)
With the advances in HCI tech now it isn't too hard to get a car running 122-125mph all motor.
With a 100-150 TNT wet kit 130mph in the 1/4 is easy. There aren't too many FI cars making 123mph on a stock bottom end let alone 130mph like HCI cars with small (less than 150 shot)
Chris
1) reliability
2) ease of tune
3) no race gas requirement
4) consistent power (I run within 1-2 hundreths back to back)
With the advances in HCI tech now it isn't too hard to get a car running 122-125mph all motor.
With a 100-150 TNT wet kit 130mph in the 1/4 is easy. There aren't too many FI cars making 123mph on a stock bottom end let alone 130mph like HCI cars with small (less than 150 shot)
Chris
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Verdad Gallardo Re: forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc thanks alot chris, this is what i wanted to hear. i like to know why a person went a certain setup and for what reasons so it will help me make the best decision for my setup.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,339
Likes: 3
From: NYC metro area
Re: forced induction vs. Cam, heads, etc It really depends on what you want.
Forced induction is great for a show car, or if you want to break into the forbidden land under 10's. The way I built up my motor is to eventually have it running in 9s. If I was to be satisfied with 11s, I wouldn't have done a boosted setup.
Forced induction is harder to tune, and less consistant than a naturally aspirated setup with a big cam and ported heads.
Forced induction is great for a show car, or if you want to break into the forbidden land under 10's. The way I built up my motor is to eventually have it running in 9s. If I was to be satisfied with 11s, I wouldn't have done a boosted setup.
Forced induction is harder to tune, and less consistant than a naturally aspirated setup with a big cam and ported heads.
