Considering going to Turbo... Nitrous guys i want your opinion
08-26-2009, 12:21 PM
#1
Considering going to Turbo... Nitrous guys i want your opinion This is going to be a fairly long post.
This project has been 3-4 years in the making. Durring that time i've went through a lot of money, suffered from sticker shock, learned things are never as easy as they seem on paper, learned that opinions are only as reliable as the person giving them, and that everyone is right untill press an issue and sort through the bullshit.
I purchased my Camaro bone stock back in 2001. Within the first couple years it went from a bolt on car, to a H/C/Nitrous car. Its been a best of 10.60's @ 130 on the bottle.
Back in roughly 2005... i decided i wanted to go faster, a lot faster. I parked the car and took it entirely apart. Other than a few fasteners and the interior, there isn't much left stock. I wanted a car that could go low-mid 9's and be my daily driver, all while having cold A/C and getting 20+mpg. I also wanted a car that turned heads and made "ooh's and aahs's" when i poped the hood.
The direction i decided to take was a large CI nitrous motor. I contacted the best engine shop i knew of in the area, Bischofs, and had them build me my "dream motor". It was a 418ci LQ4 motor, with the intent to spray it to the moon and back.
90% of my goal has been accomplished. The problem is, somewhere along the way my car quit being fun and became a money pit. It sat from 2006 till mid 2008 while i was buying parts and saving for parts, then i drove it for a couple weeks breaking in the new motor, only to have to pull the transmission back out (thats a seperate story, but its resolved). Its currently still sitting.
Im still a long way away from my low 9 second goals, and i've lost track of why i even started building it in the first place. There is a LOT more involved into spraying 300+hp of nitrous than i originally thought. It will require a very pricey nitrous setup, stand alone fuel system, constant checking and rechecking of the tuneup, constant risk of failures that will lead to varying levels of engine damage... the list goes on and on. As much as i hate to sound lazy or taking the easy way out, i just dont think i can have fun with the car while constantly having to worry about all those things.
I was talking all this over with a friend, and he just so happens to be building a 408 turbo motor. Somewhere along the way, he decided he doesnt' want to shoot for the moon anymore, and just wants a simple N/A setup that he can spray a mild amount to. Basicly i have what he wants, and he has what i have always wanted (a turbo motor).
Im seriously SERIOUSLY considering working out a trade with him. Its a rare opportunity to totally change directions and not be out much money. His motor is unassembled, so im considering simplifying it even more, and selling the 4" crank for a stock one, and selling the 408 pistons for a set specd for a stock crank.
So here is my question i guess. Do you feel going from a 418ci nitrous motor, to a milder 370ci turbo motor with an 88-91mm turbo, would be a step in the right direction?
With my nitrous motor, i have so many parts that i could sell to recoup some money. I could literally have a complete 370 PLUS all the turbo stuff, for what im going to be able to part out my nitrous top end/intake setup for.
I expect the answers to be nitrous biased, but i still want to post it here.
After weeks and weeks, and months and months of research, i just think that i can go just as fast on a modest 370ci 91mm turbo setup, as i could go on my 418ci 300-350hp of nitrous setup... and the turbo setup be considerable easier to manage.
This project has been 3-4 years in the making. Durring that time i've went through a lot of money, suffered from sticker shock, learned things are never as easy as they seem on paper, learned that opinions are only as reliable as the person giving them, and that everyone is right untill press an issue and sort through the bullshit.
I purchased my Camaro bone stock back in 2001. Within the first couple years it went from a bolt on car, to a H/C/Nitrous car. Its been a best of 10.60's @ 130 on the bottle.
Back in roughly 2005... i decided i wanted to go faster, a lot faster. I parked the car and took it entirely apart. Other than a few fasteners and the interior, there isn't much left stock. I wanted a car that could go low-mid 9's and be my daily driver, all while having cold A/C and getting 20+mpg. I also wanted a car that turned heads and made "ooh's and aahs's" when i poped the hood.
The direction i decided to take was a large CI nitrous motor. I contacted the best engine shop i knew of in the area, Bischofs, and had them build me my "dream motor". It was a 418ci LQ4 motor, with the intent to spray it to the moon and back.
90% of my goal has been accomplished. The problem is, somewhere along the way my car quit being fun and became a money pit. It sat from 2006 till mid 2008 while i was buying parts and saving for parts, then i drove it for a couple weeks breaking in the new motor, only to have to pull the transmission back out (thats a seperate story, but its resolved). Its currently still sitting.
Im still a long way away from my low 9 second goals, and i've lost track of why i even started building it in the first place. There is a LOT more involved into spraying 300+hp of nitrous than i originally thought. It will require a very pricey nitrous setup, stand alone fuel system, constant checking and rechecking of the tuneup, constant risk of failures that will lead to varying levels of engine damage... the list goes on and on. As much as i hate to sound lazy or taking the easy way out, i just dont think i can have fun with the car while constantly having to worry about all those things.
I was talking all this over with a friend, and he just so happens to be building a 408 turbo motor. Somewhere along the way, he decided he doesnt' want to shoot for the moon anymore, and just wants a simple N/A setup that he can spray a mild amount to. Basicly i have what he wants, and he has what i have always wanted (a turbo motor).
Im seriously SERIOUSLY considering working out a trade with him. Its a rare opportunity to totally change directions and not be out much money. His motor is unassembled, so im considering simplifying it even more, and selling the 4" crank for a stock one, and selling the 408 pistons for a set specd for a stock crank.
So here is my question i guess. Do you feel going from a 418ci nitrous motor, to a milder 370ci turbo motor with an 88-91mm turbo, would be a step in the right direction?
With my nitrous motor, i have so many parts that i could sell to recoup some money. I could literally have a complete 370 PLUS all the turbo stuff, for what im going to be able to part out my nitrous top end/intake setup for.
I expect the answers to be nitrous biased, but i still want to post it here.
After weeks and weeks, and months and months of research, i just think that i can go just as fast on a modest 370ci 91mm turbo setup, as i could go on my 418ci 300-350hp of nitrous setup... and the turbo setup be considerable easier to manage.
08-26-2009, 07:05 PM
#7
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Im not a huge nitrous guy like you or have the experiance with boost, but I've put maybe 8-10 bottles through my car and im already tired of paying for bottle fills, or being empty when i need it, or the pressure is too low and waiting for the heater, or down here in florida in the summer time, leaving the bottle out of the car because it gets up to 1400psi in the summer months sitting in the spare wheel well in the parking lot, or worrying about a noid sticking. Even after all that, theres something very addicting about the spray, but im still hoping to be boosting one day instead. Make the trade
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08-26-2009, 07:52 PM
#8
Im not a huge nitrous guy like you or have the experiance with boost, but I've put maybe 8-10 bottles through my car and im already tired of paying for bottle fills, or being empty when i need it, or the pressure is too low and waiting for the heater, or down here in florida in the summer time, leaving the bottle out of the car because it gets up to 1400psi in the summer months sitting in the spare wheel well in the parking lot, or worrying about a noid sticking. Even after all that, theres something very addicting about the spray, but im still hoping to be boosting one day instead. Make the trade
08-26-2009, 11:37 PM
#12
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i'd go with what you know the most about. I know just as much about turbo's as I do nitrous but a turbojust isn't in the bidget right now. Later on down the road I will have a nice sized Turbo.......................................and nitrous
08-27-2009, 10:07 PM
#17
Like you said, I think this is a very good chance to change your set-up and not break the bank. You can make some crazy power with a turbo but I hope you don't think it's easy running and maintaining a FI car. Especially one that's going to be making the power you're looking for.
