Well, I like most nuts on this site, have been thinking of what would be the best way to go about adding more power to my DD 04 C5 Z06.

My goals are to have a DD mid 500rwhp car trapping in the low 130s @ the 1/4, that is very reliable and durable.

All the car has at the moment is LG pro LTs, Borla Stinger CB, Halltech Intake and tune.

I have thought about just every different way to make power: Bolt ons, H/C combos, aftermarket/built egines, nitrous, FI.......

Im leaning towards FI being the best way to go about it and be done with it but I have some questions to ask before hand....

1-What is the best (most efficient and reliable) head unit available for a centri supercharger system that would prolong the life of a stock bottom end LS6? Procharger, Vortech, Paxton?

2-What are the advantages to having a self contained unit vs. not?

3-What are the advantages of a restrictor plate and how does it work?

4-How about comparing the TT set ups vs the superchargers? Pros and cons?

5-What are some of the things to watch out for while DDing a FI set up?

6-How would meth injection work with FI? Pros and cons?

Im sure that I will have more questions come up but that is all I have for now, thanks in advance to whom ever takes the time to share some experience and knowledge..

 

Stick with A&A or ECS, both are great companies. TT is a good option too but if you only want 500 whp I think a SC is a less complicated solution.

Definitely do meth injection, it will prolong the life of your motor.

Advantages of a self contained unit is you don't need to run oil lines, it doesn't use engine oil.

What part of the world do you live in? I lived in Colorado too long so I don't know how much power it takes to trap 130 at a normal elevation.

 

.....

 

another question...

7- What would be the internal parts of a stock LS6 to worry about (weak spot) as the power levels increase?

 

The stock pistons are what you have to worry about, more specifically the ring lands.

Honestly all the headunits are very good. 550 whp is not that much, pretty much anything on the market can make that power with ease.

As for the meth, it gets injected into the intake and by doing so it increases octane and cools down the intake air temperatures.

As for self contained, one isn't really better than the other, just depends on what you want. V3 Vortech's and Prochargers are self contained, I think the Novi is but don't quote me on that.

 

1-What is the best (most efficient and reliable) head unit available for a centri supercharger system that would prolong the life of a stock bottom end LS6? Procharger, Vortech, Paxton?

Little rumor has it that if you try and turn each of the units by hand, the vortech is the easiest. So I think that would make it less streesful on the motor

2-What are the advantages to having a self contained unit vs. not?

There really isn't an advantage. Most don't want to tap into their oil pan and having a self contained unit makes it possible. It can be kind of a pain to do this. Only possible downside is that you would have to seperatly change the oil in the unit. You can't just do an oil change and have fresh oil.

3-What are the advantages of a restrictor plate and how does it work?

Restrictor plate can serve a double purpose. It is intended to be used when you have to much boost from your pulley combo. It allows you to kind of control the amount of boost you see on the top end of the rpm range. What's great about it is that you gain a lot of power and torque down low as if you had a small pulley on, but it restricts it on the top end. The reason it doubles is you could use it on purpose to try and get more power down low, but it would just be a waste of money. (I believe I explained this correctly. Could be wrong.)

4-How about comparing the TT set ups vs the superchargers? Pros and cons?

TT set ups or turbo set ups in general can be very complicated. Most require a lot of custom fabrication and a lot more goes into them behind the scenes than most know. A supercharger is simple and can be installed in a single weekend for the most part.

5-What are some of the things to watch out for while DDing a FI set up?
I wouldn't say there is much to watch out for. The cars are subtle when not in boost it's really hard to believe that you have a beast ready at will. You always want to be sure that you have meth if you use it and you always kind of want to keep a watch on the A/F ratio. That can be difficult depending on the power and how well you are adapted to it. Sometimes your main concern is the road ahead of you and staying on it

6-How would meth injection work with FI? Pros and cons?

Milan stated this well - It gets injected into the intake and by doing so it increases octane and cools down the intake air temperatures.

Just make sure you fill it every so often and keep a supply of it. It's like nitrous. Depending on your tune, without it, your nothing. It will surely help to make the motor last longer and can also be a bandaide to lack of fuel requirements.

7- What would be the internal parts of a stock LS6 to worry about (weak spot) as the power levels increase?

Milan also stated this well - The stock pistons are what you have to worry about, more specifically the ring lands.

This is true and is a toss up with every motor. 95% of the time you will be ok up to around 600rwhp with a proper tune. Don't skimp on who tunes your car. That question is just as important as all the rest.

 

Self contained superchargers are nice for three reasons in my eyes. 1. They don't require the extra clutter and possible leaks of tapping a new feed and return line. It is also possible to get a restricition in this line and restrict oil flow to the unit. 2. Catastrophic internal failure of the supercharger may allow pieces back into the engine where it could do more damage. 3. Extra heat from the supercharger degrades the engine oil more quickly than usual. Possibly requiring more frequent oil changes.

I would go self contained.

 

Then again, I hear the oil in a self contained unit just kinda sits there and doesnt really circulate. Thus not cooling the head unit as well. Also read that the life expectancy of the head unit is lower than externally oil fed as well. Pros and cons for each really.I think its easier to change the engine oil twice a year for fresh oil for the blower too. Sawbladz, if installed properly the chance of leaks is nill. Your reason number 2 is about as likely as your first.

 

turbos

 

I agree they are unlikely scenarios but they were the possible drawbacks I could think of. I always changed the supercharger oil in my M90 twice a year and it was likely more difficult since it didn't have a proper drain. Even with no drain I could do it in under 10 min.

 

A&A or ECS kits is what you want. Meth injection is also something smart to add. Both kits can make a great DD.

I added a A&A kit to my 04 years ago and had no problems with the engine holding the power. In the end, I ran the car with 13lbs of boost at 650rwhp for a few years. My best at the track with it was a 9.95 @138. I pulled the motor because I wanted more power....

Make sure you have a good installation of the kit and have a reputable tuner tune the car.

 

Zyborg.....you need to come see me man,... we'll talk in person. You can get ALOT of great info here but,..some opinions are biased and some are confusing. I'm local to you,..i've done the big three(nitrous/blower/turbos)... I can giveyou an honest opinion of each,..pro's,..con's... unlike the majority of these people,..I know your intent with the vehicle,...and the amount of DUTY your going to put through the car and on the system. trust me,..I put my car through the same rigors you put on yours.... and I daily drove it for years.

I'm gonna send you a pm dude,..with my number,..i'm not a salesman,..I don't have anything to sell,.. just some open honesty about your questions. You can use it or not,... totally up to you.

 

Everyone forgot to mention about belt slippage problems on stater kits and belt aligment problems. Don't forget to have a spare belt handy in case you do break one, but you probably won't be able to change it on the road. You break a belt, you tow it.

 

Andy's brackets dont have those issues!

 

ZYBROG don't call this guy he doesnt know s**t


Give him a call for sure he will help you out and maybe he can give you ride in his beast..

 

For your needs a SC is a no brainer. I'd do an oil feed but consult A&A or ECS. Add meth. Your tune is critical. You may want to consider MAF and non meth dependent tuning. Add a Walbro and BAP with guages.

 

Turbos

 

Many of your questions have been answered very thouroughly already, but here is a small write in regards to our supercharging system, feel free to give us a call if you would like to discuss anything more in length.

Naturally each individual manufacturer feels their kit is the "best out there", and we are certainly no different. However I ask you to take the time to do some research on the purchase you are about to make. We would be happy to do a part to part break down of the top kits available, what you will find is that we switch more individuals from other kits to our brackets then any other manufacturer, we have manufactured the parts that are on most of the fastest supercharged Corvettes, (including the fastest supercharged Corvette) we offer greater TQ then any other centrifugal design, the most belt wrap of any kit, the easiest belt changes of any kit, and simply make what we feel is by far the highest quality supercharger system on the market today for your vehicle.

The greatest pros to our kit are: 1) a bigger head unit capable of over 1,000 hp, and 8 second qtr mile times. The Novi 2000 in the base kit will flow 1400cfm. No other C5 system has gone faster. None.
We also offer the kit with self contained head units using either the Novi 1500, 2200, and the oil fed YSI.



2) ECS kits have a upgraded belt system. ECS has upgraded steel, double bearing idlers and vs plastic idlers and comes with a fixed idler kit that replaces the weak ps/alt idler. They are already eight rib ready, so if you chose to upgrade down the line, your just changing Balancer-alt-PS-and head unit pullies. The head unit is already spaced correctly, and wouldnt even need to be removed to change the head unit pulley.



3) HD belt tensioner vs a relocated stock tensioner (and the kit comes with a tensioner tool)



4) Our ECS kit comes new radiator cradle which optimally positions the large Intercooler and radiator for more airflow, no other kit on the market has an intercooler as large as the ECS kit. We also make our intercoolers in house, so no China cheapy intercoolers in this kit!



5) 4 inch 6061 aluminum ducting from IC to throttle body, with 4 ply silicone hoses with T-bolt clamps.


6) Base Kit comes with a valve cover breather, and a catch can, and everything necessary for a COMPLETE install thats ready for real usage. Most of our customers do not take their cars to the track, but knowing that we have personally been there with our customers for years, lets you know that the kit is made heavy duty, and ready for anything you can throw at it. Some companies have zero personal track time on their own kit, but I can say first hand that we are the ones who would have to answer right then and there if it was not up to heavy usage par.



7)Lifetime, cleanable air filter and a 4 in polished inlet duct.



8) restrictor plate that helps increase low end HP and torque, while keeping the top end safe from over boosting.

9) Track Records: ECS holds pretty much every SC qtr mile record. Fastest SC'd C5 (or C6 for that matter) 8.46 @ 158, Fastest SC's stock bottom LS1: 9.73@143, Fastest Stock Bottom LS6 9.75@143.... not that track records are everything, but they prove the systems work under extreme conditions. The systems have logged thousands and thousands of street miles tho. and as far as I know, we are the only mfg to even attempt doing this with a sc'd C5.





Down side? Cost. Our systems cost more, but you get more. You get the parts that most end up purchasing after the install once they found out why we include it from the start. Plus if your like most people who go SC'd you're going to do a lot of upgrades down the line for more power and reliability. With our kits most of your upgrades are built in. Look around the forums.... very few people put a kit on and never upgrade anything else.

You will also find that even though we have well over 1000 ECS kits on the road today, it is very rare that you will see one for sale.

If you want more info feel free to give me a call at the shop. 609-752-0321


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Thanks for the tips, advice and opinions.

Jamie, I will be hitting you up as soon as I take care of some things...

Thanks

 

I ordered an SC600 Novi 2K from ECS, only the best goes on my car! All should be done by April 1st, I'll post up my numbers when I can

I did my Homework and ECS has the best SUPERCHARGER IMO!!!!!!!!!!