[Build Thread] -- Journey to 700+ WHP [Supercharger]

[cupcakez]

Thank you Ben. I appreciate your responses
It helps a lot and helps me make my future decisions on what I will do with my vehicle.
Im really glad to hear that there is clearance in our 370 vehicles, and to hear that the v7 head units both fit on the existing stillen bracket that initially came with the v3 head unit.
I cant wait to hear the final results of what was used and what needed to be used / deleted / added / etc.

The piping for it -- I would assume that it just needs to be a little bigger than the previous piping, since the material can still be the same.

Niceee, Im glad to learn a lot

[cupcakez]

*Update*!!!

So my tuner helped me find out some important information regarding 1700x ID and 1300x ID [vs] 1050x ID. He found out that for my current applications -- because I am not running serious power with the current mods I am about to put into my vehicle, it is best I have 1050x ID's rather than 1300x ID or the 1700x ID.

The reason for this is because it is the physical limitation of the injectors.
The minimum amount of fuel will release too much for what my applications are at the moment even at the smallest pulses. ECUtek tuning cannot compensate and control it in this case, and so it is best I go for the 1050x ID's for now.
Once I upgrade to serious power, then it will be appropriate for me to purchase 1300s / 1700s and I can sell the 1050x ID's for cheap to someone else who may need them! Yay!

I also found out I won't be needing an oil cooler just yet, until I start seeing constant temperatures above 220+ (F).

As for a Transmission cooler, I will be putting that to the side as well because I will be replacing the entire transmission with a new custom built one from Level 10 Transmissions sometime next year.

For now I will be running 91 Octane in the beginning when my car is first repaired / upgraded hopefully in late April / Early May!

After it runs smoothly, I will upgrade the fuel system with the CJM S1-SE fuel return system in conjunction with a twin fuel pump, two hydramats, and twin walbro 450 setup.
My tuner said having two fuel pumps will definitely run the fuel a lot hotter which could be a serious issue, so I will have to find some way to keep it cool when running the twin fuel pump module from CJM -- If anyone has any ideas please let me know

Also, my tuner also said the A2A kit will lose some boost pressure being the A2A kit that it is, but that's okay as long as I can run the car safely while still pushing it the furthest it can go,

I spoke to Kyle from IPP regarding upgrading the rev limiter and how to do so with the stage 4, 11.0:1 Compression Ratio engine that I have being built. He suggested I get the ATI stock size pulley if I wanted to do so, and that's what I did -- purchased that pulley yesterday night.

I also found out that the engine harmonics will remain similar to the original stock engine -- so the knock sensitivity does not need to be recalibrated. And I know that our stock 370z engines use I beam rods which is good for higher RPMs, whereas Kyle from IPP uses H beam rods -- so I asked him if it would affect the rev limiter at all and if I should lower it or if it was safe to keep it the same. He said it could stay the same, so that's good.

Hopefully this information is able to help others out there who may be wondering similar / same things either now or in the future!

Thank you for reading!

[G3RSTY7]

Originally Posted by cupcakez

*Update*!!!

So my tuner helped me find out some important information regarding 1700x ID and 1300x ID [vs] 1050x ID. He found out that for my current applications -- because I am not running serious power with the current mods I am about to put into my vehicle, it is best I have 1050x ID's rather than 1300x ID or the 1700x ID.

The reason for this is because it is the physical limitation of the injectors.
The minimum amount of fuel will release too much for what my applications are at the moment even at the smallest pulses. ECUtek tuning cannot compensate and control it in this case, and so it is best I go for the 1050x ID's for now.
Once I upgrade to serious power, then it will be appropriate for me to purchase 1300s / 1700s and I can sell the 1050x ID's for cheap to someone else who may need them! Yay!

I also found out I won't be needing an oil cooler just yet, until I start seeing constant temperatures above 220+ (F).

As for a Transmission cooler, I will be putting that to the side as well because I will be replacing the entire transmission with a new custom built one from Level 10 Transmissions sometime next year.

For now I will be running 91 Octane in the beginning when my car is first repaired / upgraded hopefully in late April / Early May!

After it runs smoothly, I will upgrade the fuel system with the CJM S1-SE fuel return system in conjunction with a twin fuel pump, two hydramats, and twin walbro 450 setup.
My tuner said having two fuel pumps will definitely run the fuel a lot hotter which could be a serious issue, so I will have to find some way to keep it cool when running the twin fuel pump module from CJM -- If anyone has any ideas please let me know

Also, my tuner also said the A2A kit will lose some boost pressure being the A2A kit that it is, but that's okay as long as I can run the car safely while still pushing it the furthest it can go,

I spoke to Kyle from IPP regarding upgrading the rev limiter and how to do so with the stage 4, 11.0:1 Compression Ratio engine that I have being built. He suggested I get the ATI stock size pulley if I wanted to do so, and that's what I did -- purchased that pulley yesterday night.

I also found out that the engine harmonics will remain similar to the original stock engine -- so the knock sensitivity does not need to be recalibrated. And I know that our stock 370z engines use I beam rods which is good for higher RPMs, whereas Kyle from IPP uses H beam rods -- so I asked him if it would affect the rev limiter at all and if I should lower it or if it was safe to keep it the same. He said it could stay the same, so that's good.

Hopefully this information is able to help others out there who may be wondering similar / same things either now or in the future!

Thank you for reading!

Well I am interested how the 11.0 CR goes with the boosted application. I like the idea but am glad you will be leading the example. You mention going RFS with twin pumps etc, but needing smaller injectors because you will be going overkill at the moment? So you will be starting with single pump, returnless fuel system on 1050x and then will switch to twin pump RFS and bigger injectors later on?

[cupcakez]

Originally Posted by G3RSTY7

Well I am interested how the 11.0 CR goes with the boosted application. I like the idea but am glad you will be leading the example. You mention going RFS with twin pumps etc, but needing smaller injectors because you will be going overkill at the moment? So you will be starting with single pump, returnless fuel system on 1050x and then will switch to twin pump RFS and bigger injectors later on?

That's correct.
My tuner recommends that I start off small and then upgrade as each step we take is proven safe & reliable in terms of drive-ability.

I will be starting with the single stock modified stillen supercharger kit pump, returnless fuel system on 1050x which my tuner said would be perfectly fine at the moment.
I will then switch to the twin pump module from CJM and get bigger injectors once I upgrade the supercharger headunit from 928 or Vortech -- since I have triple pulleys sitting in my room waiting and itching to be replaced to upgrade the spinning efficiency -- as this will also increase said boost.

I will then change to flex fuel at the same time getting the CJM S1-SE and probably a 34 row oil cooler to keep temperatures down since I will be running the twin pump with twin walbro 450s.

I will definitely be constantly updating the OP so people can follow the timeline, so pay close attention It is slowly adding things each time I do something such as order a part, receive a part, install a part, etc.

Will include all the ups and downs of this journey leaving nothing out! No filters xD

[cupcakez]

*UPDATE*
I called Vortech Engineering today and asked about the impeller / ceramic bearing upgrade that 928Motorsports provides. Vortech said the cost to upgrade the SCi unit to the SC unit is $306. All they do is replace it with an upgraded impeller. I asked about the ceramic bearing that 928 gives and if Vortech does the same, and they said no.
Then I asked if it had any advantages they know of, and he said no -- at least not any solid data to prove the bearings helped it perform better.

Vortech also said that 928 is not even licensed to perform upgrades on Vortech units, and that they just made their own parts and deemed it so.
Apparently they do not know how to put back the supercharger together properly or take it apart, and if it is done correctly -- then it is done more incorrectly than correctly.
As a result of this, Vortech is receiving "quite a lot" of the 928Motorports blower upgrades for reparations because they break. And they break simply because it is not put back together properly and they do not know what they are doing more than they do know what they are doing.

Guy at Vortech also said he recommends that people do not send it into 928 for the super-vortech premium package upgrade.

I wanted to share this information with the community for anyone thinking of sending it to 928 or not.
If so, just send it into Vortech since they are the ones that built the units in the first place so they should know how to upgrade it properly as well.

Saved me about $1,000 USD, because I was planning to pay a rush order fee, rush shipping, and the whopping $1236 for the premium package upgrade from 928.
Now that I know I only need to spend $306...I can spend that money I was GOING to spend on something else! LOL Such as maybe a CJM S1-SE return fuel system xD

PS -- Also, I live in CA and Vortech HQ is also located in Southern California (I'm in Northern).
I feel a lot more at ease and safe sending it to Vortech HQ rather than 928...which is across the country T_T

[husam2012]

Since you are located in California, are you going to be tuned by SpecialtyZ? If not, I definitely recommend it.

Also, it seems like your tuner might not know much about 370Zs... An oil cooler is a must for a stock car that is driven hard as oil temps reach 250-280 easily in the summer. Add 50% more power and you have a vehicle going into limp mode within a few power pulls.

About Level 10, I would never send my vehicle there after all the failure's I've seen. You have Fast Intentions located in your state.. Why go farther?

For your transmission, a cooler is pretty much mandatory when you boost the car. Heck, some of these transmissions fail with full bolt ons and hard driving. (lots of heat)

[cupcakez]

Well, I've never driven my car in the summer, so it's not my tuner's fault that I declined the Oil Cooler. He /did/ recommend that I get an oil cooler as an absolute necessary thing, but I told him my car is driving 180 - 220 the entire time I've driven it so far.

Then again, I haven't driven it in the summer. I said if I ever see constant 220+ then I will get an oil cooler asap, but as of right now, I'm okay.

Why not send it to FI? Because I don't think that they do Automatic Transmission upgrades..?
A big part of my build is basing it off of Evan's (StillenZ84 user on here) build.
He got the level 10 transmission in his car, and he also drives 7 AT just like I do.
So that is also another reason why I decided to base my build off of his.

Unless FI does Automatic Transmission upgrades for 370zs? I don't know about it haha.

I'm getting my car tuned by someone else. I trust him and although I know seb is the man to go to for 370z tunes, I want to give this person I have been talking to for a while now a try.

I don't doubt his work at all, I know it is superb, but that does not mean I can't find a close or equally close tuner xD Plus the tuner I am talking to is close to me which helps!

I'm also not going to send my vehicle to Level10, I will buy their transmission package and they will send it to my aftermarket mechanic shop I am currently working with to install it.

[husam2012]

Originally Posted by cupcakez

Well, I've never driven my car in the summer, so it's not my tuner's fault that I declined the Oil Cooler. He /did/ recommend that I get an oil cooler as an absolute necessary thing, but I told him my car is driving 180 - 220 the entire time I've driven it so far.

Then again, I haven't driven it in the summer. I said if I ever see constant 220+ then I will get an oil cooler asap, but as of right now, I'm okay.

Why not send it to FI? Because I don't think that they do Automatic Transmission upgrades..?
A big part of my build is basing it off of Evan's (StillenZ84 user on here) build.
He got the level 10 transmission in his car, and he also drives 7 AT just like I do.
So that is also another reason why I decided to base my build off of his.

Unless FI does Automatic Transmission upgrades for 370zs? I don't know about it haha.

I'm getting my car tuned by someone else. I trust him and although I know seb is the man to go to for 370z tunes, I want to give this person I have been talking to for a while now a try.

I don't doubt his work at all, I know it is superb, but that does not mean I can't find a close or equally close tuner xD Plus the tuner I am talking to is close to me which helps!

I'm also not going to send my vehicle to Level10, I will buy their transmission package and they will send it to my aftermarket mechanic shop I am currently working with to install it.

Just trying to help you out from as I've learned from my mistakes and few friend's mistakes on their 370Z builds.

I also wanted to give a chance to this new tuner in my area only to be out of $1000 and having a shitty tune that might of ultimately killed my engine.

My friend had his Level 10 transmission fail at just over 500whp and less than a month of driving.. They also recommended no transmission cooler as their trans is "bulletproof" and here he is without a driving car.

Fast intentions does build transmissions and their reputation proceeds them.
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3Zqz_3LPpg"

I've learned that cutting corners will cost you way more in the long run. Just do it right the first time with the right shop and you will be better off in the long run

[cupcakez]

Originally Posted by husam2012

Just trying to help you out from as I've learned from my mistakes and few friend's mistakes on their 370Z builds.

I also wanted to give a chance to this new tuner in my area only to be out of $1000 and having a shitty tune that might of ultimately killed my engine.

My friend had his Level 10 transmission fail at just over 500whp and less than a month of driving.. They also recommended no transmission cooler as their trans is "bulletproof" and here he is without a driving car.

Fast intentions does build transmissions and their reputation proceeds them.
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3Zqz_3LPpg"

I've learned that cutting corners will cost you way more in the long run. Just do it right the first time with the right shop and you will be better off in the long run

I just gave FI a call and asked about their 7 AT rebuilds...he said they only do that WITH their Twin Turbo package. If not, then they won't do it. They contract out to a local shop to do it for them but ONLY WITH their TT package.

So he recommended me to level 10 straight away lol, I was like uhhh...sir I heard people saying horror stories come from there but he said nah they for one, order the Flex Billet Plates from FI at times, and two, they are the best around as far as he knows when it comes to Automatic Transmission rebuilds.

I told him oh okay well they also send out the parts to the customer if they wanted to and they can either put it in themselves or have a professional aftermarket shop install it.

He said he was very surprised that they even do that because even FI said they will not touch in putting in transmissions for cars because he said too many things could go wrong.

Your tuner probably didn't have a masters' in Computer Science and prooobably wasn't titled a Master Tuner from ECUtek, haha or was he? O_O
My tuner is giving me 200% support and is willing to drive to my area (about an hour away for him) to tune the car, fine tune it, and make it close to perfect after we get the vehicle running.

He wants me to data log it weekly for him so we can fine-tune it over time.
Also he has a Masters' in Computer Science & just recently became a Master Tuner by ECUtek.

He takes a ton of pride in his customers and even though he is new to the tuning world, I have ton of faith that he will do really well with how he treats his customers (me being one of them), xD

I can always ask Seb for a 2nd opinion if anything as well since I know he is pretty much 6 hours away from me (driving). I'm in good hands both ways

[cupcakez]

*2nd Update Today* -- Informational!!!

So I gave Vortech a call asking if they upgrade the SCi blowers the same way 928 does.
They said the cost to upgrade the SCi to an SC is $306. You pay at the end, a lady will call you and ask for your payment information and you pay over the phone that way.
The upgrade that they service to is to replace the impeller with a better one that makes it a v3 SC blower.

I asked if they would take 928 parts and upgrade the blower that way with 928 parts but they said no -- that they only will do it with their parts only. I asked why, and he said because if the blower fails they don't want that to happen, I said well that would be the customer's fault and the customer's discretion as to them asking you guys to put it in or not.

Makes you kind of wonder are they only doing things for customers only or do they care about helping others at the same time? I mean, if I was a business, I would install it for them if they wish, as long as they sign something saying anything that goes wrong is not their fault afterward lol.

As for 928Motorsports, I read a full thread that had Car (The owner of 928) defend his company against someone who was crap talking them because he believed that they messed up his blower. So someone told Carl about the thread and how he was maliciously attacking 928, and Carl joined in and defended him and his company very well.
He asked if the guy could send in his blower to have 928 look at it to see the actual causes but all the guy would show is an ebay listing of pictures and how bad the blower parts looked lol.

Long story short -- he would refuse to send it to them for whatever reason which makes you wonder he probably has something to hide and is not willing to give into whatever that may be.

I want to send in my blower to 928 over Vortech because I trust Carl based on what I have researched and read. I believe they firmly stand behind their work and also some of the highest WHP supercharged Z's on this forum have had their blowers done by 928.

So in saying that, the cost of 928 is:
$1229 Base Pay + $36 Shipping + $30 additional optional rush order fee = $1295 USD.
The turn around time is about 2 weeks from the day the customer ships it and to the day it gets back to the customer.

I will give them a shot and send in my blower sometime next week (Probably Wed or Thursday) and hopefully get it back before May hits so it could be coming in at roughly the same time my engine does.

I will definitely keep you all updated on my journey and continuously upgrade the timeline as well.

================================================== ================
*Update 3 for Today*
I updated the OP regarding my tuner. It has all of his contact information on there and a bit of background information on him.
He isn't well known but I believe he is a very strong tuner and he has some unique qualities about him that made me give him a shot.
Originally I was set in stone going to Seb for my tune but I decided to give Eugene a shot and see how things go from there.
Seb has an excellent reputation already, and I know that I am in good hands with him if I went to him, however I decided to try someone who isn't very well known but whose customer service & support caught my attention (on top of the fact that he is 1 hour away from me and willing to visit me...to tune it which is unique IMO).

He does know a lot about 370z and Infiniti, and all about auto mechanical engineering and the ins and outs of why this and why that. Sometimes the information he provides to me is over the top of my head but I still try my best to understand, as one of his unique qualities is to educate his customers as best as possible about the tuning which I think a lot of tuners in the US don't do.

[turtle64b]

Hey, before you send it off to them, maybe look at trading it in to Vortech for the V-7! It can spin faster and push more flow than stock. Sure it can't spin as fast as theoretically possible with the 928 build, but you get more flow with the safety net of Vortech's warranty on their work. Just a thought!

Also, get an oil cooler!!!! haha

I picked up a 34-row relatively cheap and oil temps are great!

[cupcakez]

Where did you and how much was your 34 row cooler

If I get a v7 I cant use topz a2a kit. Means either I sell it to someone or, not lol.
Also, It isnt within my budget yet to get a v7
As much as I want to, unless the trade in value is not a lot and within like 1500 usd + the blower itself, i wont get a v7. or i can sell the a2a kit get 1500 back and trade in blower still be willing to spend 1500 that was gna go toward 928, that is also a possibility.

Does vortech do trade ins...? I only have about 6k miles on the SC lmao

I think they dont take v3 SCi superchargers that I can find...it only takes v1s it looks like and v2s?

Maybe Im tripping lol, I may call them and ask.

Also, you said the 928 upgrade is theoretically better than a v7 ysi? no way haha I would think the v7 ysi is better than the v3 sci 928 premium upgrade no? or am i tripping again lol

[milkcow500]

So I'm actually swapping out my v3 for a V7 in the next week or two. Here's some things I learned from all my research.

Be very careful when listening to info provided by these supercharger companies. It's a very small market and it seems like they all like to keep things to themselves. I've had Vortech, 928, and Superchargerrebuilds all trash talk each other, which didn't give me much confidence in the industry in general.

Vortech is only interested in selling new units or doing trade ins, which is not worth it imo. I've seen harsh mixed reviews on both 928 and SCR, so I can see how it's difficult for people to decide where to send their business. To be frank, rebuilding a supercharger is not difficult. There's even full PDF guides in how to rebuild a V3/V7 you can get off other forums.

You can use the V7 with Topgunz's kit. You will need to use a different filter though, since there's less clearance and it has a larger volute (4" vs 3.5"). Here's the deal with the V3 vs V7. You want to pick which blower will suite your power needs (For efficiency sake). If you are finalizing on somewhere around Evan's power range, then a built V3 will be much better suited. You'll also have better power under the curve. Reliability issues start becoming a coin flip once you start overspinning the blower though, so keep this in mind. This is mainly because of the closed loop setup and the oil slinger being fragile. The V7 does not utilize an oil slinger.

Buy used and private sell your V3 if you are looking go this route. I bought a slightly damaged V7 for a fraction of the cost of the blower NIB. Play the waiting game and pick up a good deal. Lurk around on ebay and the mustang/corvette forums.

Best of luck.

[cupcakez]

Originally Posted by milkcow500

So I'm actually swapping out my v3 for a V7 in the next week or two. Here's some things I learned from all my research.

Be very careful when listening to info provided by these supercharger companies. It's a very small market and it seems like they all like to keep things to themselves. I've had Vortech, 928, and Superchargerrebuilds all trash talk each other, which didn't give me much confidence in the industry in general.

Vortech is only interested in selling new units or doing trade ins, which is not worth it imo. I've seen harsh mixed reviews on both 928 and SCR, so I can see how it's difficult for people to decide where to send their business. To be frank, rebuilding a supercharger is not difficult. There's even full PDF guides in how to rebuild a V3/V7 you can get off other forums.

You can use the V7 with Topgunz's kit. You will need to use a different filter though, since there's less clearance and it has a larger volute (4" vs 3.5"). Here's the deal with the V3 vs V7. You want to pick which blower will suite your power needs (For efficiency sake). If you are finalizing on somewhere around Evan's power range, then a built V3 will be much better suited. You'll also have better power under the curve. Reliability issues start becoming a coin flip once you start overspinning the blower though, so keep this in mind. This is mainly because of the closed loop setup and the oil slinger being fragile. The V7 does not utilize an oil slinger.

Buy used and private sell your V3 if you are looking go this route. I bought a slightly damaged V7 for a fraction of the cost of the blower NIB. Play the waiting game and pick up a good deal. Lurk around on ebay and the mustang/corvette forums.

Best of luck.

Thanks so much for your feedback!
I just found a shop right now saying they are willing to take on the job to rebuild the v3 sci for me as long as I can provide them with the parts and the isolated head unit.

I told him its from 928motorsports and I am looking for a shop to replace the bearings and impeller with upgraded ones.

He says he never done a supercharger rebuild before because his shop does turbo rebuilds, not superchargers.
He said if I can provide him with the PDF file for help and the parts from 928 as well as the head unit itself, he is willing to take on the job.

He does not know the price to charge as he needs to look it up in the service manual for prices lol.

Now I have 2 choices:
1) Purchase 928 upgrade package and have them ship it to me, and I give it to this shop to rebuild.

2) Send in the headunit straight to 928 have them rebuild it and send it back.

What to do....
I would assume he is more than capable of doing it because he is experienced in rebuilding turbochargers.
.and said superchargers are much more simpler.

What do you guys think? Ideas?

[milkcow500]

If he has a good rep and knows how to rebuild a turbo, then he should have no issues.

I know there's a pdf floating around for the V3, but I don't remember where it is. You can have him refer to this one in the meantime: http://www.starrland.com/supercharge...%202-22-08.pdf