Recommended setting is based on the amount of boost you are setup for and how much vacuum is being produced at idle. If the setting is too soft you will suffer from the Hyundai Genesis syndrome (seemingly making boost at idle/fluttery bov operation). Also the piston may not be able to remain closed at idle. If it's set too hard, the valve will not open enough (or at all in some cases). If this happens you will incur compressor surge.

So basically you want to start at the softest setting and with the car running, turn the tension up a bit passed the point where the piston remains closed at idle. Then have a friend rev the car and make sure that the valve opens during the vacuum fluctuations and you're set.

Thanks,
Steven Watson
StevenW@motionlabtuning.com

Ok cool makes some sense but you can't adjust that easy with the stillen kit with out having to take the intake completely off. Also I'm not understanding what compressor surge is either?

Hello Alex ...

Thanks for this post ...

I did almost the same thing with a few exceptions :
Most notably was not including the Turbosmart and the catback exhaust.
I have long tube headers instead of the Test Pipes.
I've had the stock Stillen SC'r on the car for 3 years and 30k+ miles.
Sent the SC'r back to Vortech for the complete rebuild.
The motor has 57k miles on it and was driven without malice.

The build was done locally here in NJ by a reputable tech ...

Picked up the car even though it had a few minor issues ... Cold Start which the tech said attributed to the injectors and he could tune out once I had some miles on the car.
Some throttle hunting and a few stalls also were there.

The tune yielded 483 whp and 378 tq @ 11.9 psi


Drove it a couple of hundred easy miles to break everything in ...
Checked the shop guru's to see if it was OK to take it to the drag strip.

Got the Go Ahead.

Arrived at the strip with a plan of running 4 passes making some adjustments along the way ... easing in to a full on pass.

1st pass I hit the rev limiter going in to 3rd ... a new shift light and it needed some adjustment ...

The pass went fairly well --- Until I went thru the traps at the top in 4th and 116mph.

Then I instinctively looked in the rear view mirror as I was about to brake.

Just as I lifted off the accelerator there was that ominous blue cloud of smoke coming from my pipes ...

That was the end of the day and the car is now back in the shop...

I'm looking at a new motor now ... but I still can't figure out what went wrong ... and certainly don't want to have this reoccur ...
The run was video'd by a spectator and it clearly showed the blue smoke AFTER the brakes ... none going down the track.
Search YouTube 370Z & Smoke for the pass ...

I have read many posts before committing to this upgraded build.

Any idea as to why the motor let go AFTER the pass as I lifted off the accelerator ???

Just need to be educated and pointed in the right direction ...

Thanks,

Thanks for checking out our work! I'll send you a message here as there is a lot to go over in this post. Talk to you soon!

Thanks,
Alex Goodwin
AlexG@motionlabtuning.com

Just a heads up for all following this thread ...
Alex at Motion Labs was a supporting force for my build ... a build that wasn't actually done at his shop.
It is an incredible testament to his credibility and concern for all of us 'Z' drivers to say the least.
Sometimes things just don't go according to plan when it comes to custom builds, and I am thankful for his input, experience, and willingness to smooth my ruffled feathers and mop up after a catastrophic failure such as I had experienced...
It says a lot about your character and dedication to us'n fellow enthusiasts!

:tiphat: Hats off to You !!!

Thank you, we are always happy to help a fellow enthusiast! Best of luck with continuing your project! We saw great results out of the Wiseco 9:1 pistons on a Vortech upgraded Stillen supercharged car not long ago. The additional timing in the mid range transformed how the car felt on the road. That combined with some high octane fuel or methanol injection would be pretty awesome! We only did pump gas while he was here so I would love to see results with better fuel!

Thanks,
Alex Goodwin
AlexG@motionlabtuning.com

Great post with lots of useful information. Awesome work guys :)

NP man, thanks for checking out our results! Just PM me if you have any questions you need help with.

Thanks,
Alex Goodwin
AlexG@motionlabtuning.com

:tup:

Fantastic work as always Alex!