Procharger vs turbo kit for a 3.8/3.9 liter

[raging_waters]

I recently made a similar thread to this but I keep going back and forth on what I want my decision to be. I decided that if I get a supercharger it will be a procharger since I wouldn't need hood clearance (from what I understand) and if not then ima go turbo. I know that either way I'd need an intercoolor and to beef up my car but what is the specific list of mods I'd need? I've searched a lot of threads and sites and the answers are kinda scattered. Some people say this and others say this. I know a turbo would be more powerful gains but I heard superchargers are more cheaper. What I'm asking is which one would need what mods to support it such as engine internals, fuel injectors, certain tubing etc?

 

[fasterthanyou]

The supporting mods needed for both power adders are the same. You will need fuel injectors that flow more fuel than the stock injectors depending on your power goals. You will need an intercooler if you're running more than, say, 5psi? It really depends on air charge Temps but the lower your air charge Temps the less chance of detonation/knock. Detonation = no bueno. You will need a fuel pump that flows more than stock. Most people use a walbro 255lph since they're cheap, reliable and a drop in replacement for the stock Pump. A tune is required for both power adders as well. So really the question is about power goals and cost. A procharger p1sc is cheap, easy to install and gets 250whp or so. A quality turbo setup is not cheap, not easy to install compared to a procharger but it is much easier to gain power if you use a good turbo that is a good size for your engine. Turbos are more efficient at making power at the same boost level as a p1sc on our cars.

Also I just remembered that a supercharger puts more stress on the engine internals than a turbo. A lot of people have gotten away with making 350-400whp on a stock 3.8 with a turbo. You'll never get that much from a supercharger on a stock motor without throwing a rod through the oil pan.

 

[raging_waters]

OK so the only stuff I'd need is what you mentioned? No specific exhaust? Or fabrication? And what mods could I use to reduce turbo lag or provide low end torque? I have in mind 3.73 gears, a tuner, LSD, and maybe an exhaust (I don't know what kind to get).

 

[fasterthanyou]

Are you going turbo or centri?

For SC stick with stock exhaust manifolds, get an off road x pipe and Flowmaster out back. A few people are curently selling exhaust parts in the classifieds. Stock exhaust manifolds won't be a restriction with a p1sc supercharger.
I've never personally used a centri blower so I can't say for sure every little detail that is needed for installation but with a vortech I know you will need to bend/make ac lines if you wanted to keep the a/c functional. Also you will need to drill and tap you oil pan for an oil drain line from the supercharger.
You will need to drill and tap the pan for a drain line for a turbo as well (in most cases anyways).

Fab work for a supercharger is minimal in relation to a turbo setup. Most people use tma turbo kits. They're fairly priced for the amount of stuff you get. He doesn't use 304 stainless and he mig welds instead of tig. So the kits aren't exactly pretty. But totally functional. If you want to go turbo I'd suggest tma. Send him some emails and see what fab work is involved with his stuff.

Overall the basic supporting mods you'll need for a centri are fuel pump. Fuel injectors. Tune. Piping and couplers. Oil feed/return lines for the blower and a wideband o2 sensor/gauge. I suggest lm-1 for a wideband because they're accurate and inexpensive around 200 bucks for a new style one. As a general rule of thumb, if your afr goes higher than 11.6 in boost get off the throttle or you risk melting a piston. A few factors play into that but overall 11.6 is a safe ratio in boost.

 

[fasterthanyou]

A 2 step helps with low end torque lol. If you want low end torque go with an m112 setup. That is assuming you have split port heads/intakes. Or.. nitrous helps with low end torque. There's always a tradeoff between the 3 different power adders. You gotta decide between the pros and cons for which form of forced induction you want. And I'll leave this thread at that

 

[raging_waters]

Thanks, this is very helpful to me. I'm leaning more on a single turbo but if I can get a supercharger Cheap enough I'll go that route as long as don't need a new hood lol. What's yals take on used kits?

 

[Archion]

One major thing, always when you add moar go, you have to add more whoa. Always consider your brakes, they are the same as a stock GT. If you are going over GT power levels, consider upgrading them.