First off sorry for posting so much here lately. The s/c is coming, no turning back. I am soooo scared (and from what I read I should be) that I'm gonna blow the motor up. I am getting a Vortech S-Trim. I have a completely stock motor. What can I do to be safe. I know I know..."not put it on" that's just not an option. I want a blower so bad, and just am taking some HUGE chances. I have worked hard for my money but it's almost gone after the install and everything. So if it blows I'm seriously screwed. What can I do to be as safe as possible. I think I am gonna get a different pulley so I don't run over 5 pds. Retard the timing a lot...and try to run rich. What's your advice guys?? Again, try to treat this like not putting it on is an option, to me it's not. Thanks for your suggestions on what I can do. I want the blower, but I also like my motor!

 

I know how you feel man, realy I do. The first thing You should know is as soon as you put it on, I would start saving for the rebuild. Did your s-trim come with an aftercooler?, if not I would seriously consider one especially on a stock motor. There really isnt a safe tune that will not keep you from blowing up the motor or messing up a ring land. As you have read people have been blowing up stock motor after 1000 miles of driving and that with a "safe" tune. So I can say is get it tuned and hope for the best. Good luck

 

Basically, you can tune the car to have zero knock... knock is what kills engines, not boost. However, even with zero knock, the added stress you are putting on the engine in boost something along the valvetrain will break if a ring land doesn't... just take really good care of it, don't do anything stupid, and don't drive it like a formula 1 race car and you should be okay for a while. Honestly, driving around on the street I rarely see boost. Unless I feel like entering the freeway in style or something...

 

I am adding a S-trim in a few weeks as well, the one thing I have been trying to get for sure is an intercooler to limit my chances of detontation when the car is hot and the blower is pumping in hot air. Like you though I must have the supercharger

"Already putting money aside for an ARE 396 and D-1"

 

I *highly* recommend spending the money for a wideband O2 system, and to have an extra bung welded into you exhaust system for the sensor. That way you can avoid running lean, which generates a lot of heat, which can weaken the pistons.

Don't give into temptation by cutting back the boost timing retard. Factory tuning allows for quite a bit of advance, more than you should run under boost. Too much advance leads to detonation, which can destroy a piston before you can lift.

A safer approach is to buy tuning software for your PCM and redo the WOT timing curve. That way you won't be tempted to fool with the boost timing retard **** when a turbo'd Honda is rev'ing next to you at the light.

Your odds of survival go way up if you *never* lean out and *never* detonate.