I'm thinking of putting on and ATI Procharger for next summer. anything I should know? What kind of gains should i look for? Where's the best place to buy one? Anything i have to strengthen in my car?

 

There is alot of info out there. It all depends on your budget, how much power you want to make and whether or not the car will be street driven alot. You may want to start with a search.

 

canadian.id do all the small things first..goin to a blower is a big...step..what i mean by small things are ..cat back exhaust, headers etc..maybe even gears..upgrade your ignition you may need better injectors stock gm ones bind up at high psi...bosch ones id recommend..adjustible fuel pressure regulator....stuff like that...get a new driveshaft...if you have a lt1 etc..ls1's came with a good driveshaft.. look into whether or not its important to get a new maf sensor or a larger throttle body...id do the bolt ons first...then get into a blower..doing the smaill things will net you alot more when ya throw the blower on..just my .02 cents




Steve

 

I'd go ahead and get a blower kit. Wheather it be ATI or Vortech.... A lot of people say the stock motor wont last with any significant amount of boost, but I had good luck with 6psi and totally stock motor. There was something like 10K on it before I rebuilt it (nothing broke....just rebuilt with forged pistons and what not). Personally, I think its a good way to start. get the blower. see how it runs. and make mods as nessesary.

As far as gains: you should be looking at 400 at the wheels with a stock motor and 8psi intercooled.

As far as strengthening.... 10 bolt rears kind of suck. But you should be fine on the street.

-Scott

 

Headers are going to be put on this week, So i'm out of bolt on's just about.

I'm hoping with a supercharger I can run 12's all the time. With that kind of a time I would just leave my car at that.

 

Looking at your sig you may want to address the traction issue before you add that kind of power. Depending on you gains with the headers you may even get a 12.9 or better with some decent traction. A blower should get 12's easy.

 

i am also thinking about supercharging my Z but my goal is more like a daily driver/weekend strip car. they advertise that you can run these kits on a stock LT1, but how long will it actually last? how much boost is safe on a stock motor and how much HP would i be putting to the ground? if it will only last me 30,000 miles then i think i'm better off to go heads/cam.

 

Mine lasted me almost 3k miles. Some last 10 miles some last 10k miles. There is no definate answer to this question. If you cant afford a rebuild, dont buy a blower.
Scott

 

I will only be running 6 psi. that will blow my motor in time? I thought with that little boost I would have no problem with that?

 

My car made 5 psi through an aftercooler. Lt1's dont except boost well w/ stock internals. It is a gamble you have to take, just be prepared for a rebuild. It wont last forever.
Scott

 

Most of the basic kits are designed to be used on a stock motor with no other mods required but anything you can do to help it breath better will give you more horsepower. The motor should last for awhile but there are other factors involved - boost level, condition of the motor when the supercharger goes on and how hard it is driven.

Anything can happen when you use a major power adder but 6-7# is usually safe on an LT1. I know quite a few people that have gone for years with an 8# kit while others have needed to tear down the motor after one season. Extensive hard use (full throttle from [b]every[//b] light) can also lead to motor failure. The ring lands are usually one of the first parts to go in an LT1.

Tom

 

You can run 6-8psi safely but that means a lot of things. A lt1 has too high of compression for boost to start and that kills everything. If u read these posts for a while you will learn what works and what doesn't. The people who have a stock shortblock know what they are doing. But all of them are at low boost and under 450rwhp. Having a scanmaster and putting in octance enchaments are key. You have to know whats going on in the motor. You running on the edge all the time with non-forged internals. The fuel system also is very important. Learn a few more things. you will figure out what you want.

 

I posted the same question a few years ago and after tons of research I decided on an ATI 8lb kit for about $4500 parts and labor. I found it to be about the most "safe" boost for a stock lt1 that you're going to see because of the intercooler.

IMHO, I wouldn't expect to get out of the 13s with just that though. Depending on your budget, you're probably going to eventually want to get rear end gears and bigger injectors in order to add a couple more #s of boost (keep the intercooler running good though).

After that you're going to need tougher pistons which is the position I'm in now You may even just want to bore and stroke the motor to begin with Instead if you know for sure you want to get mid 12s and below which will probably mean high lift cam, heads etc... Well, do lots of research because either way you'll be out some big $$$. Happy hunting

 

There should be no problem getting out of the 13's with a stock motor and boost. My buddy's car went 12.0's with an s-trim 5psi, aftercooled, longtubes and a cc306. That was with a horrible 60 ft time, in a 6 speed car w/ a slipping clutch.
Scott