Im sure that this subject has come up more than a few times. Im new to these cars. Im looking for some extra something to my daily driver a 2012 G37X sedan. I dont have any mechanical upgrades done yet but my plans are to do the entire exhaust headers all the way back, sway bars & new springs & then I know boost is what these cars like. I do not want to have to mess around with the transmission. So with that being said turbo or supercharger? Im well aware Ill have to upgrade cooling systems with either. Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

You've got it all wrong, these cars do NOT like boost. However, if you want to make substantial power with these cars that requires boost and $$$. Wanting to make substantial power out of an automatic transmission is even more costly.

A supercharger is probably the best choice for an automatic transmission as the transmission starts giving out around or below 400whp and that's around the maximum output of a supercharger setup. Another caveat is supercharged cars have the highest rate of blown motors, so keep that in mind as you plan ahead as well.

 

If you have the money, build the transmission and then the engine, then go for a turbo application.

 

just curious what information you have that substantiates this claim... please explain further..

 

^ Hop on over to the z forum and you will find much more information about forced induction than these parts. The design of the superchargers (I'm talking mainly about Stillen as no one really can obtain GTM/Gamma Motors products right now) places the blower behind the MAF sensors. Until recently, the main tuning software has been Uprev which tunes based off of the MAF sensors. Think about that for a second - if you are tuning a vehicle based off of sensors that are before your blower how difficult is that to keep the tables in check? Even cars tuned by Stillen with Uprev have popped their motors.

Perhaps things might change now that Ecutek - which can use the MAP sensor - is gaining more traction with tuners, but that doesn't discount the fact that motors have let go prior to today.

 

are we talking aggressive tuning here... or conservative..
even if off MAF.. does it need to be precise if the margin of error or buffer is larger when tuned conservatively..
in other words... if the tuner is aware of this and makes adjustments.. not lookin to make every ounce of power that is...
run a bit richer to compensate..

is there not a wideband sensor they can use to determine air fuel ratios...

 

^ The latest example I recall is the person took their car to Stillen because they wanted a safe tune and since Stillen makes the kit they should know what is safe. A short time later the motor gave out, even with a conservative tune things can go wrong since the blower is behind the MAF sensors. I never went the supercharger route so I can't speak from personal experience and only by hearsay, but imo it is still a speculation that should be considered.

Yes there are wideband sensors that can be used to determine AFRs, but most people use a flashed software to the factory ECU which means only the stock widebands will be used in the tune. Someone can always use a stand alone unit which can accept/tune on other sensor information, but that is usually more costly and done by those who are searching for more power than a supercharger can output to begin with.

 

stockers are wideband?


you can use wideband sensors to better determine afrs... and use the piggyback system to tune accordingly..

 

Yes the primary o2 sensors can be considered widebands, although some can argue they aren't 'true' widebands. Sure you can use a piggy back to tune as well, but I think that case would be the same as a stand alone unit - most of the people who would do this are probably looking for more power than a supercharger can output. I didn't say there wasn't another way to tune the cars, I was talking about the majority of examples I've seen within the past few years. The majority of the tunes are done using flashed software on the stock ECU, which until recent times have been mostly Uprev.

 

You have the wrong car to be doing FI. It's possible to do turbo or supercharger but you will need built transmission and that alone will cost you an arm and a leg and there's no guarantee of longevity. I suggest trading for a 6MT rwd car before doing any mods.

 

so would it be safe to say then that your initial statement needs to be adjusted as such...



would only add that anything north of 450whp... time for internals

 

Nope, I would stick with my original statement. I would say bad tuning exponentiates that these cars do not like boost in factory form. However, to make substantial power on these cars requires boost and substantial efforts/$$$.

There's quite a few examples of VQ motors with turbos going past 500whp on stock internals, but that doesn't mean every car will. There are always so many variables that determine the end output, some of which you just don't have control over unless things are built/beefed up.

 

VHR engine can safely handle 500hp, it's actually much improved compared to DE and HR.

 

I would believe the pre o2 are more sensitive. I'd like to see the values. Yes they are not true wide band and if you tune off wide make sure your tuner knows your using stock o2 and plan accordingly or plan on having more money.

MoTeC > About Lambda > Overview

 

Don't boost with a 7AT. Just get the typical bolt-ons and a tune. It won't be *****-to-the-wall but will still be very fun.

I have a 2010 xS sedan with Stillen Gen 3 intakes, ERZ high flow cats, Fast Intentions catback exhaust, Hypertech tuner and some suspension/brake mods. It's still a very fun car to drive.