Another S/C vs. Turbo thread

[Clement]

Hey, so after reading a few threads about s/c vs. turbos, I've come to conclude that s/c are more reliable but turbos produce more power at the expense of lag.

Okay first question, how big is the difference in reliability? Won't the reliability of the car go down if you s/c it anyway? If so, by how much approximately?

Then.. what's the max whp you can achieve with a s/c with basically all the mods you can possibly get that are reasonable? Also, isn't first gear like useless after you s/c your tC for daily driving since I assume most people switch gears at 3-4k rpm. If that's not right, then please do correct me. Because I was thinking that the turbo might be better since the turbo lag won't really affect your first and second gear and it produces more power, but the only thing keeping me from getting a turbo is that you still get the warranty with the TRD Supercharger.

The only thing I don't like about the s/c is that the increase in performance is much lower than with a turbo, or so it seems. From the way things look, I'm most likely going to stick with the TRD S/C just because my dad bought me this car, and although I'm going to use my own money to pay for all the extras, I don't want to wreck my car until I get one for myself.

[navylife59]

Decision should start with what the intended use is for. Drag racing will benefit from a large turbo system. Street brawl'n and daily driving works best with smaller/quicker spool'n turbos. S/C is more conducive to daily driving, towing, and road racing.

Longevity and reliability are based off of quality and the skill of the installer. Turbos are more complex, thus costly and more in need of expert install/tuning. The TRD is all setup to go and will net you around 240WHP @ 10PSI and supporting mods.

[Clement]

looks like supercharging is the way to go for me then, since I'll most likely only be using this for daily driving for a while.

I thought the TRD S/C only boosts you up to 200hp though? Where did you get 240 from? Or is that with other mods? and if so, what other mods can I get with a s/c?

[navylife59]

9PSI pulley, full 2.5" custom exhaust,LWcrank pulley, and e-manage netted me a conservative tune of 228.4WHP on 89 octane. A few guys have hit 230~240WHP on up to 10PSI. Add water/meth or other intercooler for an even larger gain.

[Clement]

oh sounds good.. how much would that cost me exactly? And I don't think I'll be using any custom parts haha.. I'd like to try reach up to 230whp without voiding warranty if that's possible.

What parts would I need? I heard I/H/E but then there's no point in having an intake if you s/c your car anyway right?

[navylife59]

'05-'06 TRD S/C manual will run about $1850. The S/C pulley about $120. The LW pulley $99. The GReddy Blue about $200. Custom exhaust like mine was $700.

[Clement]

well I have an '09 and they're charging $3200 including installation at the dealer, but apparently if I call the guy who sold the car to me I can get it at the discount price, although that's obviously still a lot more than $1850.

I'm not supposed to get both the S/C and the LW pulley right? I assume I should get the S/C pulley since I intend to S/C the car? How much would a non custom exhaust cost approximately?

thanks for the help btw. much appreciated

[navylife59]

You can run a LW crank pulley with the S/C with no problems. Just make sure that it is not underdriven. Once you have the S/C, then you can install a smaller (more boost) S/C pulley. Be forewarned that it will be a booger changing this pulley as TRD puts a tamper proof bolt on the S/C pulley. It can be removed with some work.

The exhaust costs depend on what you are upgrading, ie header, s-pipe, mid-pipe, muffler. You will have to decide what you want to replace, how much you want to spend, then find the parts that match your budget. Be sure to spend the extra for quality parts. You don't won't to skimp on the exhaust.

[Clement]

oh alright.. why would I need to change the pulley?

As for the exhaust, do all of those parts actually increase performance? I'm not looking to just make my car sound really loud or anything like that, I mean I might get a body kit if I really feel like it to make it look nicer, but that isn't looking all that likely either.

[bwood87]

You do not need to change the pulleys, but the aftermarket pulleys weigh less so you are improving the efficiency of your engine in regards to putting power to the wheels. As for the second pulley he mentioned, the one for the supercharger, will make the S/C spin faster creating more boost. I think NST has a 9.5 and a 14PSI pulley. I do not think you need a different belt for these because of the tensioner.

Almost anything that you replace on your exhaust will make it more powerful. Anything that has a bend in it is a good thing to replace since stock exhausts are crush bent not mandrel bent. Changing the exhaust will make it sound different, but mainly the resonator, muffler, and catalytic converter will make it the loudest is replaced. Of course the latter two will increase your performance the most. You have to research which exhaust parts or systems will give you the power to sound ratio that you desire.

[navylife59]

We do have a tensioner on our motors, but it can only do so much. Belt slip should not be a problem when upgrading to the 9.5PSI pulley. Running the smaller alternator (overdrive) or even smaller S/C pulley will bring your chances of belt slip very likely. I may be only at the redline when it does slip though.

[Clement]

oh okay.. well I guess I'll change the muffler and whatnot anyway, I don't really mind if it makes it louder, I just didn't want to change it solely to make it louder is all..

how did you get S/C for only $1800?

[navylife59]

I actually paid $2950 way back when they were first offered. The '05-06 models run for $1850.

[pwee08]

get a full cat back exhaust there so much better i have a magna flow full cat back and i love it and its not that loud another good one that has a low mean growl is the Greddy Evo 2 exhaust its real nice but it really depends on your personal preference...