So whats the problem with pushing 400WHP?

 

This is a great thread for all of us who are at the "just wishin" phase regarding F.I. of some kind. I'm a really old fart who has learned (after about 40 years) that there's always somebody faster! With that said let me take this opportunity to ask the several really experienced guy's here exactly what they would do to their cars to ensure safety/ driveability IF they were content to add notihng more than a Stillen, stage 2 or 3? ........ Sorry about the 'hijack' and TIA on any replies,

 

I would say the important factors are the tune, cooling modifications, and power comparable the cars potential.

My cobra could dump around 550whp b/c it had a bullet-proof engine with forged internals from the factory.

VQ engines seem well built, but I agree that staying around 350whp with a quality tune should be relatively reliable.
Now with that said, heat is the biggest problem in FI. Turbos build less heat than S/C'ers, but they both should have an intercooler of some sort. If you don't beat on the car every minute, that should be good for a DD car.
If you live in a hot area and plan to run hard a lot, I would upgrade the water pump and radiator/fan. This will help reduce stress down the road on engine components.
People go as far as adding oil and fuel coolers as well for higher HP levels. They are cheap insurace. That is playing more of a safe card, but not really necessary unless as stated above.

As long as you add more power over factory levels, the car has a potential to break. It is trying to find the sweet spot between power and reliability.
Transmission components will wear faster as well, so upgrading the clutch and spline may not be a bad idea as well.

You can go all day with trying to be safe and buy a bunch of stuff. (for instance, one would suggest a brake and steel line upgrade or suspension mods to accomodate the power).

..But if you are on a limited budget, just focus on the tune, intercooler and reasonable HP level. (oh and good tires!!) Then just add what you can when you can, but always try to be a safe driver.

 

I thought it is the other way around since Turbo uses Exhaust heat

 

It is...

 

Okay. it is in the centrifugal world, but a roots style will build more heat. The newer designed whipples and turbos on the market have almost no lag and are much better on heat.

 

no, turbos generate a lot more heat still

you can place your hand flat on the vortech 1 minute after dynoing for 30 minutes straight at WOT. There's NO WAY you can do that with a turbo which will actually glow from being hot

the stillen won't get super hot, but its adiabatic efficiency is much lower so the air temps will increase as boost increases much more than a turbo or centrifugal SC

 

what would you need to do to the engine if you dont want to ever worry about it blowing. i have a friend that owns a shop and will work on my car for free. so the cost of rods pistons o-rings and thats about all you need right?

 

what can the block handle and what is the compression??

 

well, not necessarily. again, like most have been saying, it will be application dependent. are you going to mash on the gas all the time and rev the living bejesus out of it? if so, then don't just stop at rods and pistons. your block is going to need some loving to (ie-solid deck, some sort of heat treating).

i think saving the extra coin to build it up right, will save you some extra coin later down the road. now if only i had that kind of coin........

 

About the same here, just a little more milleage and around 410whp. Still runs strong.

 

Congrats Paul on it still running strong! Man, if I could do it all over again. Good to see you on the forum again.