Boost or Stroker?

[DJ A]

So I've been thinking of doing a big upgrade to my car within the next year or so. I have been stuck between going with a stroker build and going boost. I was thinking of going stroker then boost but I want a car I can drive almost daily and I think a stroker would kill my gas mileage even more than it is. I was planning to do a stroker first then going boost a year or two later so I could have a reliable engine when building the stroker. Now I am thinking of just running 7-9 psi through a turbo or supercharger. I would get the same or even better performance through boost than just a N/A stroker but then again I wouldn't have as reliable of an engine. Anyways, what do you guys think? And if I do go boost, would a supercharger or turbo be better? I lover the sound of a blow off valve but then again I like the idea of having instant power from a supercharger than having turbo lag. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks!

[DJ A]

No one?

[Snidely Whiplash]

There's no substitute for cubic inches. Especially when those cubic inches are serious steel and forged aluminum components. No more worries about breaking the internals.

The you add the stealth factor, which can help pay for some of the big inches by unsuspecting folks having to give you their money.

[Bo White]

No replacement for displacement except boost. I'd go boost but I'm biased. Stock internals with 600rwhp. Its all in the fuel delivery and tune.

[VADER SS L99]

Originally Posted by Bo White

No replacement for displacement except boost. I'd go boost but I'm biased. Stock internals with 600rwhp. Its all in the fuel delivery and tune.

This.
Get a good supercharger or turbo kit. If you keep it under 10psi, have a great tuner and plenty of fuel supply it will last a very long time with better driveability than stock. If the 500RWHP-700RWHP that you get from a FI kit isn't enough then you could always build the motor up later for even more power.

Whether or not to get a turbo or supercharger kit? Well, that's a personal decision. It comes down to money, overall power needs, where in the RPM range you want the power band, if you are a auto or manual Trans car, reliability and ease of maintenance.

A PD supercharger kit is the least amount of money with the best off idle torque but gives the lowest amount of horsepower. I should say least amount of money in the 500-600RWHP range. These kits can get real expensive when upgrades are needed to control belt slip, high IAT's and to get more boost and CFM. I have seen people spend more money on PD blower upgrades to control belt slip, high IAT's or get more CFM(power) out of their PD blower cars then the blower kit cost in the first place. In other words if your going to want over 700RWHP then this is not the wisest decision. These kits work well with a manual or auto Trans. PD supercharger kits also cap out at around 800RWHP but with expensive upgrades. They are the easiest to maintain and most reliable. Basically a bolt on and forget type of power adder. This kit doesn't need a converter or gear to be fast but of course those add ons can make it faster.

A centri SC kit can have a much higher max HP ceiling than a PD blower with the right head unit but builds power/boost with RPM. Much less off idle torque but more max RPM horsepower. Works best with a auto car with a converter and some gear. This kit puts less stress on the engine than a PD blower car in the same power range. Less reliable with more maintenance than a PD blower.

The turbo kit easily makes the most HP and torque per pound of boost out of all three types of FI. It is the most expensive type of kit. Has the most power potential. Puts the least amount of stress on the engine at the same power range. Gets the best MPG out of all 3 types of FI. It is however the least reliable kit with most likely the most maintenance. I also hardly ever see a fast manual Trans turbo car. This type of kit is best used in a auto with a matched stall so there is 0 boost lag. In a auto car with the right converter this type of kit probably has the potential to be the fastest of all three types of FI. I wouldn't want to daily drive this kit though.

[Kelly@PCMofNC]

Forced induction is a much better bang for the buck, you're talking at minimum 100rwhp...with headers and a cam you can easily add a lot more. You won't get that from doing a stroker alone. Your gas mileage would be better with boost than a stroker also (unless you're in it all the time). I wouldn't say the motor is any less reliable either as long as it has good parts, good gas and a good tune.

[DJ A]

Thanks guys. My original plan was to build up and have a 500hp+ N/A engine then go boost but now I am thinking I don't want that much power especially since it's my daily right now. Most I want out of my car is 575-600hp so boost is what I'm probably gonna end up doing. I might go with a single turbo set up just to get me to 525-550hp then do head work to get me close to 600hp.

[Bo White]

I've got 40k miles on my Paxton and all I've done is changed the oil in it every time I do an oil change on the engine.

[2012LS3VERT]

I say FI if you plan on staying around 600hp. I'm at 550, don't even have headers, and I haven't spent 5 grand on it yet.

[Taco Time]

Stroker! Buy a motor then sell your old 376 block and put that money towards boost. Win Win!!!

[DJ A]

Originally Posted by Taco Time

Stroker! Buy a motor then sell your old 376 block and put that money towards boost. Win Win!!!

See that was my original plan but then I got to thinking that the mpg that I'll have won't be suitable as a daily. I drive 15 minutes to school and 15 minutes back home twice a day so that's an hour of city driving everyday which already hurts the wallet lol so that's why I was just thinking maybe I should go boost.

[Bo White]

Keep all the parts you have now except the CAI and throw a ECS kit on it.

[Taco Time]

Originally Posted by DJ A

See that was my original plan but then I got to thinking that the mpg that I'll have won't be suitable as a daily. I drive 15 minutes to school and 15 minutes back home twice a day so that's an hour of city driving everyday which already hurts the wallet lol so that's why I was just thinking maybe I should go boost.

Then if you did a stroker, sell your motor and use that money to buy a beater car. I drive a 96 Ford Ranger every day so my Camaro sits in the garage. 20-22mpg, it's worth maybe $2k and insurance is cheap.

I'd do the stroker over boost. But that's just my preference.