Price of going Forced Induction

[youngrigo aka NVEEOUS]

Many people ask "I have this much money, can i turbo/SC my car?". And there really isnt any place that they can turn for the help they need. So i have taken this from LS1tch to help you guys out.
Let me first start by saying i originally figured my build would cost around 7,000-7,500 dollars. Well, in the end it came out to 10,500-11,000 dollars. It suprised me.

THE PARTS:

THE TURBO KIT (or supercharger): The average Kits range from $4500-$6500 and most include the needed things like a BOV, wastegate, Intercooler, turbo, SC head unit and piping. Only Vortech and ATI include fueling parts, but when going 500HP+ i would upgrade these parts anyway. REQUIRED

FUEL PUMP: I went with the Racetronix P&P fuel system, it is easy to install and gives the required amount of fuel. They retail for $265. Another addition to this if you are going for alot of power is a BAP that increases the voltage to the pump and they cost around $250. EDIT* My racetronix pump was no were near enough fuel for the 9psi i currently run, so i upgraded to a twin in-tank walbro system put together by my shop/tuner: Masport Speed Shop REQUIRED

INJECTORS: When it came to injectors i figured i might as well get a big size now instead of upgrading later, which always happens anyway. So i went with 60LB motorons injectors which seem to be very popular and cost $425. REQUIRED

6.0L HEADS: The idea of puting these on your ls1 is that they lower your compression normaly about a full point which allows you to safely boost more. They also flow alittle better, like the LS6 heads. I bought them used and assembled for $300, although i only used the valves from them. RECOMMENDED

CAMSHAFT: My original plan was to go with a new or low mileage used Z06/LS6 cam. But i then looked around and found other ones that i liked more and i setteled with the Lingenfelter GT-7. although a cam isnt really needed for 450HP, over 500HP it will definetly help. The cam will range between $150 (used) to $380 (brand new GT-7). RECOMMENDED

VALVE SPRINGS: Because your engine will see serious pressure under boost your stock valvesprings will not have enough pressure to seal against the head, and therefore need to be upgraded to 918s at the minimum. I went with the Patriot Dual Valvespring kit, which are a great deal at $245. REQUIRED

TIMING CHAIN: The stock LS1 chain is pretty weak and with those new valve springs it will se alot more pressure and needs to be upgraded. You can buy a hardened single timing chain (like LS2) or a dual. i bought the rollmaster dual timing chain for $110 REQUIRED

PUSHRODS: Because of the new cam/valve springs the pushrods are another weak link that needs to be upgraded. i went with 7.400" manleys for $130 REQUIRED

OIL PUMP: The stock ls1 pumps were never all that great and even though my stock one made almost 60 psi at idle, u can never have to much oil, so i ordered a ported and blueprinted one from Byunspeed for $160 OPTIONAL

HEAD BOLTS: The heads will see alot of pressure from the turbo and should be upgraded to ARP bolts or studs. They should also be upgraded because you are changing your heads. i got the ARP head bolts for $130 RECOMENDED

CLUTCH: The stock clutch has pretty much no chance of holding anything near 500RWHP and should be changed. You can go with weaker clutchs and change them every 5,000 miles or you can go with a very good one (for a price) that can last a very very long time. i went with the Monster stg 3.5 for $850. REQUIRED

GAUGE POD: To keep track of everything going on in your new turbo/SC system you are going to need some gauges and a gauge pod to hold them. you can choose between many ways of mounting the gauges. I got the triple pillar pod from autometer for $55 OPTIONAL

BOOST GAUGE: You will need this to see how much your turbo/SC is boosting while you are driving/racing. Also you can use it to see boost spikes and to tell if there is boost leak etc. You can choose between an electric one or a mechanical one. i got the Autometer mechanical 20psi Cobalt boost gauge for $70, the electrical version is 30psi and $180. HIGHLY RECOMMEDED

FUEL GAUGE: You will need this to make sure you have the right amount of fuel pressure for your engine etc. i got the autometer electric 0-100psi Cobalt gauge for $190 HIGHLY RECOMMEDED

WIDEBAND O2 SENSOR: This in my opinion is very important for many reasons. it will let you constintly moniter your engine A/F even at idle, which can alert you to problems very early on. It is also a great tuning device. they range from 250-500. i got the dynotune one for $265 REQUIRED

BOOST CONTROLLER: A boost controller uses the pressure that is made from your turbo system to control the opening of the wastegate. In turn, this causes the wastgate to stay closed more, thus creating more pressure in your exhaust that then spins the turbo faster and creates more psi (boost pressure). They range from mechanical ones for $70 all the way up to electric ones that can actually control boost spikes, they run up to $500. This is the only thing on the list that i didn't buy.... but i will after i get beat for the first time. OPTIONAL

METHANOL INJECTION: i have just recently done research pertaining to meth injection and the more i hear and read about it, the more i like it. when a meth kit is installed it lowers your IAT up to 40 degrees and makes your gas the equivelent of some say 110+ octane. this allows you to run more boost and be alot safer. here is the basic idea of a meth kit, they are standalone pumps with a bottle/container with the meth/water, when they sense boost they spray the meth relative to boost when its needed. there are also safety systems that can be purchased to insure that if the meth dosent flow (i.e it runs out) the car wont boost and cause damage to the engine. Companys like Snow Performance and Alkycontrol sell these kits, they run from $300-$550. a good safety system is around $100. OPTIONAL

GOOD TUNE: This is important on any car, and the same goes for a FI car. they range from doing it yourself (which isnt to easy) to getting it professionly done for around $450. If you are interested in doing it yourself you have a couple choices, here are a few, HP TUNERS, EFIlive, MAFT PRO and LS1edit REQUIRED

RANDOM PARTS & GASKETS: There are always a bunch of these things you need to buy. Here are a couple, new crank bolt (ARP $30), front crank seal ($23), 6.0L head gaskets ($60), valve spring tool (crane $115), Coolant to refill radiator, oil to do oil change, RVT gasket maker, loctite and a couple specialty tools, like torque wench. pulley puller, long and short sockets, ramps, good floor jack, etc. REQUIRED

And you supercharger people, dont forget about headers and exhaust!


In addition to all this, remember all the installation work was done by me, so that didnt cost anything, if you plan on paying someone just imagine the amount of work, so be prepared to pay. Also none of this includes suspension componets or a rear end, which will most likely not last long with 500RWHP+.
Well i hope this helps some people out.

[RrCoX22]

good info... also proving the fact that a strict budget is never met

[DoggyB22]

Thanks for posting this. well needed

[bluebird2000]

This is a great thread always nice to have somebody that has went threw the process to give their issues and what you can do to prepare yourself for what your getting into when you are thinking about something like this. If you havent been on ls1.com their is a guy that is almost finished building his lsx434 twin turbo'd vette, and pretty much all the piping and intake is custom to make it all fit. I would hate to see what the price of that is, but he is running over 1000 horsepower streetlegal on 18lbs of boost I believe.

[firebirdmuscle]

very valuable. was planning on building another motor for my ride sometime this year. good information.

[TacZ28]

I like this thread. Was really wanting to eventually put a turbo onto my car. However, it seems to be a LOT of work involved when compared to a SC so that is where I'm leaning towards.

[youngrigo aka NVEEOUS]

SC are easier to install, tune, and just keep running....