WalterSobchak

Lol don't we all want both!. For the average guy with 5k I know what gets him furthest..... But yes give me both!

F1Fan

Turbo setups look like nightmares, add in turbo lag to the equation and no thanks. Because of that and the tuning nightmares I saw years ago, I'll take a supercharger over a turbo any time

Toys4Life C5

Appreciate the comment! The Fiero has a special place in my heart because it was the first car I ever had back in the early 90s that I was proud of. The ones I had before were not the kind I wanted to pick my date up in. Anyhow, they were pretty slow but fast forward a few decades and transplant in some more modern muscle and they really zip along - especially off the line with the Supercharged 3800 over the drive tires and coming in at about 2,850 lbs. Finding a decent shape one now is getting somewhat hard to do...

Thanks again & good luck!

Zip Corvettes

That is a great question, we usually stop at 50k. Now I have done a C6 LS2 that had 110k on it and the customer had to sign a waiver on it. I honestly didn't think it would make it past the calibration phase on the dyno but it did just fine. We did change the pulley to lower lower the boost down some though but the car did absolutely great. I honestly didn't think I would get it past calibrating the MAF sensor.

Zip Corvettes

I try to explain this to people all the time. There is a limit at which the road can handle and a C5/C6 with a A&A properly setup is going to make another 200+ HP at the wheels. 600Hp on the motor is about the limit on the street that you can drive and still enjoy albeit being careful.

Toys4Life C5

Agreed. I essentially did a gearheads version of a "meta-analysis" before starting my A&A V3si build on a stock LS1 and arrived at the same conclusion.
Much more than that and engine durability risks start to increasingly rise and street traction is more and more of an issue.

ArmchairArchitect

It's not about being on a road course, I enjoy taking spirited drives with fairly aggressive TURNS on twisty backroads, as many Corvette owners do.

I could make the same argument about "the hours the average C5 spends" on a drag strip.

MWWarlord

Nice Video as usual. You and I have very similar setups.
Having personal experience with the A&A supercharger, there are some things that I would say about it (that speak to some of the comments made). Although I do recommend upgrading both the transmission (on an automatic)/Clutch (on a manual), as well as upgrading the stock suspension and tires. The A&A kit is EXTEMELY reliable. I certainly don't spend more time working on my car than I do driving it as some have suggested. In fact, I would argue that a properly tuned supercharger is the safest and most reliable way to 500WHP on an LS1. Although it is true that turbos have no parasitic loss, they also have turbo lag. My car is setup as a canyon carver that is fun to drive on the street, I'd much prefer the smooth linear power that the supercharger provides over the sudden off/on power provided by a turbo.
Overall, it is very important to make an honest assessment of what you plan on doing with your car, and make build choices based on that. My advice for anyone who wants a primarily street car that is fast and fun to drive is, don't go over 550 RWHP. If you want a drag car, or a track monster, feel free to go as high as you want. This is not to say you can't drive a higher HP car on the street, but IMHO it just isn't as fun. With that said, a supercharger can get you right in that range without having to do other mods such as H/C/I. That's not to say that a good H/C/I build isn't a good way to go as well. However, if you have the money to put down, the supercharger kit is a very good option.
There was mention of the car's balance/handling and also heat soak. The A&A kit comes with an intercooler, and a custom air box. My car is properly tuned, and I have NEVER had any heat soak issues at all. In fact, my engine temps didn't go up at all after adding the supercharger kit. As far as weight/handling, I upgraded my suspension right after the supercharger install, and I can say the car handles WAY better than it did without the supercharger on stock suspension. Given my particular situation, I can't say how much difference the little bit of extra weight up front makes. However, it is small enough that C6Z06 shocks and C6Z51 sway bars way more than make up for the difference.
There was also a concern about state smog restrictions. A&A is a California based company. They developed and install their kits in California. If it passes smog there, it WILL pass in any other US state.
There are lots of options for adding power (or not) to a C5. It all depends on your situation, and what you are looking for. Supercharging is not always the best option for everyone (although it was for me). Superchargers are awesome, but they're not for everyone. This video does a good job of showing why they can be a good option. If a supercharger isn't for you, that's okay too.

lewislgZ06

A lot of good pro's and cons brought up here. Bottom line, a supercharger isn't for everyone. They are a lot of fun and a lot of additional power.
I really like mine, but you do have to consider the additional upgrades necessary to keep the car reliable. They were not engineered for an additional 200 plus horsepower and torque, so at some point there will be a failure, if you do not upgrade the critical components in the drive line. I have made the upgrades to the entire drive line and it is very expensive, but for me, it was absolutely worth it.

MWWarlord

The mileage/age isn't nearly as important as condition. I was over 75K on my car when I added the blower. I've been driving for several years now with absolutely no issues whatsoever.

When properly tuned, the A&A kit will add smooth linear power throughout the power band. Admittedly, that power is easier to get to the ground higher in the power band than it is at the bottom.

ASRoff

LOL!!! turbos are easier than superchargers.. You don't have to deal with belt slippage/thrown belts as you crank up the boost...turbo lag? maybe 20 years ago... properly sized single turbos, twin turbos and locating the turbo with the shortest distance from the exhaust outlet on the head, makes the boost come in way sooner than a centrifugal supercharger... and last but not least its not sucking up horsepower off the crank to drive it. yes im the guy who prefers my vette N/A because I road race it.... but I have a nasty little mustang in the garage that is my drag car that has a near table top flat torque curve.and you could put your grandmother in it and send her to church and she would never know the power the car actually has.... (well unless she is the little old lady from Pasadena.....)

F1Fan

In a similar spot as you horsepower wise, I'd like to add a centrifugal SC to my full bolt-on setup, but at this point my concern is the stock bottom end surviving that much power
as I keep reading that 600hp or so, is about the limits of a stock bottom end.

Toys4Life C5

I agree and think this touches on the reason Tadge gave for going rear engine on the C8 at this time. The front engine rear transmission/rear drive platform had pretty much reached its limits (and I think a big part of those limits was traction during acceleration).

Toys4Life C5

Thanks for the comment!
Those little Fiero's are getting hard to find a decent one. After years of being able to find a good one for $1,500 they are finally starting to go for 5k+ on up for one that is in respectable condition. They are the strangest thing though, 50% of the people make fun of them and 50% of the people love them. With a SC 3800 swapped in they are a ton of fun (especially off the line 0-70) and while I don't directly compare it to a C5 - I like to say that driving each car is such a uniquely different experience.

warren s

I would have gone the forced induction route…it was at the time cost prohibitive. I added an extra 120hp at the rear wheels buy changing the usual, heads, cam intake and exhaust. Was able to do it a part or 2 at a time, than lastly get a tune. With a supercharger it was 5 to 6 grand up front (years ago) and after I installed everything, another grand at least for the tune. The H/C/I/E route was much more budget friendly, was very happy with the results.

Indagate

My goodness, that sounds EXACTLY how I feel too: I have no traction at WOT until about 70 mph

AceRockolla

What did you end up upgrading? I want to know exactly what I'm in for. right now I just have headers, x-pipe, exhaust, and CAI putting out 355 RWHP

lewislgZ06

For a complete list of mods, see thread #166 in my build thread, minus all of the things that are purely aesthetics.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ld-thread.html

I tried to address every potential weakness with mine, and it has proven reliable to date.

Smoken1

What page is post 166 on it your thread? I'd like to see if I over looked anything

lewislgZ06

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