CataclysmGT

Here is a quick cost breakdown of doing some serious NA mods vs getting a Whipple.


FI mods
Whipple 10 psi HO kit: $5800 (better prices out there....but this will work)
Clutch / flywheel $700 + $500 labour = $1200.
Gauges & POD = $640 (3 cobalt gauges)

Total for FI (not including blown motor...haha) = $7640.

NA mods.
C&L Racer w/SCT tuner = $599
BBK TB = $260
Steeda deletes = $300
Comp Stage 3 Cams = $949 + $1000 labour = $1949
Kooks Headers w X pipe = $1269
Steeda UDP's = $200

Total for NA = $4590


Comparison $$/HP

$7640 / 450 RWHP (which is approx 190 rwhp gain) = $40.2 / rwhp for supercharging.
$4590 / 350RWHP (Approx 90hp gain) = $51 / rwhp NA mods.

Looks pretty intersting when you price it out like this, now doesn't it? With NA, you have little risk of throwing a rod, and your car is lighter. Drawback is that your bottom end doesn't even come close to FI.


Cheers!

howarmat

i dont see reaching 90 HP gain with the N/A mods though.....maybe 70 HP with some real good tuning, which was not including the prices.....and i would say that adds another 1000 to the N/A pricing.

CataclysmGT

I talked to Brenspeed, and their 2005 stang with the mods listed above hit 347 rwhp with no real problems. They figure 340-350 rwhp is very typical with those mods listed.

moosestang

Your FI cost is inflated. $800 for gauges? I'm still using the stock clutch and I beat on it every day. At any rate a clutch/flywheel is $500 and no matter what anyone says, you don't need any gauges at all. However, whipple recommends checking the fuel pressure at WOT and I recommend a boost gauge to make sure you don't have any leaks. Let's say $230 for an aeroforce gauge (give fuel pressure and can be used as boost gauge) and $180 for the wideband if you want to monitor air/fuel. I still don't think a wideband will help in the event of an injector failure or one fuel pump fails. By the time you see it's lean, if you see it, it will be too late. There is just no time to be watching gauges at WOT at this power level.

I'm guessing you're looking at getting the whipple or you could have used the saleen base kit in your example and came in way under the whipple HO price. Plus you shouldn't need a new clutch with 400hp.

$800 for gauges? I guess if you got to have them, but there are much cheaper gauges out there that are still good quality.

Caution

Mine dyno'd at 265RWHP stock and has 319RWHP now -- thats 54RWHP gain -- I DONT have a cam, cmcv deletes, or a TB -- got just about everything else though . That cam would have to be really aggressive (Stage III or IV) for me to pick up another 31RWHP to hit the 350 mark

You happen to know what cam (stage) they were running?

howarmat

hence the "real good tuning"

There are a few threads on here already about Cams and getting good gains with them...some people have only got 20 HP out of them or so and same goes with the headers.....most N/A setups dont get great gains with headers without great tuning....

With a S/C, you can load the canned tunes from the manufacturer and go.....no problem, instant power gains......that is just not the case for the N/A car unfortunately.

For your comparison, you have to add those tuning costs in the price and i am not seeing it in there

06Saleen3V

You forgot heads for the N/A application for around $1600...N/A cars can hit 390-400rwhp (I know a guy from another forum at 390rwhp N/A)

CataclysmGT

To address some concerns with this. For the FI mods, this is what I would do. I don't cheap out on gauges, and think they are very important. You are going to need a clutch sooner with FI then NA.......so its added in.
Gauges (right from Lethal performance....Cobalt series)
$189 for electric boost gauge
$196 for fuel pressure gauge
$124 for water temp gauge (nice to know if your intercooler pump is working, eh?
$129 for SOS 3 gauge pillar pod.
$640 total. I will adjust initial post to reflect that.

Brenspeed has a tech article on thier Comp Cam Stage 3 testing. Tuning is done by them.......so I am not going to add $1000 for that. If we want to play that game, you can get more out of a custom tune for the FI as well, for the same cost, or $250 from VMP.

howarmat

I agree but to get 190 HP gain its not required, but to get 90 HP from the n/a....it is an absolute must

Caution

You referring to the stang by BBR by chance? They say 406 NA but the tune wasn't streetable so they tuned it down to 380 I believe