I have an 89 Trans Am GTA that I just bought. It is a 350 car with a 5spd tranny behind it posi rear end and disc brakes all the way around. I'm going to do some work to the motor and I've already been told that I need a new tranny to support any large amounts of power. what I want to know are the pros and cons of super chargers and the pros and cons of turbo kits. I'm debating what to do with it and don't know much about either. I want to know how they produce more power, how they're installed, and what I need to do to the motor to get it ready for one of them. Thanks for all help.
Blake

 

well the pros and cons can go for days, so basicilly this is what it boils down to.
1.superchargers will boost faster, turbos have lag.
2.super chargers use a little more power to build boost compared to hot exhaust gasses spooling turbos up.
3.turbos build alot of under hood heat, and are very bulky, and usally require an intercooler due to heat. supers dont make the same heat, and with an intercooled supercharger the a/f mix is even cooler.
4.turbos can increase boost on the fly viva a boost controler, supers have to have a pulley change.
5.the main thing you need to consider, is there is not turbo kit worth a sh*t that bolts on our cars, you will need to fabricate most of it, and there is alot of research that you will need to do. single or twin, size of wastegates and compressors and what not.

both will need a serious fuel system upgrade

depending on your cr: (compression ratio) and type of pistons you will need minimal engine upgrades to get it going. forged pistons with around 8:5 to 9:5 and a cam to match will be sufficient. you could even run a stock 350 with 15psi for a short while to.

i req a procharger kit, there products have won many championships. they have self contained unit avalible so no need to plumb oil returns in your oil pan. hope this helps.

 

I think this relies mostly on either the $ you're willing to spend or the fabrication skills/tool you have. Personally, I think a turbo setup will always be as good or better and will usually boost better than a Procharger given the correct turbo. I did a Procharger system initially because I didn't want to redo my exhaust again at the time, and there's less plumbing/fabrication needed. Now I hit the end of what the D-1SC was capable of, and it happens to be cheaper to go turbo for more power than it is for the Procharger to do the same. This is because I'm doing all of the plumbing myself, and the Procharger would still likely be cheaper if I had to buy a kit or have someone make a kit for my turbo setup.

 

am planning a single turbo build myself.

 

I'll give you some background. I'm looking to make about 500 horses so I can decimate my grandad's mustang. He has an 06 Roush Stage 3 pushing 450hp/425 torque. I told him I could spend 1/4 of the cost of his roush and outrun it. He spent between 45-50k on the car. I can do/buy anything required. I want to know what's going to be better for the motor. I want to build power without sacrificing integrity

 

procharge her up, you can get a good kit for around 5k or a cheap one for around $2500, but u will have to tap your oil pan. still requires the fuel system upgrade and a blow thru carb. if your running the stock injection, u might need some new injectors and a reflashed chip. if it is tuned right, it will last close to, if not as long as any engine

 

Turbo lag is only relative to the turbo used and the target power. It's very easy to make build a turbo system with instant boost, but doing so will limit higher rpm power due to the restricted exhaust flow. - A centri-charger often builds as much IAT as a turbo per psi of boost and adds the parasitic loss of turning it.

The list of pros and cons for any system goes on for ages. The power can be made reliably with either form of boost, which direction you go really depends on your personal use of the vehicle and your power expectations. I would highly reccomend you do some extensive research on both forms of power adder and decide which one best suites your needs/wants.

FYI - either the car isn't a 350, or the engine or trans has been swapped. GM never produced a 350 with a T5 behind it.

 

It's not a carburated motor... It's TPI... and the tranny was swapped

 

I like the turbo option myself. With a supercharger, you have to have the money "up-front". with a turbo setup, you can collect the parts as you can afford them.