[ZL1Boomer]

Would like to get some opinions. First, I’ve read the discussions related to just going with a bigger supercharger, but I’m old school and want the lope of a big cam. My goal is around 720-750rwhp. Have a stock 2018 ZL1, A10. Don’t want to fool with E85 or Meth. Will run on 93 octane. I was somewhat surprised that only two vendor sites of the ten I looked at advertise selling all these parts and services. At the end there are two distinct approaches. My Build Plans:
- Ported supercharger/snout/manifold & NW 103mm TB
- Ported cylinder heads
- Balancer/pulleys - 2.3" Upper & 9.5" Lower or just 9.45" Lower (see question below)
- Stage 3 Camshaft Kit (complete, ie: Lifters, Head studs, etc)
- Upgraded Heat Exchanger / 5" Intake
- 2" ARH headers, catless.
- Elite 2 Catch Can
- Misc: 160 or 180 Thermostat, spark plugs, wires/boots, etc.
QUESTIONS:
1) One company says no problem doing 2.3" (9%) upper and 9.5" (18%) lower. They say need low side fuel supply, ex: DSX. Sound Ok? If I did low side fuel kit I’ve read about the Fore Innovations kit which I believe does not require tapping the tank. Is that just as good as DSX?
2) 2nd company says they would only do a 9.45" (18%) lower versus upper and lower due to boost concerns. Would only do both if using E85 or Meth. They say with just doing the lower pulley the stock fuel system is sufficient. Sound right?
3) So are they both right but just have different philosophies? Would you recommend one vs the other? Since Supercharger will be off and sent in for porting it’s no big deal to have vendor press on pulley.
4) Since the only main difference is the upper pulley, am I leaving much power on the table without it? Would not changing upper minimize risk of belt slippage that some have mentioned. If stayed with stock sized upper would you still press on one of those "Griptec" pulleys?
5) We’re taking engine out to do the work. I’ve read about the BMR motor mounts being a good thing to do but also saw they caused some clearance issues. Worth doing? Any advantages?
6) Any other thoughts. Questions? Thanks in Advance.

[Markoz28]

The 2.3 upper and 9.5 lower will produce a lot of heat, pulling timing and dropping power. This is why meth is used to cool the air charge as well as increase octane. So if you are not doing meth I would not do this route.

The 9.5 lower alone would be the better option as less heat soak and you have other mods that are giving you that extra power like the cam and heads.

I went with a 9.17 lower alone since I’m in south TX and the sun is about 10 feet from me it gets crazy hot. I run the car in the 1/4 mile and let the car cool about 30min between runs. I don’t notice a drop in power from run to run but if i hot lapped it I’m sure it would be horrible. I’ll be doing the ported SC as well soon but will also he adding E85 mix for when I’m at the strip for some extra love.

[staples87]

I would drop the 2.3 upper and stick with the stock upper pulley on the blower. Run the 18% lower with the low side fuel and cam. The higher you spin the blower the more likely you'll experience slip on the 2.3 upper which would defeat the purpose anyway. From what I've been hearing the ported cylinder heads have been making minimal gains for the cost on the LT4 setup. If money isn't an option then go for it, otherwise it's not a worthwhile investment on the stock blower.

A lot of people run methanol 50/50 mix to keep intake temps down. If you are just street driving / spirit driving and maybe going to the drag strip ever so often with good amount of time in between runs then you should be fine without it. The heat exchangers should do the trick.

[JonDaddy82]

Basically just do what Complete Street Performance did and you should be gold. Still using the 1.7L blower, no E85, no meth, and the lumpy cam you desire.

[drfeelgood]

Originally Posted by staples87

I would drop the 2.3 upper and stick with the stock upper pulley on the blower. Run the 18% lower with the low side fuel and cam. The higher you spin the blower the more likely you'll experience slip on the 2.3 upper which would defeat the purpose anyway. From what I've been hearing the ported cylinder heads have been making minimal gains for the cost on the LT4 setup. If money isn't an option then go for it, otherwise it's not a worthwhile investment on the stock blower.

A lot of people run methanol 50/50 mix to keep intake temps down. If you are just street driving / spirit driving and maybe going to the drag strip ever so often with good amount of time in between runs then you should be fine without it. The heat exchangers should do the trick.

I think people continue to push this idea, without many examples of it actually happening. Plenty of guys running 2.3" upper pulleys that experience zero slip, myself included

[EDFHOBBIES]

On the DSX pump vs the drop in pump from fore or lingenfelter it's just a more professional way of doing things and of course about 600 more in parts cost probably 500 more in labor. I have no problem with the DSX keeping up at 900 rwhp. Wifes car did leak mine didnt fixed w no problems it's just since its mounted in plastic make sure the AN line and fitting arent putting unnecessary tension pushing on the fitting so make sure the hose is relaxed.

720 to 750 definitely will take a cam not only for the fuel but to get the valves opening more from what I saw as they became the restriction when I just swapped blowers.

I'd look into the following.. if money is no object.. and you never know you may want to do the e85.. your doing the mods for a reason and losing isnt fun..

Cam with the biggest fuel lobe chop of your preference
Lingenfelter fuel pump
FIC injectors 30% larger
Head work from landandspeed or Frankenstein
Greg kong port work
103mm TB
CAI of your choice but not the cold air inductions
Lower or upper but not both
Boost chiller


Economical way:

Kong Porting
103mm TB
Cam w lobe that will work with lt4 high pump
Head work by livernois w upgraded exh valves and hand blending if money is a factor then just katech 500 buck cnc job reusing the stock exh valves
Cometic headgaskets thicker than OEM lt4
Lower or upper..
Prospeed ZL1 exchanger or dual pass universal
Trunk mount 5 to 7 gallon reservoir with rule 2000/3700 pump.

The key should be port work for the blower and heads to minimize turning the blower to hard to keep the heat down since your not interested in e85 or meth.

This is why I suggest the tad thicker head gaskets that lingenfelter uses since it sounds like 91 to 93 octane is going to be used.

If you have the money for ARH sweet if not my 599 TSP have been rock solid.

Also lower is always better if belt spin is an issue.. but it sound like it will not be turned up to much.

I did lower because I didnt want to invest any money in something that wasn't going towards end goals.

Btw I picked up 2lbs plus on my kong porting w 2650 enough flow to run me outta fuel again after upgrading lol

[Stephen12ZL1]

I like EDFHOBBIES suggestions. If you don't go with a larger blower like a 2650, just swap the lower and use the appropriate ring to push a bit more air. A larger cam will drop the boost a bit so a larger lower ring will be necessary to get the boost up a few psi. Weapon X heat exchangers may be a nice upgrade if you are going to spin the stock 1.7L blower much faster than stock. If you are going to road race at all, I have different suggestions. For a cruise around or drag situation, your thoughts seem like they make sense. Good luck with your build!

[Markoz28]

Since porting the SC $1300.
And getting heat exchanger $1100.
And 103 TB $620.
You are only $2000 away from a Maggie 2300. Why not just get that?

[EDFHOBBIES]

Originally Posted by Markoz28

Since porting the SC $1300.
And getting heat exchanger $1100.
And 103 TB $620.
You are only $2000 away from a Maggie 2300. Why not just get that?

You will need the 103 so you cant add that..
The prospeed exchanger is 799.00 the extra 2 exchangers for the W X. . Arent worth 400 bucks more. That would better go towards adding a larger reservoir.

With that outlook the 2650 would be better since it be spinning way less.

[Markoz28]

Originally Posted by EDFHOBBIES

You will need the 103 so you cant add that..
The prospeed exchanger is 799.00 the extra 2 exchangers for the W X. . Arent worth 400 bucks more. That would better go towards adding a larger reservoir.

With that outlook the 2650 would be better since it be spinning way less.

So what would be the difference in running a ported stock SC with 103 vs Maggie 2300 with stock TB?

[EDFHOBBIES]

I was talking money wise... It would be silly to just slap a 2300 on and not upgrade the TB especially since the 103 mates better with big gulp and the more flow they see the less harder you need to spin either blower. So the TB cancels the TB when your talking money wise.. also it doesn't matter what setup you run extra capacity in the intercooler system goes along way. They can claim the lowest iats on the market but it's the exchange that dissipates the heat so once the system is heat soaked better intercooler bricks doesn't matter anymore, feeding that lower iat brick with cooler temps is thicket.

[Can'tHave2MuchHP]

Originally Posted by ZL1Boomer

Would like to get some opinions. First, I’ve read the discussions related to just going with a bigger supercharger, but I’m old school and want the lope of a big cam. My goal is around 720-750rwhp. Have a stock 2018 ZL1, A10. Don’t want to fool with E85 or Meth. Will run on 93 octane. I was somewhat surprised that only two vendor sites of the ten I looked at advertise selling all these parts and services. At the end there are two distinct approaches. My Build Plans:
- Ported supercharger/snout/manifold & NW 103mm TB
- Ported cylinder heads
- Balancer/pulleys - 2.3" Upper & 9.5" Lower or just 9.45" Lower (see question below)
- Stage 3 Camshaft Kit (complete, ie: Lifters, Head studs, etc)
- Upgraded Heat Exchanger / 5" Intake
- 2" ARH headers, catless.
- Elite 2 Catch Can
- Misc: 160 or 180 Thermostat, spark plugs, wires/boots, etc.
QUESTIONS:
1) One company says no problem doing 2.3" (9%) upper and 9.5" (18%) lower. They say need low side fuel supply, ex: DSX. Sound Ok? If I did low side fuel kit I’ve read about the Fore Innovations kit which I believe does not require tapping the tank. Is that just as good as DSX?
2) 2nd company says they would only do a 9.45" (18%) lower versus upper and lower due to boost concerns. Would only do both if using E85 or Meth. They say with just doing the lower pulley the stock fuel system is sufficient. Sound right?
3) So are they both right but just have different philosophies? Would you recommend one vs the other? Since Supercharger will be off and sent in for porting it’s no big deal to have vendor press on pulley.
4) Since the only main difference is the upper pulley, am I leaving much power on the table without it? Would not changing upper minimize risk of belt slippage that some have mentioned. If stayed with stock sized upper would you still press on one of those "Griptec" pulleys?
5) We’re taking engine out to do the work. I’ve read about the BMR motor mounts being a good thing to do but also saw they caused some clearance issues. Worth doing? Any advantages?
6) Any other thoughts. Questions? Thanks in Advance.

Everything looks good to me. I would advise doing just the lower. No reason to do both, the 9.55" lower already overdrives the blower out of its efficiency range. You're not leaving power on the table without it, perhaps a few HP if any, but that HP won't be repeatable run to run with the added heat. No experience on motor mounts from BMR. I don't think you'd want or need them. With the cam, I don't think you'd need a fuel upgrade, but every build is different. I would stick with DSX if you do run into fuel problems.