how many miles for supercharger?
mike355
04-30-2001, 11:34 AM
I am wanting to purchase a stillen/vortech supercharger for a 96 maxima I own. The car has roughly 85,600 miles on it right now and i a wondering if this would be to much to put additional strian on the engine. What are your opinions?
Shayyadin
04-30-2001, 04:59 PM
I think superchargers and turbochargers are the coolest things since sex.
That being said...
It seems to me that installing a blower on anything with 86K on it is like giving amphetamines to a senior citizen.
Then again, if you've taken extraordinarily good care of it (changed the oil at 3,000 instead of 3750 like the manual says you can, performed all routine maintenance, shift gently, changed your timing belt at or before 60K, etc.) it might be possible.
If that is the case, and we are talking about a manual transmission, then replace the timing belt (again), check under the car for leaks of any kind, flush the coolant and clutch fluid, get the exhaust inspected (you don't want to spend all that money to find out your car was borderline and the blower pushed it over the edge), and then I suppose you could go for it.
(If you supercharge an automatic - after you get quoted $3500 for a new tranny and you give up on the car, I'll buy the blower unit from you...)
I also want to warn you that the Maxima is already a very powerful front-wheel-drive vehicle. Front-wheel drive vehicles get a lot of turning torque (understeer), especially during acceleration.
You may want to go one way, but the car will want to keep going like it's going. Right now, it puts up a fight.
Supercharging it will increase that attribute quite a bit. Not saying it's not drivable, just be prepared. If you're used to reclining and pimping the car with one hand relaxed on the wheel, wake up and smell the the power steering fluid. You better sit your ass up, glue your hands on 10 and 2 and keep your eyes on the damn road! That supercharger makes a difference at any RPM, and past 3,500 you will be shocked at what it's like. Period.
All in all: seems like a bad idea to me.
That being said...
It seems to me that installing a blower on anything with 86K on it is like giving amphetamines to a senior citizen.
Then again, if you've taken extraordinarily good care of it (changed the oil at 3,000 instead of 3750 like the manual says you can, performed all routine maintenance, shift gently, changed your timing belt at or before 60K, etc.) it might be possible.
If that is the case, and we are talking about a manual transmission, then replace the timing belt (again), check under the car for leaks of any kind, flush the coolant and clutch fluid, get the exhaust inspected (you don't want to spend all that money to find out your car was borderline and the blower pushed it over the edge), and then I suppose you could go for it.
(If you supercharge an automatic - after you get quoted $3500 for a new tranny and you give up on the car, I'll buy the blower unit from you...)
I also want to warn you that the Maxima is already a very powerful front-wheel-drive vehicle. Front-wheel drive vehicles get a lot of turning torque (understeer), especially during acceleration.
You may want to go one way, but the car will want to keep going like it's going. Right now, it puts up a fight.
Supercharging it will increase that attribute quite a bit. Not saying it's not drivable, just be prepared. If you're used to reclining and pimping the car with one hand relaxed on the wheel, wake up and smell the the power steering fluid. You better sit your ass up, glue your hands on 10 and 2 and keep your eyes on the damn road! That supercharger makes a difference at any RPM, and past 3,500 you will be shocked at what it's like. Period.
All in all: seems like a bad idea to me.
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