add on supercharger

[mofford12]

i may be wrong but i HEARD turbos kill transmissions

[NegativeOne13]

i may be wrong but i HEARD turbos kill transmissions

WRONG!

Your foot kills transmissions.

[mofford12]

some one explain this cause im all for top swap instead..

[Matt Palm]

tubro makes atleast double the power you can get out of a m90 setup and not cost much more if you did a m90 build to the max

[mofford12]

how much work goes into a turbo build? ive never did research cause i didnt ever think of turbo because of what i was told

[Matt Palm]

ummm its all bolting stuff together i beleive. i helped my buddy put one on his jeep but once we made all the plumbing (his was a ebay kit didnt come with plumbing) it took about 12 hours to bolt it all in but there wasnt a intercooler put in

[REDCRAPGP]

Really comes down to how much power you want to make and how much money you want to throw into a fwd Grand Prix.

Want a DD with some pep in it do a top swap. Cost around $800 or less if you know how to shop around.

Turbo if your going for all out power $1500+ occasionally you'll find a good used kit. Can cost upwards of $3k brand new.

Turbo = chances are you'll be spending another $2k+ on a built trans.

Topswap if your not constantly beating on it your tranny "should" last awhile. Some have went 150k+ on stockers. Other lucky to make it to 70k. Be prepared to swap a tranny in either situation though. It's a pull of the straw but if you take care of your car you minimize the chance of the parts wearing down faster.


At the end of a day it's a fwd Grand Prix. There's better platforms out there that have more potential! Decide when good enough is good enough and go from there.

[lilmidge12]

im thinking top swap. i dont have a thousand dollars to spend on a turbo

[DanPrixGTP]

dan how many times do we gotta tell you ​new tips

Matt, this is getting old.

Stay on topic for the OP, please.

[REDCRAPGP]

im thinking top swap. i dont have a thousand dollars to spend on a turbo

Good choice you should be happy. Or hell go to a dealer and test drive a GTP and see how you like it. Then top swap

[txslow6]

im thinking top swap. i dont have a thousand dollars to spend on a turbo

But you will have a $1,000 to spend on a top swap? Sounds like you answered your own question. But just know that when you do the top swap it won't be enough and you will want more, and will snowball from there.

Lets look at the costs for full bolt on kits:

Top swap
from Supercharger Conversion | 3800 Supercharger Kit | 3800 Series 2 Supercharger Kit
$1,349.99 with install kit

S/C belt: $23.99
Gates - Serpentine Belts #

total= $1,373.98

Now you are at stock GTP power which we all know is never fast enough-time to add some headers and an intake:
Speed daddy headers since everyone and their mother recommends them even though they are ****ty headers and need fabrication to make fit just right:Stainless SS Racing Manifold Header Exhaust Grand Prix GTP Regal Impala 3 8L V6 | eBay
$237.98

for cheap arguments sake homemade intake-$30

total now: $1,641.96

Sweet! Headers out of the way! what's next for more power hmmmm cam or rockers? Lets go with rockers for the cheapness of arguements sake.
ZZPerformance - 1.9 Ratio Modified Rockers #ZZ-19MR
$299

Might as well pick up some 105lb springs just in case you decide to go cam later:
Valve Springs
$109.99

Since you stated you didn't have the large chunk of change at the beginning it's safe to assume this will be done at a later time:
lets add that install kit:
ZZPerformance - Rocker Install Kit #ZZ-RIK
$39.99

total now: $2090.94

Now you are starting to work your way with more power what's next. Intercooler time and those rails to clear that awesome M90 along with a port:
ZZPerformance - Intercooler #ZZ-FSIC-38
$1379.99

Total now:$3,470.93

Whats next? Maybe a tune to tie everything together? Lets go that cheap route again and just get a shelf tune instead of buying a tuner:
3800 PCM | 3800 Performance PCM | Performance PCM | Powertrain Performance

$129.99

And let's not forget that modular pulley system now so you can quickly interchange pulleys:
$99.99

grand total- $3700.91


Let's move on to a turbo kit shall we:
Non intercooled Z3 base turbo kit with PCM and 42lb injectors
ZZPerformance - ZZP Z3 Turbo Kit #ZZ-Z3TK

Grand total-$2744.99

which still leaves you a grand to find an intercooler or other mods such as cam etc.

want more power from there? Buy a boost controller and twist the knob for more power, and more importantly smilie the days of swapping pulleys for weather, daily driving, or dragstrip are over.

need I say more?




Even if you argue utlizing used parts instead of new ones the argument still stands as turbo being the cheaper route. OP, regardless of which you decide I wish ya the best of luck. Have fun and enjoy the car that's all that matters.

[Matt Palm]

you can buy a complete top swap for 400 bucks -_-

[txslow6]

you can buy a complete top swap for 400 bucks -_-

Where? links? and if you are talking used parts then we can start arguing used turbo prices after everything is said and done with the used parts for the top swap with all brackets heads etc, including performance parts.

Turbo is still cheaper in the long run for power. And **** that took forever to type out my previous post.

[Matt Palm]

in the for sale section you will see top swaps goin from 3-700 all the time. and ive seen a few turbo set ups go from2-3k in there

[txslow6]

in the for sale section you will see top swaps goin from 3-700 all the time. and ive seen a few turbo set ups go from2-3k in there

And that same person is going to need more performance parts to come anywhere close to what even a used base Z3 or Cartuning kit goes for and will make.

[lilmidge12]

lol that was a long ass post....but i been hearing some bad things about turbos i know either way im prolly gonna need a new tranny but i feel like a turbo would shred my tranny..im still doing some research about both of them but its leaning towards top swap

[txslow6]

What bad things have you been hearing about them? I've got a used turbo kit on my car and haven't had any issues with it yet in the 2 years I've been running it.

[REDCRAPGP]

Nothing bad about turbo but can come out pricey. It's all about catching a deal and doing your homework. Check local junkyards, eBay and classifieds u can find a deal on topswaps. Not everyone's is after maximum power. Some will be happy with a topswap and call it a day. Nobody can tell you what you'll be happy with..that's why I suggest test driving a GTP and if your happy...go for the top swap. If or when you get bored..cam,rockers etc are always available at a later date to give some more pep. Turbos is what $1500+. This whole to turbo or go home crap gets old not everyone is chasing 10 sec cars. /rant.

[Scottydoggs]

Where? links? and if you are talking used parts then we can start arguing used turbo prices after everything is said and done with the used parts for the top swap with all brackets heads etc, including performance parts.

Turbo is still cheaper in the long run for power. And **** that took forever to type out my previous post.

dude this is dumb, dont listen to this guy, you dont need 1/2 of what he listed.

go to a junk yard buy a top swap, dont go and buy all this kit crap and pay 1000 bucks, thats just dumb.

theres top swaps for 350 and 400 complete here in the 4 sale sections as well. and headers another 200. you will need a gasket kit and new head bolts.

and if you dont want to pay top dollar stay the F away from ZZpoopie. go slow and broke using them.


if you have a grand to spend, then top swap is the only way to go. turbo will cost more.

dont waste your money on rockers either, cam it or dont bother.

[lilmidge12]

just like the person somewhere on here said turbos kill tranny's thats what im afraid of. im trying to find a cheap top swap right now