JonELongDong

Well Ive been researching and putting the numbers together as well as talking to local shop guys, and I dont think I can get the numbers I am looking for naturally. SO............since I havent seen a direct fit sc for my truck I am looking at an STS. Anyone here have personal real world experience with them on a 4.6? Im looking for reviews and comments good or bad. Ill be the first to say I dont know anything about turbos.....at all, but I will do MAJOR research before going any further. Im not going to worry about getting forged components because if I do it I wont run more then 6-7 boost. On the STS website they claim HP in the mid 300's and TQ in the 400's using 7 and that'll work for me. But to the guys who have done turbos before heres my first set of questions. What else did you do to compliment the turbo ie. cams, heads etc. Also I read somewhere that exhaust plays a big part in performance as well as gearing when you do a turbo. I dont remember exactly what they said on the other sites but does anyone know anything about this?

P.S. When I asked about exhaust I meant I am looking for specific info on what size pipes, dual or no etc., etc., I do understand the relationship between a turbo and exhaust just wanting to know what the ideal setup would be for my application. TIA.

blackbetty

do a whole bunch of research before you look into kits, imo after working with turbo cars hands on for over 5 years now and turboing things that never ment to have one on em, i feel very strongly against sts for many reasons.

if i were you id check over at turbomustangs.com and do a whole hell of alot of reading....better then not being able to pick apart the bs some slack jaw telling you or some guy who knows what hes talking about.

Triton v8

Mark my words.....YES YOU WILL. I had a Cartuning turbo kit on my 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix and I said that I was only going to keep it at 8lbs but I ended up running 15lbs. TRUST me it's VERY hard to have a turbo and not use the power that is there. I've been dealing with Turbos for years now so ask whatever questions you have and I'll be more than happy to answer them for ya'.

Good luck on your decision too man!!

exitwound

The STS kit is good for making a little boost with not a whole lot of money. It is a budget kit and not made to be very upgradeable. There are so many more options that you have that are better IMHO. I honestly do not like the way it is positioned under the truck where it is more susceptible to damage from road debris and is so far away from the motor therefor making it less efficient.

To me a supercharger is a more practical application for a truck, unless it is a quartermile only truck. Usually a truck needs power right now not so much later when it is moving. That's where a supercharger is going to be an advantage in a truck. Superchargers are easily upgradeable for more power if you need it and these days you they are being made super efficient so there is not as much parasitic loss as there used to be.

Anywho just do like you said you were and research every option and make an informed decision then. Good Luck and don't forget pictures when you do decide to do the install.

blackbetty

not all superchargers give power on demand, a paxton style for example will give you linear boost, so at the start you have 0 and you work your way up to whatever boost you have perscribed....much like a turbo

dont forget you have alot of things added any time you upgrade to f/i

if you realy want this then you will do it, but i am just wondering what your need for a turbo is.

go over to turbomustangs.com like i said, get some knowedge and your going to be in a better place to ask, and understand questions

JonELongDong

Thats one of the links you gave me in the beginning, and one of the first readings that got me thinking of going turbo. What dont you like about STS specifically? I like the idea of using a turbo for induction versus a supercharger because the turbo uses energy that is already there and not being used as opposed to a supercharger being another belt driven accessory. I know the turbo can produse lag but Ive read on ways to fix that, such as clipping or adding a smaller turbo. Im leaning towards it because as I stated the other options wont get me to the numbers I am looking for. Remeber I am a pushrod kind of guy and I can get a 302 to 300ish HP and 350ish TQ fairly easy. It just doesnt seem as simple with this 4.6. I thought you were thinking of putting together a turbo as well.

blackbetty

i am, and i am leaning towards a twin setup with mitsubishi 14b or 16g turbos as they are very cheap and i come from a dsm backgroud so my buddys have em lying around..

the sts setup loses to much heat because its so far back, slowing the velocity of the gas and slowing the turbo....plus you need to run lines so far to cool if you run oil or water style. also, its just in a realy crappy place if you bottom out or hit debree....not sure if your lowering or not but if you do, its a big worry. theft is a big thing to. also sts is designed for f bodies with no room, in the new f150s you have tonnnnnns of room to play with...more then any car i have ever worked with with the exception of a 2.3 mustang, the rx7 and the jetta mk3 all being small motors with large bays tho.

and ill say it again, but most newbies with turbo questions dont grasp the idea well of turbo lag, all turbo lag is, is your na motor's output with out the turbo applied....then when you hit your first .1 psi of boost, you no longer have lag but a fi motor. you climb until you hit full power.

smaller turbos are used from the factory for street apps, for example the 14b was on the 2.0 16v dohc 4g63 motor in the 90-94 dsm, with the 13b in the automatic, and then in 95 with the new body style they switched to the garret t25, a smaller turbo, with a better kick in the pants feel but lower output and flow....it was to make the car feel better then it was with the old 14b. now people swap over to the 14b and love the difference. you have a 4.6 like me, so in thinking you have 2 2.3 motors, and you could use a host of turbos on a twins setup, much easier to do by the way imo, plus you will generate less heat. imo its more expensive but is the better of the 2 for the street, if your going all out track, then a single snail is for you. keep on reading and keep trying to ask semi-specific questions to better help us answer so we arent all over the board on you

exitwound

You would be surprised how easy power is to tapp out of a 4.6 litre modular motor. I have a good friend who has a '03 stock cube cobra with his own twin turbo setup pushing almost 900hp to the wheels. Granted it's a 4 valve but the concept is still the same with the valve train. Turbo's are the best way to go by leaps and bounds but if you do not run compounded turbos it will be hard to get the driveability you seem to be wanting.

Here is his personal daily driver:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKOgi...eature=related

Here is his race car. Stock 4.6 block bored 60 over
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw9a4EwSbKM

blackbetty

what are your power wants, and what is your primary use for the power?

JonELongDong

As I said earlier Im looking to get mid to high 3's to the wheels and same with torque with a pretty flat torque curve and its because Id rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. It just aint got no guts, so I want to do an operation. Braggin rights, something to throw money at no reason is more legitimate than the other. Everybody seems to have a fast 5.4 but I want an even faster 4.6, I go for the underdog. Why do you ask though, Blackbetty? I aint racing it or I would be going in an entirely different direction. Im most likely going to do twin turbos. Small ones. I wont be doing this all by myself because I have NO fabrication skills whatsoever