new purchase advice, supercharged or no
- Thread starter hi-tech
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Nsx with sc that are tuned properly with a safe boost psi will still be reliable
the comptech sc kit was a dealership option at one point.
shawn110975
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I wouldnt get one SC inless it was a track car only, Def never get a turbo, they WILL break down, but SC are different, they can last for a long time but. how do you know it was build by some one that knows what they were doing. could be some bolt-on E-bay Kit. ya know. get one thats stock and be safe. most guys that sell their NSX with the SC usually take it off as most of them are like 10K for the kit. and a stock car sells faster than one MODDED out of its mind my 2 cents
It depends on who did the install and how the owner trashed it about.
A correctly installed supercharger that was well maintained and allowed to warm up and cool down appropriately should be reliable.
Also off course check how much boost and what other parts are fitted.
A correctly installed supercharger that was well maintained and allowed to warm up and cool down appropriately should be reliable.
Also off course check how much boost and what other parts are fitted.
I'd do it for sure. After 6 months you'll realize how slow the car feels stock and want to spend the money yourself anyway. It'd be a lot cheaper to get a car that already has it.
Enjoy the car the way it is. If you feel you need more power then boost it w/ a turbo or super charger. Both will get the job done. Just be sure to get it properly tuned and you will be good to go. Make sure you do your homework on whatever you decide to buy. Now post some picks :smile:
If you know you are going to mod the car then buying a pre-super/turbo charged car is a way to save bucks. Assuming it was done right to start with.
A Comptech system is pretty much bulletproof.
The comment about Turbo charged cars being less reliable can be taken with a grain of salt. Boost is boost. The actual turbo unit is bulletproof provided it was lubed properly. Look at diesel rigs. There are no more supercharged trucks being built ASAIK and these thing literally last a million miles.
I would STAY AWAY from DIY turbo kits or ones that have gone out of buisness.
Or you can buy a stocker and put on Will's turbo kit and have a known entity done right for @$6k more.
A Comptech system is pretty much bulletproof.
The comment about Turbo charged cars being less reliable can be taken with a grain of salt. Boost is boost. The actual turbo unit is bulletproof provided it was lubed properly. Look at diesel rigs. There are no more supercharged trucks being built ASAIK and these thing literally last a million miles.
I would STAY AWAY from DIY turbo kits or ones that have gone out of buisness.
Or you can buy a stocker and put on Will's turbo kit and have a known entity done right for @$6k more.
my $0.02
Are you a mechanic? no yes
yes= buy modified car
no= don't buy a modified car.
stock is a lot safer and more reliable. Plus if you take your modified car to a mechanic after it breaks there are a lot more reasons for him not to warranty his work.
Are you a mechanic? no yes
yes= buy modified car
no= don't buy a modified car.
stock is a lot safer and more reliable. Plus if you take your modified car to a mechanic after it breaks there are a lot more reasons for him not to warranty his work.
All good advice, thanks much. I am looking at a SC Comtech ( never knew it was factory available, that makes a difference to me) with very low miles and wildly clean. I have heard that the stock 290 hp is fine, but most wish for more, any ideas how much hp the comtech adds?
Enough to make you smile........
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I bought my car used with a comptech supercharger from a guy in Arizona. The car has over 100,000 miles and runs good. He installed the supercharger at about 40,000 miles so most of the life of my car it has been boosted. I would not hesitate buying it again as the stock car that I test drove years ago felt dead when compared to turbo cars that I was used to. I recently installed the high boost kit on my CTSC and am making around 400 hp at the flywheel. Makes for a much more enjoyable drive for me.
My advice is to do a compression test and leak down test before purchasing the car. If that comes out okay than your engine is fine with OR without a boost kit. I bought mine with a supercharger since it is a much better deal. The stock NA1 nsx is slow by today's standards in a straight line. Unless you rev it out and red line it everyday you won't get much power out of the engine. 90% of the people who track their cars don't even push them to their limits are even close. As long as you have someone check the car over you should be fine.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a stock NSX unless it was a late model NA2 that you plan on garaging and never driving. If you plan on driving it than get a low boost kit and have fun. I live in Las Vegas, NV with with hot weather so I am adding the standalone EMS and the air-to-water intercooler from Science of Speed. That is important since the charge temps get pretty hot on the SC kits.
I know plenty that enjoy their car with no boost and think it is fine. Then again those people don't drive their car at all really.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a stock NSX unless it was a late model NA2 that you plan on garaging and never driving. If you plan on driving it than get a low boost kit and have fun. I live in Las Vegas, NV with with hot weather so I am adding the standalone EMS and the air-to-water intercooler from Science of Speed. That is important since the charge temps get pretty hot on the SC kits.
I know plenty that enjoy their car with no boost and think it is fine. Then again those people don't drive their car at all really.
I've owned three NSX's... A 98 bone stock I bought used. An 03 I bought new in 03... And my current 99 heavily modded with CTSC that I bought from COMPDNSX (who had bought from CRUZRM) All I can say is I would never, ever, ever go back to a stock one... If it weren't for the CTSC I'd be in a 911 turbo.
the CTSC was a dealer option and at low boost is a pretty brainless install... I def wouldn't recommend running from such a car unless you *know* for *sure* you are 100% satisfied with stock performance... IM not a crazy acceleration junky at all, but it took the low boost whipple CTSC/headers/exhaust combo for the NSX to feel "right" for me personally.
the CTSC was a dealer option and at low boost is a pretty brainless install... I def wouldn't recommend running from such a car unless you *know* for *sure* you are 100% satisfied with stock performance... IM not a crazy acceleration junky at all, but it took the low boost whipple CTSC/headers/exhaust combo for the NSX to feel "right" for me personally.
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If you can, I would strongly suggest that you drive a stock NA1 and stock NA2 before choosing the SC. I'm sure there is a Prime member nearby that would help you out. There are people out there who think the stock power is great, like me. There are others who need 500whp. You have to decide on what is right for you and the best way to make that decision is to drive the car first.
Have a leak down test performed as well as compression. I almost bought a Comptech SC car and since I had it checked out it turned out to have an issue with uneven and low compression and a marginal leak down result. The car still ran like a bat out-a-hell so you can't go by seat of the pants feel. The owner even had HP dyno runs done and the power was very respectable. Needless to say I passed on the car.
The only reason I could surmise that the car had these issues was because of an over rev condition that can occur on a missed down shift. If it is really bad the engine will blow up but if it is only marginal you can just bend the valves a little or ever so slightly. For this reason you should have any car checked with a leak down test and compression test. Each test tells a different part of the story. You could do a leak down first to see if there is any general issue and then compression to be safe. If it grossly fails the leakdown you can stop there and save the expense of the compression test, which can be pretty pricey.
Good luck,
Tytus
The only reason I could surmise that the car had these issues was because of an over rev condition that can occur on a missed down shift. If it is really bad the engine will blow up but if it is only marginal you can just bend the valves a little or ever so slightly. For this reason you should have any car checked with a leak down test and compression test. Each test tells a different part of the story. You could do a leak down first to see if there is any general issue and then compression to be safe. If it grossly fails the leakdown you can stop there and save the expense of the compression test, which can be pretty pricey.
Good luck,
Tytus
Right on the money. Why add stuff at big $$$$ when you can be happy with stock. Ask me how I know :tongue::tongue: Buy a GN if you want to go fast in a straight line!!
Ummmm....excuse me - WRONG!!!! I drive mine 3 or 4 times a week - hopefully I'm not the "rare bird". There are a lot of ways to look at this. SCs are fine if you know the history! Research old emails by the person if they have been a prime member and see if you can determine how the car has been driven - how it's been driven in some cases is more important than the fact that the car has been "maintained". If the car has been set up with an SC - rarely is that all that's been done. Ok with that said - the next big question, which can be answered somewhat by a compression and leak down test - but not totally. If a guy has modded the hell out of his car and leaves a trail of emails about how fast the car is and how he's been running the hell out of it - well that may make some decide that a particular car is NOT right for them. Make sure if you buy one that is SCd you know how it's been driven - I'll say this too - most of the owners that run em hard with SCs don't tell you they run em hard!
Many won't buy one that has been SCd because they don't trust the owner or feel it may have been somewhat abused. That's a valid position in some cases - how many - well that's for you to determine. All I'm saying is do your homework.
In the end if you are not just ready to light up your surroundings then an N/A car is probably just fine. I haven't had a vette - don't want one either - like a small tossable car - mine feels fine as it is and many on this site feel the same way and they DO drive their cars. You might find that short gears are nice too - I'm thinking of this myself. Right now I'm getting ready to do some suspension mods - it's all about handling for me. Then maybe shorties for a little better acceleration and feel - as in a whole second off the zero to 60 time - that isn't bad with just gears. It's less if you don't go crazy with the R&P. All this is up for "continual" debate. SC is something you have to decide is right for you based on your need for speed! It's not something anyone can answer.
Big D is right - check em out both ways! But if you decide you want an SC it can be bought cheap by getting one already installed - remember though that is almost never the "whole" story! That you have to find out. There are always issues with almost any car for sale - you have to find out what that "issue" is. Sometimes it's more than one issue - read usually! Research any car thoroughly by reading owner historical posts - you'd be surprised what you can find out. :wink: Happy hunting and good luck!
Had the Corvette 35 years ago, done that staight line fever thing at the drag strip with it, got beaten by a Porsche 914 in the mountains and ended up spinning it out. My way of thinking is the safer bet is to buy a non SC. Without being a mechanic and not being able to get a really good history it is all a crap shoot. If I need more power then I can do the short gears and exhaust and intake. After the fact, if I ever want to sell it, a non SC model will salve some fears of prospective buyers. This site is awesome, thanks for all the input.
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