Hey all. I'm saving up for an STS TT system for my 06 300c SRT8. I've been poking around for what to be on the lookout for with the added power, and one of the big issues seems to be concerning the pistons. I hear with our stock pistons anything over 500 whp seems to be pushing your luck. Forged pistons don't seem to be a horrible expense, so I want to get some feedback on what the next "weak link" will be if I go forged on the pistons. I am shooting for hopefully 520-550 whp (more if the car can safely take it). My car is essentially stock (CAI, catback, diablo, 180 tstat), and has about 26k miles on it. Basically I am curious to the car's limitations, and what parts will need strengthening. Any info/feedback/experience would be greatly appreciated! Thanks to all in advance! Mike
It's not so much the HP rather the amount of boost thrown into the cylinders. These motors were not designed to handle loads of extra cylinder pressure all at one time. lol You will need to upgrade MORE than just the piston's. Connecting rods, retainers, ect... Check out our vendors for forged parts and pricing.
What would constitute too much boost? I was thinking somewhere between 5-7 psi. From what I see on other vehicles that should be anywhere from about 500 to 540 whp.
on a stock block, I would NOT excede 6psi. Now there are others who are pushing that envelope, but they also have back up plans in place in the event of motor failure. Let's say these guys are wanting to find where the limits are. Me personally, have already experienced motor failure and have a very good idea where the limits are. lol
If you're going to go forged, you'll need pistons, connecting rods, and a rotating assembly balance at the minimum. The stock piston is fine up to 600 RWHP, as long as you're careful to control temps and avoid detonation. ^^^Ron's a sissy, I run 9 pounds of boost on stock pistons. With any boost system, you should look at cooling the air charge, aftermarket fuel rails with front cross-over, possibly a water/meth system, and custom tune.
So Ron, when your engine blew up, what went on it and why? And Adam, what is ur setup that you are running 9 psi on stock pistons, and what kind of power are you getting?
haha This was nearly three years ago (Before Diablo). I was running a Paxton Novi 1500 at 8.5lbs stock motor and piggy back ECU with auxillary injectors. I messed with the tune and BOOM! lol Tuning is the key here. Yes there are a few excellent tuners that can make things safe for you, but the question stands, "How long will the bottom end last?"
Thanks for all this great info by the way guys. I really appreciate any feedback. I def and going to be a "sissy" about this, as if something goes wrong with my car, I may not have the immediate funds to fix her. I have been in touch with Marty at KRC performance, and he was the one who put me on the path to the forged pistons. He told me that the block is remarkably strong and that if I beef up the pistons, my next real "weak spot" would be my transimission. Any thoughts?
I heard that some of our early modders had problems with Marty at KRC. The rods are weak also, not just the pistons. We have several vendors on here that can fix you up with forged rotationg assemblies, short blocks, long blocks or complete motors. It really doesn't cost that much more to take it out to 426. Think out what your budget will be and go from there. There are other considerations, such as compression ratio, heads, cam, etc. Or you can just put in a forged 6.1 rotating assembly and probably be able to make plenty of HP with twin turbos. Talk it up, we're here to help.
I have a Vortech supercharger with dual cooler cores in the aftercooler loop, water/meth injection, bigger fuel line and aftermarket fuel rails with front and rear cross overs, and a custom tune. I haven't had the car on the dyno since we started custom tuning and upped the boost a little bit. At 7.5 pounds of boost, I was at 550 RWHP. I'm probably somewhere around 600 RWHP now. Like I said, heat and detonation kill stock motors. So the increased aftercooler capacity and water injection cool the air charge and cyliners and the meth injection, bigger fuel system, and proper tune control detonation.
Thanks a lot everyone! I appreciate the honesty all around and all of your input is very helpful. Hal: I'm workin with 10-12k for a budget. Do you have any recommendations for a rotating assembly? What is a good price for one, and what would I be looking at for install? Adam: Sick! Sounds pretty savage man. How long have you had that setup running? Ron and Hal: Thanks for the heads up on KRC. Def good information to have.
Thanks! I've had the blower since July last year. I ran 7.5 pounds through the end of the year and then I started going up from there. The tune is still a work in progress.
Are you still in NY? There are many great vendors to choose from here. CMW, HHP, PPP, SHR, BMC, to name a few. Also, Erik (Hemi31) does installs and is in the great NY State area. He is the CHIEF resident and can install anything at a fair price. Erik is also a Vendor here BFNY Performance. You will be in GREAT hands with any of the Great Vendors we have here. Ron
Awesome! Thanks! Yes I am still in NY, about 50 miles south of Albany. Do you know anyone offhand who would have some knowledge/experience with tuning our cars with the STS system?
I am fairly confident that Mike (Lafrad) can do the tuning for the STS? Mike is associated with Stu from Inertia, another one of our fine vendors. hehe
Ron covered the vendors. I would get with Erik , Hemi31, and see what he recommends. You'll need to figure out how much your going to have left over from your STS TT setup, and go from there.
Mike PM me... I am having my motor forged and built right now to take a high boost supercharger and im like 20 min's from you we can discuss lol
