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Thread: Cubes or Boost
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03-05-2012 #1Registered User
- Join Date
- Sep 2011
- Posts
- 7
Cubes or Boost
Hey everyone
Just curious on what everyones opinion was on cubic inches vs. small cube boosted applications. Im curious because I currently have a 455 storked to 474 Pontiac engine sitting in my garage waiting to be put into my 78 Trans Am. I bought it a year ago thinking its was what I wanted for my car, but over the year and lots of reading I have been toying with the idea of going to a smaller cube with a single turbo set up based off an LSx style engine. I spend a lot of time on "performancetrucks.net" as I have a 03 sierra, and there are guys making some awsome numbers boosting the GM truck engines. There are some guys making 500whp on the small 4.8 and thats with only a cam change and the rest is stock, this is what has got me thinking about a possible change. These engines are still absolutely drivable and not to mention efficient. My 474 is about 600/600 crank hp +/- a few and a very broad torque curve and i realize this is the benefit of cubic inches, but it just seems that making around the same numbers (probably sacrificing some torque) with only a 4.8 and some boost and having the ability to get 20+ mpg seems like the better choice for the long run...I dunno maybe im crazy haha because I do have a perfectly good and powerful engine sitting in my garage....
Let me know what you guys think...Is it worth all the swap work and turbo fab-up to reap the benefits of boost and small cube efficiency, or just stick with big guns in the garage
Thanks
Mike
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03-05-2012 #2Registered User- Join Date
- Mar 2005
- Location
- Just North of NYC
- Posts
- 312
Boosting brings more air and fuel to the party only when you want it. And it can be a somewhat lighter weight way to make power if pro-touring and not outright muscle car beast is planned.
But you ask if its worth it... I'd say done and on the shelf is hard to compete with. It's probably not your last project- boost the next one. Or this one in a subsequent iteration. These cars often live multiple lives if you keep them long enough.
03-05-2012 #3