[cdhd2001]

With my performance mods I have reached a "fork" in the road so to speak.

Current mods are Predator, dual exhaust, air filter and smaller diameter tires. I also have a 3k rpm stall converter on order.

So my current dilemma is money vs. performance gain vs. longevity.

The "left" fork:
Install cams, heads, and headers. Cost installed approx. $4,500
Shouldn't affect the longevity of the motor. Good for about 50 hp increase?

The "right" fork:
Install a MM supercharger. Cost $5,500 (install myself).
Will probably decrease motor longevity. Good for 100-120 hp increase.
(Would lower the boost and/or adding an intercooler increase the longevity enough to offset the reduction in power and cost?)

Longevity is an issue because I drive approx. 25k miles per year. Need at least 5-6 years of service considering the cost of the mods and payments.

Money.... I don't have a credit card and buy things with cash (save it up). So I tend to stress over the cost when shopping. But, since it is paid for in full, I tend to never think about the cost later. Just fussy about whether it performs to expectations.:scratchhead:

Any advice, thoughts or suggestions?

 

[itzrick]

With my performance mods I have reached a "fork" in the road so to speak.

Current mods are Predator, dual exhaust, air filter and smaller diameter tires. I also have a 3k rpm stall converter on order.

So my current dilemma is money vs. performance gain vs. longevity.

The "left" fork:
Install cams, heads, and headers. Cost installed approx. $4,500
Shouldn't affect the longevity of the motor. Good for about 50 hp increase?

The "right" fork:
Install a MM supercharger. Cost $5,500 (install myself).
Will probably decrease motor longevity. Good for 100-120 hp increase.
(Would lower the boost and/or adding an intercooler increase the longevity enough to offset the reduction in power and cost?)

Longevity is an issue because I drive approx. 25k miles per year. Need at least 5-6 years of service considering the cost of the mods and payments.

Money.... I don't have a credit card and buy things with cash (save it up). So I tend to stress over the cost when shopping. But, since it is paid for in full, I tend to never think about the cost later. Just fussy about whether it performs to expectations.:scratchhead:

Any advice, thoughts or suggestions?

I think your way of paying for stuff is good. I save the money then put it on the card to order it and pay it off right away. Like you said, you don't think about what you spent later and your alot happier about it.
Are you sure you want to put that much in a SE? Your talking about the same power as a stock RT.

 

[cdhd2001]

The wife issue aside....

I am happy with the car and the mods so far. The engine itself I am about 90% happy with. Approx. 70% of my commute is highway with the cruise control set at 70 mph. I am even happy with the normal city driving performance. It is the occasional WOT runs that I am not fully happy with. The car is not slow (faster than our Hemi truck) but it is not quite enough for my "happy" place. :browsmiley:

I think your way of paying for stuff is good. I save the money then put it on the card to order it and pay it off right away. Like you said, you don't think about what you spent later and your alot happier about it.
Are you sure you want to put that much in a SE? Your talking about the same power as a stock RT.

 

[itzrick]

I posted that before I saw you say you were out voted on getting an RT. I was just noticing your HP gains you expected and when you started at 250 and the RT started at 370 it looked about equal. If the highway miles have you worried the 5.7 with MDS is about the same gas mileage. I get about 28MPG, I can't make my foot behave in town so I don't check that. Just bouncing some thoughts around.

 

[tf34mech]

Remember that supercharging only stresses the engine when the boost is applied; how often are you going to be on the throttle? Also modern superchargers in combination with electronic engine control systems are extremely reliable.

 

[MizzouRT]

If you run 25K miles per year and want it to run another 5 years that is 5 x 25 = 125K miles. Can't see the engine lasting that long with a supercharger unless you almost never get into the supercharger, which defeats the purpose. I think the boost might be addictive, but longevity looks questionable.

 

[crater]

Here is what I'd do if i were you, and what I'd do if I didn't just buy a house.

Start with the Modern Muscle Kit with Water/Meth Kit, for Longevity's sake. Then once you have that all done keep saving and go with a Interia Motorsports' stroker, ask for lower Compression heads and then you can crank the boost up even higher. When you do the stroker you'll be building for boost. So all previous wear and tear will essentially be gone from the parts that boost would hurt, and you'll get to start from 0 again with a system meant to handle the boost for a much longer time.


The Modern Muscle guys have a few cars that have over 100,000 miles on them i believe using the water/meth kit with it. If you really wanted to spend extra on the intercooler rather than the water/Meth its essentially doing the same thing.

 

[HexiumVII]

I'd say save some more money and try see how the pentastar is (though probably not that much help with WOT as they say 90% torque is under 5k rpm) but since they aren't out yet, who knows!