Challenge power adders: lets start a fight!

So, lets argue. Cause we do that so well and educationally around here!

Basic challenge stuff. 

We'll start with constraints:

Ls engine, automatic trans. 

In the left corner......Turbo: 250 budget hit. Intercooler, undersized piping, way too big a turbo for displacement

In the right corner......Nitrous: 100 budget hit. Wet shot, single nozzle, up to 250hp hit due to solenoid size.

What will make a better challenge car, and why? 

And, fight! 

Nitrous. This coming from a diehard turbo guy.

Nitrous is lighter.

Nitrous is cheaper.

Nitrous is easier to implement.

Turbo poorly sized as you describe can potentially hurt your autocross.

im in the Nitrous camp.

Well, your effective limit with a stock ls and nitrous in my opinion/experience is 150hp jets. but it's a zero lag right now kick.  It's also like a 3 hour job versus fabbing up everything turbo.  
 

I personally would rather put the time into interior work and making things look finished on the vehicle you are discussing, especially because that's one of your strong suits.  

Can I dump the intercooler for meth?

To throw a monkey wrench in the discussion, it was discussed at the Town Hall this past year that you can use nitrous on the autocross. Meth injection is a possibility and so is using both nitrous and turbo such as using the nitrous to spool the turbo

Nitrous.  Absolutely.

By the time you add the manifold, exhaust, etc. You could be looking at a weight penalty of over 100 lbs.

Nitrous is LEGAL in the autocross.

Turbo only works once it spools.  Nitrous triggers whenever you set it to.

Take the extra 150 and add methanol.

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Why do you want to add more power to an already limited grip chassis?

In reply to Ranger50 :

Trust me, the chassis WON'T be the holdup.....

...PLUS, your parameters are:

- Crappy sized turbo which spools slowly too late, generates too much air, and has to squeeze through incorrectly sized exhaust

VS

- Correct sized nitrous.

No comparison.

Dusterbd13-michael said:

In reply to Ranger50 :

Trust me, the chassis WON'T be the holdup.....

This sounds like a redneck "Hold my beer and watch this!" kind of statement...

Ranger50 said:

Can I dump the intercooler for meth?

You know you're in trouble when you want to trade car parts for drugs.

You never have to use the nitrous (ya, riiiiight) but you always use the turbo. 

ebonyandivory said:

Ranger50 said:

Can I dump the intercooler for meth?

You know you're in trouble when you want to trade at parts for drugs.

Heh... I also say this people are doing math. It never adds up for them.

In reply to Ranger50 :

My ultra dry humor is lost on most people I deal with. When I find someone who actually laughs, I've made a friend for life.

In reply to ebonyandivory :

Night shift ER nurse.... 

Wait, the ruling came back that nitrous is legal in the autox?

I thought Tom said that then someone pointed out in the rules where it is specifically illegal and then Tom said he would have to check with insurance or someone.

Duster, if I want you to win, I say nitrous. If I want to have a chance agaisnt you, I say turbo.

Also, don't waste nitrous spooling your turbo. Use compressed air.

Is the nitrous gas itself budget exempt? 
Up here I think nitrous is in the 10-12$/lbs range.

Fill the bottle twice and you've paid for the turbo. 

Nitrous (gas) budget exempt.

If say, a SLIGHTLY oversize turbo was used, wuth 2.25 inlet pupe from both manifolds and a 4 inch dump pipe for the exhaust, would the overwhelming support of nitrous change?

Ranger50 said:

In reply to ebonyandivory :

Night shift ER nurse.... 

Are you referring to me? Because you're almost 100% correct!

Dusterbd13-michael said:

Nitrous (gas) budget exempt.

 

If say, a SLIGHTLY oversize turbo was used, wuth 2.25 inlet pupe from both manifolds and a 4 inch dump pipe for the exhaust, would the overwhelming support of nitrous change?

Do you want it to?

What do past Challenge results say?

Is both an option?

Are we going for overall win, or biggest mess?

slowbird said:

Is both an option?

Are we going for overall win, or biggest mess?

Both is actually my knee jerk idea.

Overall is the goal. Top dynamic score overall. I want the welder.

If this is Darth Nader the correct size turbo with overkill intercooler and over sized intercooler tubing is a ~$175 budget hit.   I have a free over sized turbo but I don't think it's the right choice. I say turbo and nitrous. 

SVreX said:

Nitrous is LEGAL in the autocross.

Wait. Did I miss something?