I have talked to 2 people who have them, zman and nj boosted, both are impressed with them, and from driving zmans car so am I he has over 20k on his and no problems with it. I am gonna get one soon too.

 

And for the people that are looking for 350-400whp range?

 

350 - 400 WHP range is only going to be achieved using a conventional turbo set-up. The AC 53000 unit is not capable of flowing enough air to get those kind of gains... the 66000 might be able to, but I've not seen the specs on that AC.

So without speculating on what the 66000 might be able to do, I'd go with what I (kinda) know and say you'd probably need a T4 turbo which is going to be a little big, so don't count on a quick spool. You'll definately see lag, but it will be strong in the top end. (I'm not even going to get into the the mods you'd have to do to the bottom end to achieve that kind of performance).

Man just seems like to much power for that little car... but is there ever such a thing as "too much" power? hehe

 

What about if your looking for only 250 fwhp. Is that possible with the aerocharger.

 

250whp is not possible with the Aero kit due to the simple fact that it is flow limited to 200whp. An attempt to get that much out of it would most likely cause it to over-spool.
ACJim has provided excellent feedback on the limits of the kit you my be interested in reading.

 

So if I'm shooting for 220hp from the the crank and about 200hp from the wheels, the AC is a good choice?

 

It is the cost effective choice... Doesn't leave room for much growth beyond that range. But if your going for a street car, but with more power.. I say AC is the smart choice!

 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>which spools as quick (maybe quicker) than bb conventional turbo.<hr></blockquote>
Maybe? Its pretty small (and hence light)... not to mention that it sports a -variable area turbine nozzle-... and they have ultra-low friction mist lubricated ceramic ball bearings no less! It sure as hell -better- be quicker spooling than anything else you can find.

Thats the whole selling point.

If your goal is 200whp, AC is the obvious choice. BUT if you are going for 200whp and later want 300whp with more money invested... tuff luck. Its flow limited just like any other small conventional turbo is (simple size thing). The 66000 is the same design but much bigger (540CFM vs 340CFM which is apparently good for about 350hp), but there is no kit made for it. Garrett also has a high-tech (though it doesn't have the anti-lag specific tech) dual ball-bearing GT series you could look into thats a little less expensive and also cool for big power.

BTW, 200 hp at the wheels is closer to 240 hp at the crank (taking the typical 17% transmission losses).

[ 02-28-2002: Message edited by: Ducman69 ]</p>

 

You could spray a 30 or 50 hp shot of nitro. Give that extra burst when you need it. But always check with the manufacturer before doing anything.

 

little has been said on the nos and ac3. i may do this some day but only like a 50 shot just to drop me to mid low 13's with it. just got a new job turbo will be soon i hope muahahaha

 

Okay, okay, so let's say that I get the AC stage III to get around 200whp. Venom's VCN-1000 should be good for another 50-75, or would that cause the turbo to over spool?

 

Oh yeah, we never do talk about that. Technically, you could get to the power level of any huge turbo if you do a turbo and nitrous combo (they compliment each other well). Nitrous doesn't add to air-flow, so you could then end up with 275-300-350hp etc instead of the usual 200whp safety wall thats generally discussed. But then you are talking about pretty expensive fuel/timing solution, strengthened transmission, and internal modifications for longevity's sake (kinda expensive). Edit: Just noticed your post. No, nitrous won't cause the turbo to overspool even with a huge shot... search this forum for 'AC and nitrous'.

[ 02-28-2002: Message edited by: Ducman69 ]</p>

 

So it is possible and safe, but expensive huh?

 

If you are looking at at least 250 whp at the wheels, give Tom (1turbofocus) a PM. His kit costs 5200, pretty steep, but it gets the job done.

 

I'm sure this has been asked...probably too many times.

What effects will a ported head and different cams have on the AC3? I'm assuming it will give it a tendency to overspool quicker.

 

You've obviously been around just a bit shorter time than I have, so I'll just let ya know what I've read since being here.

The AC seems to be a very well built turbo setup which spools as quick (maybe quicker) than bb conventional turbo. From the HP gains I have seen reported, I think it's the best FI choice out there for ZX-3 owners. (Taking price and ease of installation into account)

It does have it's limits, but if your HP goals are within what the AC can do for you (eg 200 WHP), I think it's the best choice.

That's what I've gleaned from other owners.

 

Thanks for th info. For most of you thinking thatv 350-400 is too much I am going for a different reason, top speed. I am looking to run a consistant 150-160MPH. I am looking at a Autobahn hunter build-up. Thanks again.

 

Trade in for a wagon.

Better results with less effort.

 

So if I got an ACIII with a few other general mods, would a new clutch be necesary, or would the stock one hold okay?

 

PhocusZX3: I could not tell you for sure but headwork and cams should not make it overspool. I dont see why it would. I think when people say overspool, they mean turning up the boost and the turbo spins faster than it was designed to spin causing damage. You should be able to make alot more horsepower with a set of cams, cam gears and some headwork. I think you can even use long tube headers with an AC system but I am not sure. Of course you would need some kind of stand alone fuel managment system or a custom burnt chip to make it all work like it should. I doubt a 5th injector would do it for you. I have read on the jet that Crane Stage 3 cams are good turbo cams. Might not be good for an AC setup but something more conventional.

 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>I'm sure this has been asked...probably too many times.
What effects will a ported head and different cams have on the AC3? I'm assuming it will give it a tendency to overspool quicker. <hr></blockquote>
Without claiming to be to much of an expert on the AC or turbo's in general, I'm thinking a port/polish of the head might not be a good thing. Here's why and I'm sure some of the more techy guys here can correct me if needed: (and I'm sure they will)

A P/P'd head is going to flow more air than a stock head unit requiring your turbo to flow more air to achieve the same amount of boost. It's going to make your turbo work harder to achieve similar results. And you might end up seeing less "peak" performance gains.
The over-spooling I think could only be a major danger at high RPM's but I doubt it will be an issue.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>So if I got an ACIII with a few other general mods, would a new clutch be necesary, or would the stock one hold okay?<hr></blockquote>

Would you need a new clutch? Probably not.. but would it be a good idea to actually be able to put that power to the wheels without slippage??? I think yes.. I personally think it would be a not so good idea to boost power while ignoring your driveline. But heck.. what do I know

[ 03-02-2002: Message edited by: belacyrf ]</p>

 

p.shell - I dont know what you are thinking about, but of course headowrk would make the AC overspool...Headwork moves air through the cylinder head faster thus pushing it out the exhaust quicker - If it goes into the exhaust quicker it forces the Turbo to spin faster thus overspooling it...See?

And Stage 3 Crane Cams would probably be the WORST turbo gring, it is for hardcore NA buildups - Stage 1 would be the best for a turbo application

drew
fok

 

Yes, for forced you generally would look for a short duration high lift cam with as little overlap as possible.

As belacyrf was saying already... "flow more air than a stock head unit requiring your turbo to flow more air to achieve the same amount of boost". Spot on.

At 10PSI with lower restriction than before, the rpm should actually be higher. You could just turn down the boost a little, but your flow and consequently power would remain similar but perhaps slightly better. Not worth the time/effort/cost though IMO.

Best place to spend your money would be clutch, quaife, flywheel, and those that further improve response (cat eliminator pipe for example). For added power, nitrous would be the way to go (since it doesn't add to flow requirement of turbo) with a well tuned flip-chip for proper fuel/timing.

 

What about new rods? I'm always reading that the Zetec's rods shatter under heavy strain, but I've also heard about people never having a single problem with the stock ones.