List of power adders in order of ease, cost, availability, and power.
When I say N/A (naturally aspirated) I am refering to real engine mods, not simple bolt-ons.
Ease;
1) Nitrous
2) S/C
3) Turbo
4) N/A
Cost;
1) Nitrous
2) S/C
3) Turbo
4) N/A
Availability;
1) Nitrous
2) N/A
3a) S/C
3b) Turbo
Power;
1) Turbo
2) Nitrous
3a) N/A
3b) S/C
Reliability;
1) N/A
2) if properly installed and maintained, all other power adders are the same
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Pro's of Nitrous;
cheap, easy install, lot's of power, no other mods required, as you mod the engine the nitrous becomes more effective
Con's of Nitrous;
if you are an idiot or screw something up then your engine goes bye-bye, have to refill the bottle, bad reputation
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Pro's of S/C;
good HP, minimal mods needed to support the install, can be easily tuned, part fitament and availability is better than that of the turbo option
Con's of S/C;
takes power to make power, lack of TQ, install is not for the average person so you'll have to find a shop
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Pro's of Turbo;
lots of HP, lots of TQ
Con's of Turbo;
major mods required to support extra power, second highest cost option, install can be tricky, need to relocate the battery, needs more tuning than a S/C
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Pro's of N/A;
you are building power the old fashioned way, least impact on engine life & reliability, can add nitrous later on
Con's of N/A;
cannot add a Turbo or S/C later on, expensive, parts are harder to come by, power is limited
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This is not the perfect list, just a general guideline. The weighing pro's versus cons should be done by each individual. Invest a little time in research and planning a project, and it will pay off.
