Best balance between performance and reliability

[Dr_jitsu]

OK, so I have been sniffing around this forum for a while now, and hopefully have a good grasp regarding tuning/performance options.

With bolt ons w/ bigger turbos and other upgrades, these cars are making big power. My definition of big power is influenced by where I live which is the roll on/street racing capital of the Universe, Houston Texas...UM, I mean Mexico Typically more than 600 whp is required to be considered as fast, but with the torque and power band of these cars, 600 whp is a formidable number. On the other hand, this car is heavy, but then again the 2JZ weighed a ton.

I think that eventually, the Stinger will become another Supra in terms of tunability.

However, as someone with decades of experience, I can tell you that a host of other challenges come when you are talking about cars with big power. For example, the Porsche Metzger motor was capable of making 800 whp on a stock block. Nonetheless, these power levels started breaking everything, transmissions, axels, differentials. Keep in mind, then Metzger and Porsche were developed from thousands of hours on the race track, and that is why they were so durable. The Stinger does not have this heritage.

Guys on this forum claim that "cars are making more than 600 whp and running with no issues for tens of thousands of miles...."

Sorry, but I call bullshit. You cannot defy the basic laws of physics, engineering, and gravity.

We are going to see stuff break, and of course the aftermarket will eventually come up with solutions.

Ideally, I would have a daily driver and the Stinger would be my weekend tuner/roll on car. I could run 600 plus whp and if I broke stuff have my unmodified daily to get to work etc. Unfortunately, my M3 is not relieable....at all. The Stinger is my daily.

For right now, I am interested in the best balance of performance and tunability. Based upon my research, it seems that a JB4 set to stage 2 with better breathing intakes gives the best balance of performance and reliability. I am in Texas and have ready access to 93 octane gas. However, I would want the car to make less than 500 ft lbs of torque as those numbers are brutal on drivetrains. I would back off the torque a bit.

Would this car give a good balance of performance and durability? What would the weak links look like?

 

[MerlintheMad]

Weak links, heh! Anytime you are going to launch the entire drive train is going to "suffer". The manual says as much. And Launch Control will shut down when the trans gets too hot. If the stock Stinger is already HOT enough to shut down LC after too many launches too close together, then ANY modifications to boost HP and TQ are just going to increase the likelihood of a busted "weak link".

I doubt that by this stage of life (second childhood) I will ever turn into a racer; not even a drag racer. I'm more likely to drive around a track like a sedate old guy with a stupid grin on my face, babying my car's brakes but summoning jabs of oversteer on the occasional almost botched curve (I've already done this quite a few times on public roads). The stock car is HOT enough! Matching up against other like performers should be quite enough excitement.

But, all God's children are not created alike. Some, such as yourself, must play around with the machine. A lot, even. I have no advice, because I have no practical experience doing this insane (to me) activity. I cringe at the abuse of a beautiful machine. Blowing up a drivetrain makes absolutely no sense to me. Setting speed records, ditto. Going fast, now that I can understand. Listening to an angry engine is like music being played Dropbox - F1-1953 BRM V16 Mk2.mp3 - Simplify your life . This need to go faster and beat others trying to do the same, you can have it.

Why beat on a GT in the first place? There are much better cars to start with. But it's so tempting to try new, and better and more: how far can it all be pushed? I'll watch from the sidelines. I might engage the kickdown switch once in a while, from a dead start or roll; just to "exercise" the drivetrain. But I want my car to outlast me.

 

[Houstinger1]

I am in Houston, and have the exact setup: JB4, new plugs, and K&N Typhoon intake. I, too, share your desire to find the right balance between longevity/durability and performance. I don't have the budget to make any more changes for a while, which will probably serve me better.

The platform is way too new to make any bold claims about not damaging anything. Additionally, the 100k mile warranty is a major factor for why I bought this car. In time as products come and go and our understanding of this platform increases, some of the uncertainty will be answered. By then, I should be on the back side of the warranty and may not care about losing it. We shall see.

I may also take the position that as something fails, replace it with a better part. When the tires go, I would like to replace them with something better. Still not sure what that is yet; it might require new wheels as well. Same for the breaks and anything else that gives out.

I understand that this position means not supporting the further growth and development of the market. Tell that to my wife who wanted a garage apartment and other home renovations.

 

[MerlintheMad]

When the tires go, I would like to replace them with something better. Still not sure what that is yet; it might require new wheels as well.

Better than Pilot Sport 4S? The Michelins are the best performance tires for a car that is a daily driver and does track time too. If your focus IS the track, I have nothing to add. The OE GT rims are (in the expressive idiom of several members here) "boat anchors". They weight 13 and 14 lbs more than my "summer" rims (TSW Watkins). There is no inimical side effect of using dramatically lighter rims and performance will be increased. This one (obviously) I wholly agree with.

 

[Manaz]

I've seen information that there are forged components in the Stinger engine already - which will help with reliability at high power levels. And information floats around that the transmission is designed with very high torque levels in mind as well (1000Nm has been mentioned - that's a lot of torque).

But you're absolutely right - as you start to increase power levels, other things will start to break. How you treat the car at those higher power levels also has an impact - roll racing is MUCH friendlier on driveline components than quarter mile drag racing as an example - the brake snip mod, while it absolutely gives great results in the 0-60' area, is absolutely loading the drivetrain up pretty damned hard.

The car's only a few years on the market yet, and it's not sold at such a price as to encourage early experimentation. I think it will come though, and I do think that more and more parts will come onto the market to let the Stinger become quite a formidable opponent, as happened with the Supra in the past.

Will we have a cult classic on our hands? Probably not. But we'll have a formidable weapon. And a lot of fun.

 

[Dr_jitsu]

The stock tires on this car are excellent. And yes. it is launching that really kills cars. I quarter mile-d my cars only 2 or 3 times each. Tracked them 2-3 times each. Mostly they were built for roll on racing on Houston's massive 5 plus lane highways.

Today 50 at 99 (end of Sugar Land) is wall to wall traffic, but when it was built there was hardly any one on it. We raced the crap out of it. I stopped and sold my car after the cop gave me a break for Racing Jamie Carter.

We also had 60 mph to 130 mph competitions. The time it takes was easily measured and replicates roll on racing. The forum was 6speedonline.

 

[Dr_jitsu]

I am in Houston, and have the exact setup: JB4, new plugs, and K&N Typhoon intake. I, too, share your desire to find the right balance between longevity/durability and performance. I don't have the budget to make any more changes for a while, which will probably serve me better.

The platform is way too new to make any bold claims about not damaging anything. Additionally, the 100k mile warranty is a major factor for why I bought this car. In time as products come and go and our understanding of this platform increases, some of the uncertainty will be answered. By then, I should be on the back side of the warranty and may not care about losing it. We shall see.

I may also take the position that as something fails, replace it with a better part. When the tires go, I would like to replace them with something better. Still not sure what that is yet; it might require new wheels as well. Same for the breaks and anything else that gives out.

I understand that this position means not supporting the further growth and development of the market. Tell that to my wife who wanted a garage apartment and other home renovations.

I would love to go for a spin in your car...free meal in it for you, LOL. You ever do cars and coffee?

In regards to tires, the stock Mich's are excellent street tires. They are expensive, but you can't beat them unless you go to an R compound. Of course R compound slicks are dangerous around water, ask me how I know.

I would run the Pilot Sports unless I made more than 480 rwhp, 500 torque

 

[Houstinger1]

Let's not get hung up on tires. I literally just picked a part on any car designed to wear out over time and used it as an example of something I would look at possibly upgrading when that time came. As far as WHAT that would be, hell I don't know. I bought the car in June of last year, and it has less than 5,000 miles on it. I just don't drive it that much because I'm not home that much. Perhaps when the time comes to replace them there will be a Pilot 4S v2 or whatever, maybe Nitto will be worth a look then. By then, I should be able to budget new wheels as well. My trouble there is, like shoes, I don't want to purchase them sight unseen. I need to talk to someone, to see just how far out a 275 or 285 wheel is. I've seen the pics and they look ok, but is that real life? I mean, I know what I look like in pictures, and that CERTAINLY isn't the me I see in the mirror, ya know?

I will probably do the same thing with the break pads, learning from everyone else's experience with trying new pads that don't "warp rotors" (heh). The next mod that I really want is Suntek Ultimate PPF, but man I just can't stomach the $5k. And yes, I almost need the full car wrap. With a toddler opening up doors in the car next to it almost guaranteeing door dings and already seeing swirl marks on the roof and trunk, I know this paint has issues.

I know my situation with not putting a lot of miles on the car is different than most people's. Still lurking and offering what I can while learning as much as possible for a shot at 11 seconds in a few years.

 

[Tangent52]

I am in the process of having mine wrapped with the Suntek PPF. Taking my time, trying not to pay it all out at once. The full wrap on my Stinger will be a hair over 3k. Might be worth the trip, or shop around some more. All I have left to do is the rear fenders and the back end. It saved my paint when a neighbors tree branch got tossed by an Arizona Monsoon. It's worth the investment.