Hello, I am on my way to modding my xb. I have the intake and I'm going to do a header and exhaust. My next step would be supercharging. Would like to know if supercharging with these modifications will be safe for our engines. I would like to keep the car for 100,000 miles or five years. I'm not a hard driver, but like to have fun every once in a while. I'm just nervous about pumping up output on these engines.
Thanks.

You take a risk whenever you put an aftermarket product on your engine. Can you supercharge your xB and never have any driveability issues? SURE! But I would get someone or shop you trust to install it if you have never done it before. There is always risk with forcing anything into your engine to make more power......but if done correctly you won't have any problem. I think the main issue with superchargers/turbos is expertise in installation and maintenance.

You take a risk whenever you put an aftermarket product on your engine. Can you supercharge your xB and never have any driveability issues? SURE! But I would get someone or shop you trust to install it if you have never done it before. There is always risk with forcing anything into your engine to make more power......but if done correctly you won't have any problem. I think the main issue with superchargers/turbos is expertise in installation and maintenance.

Well, installing is not my problem, my brother and I have worked on cars for15+ years. MY brother is a ASE certified mechanic and we've done everything from tune ups to complete motor builds. I have concern on the rods going. They say anything over 5-6 psi boost can be bad. I'm more curious to know if 5-6 causes damage over an extended period of time.

the kit that are available are all pretty safe, one shop snapped rods during a development of a turbo. alot of people have been running boost without problems. It sounds like you and your bro know what you are doing, you shouldnt have any trouble.

the kit that are available are all pretty safe, one shop snapped rods during a development of a turbo. alot of people have been running boost without problems. It sounds like you and your bro know what you are doing, you shouldnt have any trouble.
Just wanted to ask. Have you done any of the road ralleys or autocrosses in westchester. Thanks.

No, I didn't even know we had them around here. Closest one I was able to find is in ct.
Besides, once I go F/I i won't be much of a competitor in the class i'd be in.

Basically the answer is 'nobody knows'. Some talk of doomsday from rods failing, yet there is no real substantial evidence to say they THEMSELVES fail and could be failing from horrible tunes. For all anyone knows you could pump 20psi in this motor and have no problems.

This is what happens with new groups of people trying things out on a new motor.

As a side story, when the Series 2 Supercharged 3.8L motor from pontiac went into service and people started modifying it in 98", they were doing intakes and such and that was about it. It was common belief that if you pushed the motor anywhere passed the 8psi it made stock that it would fail horribly. Someone made it to 10 but rumors were abound that they would REALLY start to fail very very soon.

Here it is 2006 and the Series 2 community has 4 cars in the 9's@over 140mph on 20-30PSI on STOCK pistons and rods.

It's all about trial and error and properly fueling the car, and working WITH the ECU to make sure it's happy.

So in short, who knows :)

No, I didn't even know we had them around here. Closest one I was able to find is in ct.
Besides, once I go F/I i won't be much of a competitor in the class i'd be in.
check out wscc.org

Basically the answer is 'nobody knows'. Some talk of doomsday from rods failing, yet there is no real substantial evidence to say they THEMSELVES fail and could be failing from horrible tunes. For all anyone knows you could pump 20psi in this motor and have no problems.

This is what happens with new groups of people trying things out on a new motor.

As a side story, when the Series 2 Supercharged 3.8L motor from pontiac went into service and people started modifying it in 98", they were doing intakes and such and that was about it. It was common belief that if you pushed the motor anywhere passed the 8psi it made stock that it would fail horribly. Someone made it to 10 but rumors were abound that they would REALLY start to fail very very soon.

Here it is 2006 and the Series 2 community has 4 cars in the 9's@over 140mph on 20-30PSI on STOCK pistons and rods.

It's all about trial and error and properly fueling the car, and working WITH the ECU to make sure it's happy.

So in short, who knows :)
understood. It's almost not worth trying yet until someone has substantial evidence as to what is safe.

Yes its safe, f/i or any n/a motor is safe so long as you prep build for this.

Please search next time, there are tons of topics covering f/i and the 1nzfe. Don't mean to be rude, but by doing so we have one less new thread about something covered x10.

But just to help you out a little, here are some basic mods you could do to ensure your motor/tranny clutch to last.

Say you buy the blitz s/c, since thats most common here:
Automatic mods:
i/h/e to ensure the motor is breathing right, something you don't have to do but i would recommend it.
Synthetic tranny oil
Synthetic motor oil
Automatic Tranny fluid cooler (ATF cooler)
Piggy back. (camcon, e-manage, so on) to properly tune
Manual:
i/h/e
Manual trans synthetic fluid
Motor synthetic oil
ACT/SPEC/etc. "stage 2" or even "stage 3" clutch, (stock slips way too easily)
Piggy back. (camcon, e-manage and so on) to properly tune

Thats some basic things. I would also suggest, but not something you absolutely need would be gauges to watch engine temp, fuel mix and psi levels. Mostly for show, but this also can come in handy when it comes down to possibly problems running too lean or too rich. Also upgraded fuel rail/pumps, 8:5:1 pistons (zpi makes them), and the list can go on as far as what you can do. But above, imo, is stuff you really should do to ensure a long lasting f/i set up.

Yes its safe, f/i or any n/a motor is safe so long as you prep build for this.

Please search next time, there are tons of topics covering f/i and the 1nzfe. Don't mean to be rude, but by doing so we have one less new thread about something covered x10.

But just to help you out a little, here are some basic mods you could do to ensure your motor/tranny clutch to last.

Say you buy the blitz s/c, since thats most common here:
Automatic mods:
i/h/e to ensure the motor is breathing right, something you don't have to do but i would recommend it.
Synthetic tranny oil
Synthetic motor oil
Automatic Tranny fluid cooler (ATF cooler)
Piggy back. (camcon, e-manage, so on) to properly tune
Manual:
i/h/e
Manual trans synthetic fluid
Motor synthetic oil
ACT/SPEC/etc. "stage 2" or even "stage 3" clutch, (stock slips way too easily)
Piggy back. (camcon, e-manage and so on) to properly tune

Thats some basic things. I would also suggest, but not something you absolutely need would be gauges to watch engine temp, fuel mix and psi levels. Mostly for show, but this also can come in handy when it comes down to possibly problems running too lean or too rich. Also upgraded fuel rail/pumps, 8:5:1 pistons (zpi makes them), and the list can go on as far as what you can do. But above, imo, is stuff you really should do to ensure a long lasting f/i set up.

thanks for the info. But I did a search and still don't have a clear answer. forcing to much air CAN do damage. I know that. Steps to ensuring that they wont are correct. But I don't want to tear the motor down just to add 6 psi. I think no one can clearly say yes without proper testing.

Yes its safe, f/i or any n/a motor is safe so long as you prep build for this.

Please search next time, there are tons of topics covering f/i and the 1nzfe. Don't mean to be rude, but by doing so we have one less new thread about something covered x10.

But just to help you out a little, here are some basic mods you could do to ensure your motor/tranny clutch to last.

Say you buy the blitz s/c, since thats most common here:
Automatic mods:
i/h/e to ensure the motor is breathing right, something you don't have to do but i would recommend it.
Synthetic tranny oil
Synthetic motor oil
Automatic Tranny fluid cooler (ATF cooler)
Piggy back. (camcon, e-manage, so on) to properly tune
Manual:
i/h/e
Manual trans synthetic fluid
Motor synthetic oil
ACT/SPEC/etc. "stage 2" or even "stage 3" clutch, (stock slips way too easily)
Piggy back. (camcon, e-manage and so on) to properly tune

Thats some basic things. I would also suggest, but not something you absolutely need would be gauges to watch engine temp, fuel mix and psi levels. Mostly for show, but this also can come in handy when it comes down to possibly problems running too lean or too rich. Also upgraded fuel rail/pumps, 8:5:1 pistons (zpi makes them), and the list can go on as far as what you can do. But above, imo, is stuff you really should do to ensure a long lasting f/i set up.

thanks for the info. But I did a search and still don't have a clear answer. forcing to much air CAN do damage. I know that. Steps to ensuring that they wont are correct. But I don't want to tear the motor down just to add 6 psi. I think no one can clearly say yes without proper testing.

Its common sense that its safe. As long as you take into consideration the motor you are working with, and psi levels. There are some people with Blitz s/cer's that have been running boost for a good two years now without any damage. Doing what i said, you won't have to tear the motor down. It might sound like a lot, but it really isn't so long as you have the funds.

The only thing you would need to pull the motor for is the pistons.

Yes its safe, f/i or any n/a motor is safe so long as you prep build for this.

Please search next time, there are tons of topics covering f/i and the 1nzfe. Don't mean to be rude, but by doing so we have one less new thread about something covered x10.

But just to help you out a little, here are some basic mods you could do to ensure your motor/tranny clutch to last.

Say you buy the blitz s/c, since thats most common here:
Automatic mods:
i/h/e to ensure the motor is breathing right, something you don't have to do but i would recommend it.
Synthetic tranny oil
Synthetic motor oil
Automatic Tranny fluid cooler (ATF cooler)
Piggy back. (camcon, e-manage, so on) to properly tune
Manual:
i/h/e
Manual trans synthetic fluid
Motor synthetic oil
ACT/SPEC/etc. "stage 2" or even "stage 3" clutch, (stock slips way too easily)
Piggy back. (camcon, e-manage and so on) to properly tune

Thats some basic things. I would also suggest, but not something you absolutely need would be gauges to watch engine temp, fuel mix and psi levels. Mostly for show, but this also can come in handy when it comes down to possibly problems running too lean or too rich. Also upgraded fuel rail/pumps, 8:5:1 pistons (zpi makes them), and the list can go on as far as what you can do. But above, imo, is stuff you really should do to ensure a long lasting f/i set up.

thanks for the info. But I did a search and still don't have a clear answer. forcing to much air CAN do damage. I know that. Steps to ensuring that they wont are correct. But I don't want to tear the motor down just to add 6 psi. I think no one can clearly say yes without proper testing.

Its common sense that its safe. As long as you take into consideration the motor you are working with, and psi levels. There are some people with Blitz s/cer's that have been running boost for a good two years now without any damage. Doing what i said, you won't have to tear the motor down. It might sound like a lot, but it really isn't so long as you have the funds.

The only thing you would need to pull the motor for is the pistons.

Thanks again, but does it add to much stress to the motor? The people out there with supechargers can't tell if theres damage unless you look at the pistons. Show me a s/c xb with 100,000 and I'll be happy. Or somone who has looked at a motor closely after a s/c has been added.

^^^ You can tel alot by pulling a plug here or there as to whether there is damage happening or on it's way to meltdown.

svt, there are people with s/c'd xb's pushing 60,000 miles. At least, i know of one. He has had zero problems and has driven it pretty hard going to tracks and the sorts for a good amount of time.

While long term effects, are unknown. If you built the car to properly support boost, the damage compared to a stock 1nz will be comparable. Yes, it puts extra stress on the trans and motor. However, using proper oil and proper tuning with specific mods backing up the support of the motor, you will have nothing to worry about.

If you are this deeply concerned, don't boost your motor. I mean seriously, no offense or anything but if you are this worried about what could happen even with a prep-build towards boost, why bother? Do what ever you feel is safe for you, but having this much doubt tells me boost isn't something you should do.

There are a few folks running 10-12 psi daily, they have reported no problems. all of the research done by trd, blitz, greddy and a few others supports that 6psi is completly safe for this engine.
TRD had a turbo package for this engine in japan, i believe we miss out due to emissions. I don't think they would have done that if it wasn't safe in the long term.

*p.s. a well maintained toyota engine is good ( by good I mean good not drivable but guzzling gas and oil)for at least 200,000 miles, so even if boosting it were to cut its life expectancy by 50% you would still be set

Thanks for all your help. I'm not so deeply concerned. I guess I just need to get some positive perspectives. I would love to and will be doing this mod. I hear many sides of doing this mod. It's just alot of money to spend to find out i shouldn't have done it.

I think you couls S/C this engine and be okay, but you'd have to go with a pretty gentle push in the psi dept.. It's been a pretty tempting thought for me as well, but I have the same concern. I'd like to keep my car for a while, and that keeps me from moving towards this. I tend to feel like pushing the engine like that would make a situation where if you made it to 100k milage, your car would have the wear of maybe 150k, and so on. I think it's kind of like thinking about buying a car from someone you know has driven it like an ___-- the wear on it passes what the mileage shows.
I still think an engine swap might be cool down the road. Either way (s/c, turbo, swap, or any combination of them), a few years down the road here in California, it still wont be smogable.
Still, it would be nice to get in and know that, even though the engine looks like it came off a lawnmower, now it'll drive like a car.
I would do it, but not if I wanted to know the car was in it for the long haul.

I just SuperCharged Mine at 3,000 miles, I let you know in a nother 97,000 if it was safe...(I hope so)

I just SuperCharged Mine at 3,000 miles, I let you know in a nother 97,000 if it was safe...(I hope so)

LOL, How do you like the greddy. I think it's the one I want to go with.

Well, I am inclined enough that I am going to make my own supercharger kit (see other threads) and have decided today that I'm doing it no matter what. It may take me a month or two to gather funds and such but it will be 1/3rd the cost of the kits out there.

Now, I have no idea if it will be better or not so I am not knocking the kits in any way. They work and work well from what I know.. I'm just cheap hehe.

Making more HP on any motor will put more wear on it, period. There is the age old saying:

FAST, RELIABLE, CHEAP ... Pick 2 :)

More of us will be boosting and more of us will help development improve and I hope to have a cheap(er) alternative to fueling soon that is much less than an e-Manage. It will ONLY work on fuel though so you will have to plan your boost level to work with stock timing.

Anyway, these cars are fairly peppy over 4,000RPM already, the problem I have is from 0-4,000 takes forever! I hope to remedy that with a few PSI ;)


Good luck to all in their boosted endevors. :)

Kind of a corny question.... but what your milage like with 20" wheels and a supercharger?

I like the Greedy Supercharger, the Scion is not a powerhouse but it is much quicker and fun to drive. I get 25-30 mpg around town.

Just to chime in here. After speaking with Greddy's test lab as well as Scion techs who boost, I've found that the magic number where things start to get risky is 8lbs of boost. Anything above that is no man's land as far as a daily.

The Greddy S/C is 4-5lb boost, but can easily be tuned to 6-8lb with the emanage system.

The other guy was right.
Keep synthetic (motor/trans) in it at all times (Amsoil, Royal Purple, or Mobil1 is all good)
Run a -1 cold plug (NGK IX are great, alot of people run densos)
Get a proper tune
Take your time installing
Get gauges to monitor for problems. Even a wideband is not a bad idea.. Hell if you can afford to boost a 14,000$ car, you can afford 400$ for a nice wideband and an o2 sensor install :P

Good luck!

I have a GReddy SC kit, and have found it hits 6.5-7.5 psi, at least it doest that here in sea level Florida. The first 3 days were great, however I think that the little pin that holds the crank pully in place may have gotten messed up somewhere along the line because I have a SERIOUS bogging problem froma dead stop to about 3000RPM.

I have a GReddy SC kit, and have found it hits 6.5-7.5 psi, at least it doest that here in sea level Florida. The first 3 days were great, however I think that the little pin that holds the crank pully in place may have gotten messed up somewhere along the line because I have a SERIOUS bogging problem froma dead stop to about 3000RPM.

I'll see what it does here in Houston soon.. we are close to sea level but it's more a proper tune that i'm concerned about as opposed to altitude.. That's a little hight for a stock greddy sc setup unless you've tuned the emanage some... Your crank pulley may be slipping... tear it down and check it.. you'll end up doing damage if you don't.. are you running the stock crank pulley or the perrin lightweight?

Good luck with your setup... I'm doing mine this week I hope....

I'm runnin the Perrin unit, and I am thinkin that the pully is slipping, or that the alignment pin has been scheared off or deformed in some fashion.