Hardtop vs. Supercharger
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 408
Likes: 0
From: Orlando, FL
Hardtop vs. Supercharger
Im trying to save up some money for either hardtop or supercharger, but want to know which way I am going and have some questions. (BTW I am completely stock right now)
Prices?
Hardtop - I know there is a local hardtop for sale for $2300.
Supercharger - How much am I looking for everything I will need to get it running right? Do I need intake, exhaust, etc.(remember all stock right now)
How are they?
Hardtop - I haven't had a ride in one and I love to have my top down, so how quiet are they and how much of a pain are they to take on and off?
Supercharger - I haven't had a ride in a supercharged s2000.
How do they drive?
What are they like after a few years?
What is the wear and tear on the engine like?
Should this section be called Turbo instead of Supercharger?
Any answers, advice, suggestions are welcome.
-James
Prices?
Hardtop - I know there is a local hardtop for sale for $2300.
Supercharger - How much am I looking for everything I will need to get it running right? Do I need intake, exhaust, etc.(remember all stock right now)
How are they?
Hardtop - I haven't had a ride in one and I love to have my top down, so how quiet are they and how much of a pain are they to take on and off?
Supercharger - I haven't had a ride in a supercharged s2000.
How do they drive?
What are they like after a few years?
What is the wear and tear on the engine like?
Should this section be called Turbo instead of Supercharger?
Any answers, advice, suggestions are welcome.
-James
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 16,759
Likes: 1
From: Sun★Works
prices depend on how far you take the SC. if you run a light boost then AEM is not needed but recommended. there are many parts and labor so a "bolt on" USED Sc setup would run about 4-5K after install and tune depending on how good of a deal you got on used SC
hardtop wiil only be an aesthetic change whereas a SC would greatly increase performance and fun factor.
A Sc should be fairly reliable at bolt on level. once you up the boost and go to an aftermarket EMS your reliability may waver a bit. what a lot of people do not realize is that all these super power perfomance upgrades are design for mainly track and race environments where parts are assumed to be checked, repaired or/and replaced on a semi-regular basis.
A SC or turbo at high boost and high level of tune and management may require belts and gaskets and head work and tweaking etc etc to maintain and those needed parts and labor may need to happen at a rate higher than a "normal" owner is willing to provide.
I dont know nearly enough to advise properly but if you are wanting a daily driver or even a weekend driver with reliability consult a professional and let them advise on what may work best.
Boost over hardtop anyday of the week and twice on sunday though
hardtop wiil only be an aesthetic change whereas a SC would greatly increase performance and fun factor.
A Sc should be fairly reliable at bolt on level. once you up the boost and go to an aftermarket EMS your reliability may waver a bit. what a lot of people do not realize is that all these super power perfomance upgrades are design for mainly track and race environments where parts are assumed to be checked, repaired or/and replaced on a semi-regular basis.
A SC or turbo at high boost and high level of tune and management may require belts and gaskets and head work and tweaking etc etc to maintain and those needed parts and labor may need to happen at a rate higher than a "normal" owner is willing to provide.
I dont know nearly enough to advise properly but if you are wanting a daily driver or even a weekend driver with reliability consult a professional and let them advise on what may work best.
Boost over hardtop anyday of the week and twice on sunday though
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 6,896
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by coursevector,May 29 2007, 03:02 PM
Prices?
Hardtop - I know there is a local hardtop for sale for $2300.
Supercharger - How much am I looking for everything I will need to get it running right? I would look for a used Comptech S/C. Could be about 4k installed.
Do I need intake, No!
exhaust, Not really!etc.
How are they? Awesome! You will walk you N/A brothers.
Hardtop - I haven't had a ride in one and I love to have my top down, I hope you have a place to store it. Rarely is my top up.
so how quiet are they and how much of a pain are they to take on and off? Don't know!
Supercharger - I haven't had a ride in a supercharged s2000. Find one. That will help you decide.
How do they drive? The same as stock but with about 90 more HP and torque.
What are they like after a few years? Several cars over 75k no problems. Don't underdrive more the 7psi.
What is the wear and tear on the engine like? Not noticeable!
Should this section be called Turbo instead of Supercharger?Supercharger unless you have 10k and like down time.
Hardtop - I know there is a local hardtop for sale for $2300.
Supercharger - How much am I looking for everything I will need to get it running right? I would look for a used Comptech S/C. Could be about 4k installed.
Do I need intake, No!
exhaust, Not really!etc.
How are they? Awesome! You will walk you N/A brothers.
Hardtop - I haven't had a ride in one and I love to have my top down, I hope you have a place to store it. Rarely is my top up.
so how quiet are they and how much of a pain are they to take on and off? Don't know!
Supercharger - I haven't had a ride in a supercharged s2000. Find one. That will help you decide.
How do they drive? The same as stock but with about 90 more HP and torque.
What are they like after a few years? Several cars over 75k no problems. Don't underdrive more the 7psi.
What is the wear and tear on the engine like? Not noticeable!
Should this section be called Turbo instead of Supercharger?Supercharger unless you have 10k and like down time.
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,519
Likes: 1
Ahhhhhhh....a mighty debate indeed !!!!
SC, I had one on my 2003, Vortec, stock 7 lb boost. Mucho fun, dyno'd at the rear wheel at 292, a pure 100+ HP over stock!! Extremely reliable if you leave it alone. You'll be pushing a solid $5K get it purchased used and installed correctly. There was a fella up north that installed his at 60k and he hit 160K with the SC with no problems other than the standard belt..... I think that he went through a total of three. If you do sell the SC, you'll still be out the install price and the price to get it back to stock. But even my wife sure misses the extra power......
Hardtop, I have one on my 2006. $2300 is a bargain, buy it. You'll be able to sell it at almost any given time and lose no money at all. Nice look to set you apart from a lot of the S's. As far as taking it on and off, not bad but it is a 2 person job. Not heavy at 42 lbs, but just "bulky". You do not want the catch pins in the back to ever hit your rear fenders as you put it on or, take it off. They are little spikes that stick out about 4-5 inches and are very difficult to see if you are in a hurry and trying to handle this solo. The other piece to mention here is that those spikes are adjustable. I had to tweek mine several times to get the air noise out and the front clips from rattling. But, it sure is nice for security.
My 2 cents
SC, I had one on my 2003, Vortec, stock 7 lb boost. Mucho fun, dyno'd at the rear wheel at 292, a pure 100+ HP over stock!! Extremely reliable if you leave it alone. You'll be pushing a solid $5K get it purchased used and installed correctly. There was a fella up north that installed his at 60k and he hit 160K with the SC with no problems other than the standard belt..... I think that he went through a total of three. If you do sell the SC, you'll still be out the install price and the price to get it back to stock. But even my wife sure misses the extra power......
Hardtop, I have one on my 2006. $2300 is a bargain, buy it. You'll be able to sell it at almost any given time and lose no money at all. Nice look to set you apart from a lot of the S's. As far as taking it on and off, not bad but it is a 2 person job. Not heavy at 42 lbs, but just "bulky". You do not want the catch pins in the back to ever hit your rear fenders as you put it on or, take it off. They are little spikes that stick out about 4-5 inches and are very difficult to see if you are in a hurry and trying to handle this solo. The other piece to mention here is that those spikes are adjustable. I had to tweek mine several times to get the air noise out and the front clips from rattling. But, it sure is nice for security.
My 2 cents
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 408
Likes: 0
From: Orlando, FL
Yeah, this is my daily, so turbo is probably out.
One of the big reasons I am considering a hardtop is the fear of getting my top slashed. 2 convertibles at my work have already had theirs cut...
One of the big reasons I am considering a hardtop is the fear of getting my top slashed. 2 convertibles at my work have already had theirs cut...
Trending Topics
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,330
Likes: 13
From: Under the sun
if i was you, i would go hardtop.. just because a sc is nice but there are alot of hiden cost. and ontop of that. once you start the HP bug you will always want more and more.. So a hard top is the way to go.. just my two cents
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 28,786
Likes: 0
From: Behind you. Yep, I'm there.
KEEP IT STOCK.
Now in a calmer voice. Unles you move to the cold, you really don't need a HardTop down here. Unles you just like top up driving all the time.
Oh, my signature does explain a few things.
Now in a calmer voice. Unles you move to the cold, you really don't need a HardTop down here. Unles you just like top up driving all the time.
Oh, my signature does explain a few things.
