Bfreshisdope

Hi, i have a 2003 ap1 currently all stock with an afe intake and catback invidia q300 exhaust. im in the market for a supercharger and have done some research on supercharger and am looking at the science of speed(SOS) supercharger. i dont race or track my s2k or daily it. i want some extra hp just for some highway pulls nothing serious. i also dont launch my car either. i was wondering which stage supercharger i should go with either stage 1 or stage 2. which one is worth the money going with i only want to spend the money once and do it the right way the first time. anyone supercharged with any advice please help lol. im also worried about the differential ap1s i heard are fragile if you could give any info on that would be awesome. any info in general would be great on this! thank you in advance!

Pinky

Sorry nobody has replied yet. Difference between stage 1 and 2 is how far you want to take the car. Stage 1 can be done with the stock ECU and little/no modifications to the car. Stage 2 takes it up a level and requires a dedicated ECU for tuning. Then from there it depends on how far you take it.

For me Stage 2 is sitting under my work bench. I plan to go with a 3.2 pulley on a 2.0L. This could put peak power close to 400. So that means........Fuel Pump, Injectors, Catch Can(nice but not necessary), BOV(again not necessary but I want to play it safe), of course an ECU tuned. Some light wiring for the aftercooler water pump.

No launching and not being hard on the diff could make it last. It's not FRAGILE but just not as strong as an AP2 or other upgraded versions. I have a AP2 diff and AP2 tranny so no changes for me there.

You can alway play a safe pulley size on a Stage 2 and if you want more go MORE. Stage 1 will limit you tremendously if you wish to push the power band up.

My plan is to go with a 3.2 pulley to get power earlier in the rev range and not really use the very very top end but it's there if I really want it.

blueosprey90

The only two cars I know that have superchargers are Headchef in Clifton Park, NY and Mark in New Hampshire. Maybe try your question here.

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hecash

Pinky's summation is very much on the mark.

If it is clear in your mind that you will just want more power for weekend highway, back road, canyon-type driving. I would go with Stage 1 for sure. I think that will get you something in the range of 325 whp at 9K rpm. That's a shirtsleeve estimate. Someone with a Stage 1 on AP1 may wish to chime in here with actual numbers. That sort of power with the additional increment to torque will give you a very nice driving car in my view.

I have an 04 with KPro conversion and a Stage 2 SOS kit. It costs a lot of money to go this route. If I had sold my 04 and bought an 06+, the costs would have come down substantially. But, I had a lot of custom work done to the 04 that I did not want to lose or try to duplicate prior to deciding to go from a CT supercharger to an SOS Stage 2. But, if you have a small fortune, as I once had before undertaking the Stage 2 upgrade, you can convert an 00-05 MY to accommodate a Stage 2.

kryptonite

I swear I thought I responded to this earlier! Apologies!
Supercharged here with a SOS Stage 2 and had the same kit on MY04 which is pretty much identical to your AP1.

Breaking it down for you:
The only difference between the two kits equipment wise is the blower option and the piggy back ECU, and a fuel pressure regulator (needed for Stage 1)
More power = more modification like the guys have mentioned, however it's basically just injectors and aftermarket ECU here, the manual asks that you change your fuel pump regardless and I believe you should.

If your end goal is to keep the car as a weekend warrior, Stage 1 might be plenty, but I'm right now at 392 whp and god it's a lot of fun.

Blower:
Both the Stage 1 and 2 allow for the 1220SL or the 1200 engine lubed.
Pros to 1220SL: Self contained kit that does not require welding a bung into the oil pan. Does require consistent maintenance and oil changes every 2000ish miles or every season (in my opinion) This is the blower that I have right now
Cons to 1220SL: Makes less power at equivalent boost levels compared to the 1200. Known to sometimes blow up I honestly jot this down to poor maintenance and when the self lubed blower oil breaks down. shit happens

Pros to 1200: More power for the same pulley size
Cons: Requires welding in a bung to your oil pan and more oil per oil change.

ECU + add ons:
Stage 1: Here you're running minimal boost and the system comes with a pre-programmed ECU piggy back that allows you to handle the stock boost pressure. You need to install an aftermarket fuel pressure regulator, and the supplied fuel pump, along with the kit.

Pros: Cheaper overall because you don't have to buy an ECU, injectors and tune
Cons: 270-290whp which is plenty for most but let me honest, once you feel it you crave for more

Stage 2: The kit itself costs less money because you don't buy the ECU from SOS. I think 500$ less maybe. You do however pour more money into your build. $1000 for an ECU,$400 for injectors, $500 + for clutch and labor (I got away with using my stock clutch for a long long time before it gave way at 375whp) , $500 for a tune.

Pros: Power!! 400whp feels incredible and is weirdly manageable both on the street and track. What I love about the supercharger is the power is there when you want it, but under partial throttle, you're barely making any boost anyway and the car feels stock.
Cons: More money and well the chance for more things to go wrong. With the extra power, you're putting more strain on the engine and drivetrain in general. That being said this car has time and again proven to take a beating. There's a guy from my old Ontario forum who had his car supercharged for 60K+ miles with everything going strong before he got himself into a newer S.

Overall:
It's a function of cost to benefit (power) and what you think will work better for you
Don't worry about your diff as long as you don't launch it.

kryptonite

You will net a LOT more than 400 with a 3.2. Again depends on the dyno but Evans claims he's very accurate.

I'm using a 3.6 inch with a 2.2L and making 392whp/250tq at 8.7PSI , dyno'd at Evans on a blisteringly hot day. I made ~9.3 ish PSI on the road on a much colder morning
I have a MY07 now but had an 04 earlier with the exact same kit and made 384/246 I think. Minimal differences like the ECU went from AEM v2 to a Flashpro, exhaust and header on my new car.

Check out SOS' site, they have a PSI to pulley chart. 9.5-10PSI will for the most part net you 400whp on the 1220/1200 series
If you're going Vortech you'll need 12PSI on the S-trim I think

Pinky

Think so? I only have a 2.0L. I have only seen people hitting around the 400 mark with a 3.2. Might even limit my top end rev limit just to make sure I keep things safe. I would rather limit 300-400 RPM lower than stock than risk blowing things up.

Just now trying to figure out what Re-circ. valve I should weld in so I can either plumb back to the intake or route to the fender area to keep noise down. Never really gotten a 100% solid answer if doing a CAI would make sense or not especially with a SC.