There seems to be a myth about forced induction not being as cost effective or reliable as naturally aspirated tuning. Actually, FI is a much better path than going NA. (I'm talking about real NA tuning here, not just a few mild bolt ons.) The primary problem with an NA car is...
1) Downtime - Since the tuning is not a bolt on application, it requires work to be done to the motor. Most FI applications can be installed and tuned within 2-3 days, if done diligently. Very seldom can you do the same with an all motor car.
2) Labor - While FI seems to be more expensive, equipment-wise, on the surface, be prepared to pay a lot of money to have your motor reworked. Unless, of course, you plan on doing all the work yourself. But I would be careful about attempting to port & polish or fit aftermarket parts on your motor on your own. Unless you have equipment that will measure extremely tight tolerances and the ability to machine parts to fit correctly (seldom do off the shelf parts fit perfectly.), be prepared to pay someone a lot of money to do it for you.
3) Higher wear and tear - Although it seems like forced induction would harm the reliability of a car more than a naturally aspirated setup, such is not the case. With proper tuning and maintenance, a forced induction car is actually more reliable. Why? Because, when out of boost, the car runs relatively stock. In a naturally aspirated setup, you have a large cam lobe constantly pounding on your lost motion sensor. (Or valvetrain if you're non-VTEC.) You also have to rev it up to ridiculous rpm to make power. (I don't care what your R/S ratio is. Fact of the matter is, RPM = ruins people's motors. Having to hit the sky everytime you want to make power will eventually take it's toll on your rings.) You need a high static compression, which consistently puts more pressure on your car, regardless of what rpm you're at and how hard you drive your car. All in all, it's almost like you're always driving "under boost."
4) Narrow powerband - No matter what, a small displacement NA car will always be focused on making power at the top of your rev limit. With forced induction, you increase your airflow at just about every point of the rpm range once you've crossed your boost threshold. In other words, regardless of the type of racing you intend to do, you'll make plenty of power throughout the curve. Forced induction is not just a drag racing application. Outside of adding some real displacement, forced induction is the best way to give any car an edge in the world of professional racing, regardless of whether it's the Solo II, the road course, or the 1320.
Just something to think about, for those who believe that the NA path is cheaper and more reliable...
neouser
Subject: Forced Induction VS NA 
Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:58 am
