harris10101

Hey guys, im a new member and i just got a 2003 LS 430, silver. In a while i want to put some parts into this beast and make it a sleeper, for those S600's with the v12's. Anyway i was wondering if Blitz parts are reliable and worth getting, like the intake exhaust etc. Also i was wondering if anyone here had an estimate on the price of the supercharger that will fit this car. Thanks
Harris

Lvangundy

Congratulations on your new purchase and welcome to CL.

You can always use the search function in the forums to quickly find an answer.

But to answer your questions, I don't there are any U.S produced or aftermarket turbos or superchargers for the 3UZ-FE which is the engine in your car.

I'm not too sure about an intake either, but definetly there are some Japanese exhausts (Tom`s is one) for the LS430.

LS400

Welcome Harris. Yes, Blitz performance parts are reliable.

Currently, there are no American-built supercharger setups for the LS430 (unless you pay for a custom-built setup). But there are Japanese companies which have S/C setups (soon-to-be) available.

Blitz does have a dual S/C setup available for the LS430's. TOM's, I believe, will release or have already released a supercharger setup. Also, WALD (I don't have much information about their setup) S/C system.

All the supercharger systems might be TBA. But I believe the Blitz dual s/c setup will run about $8.5-10K.

I'm sure Blitz carries an exhaust system for the LS430. Injen offers an intake for the 430's as well.

Good luck in your modding choices.

JBrady

There are a number of areas for potential improvement. Supercharging is definitely the most effective way to increase power under $15k but the SRT Twin Turbo system currently available on the GS models is the most powerful setup available that could be fitted.

C's in Japan show a Supercharger on an LS430 as an introduction page

http://www.cs-comrade.co.jp/

But I cannot find it anywhere else in the site.

Less drastic and MUCH cheaper would be a LSD and 3.62-4.27 gears, torque converter, SRT intake and ECU system, high flow exhaust system.

What are your goals?

harris10101

WEll on the blitz site, there is a supercharger that is TBA. Not sure if it is dual though. Anyway i believe that this car is supposed to do a 0-60 of 6.3 and a 1/4 mile of 14.7, but i havent broken in my car yet so i am not for sure on my car's numbers. However, if those do fit my LS i want to improve the zero to 60 to its full potential, and ill see where that takes me. One thing is that this car is a daily driver, so im not going for a full race setup. Thanks for your help

LS400

As Jbrady said, C's also offers a S/C system as well as a stroker kit (from 4.3L to 5.5L = 1.2L jump!).

Jbrady, I don't think SRT offers the HFI/ECU for the LS430 (although the SRT GS430 setup can possibly be modified to fit the LS430).

Harris, it revolves around your budget and how much you are willing to spend on modifications for your LS430.

If you have a fat wallet, I would recommend the C's 5.5L stroker kit, C's (or Wald/TOM's/Blitz) S/C kit, a torque converter (Jbrady, does 3200 RPM sound about right?), transmission cooler, HF exhaust (TOM's or Blitz), and maybe a LSD.

If you are on a budget, then the list of modifications Jbrady listed should be good enough to help you start out with.

JBrady

An internal engine mod like a stroker is definitely going to kill any warranty the engine or drivetrain has. Although a 5.5 liter would be nice

The SRT intake is for the GS400/430 but there have been a couple of LS owners making it work (engines are identical).

2800rpm stall is what SRT specifies on its torque converters (Precision Industries) 3200 would make a very strong performer at the track but it would be too much for an LS/GS IMHO.

For street use the full exhaust upgrade, intake and torque converter would make a LOT of difference. A higher (numerically) gear ratio and LSD would be sweet if the speedometer error is correctable.

Supercharger... YES... but expensive. Twin turbos would rule.

harris10101

sounds good, i want a supercharger coz it is available at all rpm's (runs off cam shaft) a turbo works later on. Could i double supercharge this beast? and if the gs 430 has the same engine, it doesnt fit the same in the hood does it, otherwise if it did all gs 430 parts would fit on the ls wouldnt they?

harris10101

does anyone have a link to the Toms site, and the Walds site?

harris10101

what is LSD as well, sorry stupid question

JBrady

The supercharger sold by C's and Blitz is a positive displacement type. This unit is powered by a belt drive off the crankshaft and provides virtually instant boost at any rpm. There is a slight penalty in efficiency vs. turbocharging in both compressor and parasitic losses.

Turbochargers can be sized to give boost from 1500rpm and will give virtually instant response at higher rpms. Do not discount turbos thinking they only work at high rpms.

There is no practical reason for "double" supercharging. Using 2 SC units may look "neat" for showtime but just creates more parasitic loss. Twin turbocharging is different as there are several practical reasons for this including packaging, emmissions and response.

You are correct that the GS has a different engine compartment than the LS and the intake setup for a GS is not a perfect fit on an LS... however, it can readily be adapted and at this time is the highest flowing intake on the market.

LSD stands for "Limited Slip Differential" and works to power both rear tires instead of just one. This becomes important when trying to accelerate quickly from a stop with a high powered vehicle. Lexus uses traction control to limit power if a tire starts to spin. Turning it off will alow tire spin but one tire is not enough to harness all the power even the stock engine makes. Powering both gives the best opportunity to use your power. There are 4 LSD choices: torque sensing, clutch type, viscous coupling and locker type. The 1st 2 were used in the Supra Turbo and can be retrofitted to the Lexus and the locker type is expected to be available shortly.

harris10101

ok i got the whole LSD thing, and the idea why dual supercharging isnt as efficient. Is it possible to mix superchargers and turbocharger, wouldnt that be the best way to get power, all rpm's, yet less loss?

JBrady

Turbocharging is the most efficient way to supercharge and engine. It is physically possible to use a crank driven supercharger with an exhaust driven supercharger(turbo) but the complexity, weight and compounding of inefficiencys could not be avoided.

Turbocharging does increase heat transfer to the cylinder head and therefore cooling system but this can be dramatically reduced with proper engineering. Turbochargers, by nature, convert heat energy to mechanical energy and therefore pass less heat on to the exhaust catalysts. This increases the time it takes for the catalysts to reach operating temperature (light off) and therefore increase cold start emissions. This is a big factor in OEM reduction in turbocharged engines.

Crank driven (or other than exhaust driven) superchargers leave the exhaust system alone and therefore are less complex and easier to get aftermarket emission certification than turbos.

What I think you may really be asking is how can one efficiently get low rpm boost and high rpm efficiency? The answer is a properly engineered turbosystem. If you have never driven one you OWE it to yourself to find the opportunity. It is not difficult to design a turbosystem to make qualilty boost from 2000rpm to redline.

So, either way, turbocharging or crankcharging (not as sexy as the term supercharging) will both add dramatically to the cars output. Turbochargers tend to be very quiet whereas crankchargers have gear, compressor and/or belt drive whine.

harris10101

thank you j brady, that is a great point, and has got me thinking, So far however i have only seen superchargers for this car, but since i am not modifying it right now, im sure the market will open up. 2000 rpm boost on a turbocharger isnt bad at all, not much of a wait or a loss, so it is definately something to think about. How do u get the turbocharger to work at such a low rpm, and could this car still be a daily driver?

JBrady

True, the only system on the market is the SRT and it is only sold as a full on turn-key major rebuild. Maybe they will sell a kit only, low boost form... maybe not... they may not want ANY slow SRT turbos

As far as streetable? VERY. Low speed boost is not a problem with modern turbos and computer controls. The Saab Aero 9000 from the 90s had a turbo 2.3 with peak torque at 1950rpm :eek: That means it was making FULL boost at 1950rpm. Boost response is instant on this type of setup. I believe power was around 225hp so on a 4.6 (2 of these engines) you would have 450hp with FULL boost under 2000rpm. VERY, VERY streetable. I would probably not try to get such a low full boost, 2500 would be just fine and power would probably increase a good 50+hp at the same boost level to 500hp. Of course our engines are relatively high compression at 10.5 to 1 so I would think around 8psi to be a max target. With proper tuning maybe more. 8 psi should add 75-80% more power than stock... 290 + 75% = 500+hp.

Now, if we could find a good engine management system this could easily become a reality. Maybe the AEM part.