pretty new here but i've read a bunch about performance on the un-sc 3800. i see a lot of guys putting in cai's and computer upgrades for more power but i haven't seen anyone slap an sc instead of the intake manifold...why?

i talked to a tech at my dealership and he said that if i wanted to put it on it would be a direct bolt-on replacement and if i ran up to about 5psi wot i wouldn't have to reprogram the computer or do any work to the bottom end. he also told me that since i live about 5000 ft above sea level it would compensate for how thin the air is.

i can pick up a complete sc from a local junk yard for about $300 but i don't know where to go about a pulley to have 5 psi wot. also don't know if there's any oil lines like with a turbo so any answers would be greatly appreciated.

one more thing i was wondering about - since the sc gonna run at about half the boost of a factory sc engine is it even worth it? i have no idea how much power is lost for it to spool up and how much would be gained with 5psi. if it's less than 20 whp i don't think it's worth the money.

tell me what you know plz

This is a pretty common question from non-supercharged Bonnies. It isn't as easy as just slapping on a supercharger and running lower boost just to save the engine. If you are going to do that I would say it isn't worth the time nor the money in my opinion and I think many others will agree on this one. Supercharging a non-supercharged can work, but it takes a whole lot more time, know how, and parts to do it correctly. You can also go with a complete swap, but again you mechanical expertise would have to be up to par on that one and again it requires a whole lot more than just slapping the supercharger on it. The only other way around it for more power is to go and buy an SSEi really.

Now you can upgrade performance parts on a non-supercharged bonnie, but it isn't going to put you where you want to be really by the sounds of it.

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2000 SLE

thanks, i guess i'll have to think about something different, maybe ...a turbonator