Turbo Experiences

Quote from Dzemboc77

Looking for some info / experiences from people who have thrown turbos onto your slings. Preferable anyone with the ZZP or DDMS kits. I'm looking at possibly adding one of the 2 turbo kits in the next month or 2. However there is not much data out there as far as long term effects, performance, and overall drive-ability after the kits are installed. My father knows a guy who is down on his luck, just bought a motorcycle off him, he also has a sling for sale and he was telling him how I was going to add a turbo. He told my father not to do it, a guy he knew blew his motor. The kits are a decent penny to begin with so I'm concerned to spend $3k to get 1 summer out of them just to blow the motor. Also the overall drive-ability of them. one of the ZZP videos you can clearly see when he step on it the back end kicking out, not once but twice. Power is great but with 1 wheel and traction already a problem can you really stomp on these things and take off or do you basically have to baby them along in a higher gear to prevent slippage. I just have not really read or saw many videos of people experiences with turbos. Theres the flashy... Buy my turbo kit videos and testing videos but I don't think I've found 1 of some guy weeks after he had a kit added that talks about it or even shows you a drive video.

Thoughts and input would be great. Please don't post if you never have owned a Turbo Slingshot. I'm not looking for theory but real experience with either of the 2 kits. IF you had another kit feel free to post your experience as far as handling,power ect.

Planning on going to the Track? I bought my first Slingshot in Feb of 2015 and a second one in Sept 2015... (electric problem with #1) I have put 88,000+ miles in the seat of a Slingshot. My suggestion to all new owners....get lots of seat time in before going to crazy with the 'mods' power or looks. Both ZZP and DDMWorks do a super job on adding "zip" to the Slingshot. I'm OEM power and I'm not headed to the track but by the time we reach to stop sign I'm close by.

It's very easy to blow any motor with a mod that isn't setup right (or just have bad luck with a bad part). If a turbo or super charger is installed and not done correctly, you can blow a motor. Too much boost on a stock engine is one way.

I have the DDM stage 2 kit and love it. Plenty of power for passing, etc. I have about 7k miles on mine with the turbo.

Many people on here are running turbo with stock engines with no problems, but get a kit from one of them you mentioned. I highly recommend DDM, the service and support you get is top notch. Hit one of the bigger events of the year, especially Maggie Valley if you can, see the kits, take a ride with people, judge for yourself.

If you want to take it a step further and future proof your setup, get a built engine, so that it will take whatever boost you throw at it.

Dave@DDMWorks can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's generally not advised to go over 7 or 8 psi on a stock engine. His stage 1 kit is perfect for that setup, and if you want to upgrade later, it's fairly easy to do.

The DDM stage 1 or 2 turbo will do a great job on a stock motor.

I am sure the ZZP will do as well but I only experience with the DDM kits and I have had both.

It just depends on what you want out of it. You can reach out to Dave@DDMWorks directly or Kyle D from ZZP

Good Luck

Go Boosted it makes slinging more fun!

I have a Hahn Stage 2 Turbo setup that typically produces boost up to around 7, sometimes 8 lbs and now have 20K+ miles on the turbo'd unit. While it's not as important to skip gauges with a supercharger since the boost is always produced at the same linear rate based on engine RPMs, most folks feel it is essential to have Boost and AFR gauges or a combo AFR/Boost. Turbos can produce boost in an uneven manner compared to superchargers since there is no direct relationship between RPMs and boost. having Boost while the AFR is lean is a quick way to destroy and engine. Monitoring both is the best way to try and catch a problem before it becomes a PROBLEM.

I believe the basic $3K ZZP turbo setup is slightly less powerful than other available turbo kits and if I were doing it all over again, personally, I think I'd find the ZZP base setup to be a great match for my driving habits at a great price-point. I like my Hahn setup and felt it was the best buy for the money when I bought my turbo in late 2016 and installed it at 35K+ miles after my Polaris warranty expired.

From listening to videos, I believe the ZZP muffler is a little quieter than my Hahn Streetrace exhaust with baffles. I was able to break my rear wheel loose pretty easily before the turbo install and still can. I treat the rear wheel as part of teh challenge of driving the Slingshot and tke pride in accelerating as quickly as I can w/o spinning the rear wheel.

Hahn offers a Stage 1 Turbo setup w/o the intercooler starting at $2699 plus the cost of the exhaust of your choice. Since it lacks the intercooler, it runs at lower boost, which may provide some confidence as far as reducing the chances of engine problems (but doesn't guarantee not having problems) and offers an upgrade kit to Stage 2/2X for $900 if you decide you more power.

I have no experience with it, but Hahn also offers his SpeedBoost Power Management System ($900) that is reported to control power levels so boost isn't as strong at lower speeds where the rear wheel is more likely to spin. It also has automatic or driver-selectable power modes. More info can be found here - https://www.hahnracecraft.com/…st-slingshot-turbosystems.

Hahn also offers QA1 coilovers customized for the Slingshot starting around $800 for Double-adjustable units with Triple-adjustable units available a slightly higher cost.

Never had a Slingshot with a turbo installed...

Slingshot has been on the market for five years.

Don't know how that will relate to long term reliability...

But, the engine has been around for much longer.

Have seen a lot of Slingshots with turbos and superchargers at rallies, events, and on the street.

They all seem to be moving pretty good with blowed up motors...

But, that's my non-experience.

This was a response...

And this is a post.

You didn't mention supercharging but.......... I have been supercharged boosted for over 3 1/2 years and have had ZERO issues bouncing off the rev limiter. Supercharging gives you predictable linear boost. If you start out with the stage 1 105 mm pulley you will have 285 reliable predictable horsepower.

Like I said I started out with the 105 mm pulley, then the 100 mm pulley, then the 95 mm that was putting out 300 plus hp. Just recently I had DDM install some stage 3 cams and now I am at 351 hp. That is all my stock engine wants. More horsepower will need a "built" engine.

When you get your Sling drive it around for a good while, maybe figure out which direction you want to go. Like MACAWS said "go boosted it make slinging more fun"

I'm scheduled to go to Michigan to see the nice folks at ZZP - going to have them install my turbo & intercooler for me. Kyle D has sold me a number of parts for my slingshot, service has always been exemplary.

For my money, having the right kit (a matter of preference and driving habits) is just the first step. Having everything installed properly is the final step.

I'm sure you will hear me giggling all the way back!

Not too worried about the durability. I've owned 6 turbocharged vehicles and bought my wife a Supercharged v8 for Christmas. Only one of these vehicles ever gave me problems related to the turbo (Subaru... *cough*).

The engine in the Slingshot has many years in service and millions of turbocharged miles to its credit. Very durable and reliable power plant. I'm not hesitant about adding my turbo, but then I don't drive like a madman either.

I'd bet you're gonna be fine. But if you're hesitant, consider an ECU tune. Search for Bob's tune, or contact Kyle D at ZZP. Kyle did my tune & I'm very pleased.

Dave@DDMWorks or myself would be happy to answer any questions that you may have regarding a turbo setup and reliability on your slingshot! Feel free to give us a call 864-438-4949

Going turbo is great. I've had a turbo on mine since 2015. I ran my stock motor until we decided to go beyond 9psi which is the limit on stock pistons and rods. Our base kit is 6psi and adds 100whp bringing you up to around 265whp on 93 octane. The stage 1 kit is extremely reliable and and really raises the fun factor of the slingshot. We definitely have the most responsive turbo on the market. You can easily spin the rear tire through 3rd and into 4th but when taking off, you can apply 1/4 or 1/2 throttle and that will be more than enough to get you out of the hole quickly and keep the rear tire planted. Turbo kits really shine on the highway and for in town driving when you're wanting some passing power. Engine failure is always a concern but as long as you have a good install, whether you do it yourself or have us do it for you, and run premium fuel, you'll be enjoying the turbo kit for a long time. I can build you anything from mild to wild depending on what you're looking for but the stage 1 kit is a fantastic place to start. If you'd like to discuss anything you can email me directly at Kyle@zzperformance.com or you can call us at 616.532.5152 and ask for me. Happy to help and answer any questions you may have.

Dzemboc77

I am currently running a ZZP with his stage 1 add on, we made great numbers on the dyno and the reliability has been great, 9000 miles with not a single hick up. Last year I drove my TURBO SS from Chicago to Maggie Valley maintained great gas mileage, and performance. We took several rides Thru the mountains hitting all the twisties we could and she performed flawlessly. Now the down side to owning this kit, Rear tires are an issue, The performance is addictive, and your face will hurt from the smiles when driving not to mention the questions and looks you get at a cruise night when you open the hood. Recently I added ZZP pinion brace as an added security to the angle drive, in my opinion I believe that with the added performance it is a must. Putting out a post like this would not be correct without giving credit where it is due and my experience with KYLE D at ZZP has been a pleasure, I live 250 miles from him and have made the trip to visit many times . I sum it up like this.

"HAVING A TURBO SS IS LIKE HAVING MONEY IN THE BANK, YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE IT BUT IT IS SURE IS NICE TO KNOW IT'S THERE."

Quote from Dzemboc77

Thanks for the responses guys. I put about 3k on my sling last year. The complaint I have read on here and other places about passing power on the highway is 1 of the issues im trying to resolve. I'm not going to the track but do want the option for more power. Its fun to drive now and can't imagine how much fun it will be with another 100HP.

If you are coming to Maggie Valley this year, I will have a few Slingshots there with my stage 1 kit on it. Myself or one of the owners will be happy to take you for a ride and or we can also go for a ride in mine.

Quote from Dzemboc77

Looking for some info / experiences from people who have thrown turbos onto your slings. Preferable anyone with the ZZP or DDMS kits. I'm looking at possibly adding one of the 2 turbo kits in the next month or 2. However there is not much data out there as far as long term effects, performance, and overall drive-ability after the kits are installed. My father knows a guy who is down on his luck, just bought a motorcycle off him, he also has a sling for sale and he was telling him how I was going to add a turbo. He told my father not to do it, a guy he knew blew his motor. The kits are a decent penny to begin with so I'm concerned to spend $3k to get 1 summer out of them just to blow the motor. Also the overall drive-ability of them. one of the ZZP videos you can clearly see when he step on it the back end kicking out, not once but twice. Power is great but with 1 wheel and traction already a problem can you really stomp on these things and take off or do you basically have to baby them along in a higher gear to prevent slippage. I just have not really read or saw many videos of people experiences with turbos. Theres the flashy... Buy my turbo kit videos and testing videos but I don't think I've found 1 of some guy weeks after he had a kit added that talks about it or even shows you a drive video.

Thoughts and input would be great. Please don't post if you never have owned a Turbo Slingshot. I'm not looking for theory but real experience with either of the 2 kits. IF you had another kit feel free to post your experience as far as handling,power ect.

Very cool and hopefully you get the Slingshot, they are a lot of fun stock or with a turbo or a supercharger.

Not sure what kit the guy who blew the engine had on the Slingshot, but early on, when the Slingshots were new there were a lot of different kits out there, most of those companies are not around any longer. There was one kit that had the wastegate for the turbo welded at an angle that did not allow the boost to be controlled and that kit would cause overboost and destroy engines. Another kit sometimes had incorrect spark plugs, mismatched fuel injectors, and/or a very restrictive exhaust section of the turbo that would back up heat into the engine and cause damage, etc. Some kits out there were being sold without any ECM changes at all. We know of engines that blew up because of these kits and if he had one of the early kits out there, that may have been his experience.

A lot has changed since 2015, our kits, both supercharger and turbo have been designed from the beginning to focus on reliability of the power since our first kits were sold in 2015 for the Slingshot. Turbo kits are basically the same, but there are a lot of little things in our kits that help with that reliability. All of our turbo kits have full stainless steel AN braided lines for the water lines, the oil drain and oil supply. The genuine K&N air filter in our kit is backed by a lifetime warranty. Our intercooler, used to keep the air cool and help prevent detonation, is the largest volume sold on any turbo or supercharger kit for the Slingshot. All of our kits uses a 2 bar absolute MAP sensor, which allows more accurate fueling. We also offer a oil pan gasket for the installation to help make sure when swapping oil pans, you are leak free after the installation.

As for traction issues, even the stock Slingshot can break the stock rear tire loose in 2nd gear, so adding any forced induction is only going to amplify that. We are the only forced induction kits that work with Mefiburn out in California and have extensive time developing the tune specifically for drivability of the kits. The MEFIburn tunes have access to more tuning parameters in the ECM than anyone else on the market. Parameters such as throttle correlation based on MAP pressure and throttle inputs can be made to make the throttle response with a turbo more linear, which helps you control the power more easily. If you upgrade the kit later to a higher pressure kit with upgraded fuel injectors, only the MEFIburn tune keeps your fuel economy displayed on the dash correct.

We also offer a full line of suspension and brake upgrades. We can help with tire suggestions, rear coilovers to help with traction and overall suspension setup of your Slingshot. When you go to do the installation, we have a tech line you can reach on nights and weekends at 864-907-6004 if you have any questions, during or after the installation. We can also do the installation in house here in South Carolina or at any event we are attending throughout the year.

Give us a call at 864-438-4949, or send us an email to Dave@DDMWorks.com, if you have any other questions we can answer or help you with.

Dave

Quote from Kyle D

If you are coming to Maggie Valley this year, I will have a few Slingshots there with my stage 1 kit on it. Myself or one of the owners will be happy to take you for a ride and or we can also go for a ride in mine.

Yeah... "Ask the man who owns one." That's what Dad always used to say.

Before making your choice of vendors, you'll want to see how that business responds to your questions or gives you support after the sale. I have one of the first (ok, the first) turbo slingshot. There are a couple of fellow forum members who had also used this vendor, but have decided to swap over to DDM for there choice of vendors. When I had issues with the way it was running, I didn't get the support I needed from the vendor, In fact, all I heard was the sounds of crickets. Then in Maggie Valley, I was speaking with Dave from DDM. Even though he was busy with his own customers and installations, he had me drop my slingshot over to his tent. he spent some time checking it out and road testing it and found the problem. He tossed me my keys and said to go take it out and if i was happy, then come back we'd settle up the bill. When a vendor gives service like this to a customer who has a turbo from another supplier, it HAS to have a positive influence on whose system you'd want to be using. I had only bought a few hundred dollars of merchandise from Dave prior to that point.I have no reservations at all to highly recommend Dave and DDM Works as the supplier of choice for either a turbo or supercharger.

This post is not a dig on Kyle from ZZP in any way, shape or form. Kyle is a great guy, I just have not had any dealings with him

So Phil just so everyone understands not only does Dave make great product backed by great support

He can get rid of crickets!

Just amazing how versatile that guy is!

Quote from MACAWS

So Phil just so everyone understands not only does Dave make great product backed by great support

He can get rid of crickets!

Just amazing how versatile that guy is!

But he also has an incurable lust of sprinkles

Ask others on the forum or even do a search of that company before making your decision to buy that system. I'm sure you'll see that there are reasons that people are rethinking buying from that place. If I was new to the Slingshot modding, i would go with the DDM turbo (or supercharger - your choice) and the Welter duals. But before going to this rear exit exhaust, to reduce the chances of having fumes being pulled back into the cabin, you have to be sure that you have a proper height windshield and decide on having a roof or not. As long as you have air being drawn over the windshield and UNDER the roof, that should be enough to keep the flow through the rear and reduce the chance of drawing the exhaust back inside. But if the windshield is taller and directs the flow of air OVER the roof, then it will draw fumes back into the cabin as it exits the roof. A rear spoiler may help some as well as adding a cat converter. Just make sure you fully think of all your options before buying the wrong one