The V-3 utliizes a very simple stainless braided hose that is designed to hang down near the shassis of the car.  Oil changes are made easy by simply removing the drain bolt, and refilling to the specified level.  Please follow these guidelines in servicing your supercharger unit. DO NOT OVERFILL!

STILLEN / Vortech V-3 Supercharger Mainteance Schedule & Procedure

• Check the supercharger fluid level using the dipstick at every 2,500 mile intervals.

• Initial supercharger fluid change must be performed 2,500 miles after installation, and must then be changed at least every 7,500 miles from there on.
  • Drain the fluid; re-fill the unit with only 4 oz. of the Vortech supplied lubricating fluid.
  • Confirm proper oil level using the dipstick. DO NOT OVERFILL!!

• Fluid level checking procedure:
  1. Ensure that the .06″ copper sealing washer is located on the dipstick base
  2. Thread the clean dipstick into the unit until it seats.
  3. Once the dipstick has seated, remove the dipstick from the unit. Fluid should register in the crosshatched area at the bottom of the dipstick.
  4. DO NOT OVERFILL! Drain excess fluid from the unit if it above the maximum level on the dipstick.

WARNING: Use of any other fluid other than the Vortech supplied special lubricating fluid will void the warranty and may cause component failure.

GT-R Front Active Brake Cooling System

The front cooling kit consists of weather resistant electric fans, polyurethane air diversion splitter, all appropriate mounting brackets, and includes a wiring kit as well as a switch.

GT-R Rear Brake Cooling System

The rear cooling kit utilizes polyurethane air scoops which work in conjunction with the factory NACA ducts in the belly pan to route air to the braking system, and also features polyurethane air funnels, accordian tube and all necessary mounting bracketry.

 

For detailed information on the design and testing of the STILLEN Active Brake Cooling Package, please visit the STILLEN website for much more information.

Truckin’ editor Dan Ward pushed their 2004 GMC Sierra “Project Novakane” to the limit with repeated 80-0 mph stops beginning with the factory setup, swapped brake systems, and repeated the aggressive testing on the truck after outfitting the AP Racing setup onto the truck.

Below is an excert from the article with performance data from their extensive testing:

Truckin’ Magazine – October 2010 Issue

“Rather than test the truck from 60 mph, we hit the ‘whoa’ pedal at 80 mph, after all, do you really drive 60 mph on the freeway? Factory braking performance was dreadful, as a combination of grooved rotors and newish pads made for chassis vibrations when stopping and a weak pedal. After bolting on the 20-inch wheels and tires to the Sierra, the sticky Nitto tires actually improved the stopping distances, which confused us at first, but then we released the overall weight of the new wheels and tires wasn’t much heavier than our OE combo.

GM touted the redesigned ‘99+ fullsize trucks as having the best brakes in their long history of building trucks. That’s nice marketing hype, but GPS data acquisition doesn’t lie and the new AP Racing brakes are the double-D cups to the OE’s training bra. We weren’t surprised to have better overall stopping power, after all, that’s what we expected from a company with a rich racing heritage, but what did surprise us was the pedal feel. Without being touchy, the brake pedal is now very linear with minimal inputs doing an impressive job of bringing the 4,300-pound truck to a standstill. As expected, the aggressive brake pads are heavy on the dust, which provides us another excuse to wash the wheels/tires more often. This upgrade was expensive, but unlike in many cases, you actually get what you pay for from Stillen.

With the AP kit bolted on, we made several 80-0 mph test runs and came away with an average of 226 ft, more than 144 ft than better than stock. That’s equivalent to stopping in only 5.56 school buses or basically stopping before going through an entire intersection and saving the lives of more than 350 kids in those buses.

Also, the green AP heat paint that was applied to the stock rotors burned white, meaning they exceeded 430 degrees Celcius during hard braking, but the new AP rotors didn’t burn through the green paint. This translates into the drilled holes and vents doing their job by keeping the rotor surface cooler, longer. If safety and performance are high on your list, bringing your truck to an immediate halt doesn’t get much better than with AP Racing’s bolt-on big brakes.”

You can read the full article here, and below are some images from the story: 
Truckin’ Magazine Project Novakane Part III: AP Racing

 

STILLEN OFFERS NEW AP RACING
2008-2010 BMW M3 (E9x)
FRONT AND REAR BIG BRAKE KITS

Features innovative Strap Drive System for road and track day applications

Costa Mesa, Calif. – AP Racing, the braking technology choice of professional race teams worldwide (including Rahal Letterman IMSA ALMS GT2 M3, BMW Motorsports FIA GT2 M3, etc), has introduced front and rear Big Brake System for the 2008-2010 BMW M3 (E9x). Available from the Brake Pros product division of STILLEN, these new brake upgrades fit most 18″ and 19″ OE wheels. They are compatible with OE ABS, traction control, stability systems and factory brake master cylinder.

Front systems may be ordered with AP Racing’s newly updated 6-piston CP5555 calipers finished in black (AP7100), red (AP7100R) — or — limited-edition Comp Gray (AP7100G). For optimum mechanical and thermal balance, complimentary rear systems are advised. The rear systems are supplied with AP Racing’s new CP5306 4-piston calipers in matching colors (AP7150 / AP7150R / AP7150G).

Manufactured for maximum stopping power and minimum brake fade, the kit offers high performance braking capability with race proven technology and comes complete with calipers, rotors, brake pads, coated stainless steel braided brake lines and all necessary mounting hardware for immediate bolt-on.

Two-piece modular rotors float on an aluminum hat and have 72 directionally curved vanes to maximize cooling in extreme brake situations. Both front and rear rotors are available in a cross-drilled and slotted pattern for an aggressive pad bite and better face cooling or can be purchased slotted only for aggressive track use. The AP Racing Strap Drive System has been developed for both road and track day applications. It uses a series of stainless steel straps to locate the disc to the mounting bell, producing a flexible coupling between the hub and the disc faces. This allows the disc to run true in the caliper under all conditions and also permits the disc to expand and contract without being restricted.

Strong, durable and designed to withstand any punishment, AP Racing Brake calipers are manufactured with a lightweight, pressure cast aluminum alloy 2-piece body and finished with a hard anodized 2-part paint finish. This 2-piece design is more rigid than commonly available monoblock calipers. Differential piston bores eliminate pad taper and maximize braking efficiency, and the anti-rattle clip eliminates pad knock and noise. A fixed radial mount ensures minimal caliper flex for the best available brake feel under all operating conditions.

To learn more about AP Racing Big Brake upgrade kits for the 2008-2010 BMW M3 and other high performance vehicles, visit www.stillen.com, e-mail pr@stillen.com, or call (888) 221-2012.

 

For high resolution images, please view the main Press Release here.

# # #

About STILLEN

Developed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, STILLEN is a manufacturer and distributor of premium high performance products for late model import and domestic vehicles. Founded in 1986 by renowned professional driver and race car builder, Steve Millen, STILLEN incorporates cutting-edge race proven technology and advanced aerodynamic designs into the company’s proprietary performance and appearance product lines. Millen is known worldwide for achieving the greatest number of wins in IMSA GT history during the course of an impressive 30-year racing career. Family owned and operated, STILLEN branded products include exhaust systems and components, superchargers, fuel systems and components, brake kits and components, and urethane body styling products. In addition, STILLEN is an online reseller of many high performance products for late model cars and trucks, import and domestic, and creator of unique, one-of-a-kind performance project vehicles.  For more information, visit www.STILLEN.com.

For Further Information, Contact:

Josh Biggers
Marketing
STILLEN
(714) 540-5566, ext. 157
jbiggers@stillen.com

Our testing doesn’t stop there.  Steve Millen personally has been putting thousands of miles on the STILLEN 370Z in all types of environments, altitudes, deserts, long trips through surrounding states, and earlier this week spent some time in the snow and cold for some cold weather endurance testing, including freezing temperatures, cold starts below freezing, etc.

We’re happy to report the STILLEN Supercharger is performing excellent and exactly to our standards, and we are excited for the release to customers later this month. STILLEN is accepting pre-orders on this kit, please call 866-250-5542 for more information, and a special intro price!

NOTE:  Take a sneak peek at the first production pieces of the STILLEN 370Z Side Skirts (unpainted)!  These are functional pieces made of very durable polyurethane, and ther design assists in adding downforce to the car.

 

STILLEN Supercharger Development Posts

• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: R&D
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: Intake Manifold & Intercooler
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: Intake Manifold Design & Detail
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System: Official Press Release
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System: Endurance Testing Continues [Current]
  

STILLEN Introduces 515hp* Supercharger System for Nissan 370Z / Infiniti G37

(Costa Mesa – CA) – After more than a year of development and testing, Steve Millen Sportparts (STILLEN) is proud to announce the release of the STILLEN Supercharger System for the Nissan 370Z and Infiniti G37 with the 3.7L VQ37 engine.

This complete bolt-on kit includes everything needed to increase the factory 332 horsepower to a tire shredding 515* horsepower on 91 octane pump fuel!

STILLEN designed a new cast aluminum intake manifold specifically for this system, featuring longer runners and a large plenum for the engine to draw air, complete with integrated air-to-water intercooler system, dramatically cooling the air charge from the Vortech V-3 Supercharger unit. The V-3 features a self-contained oiling system and quiet V-belt design, with plenty of additional boost capability for those wanting even more power down the road.

Much of the assembly of the kit is done in advance, with the main supercharger unit being pre-assembled to the laser-cut billet aluminum mounting brackets. Installation is very straight forward, including detailed step-by-step instructions, requiring a typical shop 10-12 hours for the complete install.

STILLEN took extreme care in designing this system, ensuring that all additional coolers (oil, transmission, power steering, etc) would work with the intercooler system, as the Nissan VQ37 engine is prone to high oil temperatures unless properly cooled. STILLEN manufactures bolt-on cooler kits to keep these temperatures at normal levels no matter how hard the vehicle is being pushed.

Tuning is done with the use of an ECU based tuning device (reflash), larger 600cc injectors, and high output fuel pump. Intake features include a Polished Aluminum Intake Charge Pipe, and Cold Air Intake Y-Pipe with draw through MAF sensor bosses and filtered using genuine K&N intake filters.

At all levels of development the system was tested, both for street drivability and reliability under normal traffic and freeway conditions, as well as being put through its paces at El Toro Air Base, 140+ mph runs, hard driving on tight courses with excessive revving and redlining, and extensive monitoring of all pertinent air and fluid temperatures, air temps before and after the intercooler, etc.

At the onset of this project Steve Millen established two primary goals, performance and reliability. After our extensive reliability and dyno testing we can confidently say that we’ve exceeded both of these. Dyno results show 515 flywheel HP, 438 wheel HP, and 343 lb/ft of torque*.

Steve Millen and STILLEN have a longstanding history with Nissan. As the lead factory driver, Steve drove the famous #75 300ZX to numerous IMSA wins and two World Championships.  Millen founded STILLEN 25 years ago and uses his intimate knowledge of Nissan engineering to develop products such as forced induction, exhausts, intakes, suspension, and urethane aero body components.

To learn more about the STILLEN Supercharger System for the 370Z / G37 and other high performance vehicles, visit www.stillen.com, email for more information at pr@stillen.com, or call STILLEN’s knowledgeable tech staff at (800) 576-2131.

# # #

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

For Further Information, Contact:
Josh Biggers
Marketing
STILLEN
714-540-5566, ext. 157
jbiggers@stillen.com

=========================================

STILLEN Supercharger Development Posts

• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: R&D
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: Intake Manifold & Intercooler
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: Intake Manifold Design & Detail
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System: Official Press Release [Current]
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System: Endurance Testing Continues

=========================================

*Individual results will vary based on the baseline of the stock engine, type of dynomometer used, temperature, elevation, fuel and various other factors. Typical results are between 480-520HP (flywheel) at under 500′ elevation and below 75ºF.

STILLEN had a Detail Clinic with Adam’s Polish and it was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a good car detail.  People where out in full force to see Dylan and Ashley from Adam’s demo the full product line they have to offer.  The coffee was flowing and donuts being consumed as Dylan was explaining the importance of proper detailing techniques.

Everything you ever needed to know about detailing was explained, waxing to even the correct towels to use. Participants were even given the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get down and dirty with the clay bar to help get their rides the ultimate mirror smooth finish.  The day concluded with a Q&A session where customer could ask specific car detailing question and even had Dylan work on there own personal cars!

Thanks to everyone who came out that morning it was a huge success and we at STILLEN plan to have events like this In March!

As you can see we have relocated the throttle bodies to one side of the intake manifold.  There are several reasons for this:

Intercooler Installation - Our intercooler is actually incorporated into the intake manifold. This dramatically decreases the intake air temperatures right before the engine receives the air. On the 350Z we found that the intercooler removed over 100 degrees immediately before the air entered the engine. There are other intercooler styles available, such as the water boxes that Vortech offers that are before the throttle body. Unfortunately on the VQ37 this would have significantly increased the cost, having two intercoolers and all of the associated plumbing, as well as space required in the engine bay would have been a major issue. Additionally, there is a lot of residual heat inside of an engine bay. Heat coming off of exhaust manifolds, the engine block, valve covers and more. Running two pipes across the top of all of this heat would only cause the air to re-heat inside the pipe prior to going into the engine. By cooling the air in the manifold immediately prior to its introduction into the engine we are getting the air as cool as possible.

Equal Pressurization - Yes, it would have been possible to simply use a Y-pipe design coming off the supercharger that went into the throttle body. The problem with this design is the different length tubes would cause an unequal amount of air entering the intake manifold on each side. Imagine a centrifugal supercharger mounted behind the headlight on either side of the vehicle. On the supercharger side, the air would only have to travel a foot or two to one throttle body, but on the opposite side the air would have to travel three feet across the front of the core support then another two feet back to the throttle body. This differential in distance means that one side of the plenum is seeing boost well before the other side, causing uneven air flow and pressure. This potentially could cause issues with tuning, power delivery, and could even cause additional turbulence inside the intake pipes. If both throttle bodies are open and one is receiving forced air but the other is still requiring the engine to be sucking air this will cause a large amount of turbulence inside the intake manifold. By equalizing the length of pipe that the air has to travel through, the engine will receive forced air in the intake manifold equally through both throttle bodies, thus reducing any turbulence.

Equal Air Distribution - It is very important to ensure that the air pressure is equal prior to going into the manifold, but it is even more important that the air is distributed evenly to each cylinder. The factory intake manifold has a very aggressive slope towards the front of the manifold. Combine that with the fact that the throttle bodies are aimed rearward, this could cause the front two cylinders to not get enough air thus causing the two front cylinders to run rich. By running rich and having more fuel than necessary in those cylinders it is actually hurting power and performance. By redesigning the intake manifold we are able to supply each cylinder with an equal volume of air which allows each cylinder to produce the most power possible and to work at its maximum level of efficiency.

Longer Runners - Another design that was incorporated into the intake manifold was a larger intake runner. By lengthening the intake runners we are able to increase torque which will help greatly with acceleration.

Here’s some higher resolution images of the 3D CAD renderings:

 

STILLEN Supercharger Development Posts

• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: R&D
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: Intake Manifold & Intercooler
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: Intake Manifold Design & Detail [Current]
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System: Official Press Release
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System: Endurance Testing Continues

Here are some pictures of the STILLEN-designed intake manifold done with our 3D CAD software, and some of the new aluminum castings just received before final machining:

 

All of the engineering for this intake manifold has been done in-house.  We began by developing several designs in our 3-Dimensional CAD programs which allow us to test virtual airflow and simulate installation and function on a “virtual engine.”  Once the CAD drawings are completed the engineers “print” out a plastic part on our rapid prototype machine.  This prototype is constructed out of a durable PVC plastic material and allows us to take our virtual work to the real world.  With this prototype we can install the part on the engine to check our fit and finish, we can also use it for mock-up to run the intake piping, bolt up throttle bodies and route serpentine belts and more.  We actually ran the car with this rapid prototype plastic manifold on the car which allowed us to check belt alignment and clearances while the engine was running.

Due to the overwhelming cost, we do not have an aluminum foundry in the back of our shop, so in certain instances like this some of our products have to be outsourced to specialists. These aluminum castings come back to our shop for final machining and finishing before being assembled with the intercoolers and the rest of the kit.

The company who does all of our castings also manufactures parts for some of the largest manufacturers in the industry including:

• TRD
• Roush Racing
• DART heads
• Chrysler
• Cosworth
• Bombardier
• Edelbrock
• and many, many more.

We are also very proud to say that they are based in the U.S.A. This is very important to STILLEN, as we feel too many companies these days outsource to other countries and we try our best to keep all of our manufacturing in-house or at least in the U.S.A.

The primary reason for engineering the new intake manifold is the inclusion of the intercooler in our Air-to-Water Intercooler System.  Because of all of the heat built up during the compression of the supercharging process it is best to run some sort of intercooler system.  There are two different types of intercooler systems, Air-to-Air and Air-to-Water.  We chose to run an Air-to-Water system for many different reasons.

First question that usually comes up is:  What is an intercooler, and what does it do?

An intercooler is essentially a radiator that cools the air compressed by a turbo or supercharger.  Air-to-Water and Air-to-Air intercoolers essentially do the same job but go about it in two different ways, each having their pros and cons.  The compression of the air by the supercharger or turbocharger causes the air charge to become superheated.  When the air is heated it loses its density and also becomes less oxygen rich.  An intercoolers function is to lower the intake air temperatures, thus regaining the density of the air and increasing the levels of oxygen in the air charge.  Another benefit to the cooler air charge is the ability to run higher levels of boost, and more aggressive tuning without the concern of combustion anomalies.

Air-to-Water Intercoolers

Air-to-Water intercoolers are very similar to your cars cooling system.  A water and coolant blend is cooled through a radiator/heat exchanger and is plumbed to the intercooler which is mounted inside the intake manifold.  The compressed and superheated air coming out of the supercharger is blown across an intercooler which is being cooled by the water/coolant blend.  This is where the heat is transferred from the charged air to the intercooler and removed back out to the heat exchanger. This thermal transfer cools the air at the last possible second before entering the engine thus guaranteeing the coolest air charge possible.

Air-to-Air Intercoolers

In an Air-to-Air system the superheated compressed air is cooled through the intercooler which is usually mounted up by the front bumper.  The air then has to travel back to the intake manifold through metal tubing.  This tubing is sitting inside the hot engine bay which is being heated by the air coming through various coolers such as, radiator, oil coolers, and also the heat coming off the exhaust manifolds, the engine block and the valve covers.  The intercooler does remove a significant amount of heat but because the air has to travel back through the hot engine bay it is then being reheated before going into the engine.

Advantages / Disadvantages

A distinct advantage to an Air-to-Water intercooler is the condensed packaging.  Air-to-Water intercoolers only require a relatively small heat exchanger in order to work efficiently.  Think about how much outside air is coming through the front of your car.  Now stick a heat exchanger or Air-to-Air intercooler in front of your radiator, oil cooler, transmission cooler, power steering cooler, and intakes.  It quickly becomes clear that a large Air-to-Air intercooler is going to consume a large majority of the cool, fresh air coming in from the outside which also needs to be used to cool other vital components of your vehicle.  Because an Air-to-Water heat exchanger is substantially smaller it does not need to consume as much cool air that can be used by other coolers for the car.

Air-to-Water intercoolers are actively cooling the water inside the cooling system by continually pumping the coolant utilizing an electric water pump.  This means that it is effective and efficient at any speed.  An Air-to-Air intercooler system greatly relies on the vehicle’s speed to generate sufficient airflow around the intercooler.  This means that in real world conditions the Air-to-Air intercooler is not getting any air flowing through it while it pulls heat off of surrounding vehicles and off the road surface itself.  At the same low speed or stop light situation the Air-to-Water system is actively circulating the coolant.

The only downside to an Air-to-Water intercooler system is the cost.  Because there are two coolers, water pump and additional hoses and fittings for the plumbing the cost is a bit higher than just one large air to air intercooler.  However, the performance benefits far outweigh the cost differences in our opinion for this application.

Look for additional updates soon!

STILLEN Supercharger Development Posts

• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: R&D
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: Intake Manifold & Intercooler [Current]
  
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System Progress: Intake Manifold Design & Detail
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System: Official Press Release
• 370Z / G37 Supercharger System: Endurance Testing Continues

STILLEN relies on Adam’s Polishes to keep all of our show cars looking the way they were meant to be, and we’re opening up the shop to give our customers an up-close look at these detailing products in action. 

Adam’s experts will be on hand, demoing Adam’s most popular products, new detailing tools and accessories, and giving you first hand advice for getting the absolute best shine possible. Plus, there will be one-day-only special savings and FREE Adams’s samples for all that attend. 

 
The clinic runs from 9AM until whenever, with the official Adam’s Polishes demos from 9AM-10AM.

Have a particular detailing question or challenge you’d like us to address? Just let us know and we’ll be ready with answers. And if possible, bring the car in question – we’ll work on it on the spot!

Adam’s Polishes are also available for sale and shipping from the STILLEN website:  Adam’s Polishes

Click here for a map to STILLEN:  Google Map