Yeah, I wonder how long my stock clutch is going to hold up? I'm reading up on options whenever I get a chance, because I know sooner or later I'm going to need one.
I went through a lot of the same thought processes when I was considering forced induction. I can't say I had every bit of info to consider, but I do think I had most of it.
I thought I was going to go with a Maggie, but replacing the hood was an issue. I know I want to get the car repainted sometime in the future, and I just hated to waste the money on getting a new hood painted NOW, when I wasn't sure which way I would go with a complete repaint. Plus there were some notable issues with heat soak, some notes of some cars overheating, and the fact of having 80 pounds more weight right on top of the engine.
Centrifugal superchargers had similar drawbacks with weight and overheating, plus replacing a thrown belt was not something to consider as just trivial if it happened while goofing off down a dark lonely road some night.
Underhood turbo chargers just worried me. Extra heat under the hood is not something you really want to have. And I had heard stories of melted plastic parts here and there from the heat generated by those turbos, and even one case of an underhood fire. And again, all the weight was put up front. Another deciding factor was that I would have had to just toss out the brand new LGM Pro headers I had put on. I just couldn't swallow that pill, unless the pluses had been so overwhelming that the headers would have been a non issue, comparatively.
Considered a motor buildup or replacement, but heck, the LS6 just does such a wonderful job "as is", I really couldn't convince myself to just toss out a perfectly good engine. If it were to pop a piston or otherwise become a huge boat anchor, well that's a different story. But while it is working just fine, I felt I wanted to work with what I had already in place as much as possible. Plus I seriously doubt this avenue would have passed the "spouse test of sanity".
When I first heard of the STS rear mounted turbos, the only real observable drawback I could see in it was the fact that the air intake inlets were in the back of the car behind the taillights. I feared that my living on a dirt road would have those filters caked with dust every few days, and prove to be a major maintenance pain in the ass. Everything else seemed on the plus side of the table. Weight distribution evenly spaced across the front and back of the car. No belts to deal with. No parasitic load on the engine. No overheating issues. No flaming hot turbos under the hood. No new hood needed. Although I heard some claim a lag in turbo spool up, if it is there, I just don't notice it. In reality, having the power come on later in the rpm range is probably a whole lot easier on the drivetrain anyway. Much like NOS where it comes on when you REALLY want it there. Basically I would have a stock Z06 (which is not shabby at all!) for most of the time, but when I really put my foot into it, the turbos would kick in to put the car into a whole new higher state of being.
But that rear air inlet thing was a stumbling block, and for the longest time, I ruled out STS solely for that reason. So it looked like there really was no perfect system out there, only a choice of compromises to make. It wasn't until I saw some guy selling an STS kit brand new for a killer price that I got to talking to the guy and learned about a special pre filter that goes over the air inlet filters and basically acts like teflon. Most dirt and dust would just fall off the prefilter and not adhere at all. So that one little minor addition made all the difference by taking that negative mark off the balance sheet.
Now there are some things I DIDN'T know about the STS that may have made a difference. The biggest is that the piping is NOT stainless but just a coated mild steel. So yes, they will eventually rust through. No soon, and maybe not even as long as I own the car, but they WILL eventually rust out. They are coated from the factory, but it is not an especially durable coating. I can see rust spots forming already on some spots. If I had it to do over again, I would have sent the pipes (and everything else made out of anything that can rust) Jet Hott coated before having them installed. Especially the exhaust turbo housings. When I got faster spooling replacement exhaust housings a little while ago, Greg at AntiVenom sent those housings off for me to get ceramic coated, and it made a world of difference in how they look. Plus they most certainly help retain the heat energy inside them.
Oh there was something else that I at first thought was a drawback with the STS system. Since those turbos replace the mufflers, the exhaust has a rather unique sound about it, and is quite a bit louder than I was used to. At first, I thought it TOO loud, and yes there is a noticeable drone inside the car, especially around 1800 rpm. At first I really did not like it at all, but after a couple of months, it grew on me enough that I would hate to lose it. But bear in mind, that if you really GET ON it, every cop within a half mile is going to hear you. There is NOTHING subtle about it at all.
Anyway, hope some of my thought process will help. If you have any questions, just holler....