Which supercharger is best?

[DSI]

Im considering a supercharger, however I cant seem to find out which is best. The 3 chargers seem to produce the same HP. Between MTM, PES or the VF Supercharger, which do you prefer. I am definitely concerned about reliability. I have a 2009 R8 and live in NY. It seems PES is closest to me. I just sold a sc viper srt10 and never had any problems. I also have an SL 55amg and have not problems either, although the sc is factory. Help

[KfabR8]

Take a long hard look at the VF setup. Of the three it seems to be the best bang for the buck and the most thought out system.

There are pictures of the PES and VF setup and the difference in just installation appearance is impressive. I posted pix of both the VF and PES system in a thread - search superchargers and my name and you should be able to find them. It's an eye opener on just what sort of attention to detail was paid to by VF and not by PES.

The MTM setup is outrageously expensive. I don't recall seeing any pix or hearing of anyone having an opinion on this setup. Has anyone on the board tried it?

The PES system appears to be a horribly thought out system - it really has the appearance of a bolt on kit that some kid did in his back yard garage. The install is about as unprofessional looking as you can get.

The VF setup was very well thought out, integrated into an OEM looking setup and I have yet to hear anything negative about it. Everyone that has one is very happy and the customer service that Nick offers appears to be absolutely top notch. He is always very straight forward in response and great to talk to.

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quick disclaimer - I have not seen nor experienced any of these systems in person. What you see above is based on a lot of homework.

I had planned on going with the VF system until I changed systems all together and pulled the trigger on the Heffner TT setup instead.

My reasons for going with a TT setup instead of a supercharger were multiple:
More hp for just a bit more money.
Less mechanical aspect - the turbos are run off flowing gasses, the supercharger requires a mechanical input from the front of the engine - just more stress and strain on a system.
A well setup up turbo system does not have the dreaded genie in a bottle power band release that I was worried about. After talking to Jason Heffner and seeing a couple of dyno runs, the TT setup mirrors the stock output's power band (curve) quite closely, so I'm not worried about suddenly letting the genie out of the bottle and having an undrivable, over horsepowered machine.

[Maverick]

I have over 4,000 miles on my VF supercharger installation and it is top notch. No reliability issues, it looks great, and on a recent 2,500 mile trip it got 19 mpg (UK) vs 19.5 for a stock V8 R8 that was on the same trip - so not much degradation in MPG. If you have any specific questions ask me.

[OEMplus.com]

There are not any MTM systems in the US, due mostly to the cost. You might also give some thought to the new STaSIS system, which can be purchased through authorized Audi dealers and carries a warranty...

[Bodhii]

*DSI, it always helps in responding to people questions when they add their home location.

The VF supercharger system is completely tested and proven by several mad driving, R8 owner/drivers with thousand and thousands of abusively hard miles. Its a fantastic, rock-solid, track-tested system that provides the R8 V8 with very near identical HP numbers as a turbo, but with much more smooth and linear power and torque, and the best sounding exhaust in the world! If you are in the USA, I suggest contacting StaSIS Engineering about their new supercharger system. You will find everything that is in the original VF system also in the new StaSIS supercharger product, along with a FULL warranty that backs up completely the full Audi warranty. This is ( as I understand) with Audi of America's full participation and agreement.
How do you beat that??!!!



ps. I am not a StaSIS representative in any way. I do buy and use their products.

http://www.stasisengineering.com/STaSISR8.html

[Europrice]

STaSIS setup will likely be the VF kit with slightly modified software as they do with the GIAC software now for other models in the Signature Series setup.

The STaSIS Signature Series setup isn't fully stamped and approved by Audi, but they don't automatically deny a warranty or a portion of a warranty over seeing STaSIS parts on a car at a STaSIS approved dealership. Basically Audi corp turns a blind eye to this, let's dealers decide if they want to participate and then STaSIS works with regional warranty reps to make sure they treat the STaSIS approved dealership well with warranty work on the Sig Series cars. However if a STaSIS part is shown to have done damage to a part of the car that would regularly be covered under Audi's warranties STaSIS then has to cover those repairs with their own warranty. Let's say you install a supercharger and the motor detonates, eating a piston. Audi dealership pulls apart and show causal relationship that the supercharge caused the issue, now STaSIS must deal with their warranty provider to get the owner a new motor and it's out of Audi's hands at that point. In some ways similar to Dinan really, BMW doesn't explicitly put a stamp of approval on the parts, but they let dealerships resell, install and service. Dinan covers the tab similarly if their parts cause issues.

Cheers,

[Josh@ECS]

There's a $10k difference in the price for a VF and a PES. There's $10k difference in development between the two. The two primary issues with the PES were bad welds that caused coolant to seep out through the plenum which were resolved in a redesign and an "unfinished" tune. We sell PES kits, only if we install them and calibrate the software ourselves for those who are interested.

Some seem to have real trouble with the PES, some have run them very hard and have been happy with the product. It's my opinion that a custom tune can make the PES a good usable system...not perfect...but safe and usable.

The VF seems to be a more completed package with much better software. We've used VF systems in various states of tune (300-650hp) in BMW's with great success. If you can afford the extra money the VF is a good system.

[jaxr8]

It's interesting the Audi "surcharge" as Whipple superchargers - which are fine products used in Ford GTs and the like run around $10,000, and the superchargers for the R8, which put out less power, and in a higher production car, run close to $20-30k.

[DSI]

Thank you very much for all the responses. Bodhii.....I do believe that I stated that I live in NY. I have been in communication with Nik from VF and he has been very helpful. I also spoke to Jason Heffner regarding the TT setup. Being in the Viper Community for several years I have only heard the best about Heffner. The Heffner TT set up seems to be the most HP for the $$. With that set up you can smoke the v10 as well as the R8 GT. I didnt know about the StaSIS set with an Audi waranty, so I would like to look into that. Having these options is great, however I just want to do my homework to see which system is best. Thanks again

[Josh@ECS]

The FSI engines in the Audi are much less forgiving then the Ford engine and the electronics are more complex for re-mapping as well. It requires much more time and development to get the good numbers from the Audi. A lot of the cost you're looking at is time invested in R&D as opposed to the hardware.