I have their VF-760 supercharger kit on Gallardo LP560, all is fine with the kit, previous year contacted VF regarding some issues, but got no response. Had to sort them on my own.
Weeks ago I ordered TCU tune for the same LP560. All was fast till payment was sent. Now two weeks with no response via email or Facebook. Decided to cancel my order and request refund via PayPal, however no response there also. Waiting PayPal to solve this claim.
After sales support is equal to zero, looks like they do not care.
So, I asked why it was twice the price of the S4 kit and the answer I got was... "economies of scale"... So, in other words "You bought a more expensive car, so therefore, we can charge you more"...
I am getting a little sick of this attitude and "Audi R8 Tax"
VF, if this kit was $10k or less, you would sell so many you wouldn't know what to do with yourself! Instead, you just priced yourself out of the market because anyone willing to spend that much on a V8 would likely just have bought a V10 instead!
Good news! VF has taken my thoughts and they are now working on a Stage 1 kit that will utilize the stock clutch and fuel pump. Yes, it will be less power, but it will also be less cost.
Thank you VF for taking market response into consideration
So, I asked why it was twice the price of the S4 kit and the answer I got was... "economies of scale"... So, in other words "You bought a more expensive car, so therefore, we can charge you more"...
I am getting a little sick of this attitude and "Audi R8 Tax"
VF, if this kit was $10k or less, you would sell so many you wouldn't know what to do with yourself! Instead, you just priced yourself out of the market because anyone willing to spend that much on a V8 would likely just have bought a V10 instead!
I have their VF-760 supercharger kit on Gallardo LP560, all is fine with the kit, previous year contacted VF regarding some issues, but got no response. Had to sort them on my own.
Weeks ago I ordered TCU tune for the same LP560. All was fast till payment was sent. Now two weeks with no response via email or Facebook. Decided to cancel my order and request refund via PayPal, however no response there also. Waiting PayPal to solve this claim.
After sales support is equal to zero, looks like they do not care.
This was absolutely an unfortunate mishap on our end, as the TCU Software was not meant to be sold for your Supercharged application - particularly on the Gallardo (E-Gear) transmission.
I will reach out to our technical department to make sure they send you an official reply directly - and will ensure that the refund is processed accordingly.
For those of you who are patiently waiting for official details on the first round of production systems of our Audi R8 V8 Supercharger System, it will go live on our website within the next 24 hours, where we will start taking deposits.
(likely before midnight tonight)
NOTE: This will be a limited production system, with a manufacturing run of (20) units, which are more than likely to sell out. We have an interest list of roughly 60 people, including a number of your here on R8Talk!
That being said, if you have not already been in contact with us, we encourage you to call / e-mail / PM - sooner than later - if you are genuinely interested.
In regards to the discussion about pricing, we do understand that this is still a premium product and will not fit the bill for every v8 owner. The original system which was discontinued in late 2016 was priced at roughly $20,000 which ultimately became a hard sell as the vehicle price for the V8 models continued to come down.
It was a phenomenal system and was incredibly popular (at that price point and even higher) when it was first released and had a solid 7-year run!
When we initially teased this NEW system, our goal was to be as close to $15k as possible.
We set out to do that without compromise to the original power level, build quality, and reputation for long term reliability ... and we've spent the past 18-months ensuring we deliver on that promise.
The new system will deliver more than 575 horsepower, which is notably more than any factory model Gen1 V10, and HIGHER than the previous system!
The NEW system is 100% all-inclusive - meaning that it ships with everything you need for a successful turn-key direct bolt-on installation, and will work with a stock healthy clutch.
While the price may still be a little bit rich for some,... we did a great deal of market research and have been in regular communication with a large number of R8 V8 owners over the past year,... prior to setting the current price point. The reference to "economies of scale" is directly related to the development time and cost, the anticipated market volume, and our current production capabilities.
We do understand that a lower price point would open us up to a wider market, but there are a number of factors that were not conducive to what would be necessary to further reduce the price.
Please keep in mind that as with any of our current supercharger systems, everything we offer is entirely made in the U.S. (specifically here in Anaheim, California) which is not inexpensive,... but very much necessary to maintaining our criteria for quality control and consistency.
Good news! VF has taken my thoughts and they are now working on a Stage 1 kit that will utilize the stock clutch and fuel pump. Yes, it will be less power, but it will also be less cost.
Thank you VF for taking market response into consideration
We're absolutely open to the idea, but so far the feedback from our dealers (as well as a wider range of R8 V8 owners we've been staying in constant contact with) doesn't really suggest that a lower powered / lower price-point option is going to be in high enough demand to make it feasible.
We'll continue to explore the idea, but for now, the focus will remain on the first production run of these first 20 systems.
AND I think that once more people really see what you're getting for the money,... the value proposition is much higher with this current configuration.
The dyno plots below show a Stock R8 V8 - a Stock Gen2 V10 PLUS - and the NEW Supercharged R8 V8...
I'm still highly interested in this kit, but I'm also curious about the Stage 1 kit as well. Either way, thanks for giving us V8 owners some options on getting more power.
I'm still highly interested in this kit, but I'm also curious about the Stage 1 kit as well. Either way, thanks for giving us V8 owners some options on getting more power.
I'd like to pose the following question to everyone, but obviously in response to your post as well ...
Are those of you who are interested in the idea of 'Stage ONE', merely looking for something with a lower price point, or is the current power output intimidating?
I can't ever remember a product release where people asked for less power,... and in regards merely reducing the cost,... there is no clear path at this point for us to get much further below the $15K price point.
If I still had my V8, I'd be looking for a lower power kit, as I would NOT want to upgrade my fuel pumps or clutch. I also feel 16K is a bit high, I think 15K INSTALLED would be more palatable, because anything after that, you might as well go V10.
I could justify ~16K installed for this level of power, but at 20-25K+ when factoring in labor and potentially a need for a new clutch you're in twin turbo territory. Also it's tough with the S4 kit acting as a price anchor.
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