I’ve done 6 track days with the ESS 535 Supercharger kit and while the difference in power is substantial on the street, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with it at the track.
Here’s a post I wrote up after my first track day with the supercharger. As you can see I was skeptical from day 1. My times were decent so most people attributed that to the supercharger and said the car just doesn’t “feel” as fast to me because I’m at the track. However, acceleration on the street just felt so different to me. After 6 track days, I was convinced that the supercharger wasn’t making much if at all any extra power at the track so I decided to remove it and see what times I could pull without it. Initially I was guessing I’d be maybe 1-2 seconds slower without the blower, but the numbers seem to speak for themselves.
There were no track days in between these 2 dates. So substantial improvement in driving skill could not have played a factor. The only change aside from removing the supercharger was going from 18” TE37SL’s to 18” BBS FI’s. The FI’s are less than a pound lighter. The exact same tires were used (Yokohama AD08).
My goal isn’t to speak badly of ESS. I still think the ESS 535 is their best kit and as you can see from the temperature comparisons, it handles heat great from a safety perspective. If you don’t track your car often, I highly recommend the 535 (or whatever the equivalent is now). But for me personally, I decided to go back to stock because I wasn’t happy with the lack of (extra) power at the track, the ever so slightly slower throttle response, and the non-linear power delivery that no one else seems to notice but me. It’s not something you really notice on the street when you have your foot buried, but at the track where precision is key, you can definitely feel a difference.
So while I’m no longer running the ESS supercharger, I’m extremely happy with their NA tune.
I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible and provide facts. It should be noted that I'm not a professional driver. I just wanted to provide some numbers from my fastest lap from my last 2 track days.