VF540 Supercharger System - [First look]

[Nate@IND]

Nicely done

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by ssabripo

Tom, any clues on the following would really help us humid/hot weather guys:

1) how are the early performance measurements compared to ESS in hot/humid weather?
2) Any feedback yet on the feel of the tune between VF and ESS?

Humidity will affect any F/I kit, no matter what label is on the manifold.

Tunes really can't be compared, as these a two completely different kits. I'd rather not turn this into a comparison thread, as most usually turn out ugly. Also, we do not sell ESS kits, it wouldn't be fair to them.

Instead - we can go over the merits of the VF540/620 kits in general.

Originally Posted by TopSpeedInc

Can you post the uncorrected and sae dyno graphs?

Sure, I'll have these up later today.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by Stealth ///M

Wow, I really like how the cooler is removable like that. Have any pics of the heat exchanger itself? (the part that mount down near the radiator)

Sure thing, this is part of the VF620 upgrade:



Here's a couple shots of the bumper mounted heat exchanger on our VF620 project:

[Stealth ///M]

Thanks. Looks like a nice kit.

[RussRamz]

Is this kit producing the numbers indicated with an unmodified OEM exhaust?

[MR///M3]

Damn I was hoping the price point would be below ESS..

[ssabripo]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

Humidity will affect any F/I kit, no matter what label is on the manifold.

Tunes really can't be compared, as these a two completely different kits. I'd rather not turn this into a comparison thread, as most usually turn out ugly. Also, we do not sell ESS kits, it wouldn't be fair to them.

Instead - we can go over the merits of the VF540/620 kits in general.

understood.

Yes, any additional info you could share would be much appreciated. I'm subscribed to the thread so I'm impatiently awaiting...

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by TopSpeedInc

Can you post the uncorrected and sae dyno graphs?

STD Correction:


SAE Correction:


Uncorrected:

Originally Posted by RussRamz

Is this kit producing the numbers indicated with an unmodified OEM exhaust?

The VF540 has a AE Axleback Muffler, but still running on stock X-pipe/cats. Run is on 91 Octane.

[flipm3]

Thanks for showing us all the dynos Tom!

By quickly eye balling those dynos, there is some very nice mid range to top end power! Very impressive. This thing will be a blast to drive on the streets. Hopefully you can share more dynos in the near future without that slight drop off in power 7700RPM.

Well done.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by flipm3

Thanks for showing us all the dynos Tom!

By quickly eye balling those dynos, there is some very nice mid range to top end power! Very impressive. This thing will be a blast to drive on the streets. Hopefully you can share more dynos in the near future without that slight drop off in power 7700RPM.

Well done.

Appreciate the kind words.

For all installations performed on-site, a post inspection is performed @ 1000mi to make sure all hoses/clamps/bolts are secure as well as followup dyno to verify numbers.

We'll be posting a followup in another thread as soon as some miles are driven.

[amirz1000]

Originally Posted by m3alabama

Why would you get this system and not just go with the intercooled system? Or rather why make ease of upgrade a priority-I don't understand why someone would by this system but later upgrade?? The price point is negligible if you are either out of warranty or willing to throw warranty away-you should be easily able to afford a few more grand. Not sure I get the point.

Seems like all of these companies could have provided 1 option intercooled, one design and save on having to design multiple types and lowered the clost on the 1 unit a little bit

Are you joking?

[Stealth ///M]

Originally Posted by amirz1000

Are you joking?

No, seems like a serious question. Maybe point him in the direction of the ESS 535 heat soak thread.

[amirz1000]

Originally Posted by Stealth ///M

No, seems like a serious question. Maybe point him in the direction of the ESS 535 heat soak thread.

Not worth the time and energy. I guess ESS regrets making the 535 kit. oh wait, maybe Roman regrets putting it on his personal car too since its pointless

[Stealth ///M]

What size injectors does this 540 kit use?

[m33]

What were the temps and humidity during this Dyno ?

[chief]

Very cool kit!

I'm guessing this will be a bit more 'streetable' than the 640 system? By that I mean a system that doesn't blow the tires off in the first 4 gears when you happen to drop the throttle a bit too hard. I'm looking forward to hearing about how this set-up performs in a daily driver.

Thanks for sharing your shiny new toy

[armyav8tor]

Can we get a picture of where the air filter sits? I assume it is in the same location as the ESS kit?

[flipm3]

Originally Posted by armyav8tor

Can we get a picture of where the air filter sits? I assume it is in the same location as the ESS kit?

I assume it would be in the left brake/air duct where the car naturally gets air from. More than likely the same as their VF620 kit.

[TopSpeedM3]

Thank you for posting those graphs.. I love the easy of upgrading it down the road and IC design.

[Rekrul]

What are the main advantages, if any over the ESS kit?

[Stealth ///M]

Originally Posted by Rekrul

What are the main advantages, if any over the ESS kit?

Here are two HUGE advantages I picked out from simply reading the thread.

Utilizes the same intake for easier upgrades down the road.

Utilizes the same head unit also...for easier upgrades down the road.

Also believe there is user friendly programming, no need to send your ECU into the company.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by Stealth ///M

Here are two HUGE advantages I picked out from simply reading the thread.

Utilizes the same intake for easier upgrades down the road.

Utilizes the same head unit also...for easier upgrades down the road.

Also believe there is user friendly programming, no need to send your ECU into the company.

Overengineering was the intended the goal here.

The VF systems was designed so there is zero buyer's remorse if upgrading is decided upon on a later date. The cost is simply the difference of the VF540 - VF620 components, so you are not "penalized" by a higher end cost. The VF540 kit + upgrade would be the same cost as getting the VF620 kit in the first place.

Here's an dissected view of the the manifold & heat exchanger:



Things to consider when deciding upon VF540 vs VF620 kits:

- Intake manifold on the VF540 is the same used on the VF620 kit. The cassette heat exchanger is simply bolted in place of the blockoff plate as seen in the above photos. Additional items (bumper mounted heat exchanger, coolant pump, hoses) are mounted externally, making the only items needing to be swapped being the pulley & software.
- Vortech V3SCi Supercharger is the identical in both VF540/VF620 kits, only a pulley change is necessary for more boost
- Fuel injectors are identical to the VF620 versions, simply scaled down by by software. The goal is to make upgrading simple and painless for those wishing to do so.
- Tuning is performed by the included HEX USB/OBD2 Flash cable, no need for additional downtime by sending ECUs back and forth in the mail. The cable can be used for diagnostic purposes,such as scanning codes as well as loading specific tunes (ie: higher octane, track, etc)

If you're happy with the power on the VF540, then you're set. Need more boost? Order the VF620 upgrade components, a new flash tune is emailed to you, and you're set.

It's simply a win-win situation.

Originally Posted by TopSpeedInc

Thank you for posting those graphs.. I love the easy of upgrading it down the road and IC design.

Appreciate the feedback.

Originally Posted by flipm3

I assume it would be in the left brake/air duct where the car naturally gets air from. More than likely the same as their VF620 kit.

Correct - it's a straight shot to the supercharger unit.

Originally Posted by chief

Very cool kit!

I'm guessing this will be a bit more 'streetable' than the 640 system? By that I mean a system that doesn't blow the tires off in the first 4 gears when you happen to drop the throttle a bit too hard. I'm looking forward to hearing about how this set-up performs in a daily driver.

Thanks for sharing your shiny new toy

Both the VF540 and VF620 kits are very streetable and capable of daily driving if desired, my VF620 kit has been on both my previous M3 and current one. The VF540 is intended to be an entry level kit for those looking for added power, albeit on a bit lower level than offered on the VF620 kit.