Evolve Supercharger at 1,000+ miles

WayneM3 · 06-27-2013, 10:16 PM

I have had the supercharger kit on for over a thousand miles now and it is even more amazing than before. The Evolve customer service has been great and I speak/text with Sal all the time with any questions and I have received a few software updates along the way.

There were times when it didn't feel like it was working properly and would hesitate but that turned out to be my tires and the traction control kicking in - sometimes without the light. Last weekend I swapped out the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 tires with Michelin Pilot Super Sports and that solved the problem.

I drove an 6MT ESS 600 kit about a year ago for a few miles and that was my only experience with a S/C M3 so I don't have anything to compare this to but it feels pretty much normal at low RPM and by 4,000 RPM it just starts to take off and keeps on pulling. It is just unbelievable how fast you can get up to triple digit speeds without even trying. Not to start a debate but I don't see how 6MT guys can shift fast enough to deal with all of the power and rapid acceleration.

I have the Evolve X-pipe and UUC/Corsa exhaust and with the windows closed it has a nice growl but nothing too loud. For whatever reason the Bluetooth in the car picks up the engine/exhaust noise a little too well and anyone that I am talking to thinks that I am screaming at high RPM all the time when in reality in the car it isn't loud at all. Open the windows and it is a different story - this thing SCREAMS! It has been hot in NY and today I was driving around with the windows down just to listen. Tunnels (and the lower level of the 59th Street Bridge) sound like an F1 car at Monaco and I even downshift when going under the short underpasses traversing Central Park. I was driving a little convertible on the highway with my friend driving my car in front of me and I couldn't believe how loud it is behind the car.

Are there any downsides? Yes. The mileage is terrible. My mileage was terrible before and now it is worse. There could be a few factors - 1) it is supercharged and just so much fun to open up, 2) I had a loose O2 sensor that could have been affecting things and 3) traffic for me has been worse than usual. Sal sent me a new tune the other day that should improve the mileage but I haven't had it on for long enough to tell. I can have tanks with literally no highway miles - all city with lights and stop-and-go traffic going from NYC to Queens and back. My record low before was about 9.8 MPG but I broke that with one tank that averaged 7.5 MPG last week. It should be noted that if you throw in any highway miles at all the average quickly goes up. I will know fairly soon how the software update does to help.

Other issues - I need to replace my brakes and have been trying to decide the best street pad would be. My brother took the car out and I forgot to tell him not to drive fast in D mode and he was having fun with a Ferrari and got the transmission to overheat but once it cooled down it was fine.

Hopefully soon I can show it people at a NYC/NJ/Long Island meet but the timing of those events has not worked out for me so far because I have 2 little kids (3 and 6 and they LOVE the acceleration) that take up much of my time. I did take a random guy I found in an E92M3 sitting on 48th Street in Maspeth for a ride and he seemed impressed. I found another E92M3 guy right outside of my garage in NYC but he didn't have time to check it out.

mkPOTO · 06-27-2013, 11:08 PM

nice review Wayne, we need more videos! Lol

Jbook · 06-28-2013, 12:04 AM

You actually want the tune that improves gas mileage?

Congrats and thanks for the review! Evolve makes quality products and their tuning is top notch. My buddy Randy has an E60 M5 and he has been beyond satisfied. Glad to hear that you have had the same experience!

Chriskm3 · 06-28-2013, 12:56 AM

Congrats. What I am starting to slowly realise about supercharger kits is that is not the hardware that counts at time of purchase but the customer support along the way. It seems that sal is just as quick on the trigger when answering questions as roman at ESS. Too bad I can't say the same for others

Ezio · 06-28-2013, 01:44 AM

Nice!

Longwong · 06-28-2013, 10:46 AM

Why does D mode overheat? Not knowledgable about this

///Montreal3 · 06-28-2013, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longwong

Why does D mode overheat? Not knowledgable about this

First post, under the "Don'ts" section.

8k3 · 06-28-2013, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

Congrats. What I am starting to slowly realise about supercharger kits is that is not the hardware that counts at time of purchase but the customer support along the way. It seems that sal is just as quick on the trigger when answering questions as roman at ESS. Too bad I can't say the same for others

I can't comment on anyone else but Nik at VF has always been extremely helpful and responsive to my questions and issues (wasn't making full power, turned out to be a bad O2, he followed up almost daily).

SYZ · 06-28-2013, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

Congrats. What I am starting to slowly realise about supercharger kits is that is not the hardware that counts at time of purchase but the customer support along the way. It seems that sal is just as quick on the trigger when answering questions as roman at ESS. Too bad I can't say the same for others

Get a tune from Sal then you'll be his customer and the accompanying support

sg///M3 · 06-28-2013, 02:27 PM

Nice write up. Could you post some vids/sound clips of the exhaust? I'm curious to hear what the Corsa sounds like with an x-pipe.

WayneM3 · 06-28-2013, 02:32 PM

It sounds great! I will try to borrow a friend's GoPro or something to take a better video than with my camera.

Chriskm3 · 06-28-2013, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8k3

I can't comment on anyone else but Nik at VF has always been extremely helpful and responsive to my questions and issues (wasn't making full power, turned out to be a bad O2, he followed up almost daily).

I had my car at a shop apart when upgrading to 620. Shop emailed for instructions several times. Called in person and never got instructions.
I personably emailed Vf and also did not get any follow ups. A week later I managed to trace Jeff down and finally he helped out almost immediately. Since intructions were not provided with the package the install was not done properly and now my car has to be taken apart again.- big mess and mention additional financial responsibilities. Very unprofessional

Chriskm3 · 06-28-2013, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SYZ

Get a tune from Sal then you'll be his customer and the accompanying support

I don't think Sal or any other company will tune vf hardware.

whats77inaname · 06-28-2013, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

I had my car at a shop apart when upgrading to 620. Shop emailed for instructions several times. Called in person and never got instructions.
I personably emailed Vf and also did not get any follow ups. A week later I managed to trace Jeff down and finally he helped out almost immediately. Since intructions were not provided with the package the install was not done properly and now my car has to be taken apart again.- big mess and mention additional financial responsibilities. Very unprofessional

Wait a sec.....a couple weeks ago, on this thread

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=845593

you said this

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

But common, there are many of Vf customers that do not experience any problems. I see the actual problem is with Vf customer service vs their product.
I can see Vf saying, well we make a standard product which is tested and works well with so many m3s then there is something dfferent with your car that's causing an issue. At this point is where ess ahines over Vf. Sad but true. I have had many emails and calls ignored by Vf technical department and I am just one customer. My 540 kit had two codes. Considering its a new product just released it needs time for bugs to be worked out. My vf620 kit is bulletproof. No complaints there. Additionally I remember Tom for eas state that their vf620 kit had tons of software issues. I think a trend is developing.

So if the install was done incorrectly, how was everything bulletproof up until the latter of the 2 posts? I.E., what happened to clue you in that the install was incorrect?

Chriskm3 · 06-28-2013, 03:33 PM

I think I may have blown this out of proportion. The heat exchanger requires to be Glued inside the manifold. A step which was missed at time of installation. And now there is a rattle coming from the inside. Performance wise the kit is amazing and bullet proof.

. The customer service is another story

Quote:

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

Wait a sec.....a couple weeks ago, on this thread

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=845593

you said this

So if the install was done incorrectly, how was everything bulletproof up until the latter of the 2 posts? I.E., what happened to clue you in that the install was incorrect?

F16RCE · 06-28-2013, 03:43 PM

great post Wayne... i have had the Evolve charger for a little less time but my experience has been very much like yours. I will posy a decent review over the weekend.... But i will quickly say Sal and the boyz (Riz and Imran) have been fantastic... Always there to answer any queries and help out. Sal has been emailing me new maps every few days to try out. Its really reassuring having the map wizard only a phone call or text away. This was a big reason for choosing Evolve and so glad i did!

whats77inaname · 06-28-2013, 04:51 PM

So Evolve/owners of Evolve-s/c'ed cars.....anyone going to dyno anytime soon?

Sales@Evolve · 06-29-2013, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

So Evolve/owners of Evolve-s/c'ed cars.....anyone going to dyno anytime soon?

All of the cars in the UK have been dyno tested.

We have been to local dyno jets here on the same day as testing on our dyno dynamics.

Once we get 5 results on dynojet we will put everything up. We want people to see an average of what's being made rather than numbers which are all over the place.

So far running just under 7 PSi intercooled we have very very good figures.

The UK customers seem to not care at all about dyno figures. They just want fast cars and one of them is very satisfied after he went up against both another mid and high HP kit.

We will be sharing much more information soon.

There is something we are trying to get across which is very difficult to show on a dyno and it will be most likely the one reason why people will really want this kit.

Sales@Evolve · 06-29-2013, 05:26 AM

Also,
as with all of our other major hardware upgrades, we are custom tuning every file to suit driving characteristics of the customer.
These kits give a very responsive throttle response and way more transient torque than many people expect from a supercharger kit. In 2 cases we have had to tone down the throttle maps from the standard throttle mapping to suit them to different driving styles.

HoodR$CH · 06-29-2013, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8k3

I can't comment on anyone else but Nik at VF has always been extremely helpful and responsive to my questions and issues (wasn't making full power, turned out to be a bad O2, he followed up almost daily).

I had my car at a shop apart when upgrading to 620. Shop emailed for instructions several times. Called in person and never got instructions.
I personably emailed Vf and also did not get any follow ups. A week later I managed to trace Jeff down and finally he helped out almost immediately. Since intructions were not provided with the package the install was not done properly and now my car has to be taken apart again.- big mess and mention additional financial responsibilities. Very unprofessional

Damn dude, hope this gets taken care of. GL!

L4ces · 06-29-2013, 11:04 AM

I met up with Wayne today and got a first hand experience as a passenger in a SC'd M3.

I was astonished by the rapid non stop acceleration and how it pinned me to the seat. Each gear shift was like a bang on my chest and pinning to the seat. I now know what scary fast feels like. Each gear we were accelerating as fast as the previous. I never thought of looking at the speedo because my eyes were fixed straight ahead processing in sensory info. Prior to letting off, i grabbed the door handle which is another indication that the brutal acceleration showed no sign of ceasing (until he had to let off).

I am a 6MT guy and love it but I there would be a lot of momentum lost in my shifts. I'd love it anyway for fun I could have.

The Evolve pipes and the UUC Corsa combo sounded really nice and growls. Not too bassy in cabin at low RPMs ( less bassier than my AA catback which continues to get many compliments). His setup is DD driveable but as he described, it truly screams when you get on it. The scream is a perfect match for the acceleration that you feel. It isn't a raspy scream but very blood pumping.

I envy you guys with all that power on tap.

Last statement, the pull is intoxicating and addictive. I want another ride.

Sales@Evolve · 06-29-2013, 02:23 PM

Did Wayne demonstrate the instant response of the engine at any rpm and the low end torque?
Most supercharger kits are capable of producing excellent power over 6000rpm. The differentiator is what happens below this.
Next time you go out, get it in 6th or 7th gear at normal high way speeds and ask him to roll on the throttle. It will accelerate with very satisfying torque.

All of our UK customers have the advantage of driving our demo car and chose our kit because of it's excellent response and torque as well as the big top end power.

It is described as being very non supercharger. Feels like a bigger version of the S65 with incredible top end.

You can short shift to just 6000rpm and still pick up speed incredibly quick.

06-27-2013, 10:16 PM	#1
WayneM3 First Lieutenant 286 Rep 355 Posts Drives: F90M5 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: New York, NY iTrader: (2)	Evolve Supercharger at 1,000+ miles I have had the supercharger kit on for over a thousand miles now and it is even more amazing than before. The Evolve customer service has been great and I speak/text with Sal all the time with any questions and I have received a few software updates along the way. There were times when it didn't feel like it was working properly and would hesitate but that turned out to be my tires and the traction control kicking in - sometimes without the light. Last weekend I swapped out the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 tires with Michelin Pilot Super Sports and that solved the problem. I drove an 6MT ESS 600 kit about a year ago for a few miles and that was my only experience with a S/C M3 so I don't have anything to compare this to but it feels pretty much normal at low RPM and by 4,000 RPM it just starts to take off and keeps on pulling. It is just unbelievable how fast you can get up to triple digit speeds without even trying. Not to start a debate but I don't see how 6MT guys can shift fast enough to deal with all of the power and rapid acceleration. I have the Evolve X-pipe and UUC/Corsa exhaust and with the windows closed it has a nice growl but nothing too loud. For whatever reason the Bluetooth in the car picks up the engine/exhaust noise a little too well and anyone that I am talking to thinks that I am screaming at high RPM all the time when in reality in the car it isn't loud at all. Open the windows and it is a different story - this thing SCREAMS! It has been hot in NY and today I was driving around with the windows down just to listen. Tunnels (and the lower level of the 59th Street Bridge) sound like an F1 car at Monaco and I even downshift when going under the short underpasses traversing Central Park. I was driving a little convertible on the highway with my friend driving my car in front of me and I couldn't believe how loud it is behind the car. Are there any downsides? Yes. The mileage is terrible. My mileage was terrible before and now it is worse. There could be a few factors - 1) it is supercharged and just so much fun to open up, 2) I had a loose O2 sensor that could have been affecting things and 3) traffic for me has been worse than usual. Sal sent me a new tune the other day that should improve the mileage but I haven't had it on for long enough to tell. I can have tanks with literally no highway miles - all city with lights and stop-and-go traffic going from NYC to Queens and back. My record low before was about 9.8 MPG but I broke that with one tank that averaged 7.5 MPG last week. It should be noted that if you throw in any highway miles at all the average quickly goes up. I will know fairly soon how the software update does to help. Other issues - I need to replace my brakes and have been trying to decide the best street pad would be. My brother took the car out and I forgot to tell him not to drive fast in D mode and he was having fun with a Ferrari and got the transmission to overheat but once it cooled down it was fine. Hopefully soon I can show it people at a NYC/NJ/Long Island meet but the timing of those events has not worked out for me so far because I have 2 little kids (3 and 6 and they LOVE the acceleration) that take up much of my time. I did take a random guy I found in an E92M3 sitting on 48th Street in Maspeth for a ride and he seemed impressed. I found another E92M3 guy right outside of my garage in NYC but he didn't have time to check it out.
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06-27-2013, 11:08 PM	#2
mkPOTO Mr. Nice Says Hello 636 Rep 16,662 Posts Drives: BMW M3 \| X5 xdrive 35i MSport Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: USA iTrader: (25) Garage List 2002 Lexus GS300 [0.00] 2008 BMW E92 M3 [5.58]	nice review Wayne, we need more videos! Lol
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06-28-2013, 12:04 AM	#3
Jbook Lieutenant Colonel 163 Rep 1,506 Posts Drives: '15 FO M4 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NorCal Bay Area iTrader: (23) Garage List 2011 BMW E90 M3 [9.44]	You actually want the tune that improves gas mileage? Congrats and thanks for the review! Evolve makes quality products and their tuning is top notch. My buddy Randy has an E60 M5 and he has been beyond satisfied. Glad to hear that you have had the same experience! __________________ Fire Orange F82 Built by Alekshop \| Pure Stage 2 Turbos \| Akrapovic Evolution and Downpipes \| ESS T-500 Performance ECU Software \| Evolution Racewerks Chargepipes \| Gruppe M CAI \| Awron Gauge w/ Valve Control \| KW Clubsport \| Brembo GT 380 F&R \| 19" BBS FI-R \| BMW Performance Seats, Aero, and Steering Wheel \| Vorsteiner Diffuser \| IND Cosmetics
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06-28-2013, 12:56 AM	#4
Chriskm3 Colonel 59 Rep 2,186 Posts Drives: M3 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Toronto iTrader: (4)	Congrats. What I am starting to slowly realise about supercharger kits is that is not the hardware that counts at time of purchase but the customer support along the way. It seems that sal is just as quick on the trigger when answering questions as roman at ESS. Too bad I can't say the same for others __________________ Vf supercharger + tune/H&R coils/ Akra evolution exhaust/Volk te37/ Rs-3 tires/ Brembos /TIal BOV/ OSS blacked out headlights/LUX v3/Led taillights/ Challenge Front lip/ P3 vent gauge/ F10 m5 shift mob/Matte black front grills/ And a funky air fresher
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06-28-2013, 01:44 AM	#5
Ezio Brigadier General 380 Rep 3,934 Posts Drives: 2023 Alfa Romeo, 2023 m240i Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: MI iTrader: (0)	Nice!
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06-28-2013, 10:46 AM	#6
Longwong Banned 38 Rep 370 Posts Drives: e92 m3 catless Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Why does D mode overheat? Not knowledgable about this
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06-28-2013, 02:27 PM	#10
sg///M3 Lieutenant 6 Rep 436 Posts Drives: 2008 M3 DCT Join Date: May 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC iTrader: (0)	Nice write up. Could you post some vids/sound clips of the exhaust? I'm curious to hear what the Corsa sounds like with an x-pipe.
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06-28-2013, 02:32 PM	#11
WayneM3 First Lieutenant 286 Rep 355 Posts Drives: F90M5 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: New York, NY iTrader: (2)	It sounds great! I will try to borrow a friend's GoPro or something to take a better video than with my camera.
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06-28-2013, 03:43 PM	#16
F16RCE First Lieutenant 82 Rep 307 Posts Drives: Soon to be M4 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Delaware, USA iTrader: (0)	great post Wayne... i have had the Evolve charger for a little less time but my experience has been very much like yours. I will posy a decent review over the weekend.... But i will quickly say Sal and the boyz (Riz and Imran) have been fantastic... Always there to answer any queries and help out. Sal has been emailing me new maps every few days to try out. Its really reassuring having the map wizard only a phone call or text away. This was a big reason for choosing Evolve and so glad i did!
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06-28-2013, 04:51 PM	#17
whats77inaname Banned 825 Rep 3,387 Posts Drives: when at all possible Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Tx iTrader: (25)	So Evolve/owners of Evolve-s/c'ed cars.....anyone going to dyno anytime soon?
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06-29-2013, 05:26 AM	#19
Sales@Evolve BimmerPost Supporting Vendor 92 Rep 1,064 Posts Drives: Slow Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Luton, Bedfordshire iTrader: (0)	Also, as with all of our other major hardware upgrades, we are custom tuning every file to suit driving characteristics of the customer. These kits give a very responsive throttle response and way more transient torque than many people expect from a supercharger kit. In 2 cases we have had to tone down the throttle maps from the standard throttle mapping to suit them to different driving styles.
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06-29-2013, 11:04 AM	#21
L4ces Major 337 Rep 1,489 Posts Drives: 2008 E92 M3 Alpine White Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NJ - NY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 M3 [0.00]	I met up with Wayne today and got a first hand experience as a passenger in a SC'd M3. I was astonished by the rapid non stop acceleration and how it pinned me to the seat. Each gear shift was like a bang on my chest and pinning to the seat. I now know what scary fast feels like. Each gear we were accelerating as fast as the previous. I never thought of looking at the speedo because my eyes were fixed straight ahead processing in sensory info. Prior to letting off, i grabbed the door handle which is another indication that the brutal acceleration showed no sign of ceasing (until he had to let off). I am a 6MT guy and love it but I there would be a lot of momentum lost in my shifts. I'd love it anyway for fun I could have. The Evolve pipes and the UUC Corsa combo sounded really nice and growls. Not too bassy in cabin at low RPMs ( less bassier than my AA catback which continues to get many compliments). His setup is DD driveable but as he described, it truly screams when you get on it. The scream is a perfect match for the acceleration that you feel. It isn't a raspy scream but very blood pumping. I envy you guys with all that power on tap. Last statement, the pull is intoxicating and addictive. I want another ride.
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06-29-2013, 02:23 PM	#22
Sales@Evolve BimmerPost Supporting Vendor 92 Rep 1,064 Posts Drives: Slow Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Luton, Bedfordshire iTrader: (0)	Did Wayne demonstrate the instant response of the engine at any rpm and the low end torque? Most supercharger kits are capable of producing excellent power over 6000rpm. The differentiator is what happens below this. Next time you go out, get it in 6th or 7th gear at normal high way speeds and ask him to roll on the throttle. It will accelerate with very satisfying torque. All of our UK customers have the advantage of driving our demo car and chose our kit because of it's excellent response and torque as well as the big top end power. It is described as being very non supercharger. Feels like a bigger version of the S65 with incredible top end. You can short shift to just 6000rpm and still pick up speed incredibly quick.
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